The Tinker diaries

In my office is a beige wicker suitcase with brown leather straps.Inside are 32 handwritten diaries produced by Charlie Tinker during his years working at the White House for his cherished friend, Abraham Lincoln.In another area, squirreled away by Tink, is a hand-duplicated set of those diaries.

Divided we stand

Dropping in and out of family and friend celebrations of our nation’s birth over the long holiday weekend, and as we enter the 250th year of this “great experiment,” I am troubled by the tension and at times outright hostility which exists among us.

The magical romance of trains

Whenever Tink and I visit Greenwood, Mississippi, one of our favorite places, we stay at the small Alluvian Hotel.“Please, Denise,” I ask the front desk manager, “put us as close to the train as possible.”She laughs delightedly.

Trump’s big, beautiful bust

Former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)won the position as the 55th House speaker on the 15th ballot in January 2023, after House Republicans won a narrow majority during PresidentJoe Biden’s2022 midterm elections.

The return

It happened the other night. He returned for the first time in 30 years. His eyes were still dark brown, his hands were short but wide, and his teeth still pearly white but rarely seen because, for him, life was a serious business.

Still time to ensure safer schools

It was the morning of Sept. 4, 2024, when Georgia’s deadliest school shooting was underway atApalachee High School in Winder.

Tribute to one who made a better world

The late Jasper Dorsey, my boss and mentor at Southern Bell, taught me a lot about the business world, but he also taught me a lot about life. One of the things he emphasized to me is that we have an obligation to leave this a better world than we found it. Audrey DeShetler did just that.

One million words

One million words ago, I started this column.That’s a lot of stories to tell.Additionally, I have written eleven books, including one that was turned into a television movie and one that is closing in on its 50th printing.

Thoughts about fathers on their special day

This coming Sunday is Father’s Day. I thought I would get a head start on the topic since I happen to be a father, had a great father of my own, sired one who, in turn, sired one, and not to be outdone, a daughter who managed to produce one as well. Ergo, I know a bit about the subject of fathers.

Brent’s extraordinary father

Brent’s birth, when he joined his sister, Laurie, and brother, Jay, on an Autumn day was joyous.Brent, looking straight into his mother’s eyes, smiled with an abundance of sweetness. He was happy to meet the world that he would be his new home.