She's a people person and has a story for every situation. She walks into a room and immediately takes it over. People gather and want to be near her. He's different. He rarely says two words, but seems to notice everything, a glance, a throw-away look, nothing seems to get past him. They couldn’t be... Continue Reading →

I tripped on some ice in the dimly-lit parking lot. I came close to falling over, but caught myself. I looked around to see if anyone noticed, but then I remembered that most people — okay, most sane people — were still cuddled up in a warm bed next to Fido or their significant other.... Continue Reading →

Parenting is hard. When my daughter was in the fourth grade, she came home with a couple of Bs on her report card. I carefully looked over the report and made my first mistake: I made a grimace. I’m pretty sure I was just reacting to hearing a truck on the street gun it’s engine... Continue Reading →

When North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano gathered his basketball team together for the first time prior to the 1983 season, he set up a ladder and had the team practice cutting down the net as if they had just won the NCAA Championship. He viewed it as good practice for the real thing.... Continue Reading →

I’ve walked up to a grieving mother, asked about her deceased daughter, and wrote about it. I’ve watched Army reservists, called to active duty, give good-bye hugs and kisses to teary-eyed friends and family members before they shipped out to the Middle East, and wrote about it. I’ve dived headfirst into the most personal topics... Continue Reading →

We waved to my youngest son and he came running over to the car. As he got closer, I noticed a troubled look on his face. He’s usually all smiles. On this day, there was something else. He had a look of fear, like he was worried, but didn’t want us to know. He opened... Continue Reading →