Rich: Bringing joy to others

As the length of 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. Every person who knows Edward gushes with love and stories of his thoughtfulness.

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.

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. Our good friend and house sitter, Kathy Lanning, is alert and doesn’t miss a thing.

Rich: Tellers of songs — part four

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. Our good friend and house sitter, Kathy Lanning, is alert and doesn’t miss a thing.

Rich: Tellers of songs — part three

Dolly Parton is, unquestionably, one of music’s best songwriters. Arguably, she is the best writer of the “girl singers,” as they were called in the 1960s, to come out of Nashville. Loretta Lynn was smart and unique in her view of marriage and relationships.

Rich: Tellers of songs - part one

Those who write songs are my favorite storytellers. In roughly three minutes, they can wrap your heart up and tie it in a pretty bow. Or, they can write of a baby that was born, then carry you down through his long life until his pinewood box is lowered six feet into the ground. In three minutes.

Rich: The Singer sewing machine

Mama loved to sew and was remarkably gifted at it. She had the mountain people's common sense which allowed her to decipher the most complicated situations. When I was four, I admired a dress in the window of a local department store.

Rich: More than worldly accomplishments

In an old-fashioned diner in Staunton, Virginia, the four of us sat in a leather booth against a wall of windows. Over eggs and biscuits, we were having the kind of conversation that close friends enjoy between sips of coffee. An older man approached, reaching out to shake the hand of Don Reid.