Stories from Jackson

It’s the New Year. Time for resolutions. I’m not going to fool myself and make a year-long goal. I’ll just try to kick things off for January.

I am going to write down some of my favorite stories of growing up in Jackson. Why? I’m not sure. Perhaps I am wanting to sharpen the writing craft in this new year or needing to bounce around a sermon illustration or two. But it’s more likely I want to stroll down memory lane and visit old friends. Like that time first time hunting with my dad and having to smear fox pee from a bottle on my boots to hide my scent. Or those fall nights when Peek’s Clearing and Grading opened up their shop for a Towaliga community stew with cakewalks or playing little league baseball for the legendary (to Jackson at least) Homer Williams who was so superstitious about winning that we wore the same underwear to each game that he had his wife mark with black thread. I hope some will be fun, others sad and some revealing. But mostly, I hope they’ll stir up good memories.

Today, I relate differently to my childhood friends. I hardly see them. I share different viewpoints about life and my Christian faith. I want to remember my friends well and the time we shared without overthinking it. They made me laugh and invited me over to shoot basketball and watch a movie on a Friday night. I look forward to visiting in spirit old friends. They’ll be rough cuts for sure. I’ll try to crank out a story every few nights throughout January. So if you’re interested, join along.