Month: March 2016

  • Dishonorable Soldiers

    Dishonorable Soldiers

      Soldier Jeanie Ditty and her boyfriend. Most often I am compelled to write about the ways in which we need to honor our veterans and military families. This compulsion is the result of growing up a Gold Star daughter during the height of the[..]
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  • Worth the Intending

    Worth the Intending

    His name is Caleb Doyle. He lives in Jacksonville, Oregon, a charming historic town that you would never just happen upon, you have to be intending to go there. But if you are wondering, it's worth the intending. You'll have to go soon, though, if[..]
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  • An Easter Message

    An Easter Message

    My daughter sent me a text last night of my grandson. He was sitting in his rocker with his bare feet in a pan, his pants cuff rolled up, grinning from ear-to-ear. His momma had just washed his feet. A retelling of the Scripture story.[..]
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  • Before the Blood is Mopped Up

    Before the Blood is Mopped Up

    There's so little to say in the wake of tragedy, after the dead have been covered over and the wounded have been carted off. What is there to do but to fall to our knees, bow our heads, and weep for the young Mormon boy[..]
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  • St. Simons Memory

    St. Simons Memory

    She sat on a wooden bench inside one of St. Simon's more popular restaurants. Her blond hair was cropped short in the fashion of Robin Wright. She was thin and angular, and not a beauty really as much as she was simply striking. She was[..]
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  • Jesus is Not an American

    Jesus is Not an American

      I've been doing some reading about the effects of unforgiveness on the physical body. It has to do with that next novel I'm writing. But while going through reams of scientific research, I got to thinking about this election year. I was going to[..]
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  • Pat: A Natural Born Mentor

    Pat: A Natural Born Mentor

    [caption id="attachment_2131" align="aligncenter" width="532"] Photo credit: Elizabeth DeRamus[/caption] Ironically enough, some of the most small-minded people I ever worked with worked in newsrooms.  I was reminded of that this weekend as I read numerous newspaper articles about the death of Pat Conroy. My heart was[..]
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  • An Excellent Cricket

    An Excellent Cricket

    When I turned 50, friends & family threw a party for me in Washington, DC. One of my dear veteran friends, Redman Flegal, who never reads any of my books, even the ones that feature him, gave me an old copy of Prince of Tides.[..]
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  • Lester’s Legacy

    Lester’s Legacy

    Allow me to speak to you as a Gold Star Daughter, would you? Being part of a Gold Star family isn't something anyone aspires to. It's an exclusive club, membership will cost you a life. In my case, it cost my father's life. He was[..]
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