By Joe Rector My daughter Lacey and her family had a scare not long ago. It made us all re-evaluate our feelings toward the people and things we love. Well, at least that’s the effect it had on me. Madden was spending the weekend with his grandparents in Huntsville, Alabama, and Lacey and Nick were […]
By Joe Rector One of the most favorite things about summer to many is the chance to go barefoot. In other areas of the country, we Tennesseans are believed to be shoeless all the time. The fact is that I’ve never been crazy about going without shoes. Doing so has always caused nothing but troubles. […]
By Joe Rector Believe it or not, Americans can be a rather nice people. Oh, we have our weaknesses and often display less than model behavior, but at the same time, we are quick to come to the aid of others or to perform acts of kindness. Our “good” sides are often taken advantage of […]
By Joe Rector It’s hard to believe that July 4th marked the middle of summer for school kids. I still reel with the knowledge that schools open their doors the first part of August or the last of July in some places. What happened to the policy that school began the day after Labor Day? […]
By Joe Rector joerector@comcast.net I’ve tried to write this piece a couple of times but found it almost impossible. The key is to put it on paper without sounding preachy or religiously stilted. So, here goes another attempt. The main characters in books, TV, and movies are increasingly expressing their doubts or disbeliefs in a […]
By Joe Rector I’d listened well, so when our anniversary arrived last December, I bought a tent, sleeping bags, tarps, and air mattresses for a new activity. Amy has this burning desire to camp and hike, things quite different from my preferences for sleeping in my own bed and mowing the yard for exercise. I’ve […]
By Joe Rector It’s summer time, and one never comes around that I don’t remember the good and bad times I had during these months when I was younger. Twin brother Jim and I awoke to the morning air heavy with the perfume of honeysuckle, and we played hard all day. When we reached high […]
By Joe Rector I don’t know about any other Tennesseans, but I, for one, feel so much safer knowing that our state officials are taking care of us. If you don’t believe they are, just check out State Senator Frank Niceley’s “fatherly” leadership. Niceley’s proposal would remove the arduous task of choosing Democratic and Republican […]
By Joe Rector Last week was Pentecost Sunday. It’s that celebration for when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and they spoke in the languages of all who were gathered. It’s also recognized as the birth of the church. During that time Peter addressed the crowd that accused the disciples of being drunk. In […]
By Joe Rector The news today reported student debt is closing in on $1 trillion, more than credit card debt which anemically trails at between $650-850 billion. ”Woe is us” seems to be the cry from the millions who have accrued debts for education. According to Bloomberg, college tuitions and fees have increased 1,120 percent […]
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