Movie star sightings in my hometown of Bartlesville have not always been common, aside from the good old days of Tom Mix and Ben Johnson. But with the arrival of Apple Studios and the adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon, our community and the state of Oklahoma continue to grow in their roles as […]
It was a tough year to be human in 2020. I mentioned this in passing to our cat, Boo, and she looked at me with cold green eyes, blinked, and walked away unfazed by the concerns of her bipedal servant. Oh to be so carefree. Alas, I’m feeling more Jimmy Buffett these days when he […]
Earlier this year, I joined with my brother and other family members in establishing a foundation called 1256 Movement. I grew up 40 miles north of Black Wall Street, the epicenter of a place that was grand and thriving in 1921. In a couple of days, white mobs reduced Black Wall Street and many homes […]
Rain drips from the eaves of our cabin porch near Westcliffe, Colorado, as Led Zeppelin’s The Rain Song plays in my ear pods. It’s 60 degrees and the sky is electric as I gaze at the Sangre de Cristo Mountains rising like blue steel in the distance. The mountains whisper as I write, distracting me, […]
I’ve been thinking about Dooney lately. He was 5’10” about 175 lbs…just like me only he was black. I guarded him in practice. He could shoot it and he could get in your face and shut you down. Although he didn’t look tough, a bit paunchy for a high school senior, he was tough as […]
One of the enduring images of watching his earthly body fade was Mom reading Facebook comments to him. Mom often read to all six of us in the car on vacations, assorted books, Reader’s Digest jokes, the Bible. It was this traveling voice in the car she used as she read hundreds of your comments to Dad in the past few weeks.
Dad always had a travelin’ jones. He loved maps, highways, vacations, travel. It was an itch that could only be scratched with a road trip. As Dad lay dying, he asked the logistical questions one asks when preparing for a journey. What time is it? Can we drive through for barbeque? Where are my children? […]
Last night my Dad told those gathered around him, “I don’t want to be a burden.” This morning, I read from Henry Nouwen’s, Adam’s Peace. “Adam can do nothing. He is completely dependent on others. His gift is purely being with us. Adam’s peace is first of all a peace rooted in being. Being is […]
Bespoke 