There鈥檚 a phrase that鈥檚 been echoing in my mind lately: 鈥渙ne of one.鈥 In a world that loves categories, labels, and mass production, that simple idea feels almost rebellious. But it鈥檚 true. You are not one of many. You are not a copy, a clone, or a repeat. You are one of one; a singular crea…
I had a most interesting travel experience not so long ago. I was speaking for the National Association of Elevator Contractors. The occasion was the annual NAEC Spring Conference taking place at the Naples Grand Beach Resort, in Naples, Florida.
The invitation to dine had been eagerly offered and humbly accepted. A group of men arrived at the residence of the host; shortly thereafter, polite conversation commenced as the meal was served at the table. Simon, the householder, was a gracious host, providing a meal fit for a king. Havin…
There are three gravel roads that stand out in my memories. One stretched a quarter mile south from the front of our house to Highway 70. Today a section of that gravel road is called Watervale Lane. It links up with today鈥檚 County House Circle to complete the stretch of road to Highway 70. …
Throughout the annals of history there have been iconic individuals who have inspired others to dream impossible dreams. Their indomitable spirit, passion, energy, and fearless acts have stirred the spirits of people paralyzed by doubt and inaction. Their capacity to activate dormant potenti…
They鈥檙e back! If you鈥檝e been around a tobacco barn, or a feed barn, or even a tool shed supported by cedar posts, you know the bumble bees are back. (Actually, they are 鈥渃arpenter bees.鈥) We called them 鈥渂umble bees.鈥 As faithful as the sunrise, they reappear about this time every spring. Th…
I am a country boy at heart. I grew up surrounded by the beauty of the Tennessee hills. In my lifetime I have beheld many beautiful sights. Many of them found their beginning on the farm that I called home.
An ode to the weary is delineated throughout the sixty-six books of the sacred text. The Holy Bible is replete with God鈥檚 emphatic promises of strength for one鈥檚 journey. These divine assurances fuel the weariest pilgrim by motivating and energizing them to press toward the mark for the priz…
I grew up in tobacco country 鈥 lived it, breathed it. They said back then raising a tobacco crop took 13 months out of the year. My father believed every word of it. If he wasn鈥檛 growing tobacco he was thinking about it. It never consumed him, but he was a master of his craft.
A wise man once said that if you鈥檙e angry, you鈥檙e living in the past. If you鈥檙e fearful, you鈥檙e living in the future. But, when you are at peace, that鈥檚 when you know that you are living in the present. That is where life begins to make sense.
Historic Granville will officially open for the 2026 season on Wednesday, March 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors are invited to attend this special opening day and explore a range of new and returning exhibits and experiences.
Granville Gifts and Southern Shops of Granville invite ladies to welcome the season in style at the annual Spring Fashion Show and Luncheon, 鈥淎 Spark of Spring,鈥 taking place March 27 and 28 at 11 a.m.
Last week, individuals exchanged Valentine cards, distributed boxes of candy, enjoyed candlelit dinners, and received floral arrangements. Some romantics wrote a poem expressing their love and passion. Any moment is a good time to share heartfelt expressions. Imagine if our lives are focused…
From time to time one of my granddaughters will ask me to tell her about 鈥渢he olden days.鈥 Quite frankly, when I think of the olden days I conger up pictures of frontiersmen with long rifles crossing the Appalachian Mountains, of log cabins, and of covered wagons crossing the Great Plains. O…
Time is hard to fully grasp. We easily understand days, weeks, months, or years, but 鈥渇orever鈥 is beyond our comprehension. How long is forever? It is too abstract, nebulous, and ambiguous to comprehend. As a result of our mental limitations, we fall short of fully appreciating the good thin…
According to Wikipedia 鈥渙ptimism鈥 is a mental attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavor, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favorable, and desirable.
I鈥檓 not quite sure when the word 鈥渟tress鈥 became so prominent in the modern vocabulary. When I was growing up the word was seldom used. My mother, a father鈥檚 wife, and busy homemaker, and mother of five never mentioned the word 鈥渟tress鈥 in our hearing, and I know she was often times pushed t…
Within the Old Testament鈥檚 genealogies of the Jewish people, there is a man named Jabez whose entire story is contained in just two verses. Although Jabez鈥檚 account occupies only two verses within the Bible, it is presented in a way that highlights the influence and legacy attributed to him.
My speaking travels have taken some interesting twists and turns over the years. One was particularly interesting.
Through the journey of our lives, we will encounter innumerable difficulties. The prospect of continuing on a pathway unobstructed by pitfalls is merely wishful thinking. Imagine how wonderful it would be to enjoy life on the French Riviera, basking in radiant sunshine and the mild Mediterra…
Historic Granville begins the 2026 Mayberry Season with their Mayberry Valentine Dinner Theater. They will be performing 鈥淢an in a Hurry鈥 and 鈥淲edding Bells for Aunt Bee.鈥
We are now well into a brand-new year. We have had many chances to fulfill our commitments and goals, making this year stand out from previous ones. Indeed, we remain excited about the path that lies before us and the results that will follow. The thrill of the journey motivates us to return…
As of this writing, we have three grandsons. (A fourth will arrive very soon.) All three are of the 10-year-old variety, give or take a few months. A 鈥渟leepover鈥 at my house has become a high priority on their request list. I must be very careful about scheduling sleepovers as I tend to be 鈥…
In 1973, I found myself, just barely out of college, managing a livestock market in Woodbury, Tennessee. The facility, owned by Mid-State Producers, was managed by Tennessee Livestock Producers, a service company of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation. The market eventually became one of th…
When pondering the mysteries of God yet to be revealed to the Apostle Paul, the wise old saint intimated:
I suppose Jan. 9 and 15 will come and go without much fanfare this year. Of course, that depends on one鈥檚 perspective. Jan. 9 marks the birthday of my late father, Frank Thomas McCall, SR. Born in 1922, my father was the eldest of nine children born to D.T (David Thomas) and Amy Manning McCall.
