What ‘grand’ memories will our eight have?

“Grandpa!” “Oh, look, Grandpa!” “Grandpa, Christmas lights!” With a 4-year-old buckled in the backseat, we didn’t need a GPS to find the festive Yule lights scattered around town.

The Dreaded NWK Syndrome

Our passage through life can well contain events worthy of seemingly endless celebration and it can also be fraught with terrible circumstances better left forgotten. Most of us do, though, manage to survive these incidents, both the good ones as well as the bad.

Auld lang syne

As the clock winds down on 2024 and we prepare to welcome 2025, we find ourselves reflecting on a year filled with challenges, triumphs, and growth. Hartwell has once again shown its true character—one of resilience, kindness, and community.

So, what should we talk about?

It’s times like these where I can’t help but think of  Pop Song ‘89. It’s the title track to the Green album by the Athens-based band, and rock-n-roll hall of famers, R.E.M. This song is about someone who really has no clue what to say to a girl.

Mary’s Faith Points Us to Jesus

Every Christmas, we hear the same story. A young couple travels to pay taxes. A virgin girl and her fiancé found no room to rest. Their baby is laid in a manger. Have you ever thought about Mary, the mother of Jesus? Her story is amazing. We could learn about her life.

I’m dreaming of the “right” Christmas

One of the things I enjoy most about Christmas are the old movies that help put me in the seasonal spirit. And though there are many I like, my all time favorite is Holiday Inn, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. The best part about the film is the music, composed by Irving Berlin.

Some notes from a swamp Yankee

We just completed an election that vied for the most polarized voting bases in history. The polarization has torn apart friends and family to a degree never experienced.

We deserve a detailed answer on bypassing amendment 1

Per the article in last week’s paper, property taxes in GA went up 41%.  Inflation in Georgia during the same period was 24%.  No one thinks that teachers and administrators in our district are overpaid.

Kindness is still here; just look in your own neighborhood

If you, like me, sometimes think that members of the human race have been vaccinated against kindness, we’re both wrong. It’s still here. We just need to turn away from all the hate and discord around us—and in our nation’s capital—and look for the goodness in people.

The ’81 Sugar Bowl chat

As anyone close to me will tell you, I root for my family and friends as much if not more than I root for my favorite sports teams. Through successes and failures, I am their biggest supporter and try to be their biggest cheerleader.