Rich: It hurt not to be remembered

Over the next few days and nights after the disturbing discovery, my main question was, “Why does it even matter to me?”I didn’t lose sleep over it—it’s almost impossible to lose sleep with as little as I get.

Rich: The folks who are proud of you

About a year ago, Tink and I were visiting our friends, Don and Debbie Reid in Staunton, Virginia.In their living with the over-stuffed chairs and sofa, the four of us had settled into a long, easy conversation. The kind you have with people who are your kind. Don’s phone beeped with a text.

Rich: Trusting your gut

It’s one of life’s hardest lessons to learn and then, just as hard to make it stick: Trusting an unseeable force – intuition.Daddy preached it.“Stick to your gut. It’ll never fail you.

Rich: Who are the good ole boys?

Someone – a non-Southerner – asked me the other day, “What is a good ole boy?”I’m happy to answer that question. Let me tell you about the South’s good ole boys: First of all, you will probably see him at every Friday night home football game.

Rich: The tears that wouldn’t fall

Massive tears pooled in my eyes, but, amazingly, for 15 minutes, they did not fall.They were stoic.Just like my friend, John Jarrard.Sitting at a table in a sequined dress for a black-tie event, I watched the video that honored that wonderful man.

Rich: Celebrating good folks, especially fathers

A friend of mine and I were talking once about a crook we both know. As my Daddy would say, “He wouldn’t know the truth if it hit him between the eyes.”The stories about this crook are endless. It seems like almost everyone has a story about a lie, an illegal transaction, or some such.

Rich: The Hydrangea

About 16 years ago, a famous man dug up part of a famous plant in his world-renowned garden and gave it to me."Don't put it where it'll get the hot afternoon sun; plant it in the gentle sun," he explained. "If the leaves wilt, it's from lack of hydration.

Rich: An awakening

A significant awakening swept over me recently. When it happened, I was happily stunned at my observation.Daddy had a close first cousin named Gurley. Tink, a Yankee, had never heard of degrees of cousins until he came South. He did not know what a “first” cousin was or how you became third cousins.

Rich: The dreams of friends

On the bookcase at the top of the stairs is a framed photo of two young girls, barely out of college, both wearing the Victorian lace look of a retired brand called Gunne Sax.Our smiles are cheerful, our freckles peek out from under our makeup, and a shimmering light exists in our eyes.

Rich: The coffee

The little kitchen of my childhood home had coffee every morning.Always.Mama owned a decorative percolator from the 1950s, which bubbled delightfully. But she did not bother unless there was company visiting.The kettle on the stove whistled when the water boiled.