Last week, as it barreled toward the Texas coast, Hurricane Ike passed 400 miles from our home in Orange Beach, Alabama. Located right on the Florida/Alabama line, our town saw docks and parking lots underwater as ten and twelve-foot waves broke onto our beaches. Pushed by fifty mile per hour wind gusts, the water flooded over the roads in several places—all this from a storm that had its eye on someone...

Continue reading »

I met him at least eight years ago—maybe ten—on Concourse A at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. He wore black pants and a white shirt with a black tie and bib apron. "Let me carry that for you, young man," he said, noticing the balancing act I was performing with my luggage and the tray of food from Paschal's Restaurant that included iced tea and peach cobbler. He didn't wait for...

Continue reading »