Splinters, blisters, and paper cuts. Agitated, irritated, potentially infected. That's the worst! Even just a small speck of dust in our eye can do the same! Through the years I've found that dealing with people can be even more painful than any blister or speck of dust ever could be. Disagreements and disputes that led to... Continue Reading →

She sat alone nestled up on the sofa with a cup of coffee staring out the living room window. How could this be? How would she tell him? Her relatives? What were people in town going to think? How would this change her future? Conversations must happen. And decisions must be made. It wasn't a... Continue Reading →

Do you know what I love about family reunions in the South? There's always plenty of food to go around. From Thanksgiving to New Year's it seems like there's always a party or family gathering with mass group emails about who's bringing what to the dinner. The sensational goodness of ham/turkey, dressing, casseroles, and all... Continue Reading →

In high school I remember reading Lord of the Flies. To be honest, I can't recall much about the book but I do remember something about a pig on a stick. Why? I don't know. It's just a boy's teenage mind I guess. I do remember the plot being sort of a fight for survival... Continue Reading →

Growing up I was a daddy's boy! Tagging along on the heels of my hero! If dad was going to the store I wanted to go. To the dog pen, I was there. On the tractor or the lawn mower, that was me. Making a weekend trip to an out of town ballgame, I'm in... Continue Reading →

I'll never forget my first trip out of town to play travel baseball when I was thirteen years old. I had played on the rec league all star team before. But this was different. I was playing with a select team from a different town. New uniforms. New coaches. New expectations. And a new ritual... Continue Reading →

Have you ever watched the show Shark Tank? The first time I heard of the show I thought it was really about the 'intriguing but not so enviable venture' of swimming with sharks. Attractive. Entertaining. But not personally likely to attempt. And from my seat in front of the TV that's exactly what it was... Continue Reading →

I'm a middle school teacher. I hear it all the time, "Bless your heart! I don't know how you do it!" And I can appreciate both the empathy and the sarcasm. So I just assure them that if I act just like the pre-teens it's actually not a bad gig. I remember when I was... Continue Reading →

My son came to me not too long ago wearing his emotions on his sleeves about some things that had been said to him at school. Not knowing exactly what to say I began to recall in my mind some childhood memories that paralyzed me emotionally for quite some time. My name is Kortney. With a... Continue Reading →

Back in the day I had a nickname; K-Dawg! How it happened I don't know. But all through high school and on into my college years there was a small circle of people who used this nickname to get my attention. It really became a name of association. Affection. Endearment. Reserved for a special breed... Continue Reading →