Musings

A Career Season By Kirk McCarley What were your New Year’s resolutions?  How are you doing so far?  Maybe it’s work-related because: My job lacks purpose, or There’s no career path, or I just need a job…any job. Most of us enter the full-time workforce sometime around age 20.  If we’re “fortunate”...

A Pastor’s Ponderings By Rev. Pete Hyde The old car rolled to slow stop at a bleak and abandoned intersection, literally in the “middle of nowhere.”  The driver looked down at his quickly scribbled instructions.  Had he come four miles or five?  Perhaps it was only three because he was paying...

A Blissful New Year By Lauren Catanese Happy 2018 South Walton! Another year is here! How Blessed we are to have the opportunity to create and live a life of our dreams. Sharing with one another, growing, and allowing our authentic selves to shine; letting go the year’s before and...

Presents of Time By Jim Clark The gift of being present... Showing up ... Being there… Listening instead of talking… Making eye contact…. Staying aware… Aware of the people around you… Even those who don’t seem to care The strangers, your neighbors, friends… and your family if you dare? You know really?... Sometimes all it takes is tim... And not much is...

By Sean Dietrich Long ago, my college professor told us to choose a poem to recite in class. Students chose lofty selections from the greats. Whitman, Dickinson, Frost. I consulted Daddy's Hank Williams songbook. 10:40 P.M.—New Year’s Eve. Hank Williams is on my radio. My wife is sleeping in the passenger...

The Wisdom of the Wizard of Westwood By Kirk McCarley Those of my generation who had interest in college basketball were witness to one of the greatest sports dynasties in the history of athletic competition with the dominance of the UCLA Bruins.  Save for one year, from 1964 to 1975, the...

A CHRISTMAS STORY By Sean Dietrich This was the old world. The only thing worse than being a pregnant adolescent, was being one in a small town. This is not my story, I just wrote it down. It was told to me by a preacher. His name was Jacob, but people...

The Christmas Spirit “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” You know the scene in the movie, The Grinch where Cindy Lou sings to Santa… “Where are you Christmas? Why can’t I find you?” I love that scene. It always gets me teary eyed. Maybe because, I have been...

The Life That Some Dogs Lead It all starts with the choice to breed, Not even thinking it's more mouths to feed. So cute and cuddly when they arrive, But how many of them will actually survive? All these things they should consider, Yet still they sell to the highest bidder. Not even knowing where they'll...

Tis’ The Season By Rev. Pete Hyde The Thanksgiving newspaper hit the driveway with what must have been a three-pound-thud because of all the ads.  'TIS THE SEASON!! The Thanksgiving meal was prepared and devoured, leftovers put away, football games were watched, naps taken and strategy laid out for Black Friday.  Christmas decorations...