It is thundering without rain.  The silence between the claps is deafening.   The trees are still, and the birds have flown to the ground.  ...

About 52 years ago, on a Saturday sometime in May, I woke early. My parents were still asleep, as was my brother. No one was up but me.  We ...

One of my first Christmas memories is of my brother screaming. Someone - one of my father's friends, I suppose - came to our house dress...

When I was 5, my father had me and my brother in a vehicle when he stopped at a convenience store on Apperson Drive. I don't recall what...

We seldom spent a weekend at home when I was growing up. My father played music in a band, and they had gigs on Fridays or Saturdays or some...

When I was 9 years old, my mother decided I was old enough to keep myself and my brother for two hours after school. She worked a full-time ...

A notice from the Division of Motor Vehicles telling me my license must be renewed before my birthday reminded me of how I actually received...

When the first plane hit the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, I was working a part-time job at a law office to supplement...

Word came this afternoon that singer Olivia Newton-John passed away at the age of 73. I have been an Olivia Newton-John fan for a long time....

Family legend has it that I spent my early years in the pool hall. My father would take me to the nearest bar, where he gathered with his bu...

I had forgotten, really, that I was a 1970s version of a hippie when I was younger. Once I discovered blue jeans and got away from my mother...

Here we are, 24 days away from the big day now! Christmas is coming whether one wants it or not. Thinking back, I can't say that I have ...

I could not be a teacher. Not today, not ever.  Not that I didn't try. Back in 1994, I decided to apply to substitute teach. I was havin...

My first bicycle was a present from Santa when I was five years old. It was baby blue, and Batgirl was sitting on the bike seat when I woke ...

Welcome 2021! At long last, 2020 is over. Unfortunately, as years tend to do, this one so far looks like last year. It's raining, it...

I learned that my elementary school music teacher passed away recently. Her name was Mrs. Tingler, and she taught music from the time I was ...

I miss college. I miss the atmosphere, the ideas, the notion that there is a world where positive change is possible. I hate living in this ...

I've been watching Melissa Etheridge play live on Facebook (6 p.m. EST) for about 10 days now. She gives a four-song concert every eveni...

At Thanksgiving, my aunt came to Virginia from Texas and brought with her the photos my grandmother had had of my mother. She thought I migh...