Shoot, sometimes he’d cook just because he liked to. Or wanted to. Or it was Saturday night. Or chickens were on sale at Piggly-Wiggly. more

Who knows how the strength of simple kindness will echo for years in someone’s life and even reverberate in the larger world? more

My late dear departed mother never had a driver’s license in her life. But that didn’t stop her. She could drive with the best of them. At least tell them how to do it. My dad. … more

Of all the amazing personal stories on both the men’s and women’s N.C. State basketball teams (D.J. Burns plays three musical instruments, Aziaha James over family tragedy), I’m … more

Names, it’s been said, are among the most important parts of our lives. They are, our identity and security, our personality and who we are and how we look at life. There are, of course, … more

This is Holy Week. It is also spring break for my children. Ah, the poor preacher’s kids. No big vacation for them. Instead, they will spend even more time than usual in church. It is their … more

The place in my house where I spend more time than in any other place, including the area containing the dinner table, is a room we call “the study.” Some of what gives that room its … more

My buddy, a cheerful dude whom I hadn’t seen in years, met me at a coffeeshop, and after filling each other in about our kids, we leapt into a conversation about the holy subject of basketball. … more

Colorectal cancer, or cancer of the colon or rectum, is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that almost 153,000 Americans will be diagnosed with CRC in 2024, and about 53,000 people will lose their lives to this preventable disease. In North Carolina alone, nearly 3,500 people will be diagnosed. more

I am not a Duke basketball fan, but the Cameron Crazies make me smile. Crazy face paintings. They are in the game together; individual hearts rise and fall together with every made and missed basket. … more

I know we haven’t gotten to it yet on the calendar but let me be among the first to say to us all that spring has sprung, arrived and also now is here. And, yes, I know we’ve had … more

Every older generation, no matter the period of history, seems to think the current younger generation is going to the dogs and is basically hopeless. My parents and their peers thought Little … more

Garrison Keillor once claimed that God created the month of March in order that those who didn’t drink might experience the feeling of a hangover. The famous radio personality was referencing … more

A significant number of folks are, have been or soon will be infected with what we may delicately call “the Chatham County crud.” For some folks it’s more a full blown case of … more

Wandering and wondering through the stations, I found myself before a poster board labeled “BHAP: Big Hairy Audacious Prayers.” I chuckled. “Big hairy” conjures up a yeti! I bet a youth came up with this phrase! more

All the gifts are gone from under the tree and soon my better half will throw out the cedar tree our son cut from his pasture land and brought to our house so we could have a “real” tree … more

Here in the last week of the year, one might reflect upon the highs and lows of 2023 or look to the future by making resolutions. One might also have one’s hands full of the endless tasks … more

My favorite childhood concept was the do-over. Whether shooting hoops or swinging a baseball bat, sometimes I needed a second chance. Maybe a third or fourth! Adults, however, are less receptive … more

Mr. Webster, in his book of words, defines “tradition” as “an inherited, established or customary pattern of thought, action or behavior” and as “the handing down of … more

In an extraordinary move, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court on Monday to rule on President Donald Trump's claim that he is immune from prosecution for election interference. The … more