Short Stories
Narratives about experiences
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Kidnappings and Constitutional Rights 7.24.26
This past July 4th marked the United States’s 250th birthday as marked by the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I spent our country’s 250th birthday in a country where personal liberties and free speech are in jeopardy. But like most people, I have mistakenly thought of our constitution as a document with “positive rights” – rights that the government actively provides to us. Instead, most of the rights contained in the Constitution are “negative rights” – rights to protect its citizens by keeping the government out of our lives. In fact, if you look at the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, known as The Bill of Rights, all…
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The Pale Blue Cake 3.9.25
A short story on how Elizabeth ended up with a blue cake for her 22nd birthday.
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All You Need Is Love – July 3rd, 2023
Inspired to write this on my flight back to the States from Madrid after watching the movie “The Son” starring Hugh Jackman.
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Buckwheat – 9.10.22
I was home from college for the summer the day I got the call that my cousins had been in a terrible car wreck. Both had been taken to the hospital and were in serious condition with severe spinal injuries. As I processed this, I thought of Buckwheat and the choices he sometimes made. And then I thought of Troy. At thirteen years old, Troy had begun to play in some summer softball tournaments with Buckwheat, who was nineteen. An incredible baseball player, Troy had a promising future. But I sometimes wondered if Troy was spending too much time with Buckwheat. Although I was close to Troy, it was my…
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The Walk 2.18.22
A discussion of what is happiness? Inspired during a long walk with my son.
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Growing Up Too Fast 1.3.22
A musing on shame and why it does not work.
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The Gift Refused 4.9.21
A story about the grace of accepting gifts.
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The Football Field Meltdown
My first semester of college was a major transition for me. In addition to happily adjusting to indoor plumbing, I had to adapt socially and academically to my new environment. And although I did not know or care about Phi Beta Kappa when I matriculated to Randolph-Macon College, I would realize its significance later when I narrowly missed graduating with that honor. It was not my nemesis, freshman physics, that kept me from that honor. It would be another freshman class – one that to this day, as a writer, I wish I could take over again. Although my course load was light during my first semester with Pre-calculus, French, English and…
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The Pearl Creek Story
What's in a name? The following story explains how Pearl Creek Advisors, LLC came to be.
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The Boxer
A story about guns and how I learned to box. T.C., I hope this explains my reluctance to hunt.
