Rich: The Hydrangea

About 16 years ago, a famous man dug up part of a famous plant in his world-renowned garden and gave it to me."Don't put it where it'll get the hot afternoon sun; plant it in the gentle sun," he explained. "If the leaves wilt, it's from lack of hydration.

Rich: An awakening

A significant awakening swept over me recently. When it happened, I was happily stunned at my observation.Daddy had a close first cousin named Gurley. Tink, a Yankee, had never heard of degrees of cousins until he came South.

Rich: Sounds familiar

I sat in a doctor’s waiting room without a phone or a newspaper to read. I was just a-sittin’, observing those scattered about.It is the art of observing that we are losing.

Rich: Bringing joy to others

As my time has stretched into many years, I realize the exceeding importance of giving moments of kindness.Take, for instance, my friend, Edward.Edward is kind and well-mannered.

Rich: The friend I’ll always remember

Silently, Tink closed his laptop. He had been showing me a couple of videos.He observed me for a moment before asking, “You miss him, don’t you?” I nodded, my eyes pooling. “Very much.”“Does it make you sad to watch these?”I sighed. “Yeah. He was such a force. Charming, frustrating, funny.

Rich: The magic of ‘The Waltons’

This story comes on good authority which assures us that this good story is true.One day, Tink and I were visiting his father, former television Executive Grant Tinker, when the conversation turned to Merv Adelson, a legend of iconic 1970s television shows.

Rich: Fair and unbiased (or biased) sports reporting

Count me in as one who still enjoys holding a good, local newspaper and absorbing almost every word.From the front page to the obituaries to the sports to the legals. I even read the entire jury list.High school football season had just begun, and I was reading the town’s sports page.

Rich: Rudeness and courtesy

Sometimes, I have decided, rudeness works.Sometimes, it’s even called for.I had to do a lot of thinking on this because I advocate kindness and courtesy.But if someone is being abused publicly, I can see the need for rudeness to spare the victim.When I experienced a home invasion several years ago,...

Rich: Jesus was a Jew

In the modest country home where I grew up, prejudices were not allowed.However, there was a serious bias against what Daddy called “no accounts,” men who laid up drunk and didn’t feed their families.So, Daddy had a list, always, of about four or five women, with squalling kids and electric company...

Rich: How prayer works

This is how prayer works: Tink and I were one hour into a seven-hour trip home from Memphis.I’d been on a book tour for two exhausting weeks and had a stomach bug, very rare for me.