As you’re reading this, I’m driving east toward the North Carolina coast with my wife and the middle children of my siblings. I’m writing this less Continue Reading
Northbound Into the Dark
Nearly twenty years ago to the day, I boarded a commercial airplane with a machine gun slung on my back, along with 150 of my closest friends. Tray Continue Reading
What I Owe the Child I Never Had
To my son, had you been born, I wonder if you’d have looked like me. I wanted to write you—perhaps to apologize and explain why you don’t exist Continue Reading
Why Hard Work Still Wins in a World That Feels Like It’s Falling Apart
When I bought my first car, gas cost right around one dollar a gallon. What a time to be alive. Of course, I only made around $5.50 an hour at my pet Continue Reading
When the Music That Saved You Comes Back to Life
Last Sunday night, I found myself amid a sea of forty-somethings standing shoulder to shoulder, awaiting the magic that was sure to come. The lights Continue Reading
We Needed This
I’m now at the age when I sit on my front porch to watch the rain and say, “We sure needed this” to no one at all. But we did. This drought and Continue Reading
I Ain’t Going Anywhere
They say you can’t wait for inspiration; you just have to write. I’m not sure who “they” are, but I’ve surely said it a time or two. So, perhaps after Continue Reading
I Don’t Want to Die at a Desk
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to live a creative life. I know it’s cliché, but I have always felt I had more to offer the world than just Continue Reading
The Expectation and the Job
"When I enlisted, I tried to sign up for the infantry," said every POG (person other than a grunt) ever. It’s true, but with little means for college Continue Reading
The Last Class Before Everything Changed
It’s graduation season. I’ve been seeing many people share photos of their loved ones walking across high school and college stages to receive Continue Reading
What the House Was Hiding
For the last few weeks, there has been a crew of workers in and around my house. I took on a huge project renovating my basement animal room over the Continue Reading
No Road Map
In my mind, I’m still twenty-one years old, boarding a plane, and scared to go to a war I don’t believe in. The reflection on the black screen of my Continue Reading