Back in the days when my daddy was still alive, he ordered from Amazon an 18-pack of super-bright LED flashlights featuring a compact design, constructed of high impact ABS casing in an assortment of colours. Each flashlight had a … Read more

Being American, I am aware that for the most part, mine is a coffee-drinking country. In a 2021 report from urbanbeancoffee.com, statistics of coffee consumption in the United … Read more

My sister, Tracey, was six years older than I was, but we were always together. When we were younger, we were referred to as "Becky and Tracey" or "Tracey and Becky". Mom would make or buy us clothes that were similar for special days like … Read more

The basket of laundry in the closet was overflowing with a mixture of bath towels, kitchen rags, Mom's clothes, and mine. I just sighed. Washing clothes isn't a favourite chore of mine, but it is one that must be done on a regular basis. … Read more

"Now, you behave." How many times did I hear my mom say that in my childhood? If I had a penny for every time that she told me or my sister, Tracey, to behave before school, at the dinner table, before and during church, or at the mall, … Read more

"I don't know how to use that thing, and not sure I want to. What if I burn the fries?" On a video call, I was telling my friend Melanie about the new air fryer that Mom and I had received for Christmas. Melanie said something like, "So … Read more

Recently, a post on social media caught my eye. The picture was of a bunch of groceries and doodads in shopping bags. Above the picture were the words, "Grief Groceries". The story was about a woman who had lost her loved one. A friend … Read more

At ages fourteen and nine, my sister Tracey and I were invited to spend the summer without our parents at our grandparents' homes, one in North Carolina and the other in Georgia, USA. Mom and Dad always had one rule for whenever we were … Read more

My dad became what we affectionately called "the coffee guru" of our family. Daddy loved his coffee. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he wanted to find out what made coffee so good. He took the time to study and research online, … Read more

The first line of the email read: "Have you ever felt the weight of the world pressing in, drowning out the gentle whispers of God's love?" It was an email from a Christian clothing company, so I figured that it was some kind of pitch for … Read more

I am not a doctor or a nurse. I am an English major with a minor in journalism, and I received my master's degree in counselling and psychology. I went the education route and ended up working as a newspaper reporter for more than two … Read more

It was early one morning when the four kittens — two black and two calico — made their presence known to us. I was peeking outside the window that overlooks our side yard when I saw them. They were following a larger grey cat out from … Read more

As the little sister of four, I had plenty of opportunities to be left in the care of one of my older sisters or my older brother, Glen, while my parents were working or gone to some school or church event. One of Glen's jobs was to pick … Read more

Our church has a sewing group called The Thread Bearers. This Christmas, the group put together stockings filled with goodies and trinkets — some handmade and some bought. Our over-fifty-years-of-age group delivered the stockings to the … Read more

Three days before Christmas, my youngest niece, Bailey, was born. It is a day that I won't forget. It snowed, and for rural middle Georgia, a white Christmas was rare. She was a beautiful baby with the prettiest eyes. However, I think … Read more

A few months ago, my dad passed away. Reflecting on past Christmas seasons, we remembered some of the things that Daddy did during family gatherings, like the time he pushed my cousin's face into the whipped cream on a pie. One of my … Read more

A Facebook post caught my attention. Boyd McWhorter, it reported, was a native of my hometown of Cochran, Georgia, USA. Unless you were a big fan of college sports — in particular for the National College Athletic Association's … Read more

One summer, my fear of heights collided with my faith. I was helping with a group of children and youth at our church on a trip to a water park. There was a gigantic water slide with many bumps and curves, and the top was several flights … Read more

When I was a child, one of my favourite games was hide and seek. My cousins, my sister, and I would play it at our house, or at my grandma's house when we were all visiting there together. Friends and I would play it on the playground at … Read more

"Where in the world are you going?" "Donna, whoa! Where are we?" Feeling a little bit lost, and maybe somewhat anxious, I was talking to my sister as I drove my car. The only problem was that she was in the car ahead of me, and she … Read more

My almost-two-year-old great-nephew, Levi, is a curious tot. Knowing that, it was only natural for him to reach for a slice of the lemons that the waitress had put on the table. Immediately, several adult hands reached out to stop … Read more

Recently, I had surgery to remove a whopping seven-pound mass from around my right ovary. According to a friend who was in the operating room viewing the surgery, the mass had the looks of a seven-pound ham with a variety … Read more

In May 2005, over 4,000 members of the Georgia 48th Brigade were deployed to Iraq. It was the largest combat unit of the Georgia National Guard to deploy overseas since World War II. As they packed to leave, the soldiers … Read more

When I was little, a favourite game of my older brother and sisters for me to play was "Who can be the quietest?" The quietest would receive some kind of prize — a piece of bubble gum, or a special … Read more

Randall, Mayo, Eddie, Raynardo, Jon, Patrick, Shug, Lee, Zach, and Tony are members of the Tigers' football O-Line. Their job is pretty much to be the first line of defence against the opposing team's offensive line. To guard in football … Read more

One of the best memories that I will take with me from my time working with the Middle Georgia College Warriors football teams of 1998 and 2000 is the unique friendships that I saw develop and be established as a … Read more

One of my favourite people, Joe, was the linebacker coach for our football team. I never had paid much attention to that position until I got to know Joe. Linebackers have a wide variety of responsibilities and need to be … Read more

A rite of passage for most young girls happens when they reach that age at which their moms and dads agree to let them get their ears pierced. It is an exciting thought for most girls, until they get to … Read more

Tonya Butler, place kicker for the University of West Alabama Tigers football team, accomplished a feat one recent weekend. On the opening play of the game, Butler made a twenty-seven yard field goal. She became the first female to convert … Read more

I am not an athlete. I don't play one on television. I do enjoy sports, especially watching football. I have been a real fan of football ever since I was seven years old. We used to gather on Sunday afternoons … Read more

I remember sitting on the grass at football practice at Middle Georgia College, watching the Warriors go through their daily runs and drills. They were preparing for their next game. I watched as the coaches worked with their specific positions. … Read more

Football has been a favourite sport of mine to watch ever since I was a wee thing, at the age of 6, watching the Dallas Cowboys of the 1970s. Sunday afternoons in the fall would be dedicated, after church, of … Read more

In my little apartment, people might say that my cats rule. Millie, my grey tabby, and Lucky, my deaf white kitty, would agree that they do, though I think that they like to make me believe that I do. They … Read more