July 13, 2026
Opinion
What politicians really mean
Welcome to election year. I know, if you live in Georgia, this is old news. Y’all have been to the polls more often than some folks take a shower. I can never keep track if it’s a primary election, a general election, a jungle primary, a jungle gym, a primary runoff, a water runoff, an election to fill an unexpired term, a SPLOST, an E-SPLOST, or a SPLISH-SPLASH.
Southern Grace
In the South, we use the term “grace” in many different contexts. We say grace at supper time, we give grace to our neighbors, and we show grace through our actions. The term grace according to the dictionary is defined as simple elegance or refinement of movement.
Call it Independence Day
As we approach our biggest holiday of the summer, be very aware of our next holiday and consciously avoid calling it “4th of July” or “July 4th”. Please call it what it is: “Independence Day”.
Dumb and Dumber
The D.C. blue reflection pool was a dumb idea; particularly, since the true purpose was to upstage the Obama Library, deflect from the Epstein fiasco and celebrate an anticipated victory in Iran. Even dumber was to expect that there are not kooks out there waiting to spoil someone’s tea party by sabotaging the pond – If indeed this is even true. After all the only way to know when Donald Trump is telling the truth is when his mouth is closed and his hands are tied behind his back. Deceit and bedlam.
Trading Views
It is summertime and so many of you have probably planned a vacation- are you counting down the days? As our family prepares for ours it got me thinking about what a difference the view will be for only just a week. Hay bales and pastures will be traded for palm trees and blue seas, rolling hills and vegetable gardens will be traded for mountains and lush forest – there are so many changes that come when you shift geological locations. I often think back to the day that I shifted my spiritual views and fully surrendered this journey through life to the Lord. I did not know what would be ahead, the roads or scenery, but I committed to following the directional signs and began to envision the beauty that lied before me. “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
How did we ever survive the U.S. Bicentennial?
As we approach the country’s 250th birthday, I find my mind drifting back to its 200th birthday. Yes, a weary nation looked to the Bicentennial to lift our spirits from the lingering effects of the Vietnam War, Watergate and OPEC muscle-flexing. We desperately needed to be able to sing “Yankee Doodle” heartily and unironically, although in 2026 someone who puts a feather in his cap and calls it macaroni is a prime candidate to push strangers in front of a New York City subway train.
Financial exploitation of elderly adults
As the number of older Americans hits record levels, financial exploitation of seniors is also sharply on the rise.
Don’t fly off the handle
Let’s explore the origin of some common sayings. After writing several columns about sayings like, “I’ll read you the riot act” and “The straw that broke the camel’s back,” many of you suggested some others. Have you ever been called “One tough cookie?” Back in the 1920s, the nickname “cookie” was intended as a compliment, usually aimed at a female. A hard-working or resilient lady was often referred to as a “tough cookie.” By the 1950s, the term showed up in various publications referring to both men and women as “smart cookies.” But in order to be described as such, one would have to be intelligent or quick-witted. Upon the birth of our first grandchild in February, my wife chose “Cookie” as her grandmother name. And she is, indeed, a tough, smart cookie. (I’m Papa D, by the way).