Rich: The hands of hard work

Back when work was bone-deep hard, and money was so scarce that people often bartered for necessities, Mama recalled many stories of that time. Like most teenagers, I half listened but asked questions to be polite.Like most teenagers, I half listened but asked questions to be polite.

Rich: One of the most famous men I ever knew

His name is Calvin.There will never be a monument, a bridge, or a dirt road named for him.But in this part of the South, his name, Calvin Stewart, will be engraved in our hearts forever.Calvin was a patrol officer for the local sheriff’s department.

Rich: The joy of the rain

It was in the gloaming of a hot, July evening. I was dressed in jeans, an Elvis tee shirt, and farm boots, cleaning weeds near the stream that runs under our driveway.A bristling wind suddenly lifted the leaves, and I saw the skies darkening further. I called to the dogs.“Y’all c’mon.

Rich: My cousin

It was a simple gesture.Probably meaningless to anyone but me.We were at the funeral home, celebrating the well-lived, godly life of our Aunt Kathleen. Tink and I were seated on the sofa near her beautiful casket when my cousin, Wanda, plopped down in my lap and threw her arm around me.

Rich: The wedding gift

It was a wedding gift. We never knew from whom it came, even after all these years.I just opened the front door, and a quart jar of clear liquid sat there. My first thought was that it was water.Then I saw the note. “Congratulations on your marriage. Have a toast, from a friend.

Rich: Fried baloney sandwiches

It happened in Kentucky a while back.Perhaps 13 years. I don't know the name of the small town where we stopped. It escapes me completely, but that does not matter in the story.I was on a three-day, three-town speaking tour with Kentucky’s first female governor, Martha Layne Collins.

Rich: Sad happenings in a small town

Hemingway, South Carolina, is a tiny town of less than 500 people.There, one of my favorite people was born. She called Hemingway her hometown until college beckoned, followed by the state capitol and other glorious adventures.The joyous Mary Eaddy has the merriest of laughs.

Rich: It’s time for 2025

Know this upfront: This story won’t make me look like a saint, but God knows I’m not anyway, so I might as well tell the truth.Years before Tink and I married, I bought a three-acre parcel of land that adjoins the Rondarosa.

Rich: Memories of mistletoe and more

I remember and cherish the Christmases of my childhood. They were simple and humble, with no fancy frills or garland.I often stood in the windows of the stores downtown, longingly dreaming of a Christmas tree with expensive decorations and giant bows made of red velvet ribbon.And the angel on top?

Rich: The good publisher

In today’s newspaper world, one person works for two or three.They sleep less, drink much coffee, and rarely have time to fellowship with co-workers.I used to say that I believed one of the hardest jobs is that of a manicurist -- slumping over a small, white table and working relentlessly.