For me Christmas Day came faster and passed more quickly this year than in years past. I think Thanksgiving Day showing up later on the calendar had something to do with it. I also blame the time change for throwing off my mental clock. Seems I heard more people complaining about traffic thi…
It is about time for us to put away all the holiday decorations and begin focusing on a brand-new year. Celebrate!
It is a story of vast extremes鈥f a star and a stable鈥f angels and shepherds鈥f the most expensive gifts and the most inexpensive cloth鈥f time and eternity鈥f a holy God and sinful man.
Santa and Mrs. Claus visited the Palace Healthcare and Rehab residents and staff last week, according to a photo shared by the Macon County Chamber of Commerce.
I was cleaning out a fence row over the weekend. I say I was 鈥渃leaning,鈥 when I was just beginning.
A traditional, old English Christmas carol was found written on an anonymous manuscript in the 1650s titled, 鈥淕od Rest You Merry, Gentlemen.鈥 Ultimately, a beloved song of the Church, this carol of antiquity has provided authentic comfort and joy to Christians throughout the centuries.
The Christmas carol, 鈥淪ilent Night,鈥 was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber, to the lyrics written by a young Catholic priest named Joseph Mohr.
We have officially entered the holiday season. Phone calls and text messages are utilized to organize arrangements for dinners, gatherings, and reunions. Our RSVP has been sent. We are ready to celebrate the best that this season has to offer with our beloved family and friends. The manifest…
Last fall, while on a hike in the Brim Hollow, I picked up a bucket-full of green walnuts. My first thought was to dump them on my concrete driveway and run over them with the car for a few days. That鈥檚 the way we de-hulled them back in my boyhood days, but we had gravel driveways back then.
It is with profound gratefulness that I write my column this week. Thanksgiving is my favorite season of the year.
Every year as Thanksgiving Day rolls around I spend quite a bit of time in reflection. And I mostly think about the people I have known throughout the years. In real estate they say the three most important things are location, location, location. In life I think the three most important thi…
Another Veterans Day in the books. I had the good pleasure of participating in two Veteran鈥檚 Day celebrations this year 鈥 one in Macon County, the other in Trousdale. Both had all the elements of the best of Americana 鈥 children singing patriotic songs and reading poems and reciting lines to…
Well, the first frost of the fall showed itself last week. To be perfectly honest, I enjoyed breathing in the air on that first frosty morning. As I observed a few farmers huddled in the warmth of their pickup truck cabs, I was reminded of some of the cold mornings of my youth. When cold spe…
The Red Boiling Springs Christmas Parade, "Yee-Haw Christmas," will be held at 6 p.m., Dec. 6.
Thanksgiving Day is almost here (and will be here before you know it) 鈥 a time to stop and reflect on the past year, and years 鈥 a time once again to recount our blessings. I鈥檓 writing this column a bit early so the 鈥淒ay鈥 doesn鈥檛 take you by surprise. (Personally, I wish things would slow do…
When I was a growing boy Halloween was just not that big of a deal. I mean, there was trick-or-treating and a few minor pranks pulled, but that was about it.
I love the month of October. When it arrives, I think of October beans, October skies, October harvest, Oktoberfest, the 3rd Saturday in October (Go Vols!) 鈥 well, everything October. For me, October ushers in the Holidays. I have a dear friend, Kim Winfree, who starts playing Christmas musi…
Webster鈥檚 defines 鈥渋gnorant鈥 adj. or 鈥渋gnorance,鈥 n. as having little or no knowledge, unlearned; unaware, uninformed.
There is stretch of highway which is most familiar to me. It reaches from the front of any abandoned store building in the Watervale Community in Smith County to the south end of the Cordell Hull Bridge. A part of U.S. Highway 70, it covers 3.1 miles.
I鈥檝e seen some beautiful sights in my time. Many of them take me back to my formative years 鈥 a set of mama cows with their calves out in lush spring pasture, rows of square bales of hay lined up across a hay field, dark green corn fields in full tassel and a patch of tobacco, yellow as a pu…
Well, it was an interesting summer. It was, for me, a summer that came and was gone as fast as any I can remember. Maybe my age is telling on me. Sometimes I wish things would slow down a bit.
鈥淏uilt to Last鈥 was a popular slogan used by the Ford Motor Corporation beginning in 1998. You have to admit it is catchy. 鈥淏uilt to Last鈥 has a nice ring to it.
Occasionally, I am asked to reprint a column. I my eighteen years of writing this has been one of my most requested.
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