Tag Archives: Tennessee

Lisa’s Garden and Her Island Home

Lisa Stanley’s neighbors in the Island Home area of Knoxville have dedicated the green space just inside their neighborhood’s entrance as “Lisa’s Garden” in celebration of her life. Continue reading

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Growing Between the Cracks

A volunteer plant grows on its own rather than being planted by a gardener. Continue reading

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The Sun Inside the Rain

Some men of character rise to the occasion when called upon to do so. Such was a man named Roddie Edmonds from Knoxville, Tennessee, who saved the lives of 200-300 American Jews in 1945. Continue reading

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The Result of the Love of Thousands

My grandparents dreamed, hoped, and loved, and through their love for each other, they gave my parents the gift of life. Continue reading

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Collateral Damage

Throughout history humans have sought easy answers to complex issues. When things go wrong, how can we protect the most vulnerable: Women, older people, the poor, and our children? Continue reading

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Not Too Bitter, Not Too Sweet

Ancient wisdom advises us that we should not be so sweet that people eat us up, nor so bitter that they spit us out. How can we achieve the balance in the middle? Continue reading

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Signs of the Times

Wherever I go, I have taken photos of signs and other public communication devices that have grabbed my attention for their brazen wackiness, weird points of view, or kernels of wisdom. Here are my favorites. Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Beauty, Courage, Creativity, Happiness, Ideas, Knoxville, Love, Screen, Style, Travel, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Larger Canvas for Our Tiny Boats

When history takes charge, our stories are rewritten in a heartbeat. But history is not the only force of nature. Continue reading

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Smiling Like a Showgirl

A letter to my 14-month-old granddaughter during the coronavirus of 2020. Continue reading

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The Day the Music Lived

Buddy Holly’s quintessentially American music could have died with him in a plane crash in 1959. But the power of his idiosyncratic genius lives on. Our music is what defines us and our music is what saves us. Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Bruce Springsteen, Childhood, Creativity, Freedom, Happiness, Ideas, Knoxville, Music, Op/Ed Thoughts, Tribute | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment