"When I was graduating high school and looking for colleges, SEMO had an A+ program that pays for the first two years in college, but as an honor student graduating in the top ten percent of my class, I felt like I had better options. For that reason (and also against my parents direction), I …

Continue reading "Unexpected Landing"

“The toughest question I’m ever asked is where I'm from. I was born in Flowood, Mississippi in a super tiny country hospital. My dad has an artistic spirit, but he doesn't specifically have a craft, so his whole life mission was to help creatives figure out their space in their culture. Eventually said he knew …

Continue reading "To Paris and Back"

"My mom’s step-dad had been around for most of her life, so I grew up with him as my grandfather. He was a painter and an artist. He was a composer, poet, and a writer in two different languages. He told me when I was about 10 years old that your job is not your …

Continue reading "Pursuit of Happiness"

“The most scared moment in my life was when I was homeless in Little Rock. I had a gun pointed at my head at least three times that I can remember. I don’t remember how, but somehow I woke up in the grass at a Pentecostal church. There, I met a man named Benny. He …

Continue reading "The Good Samaritan"

“My daughter was sick over the weekend, so I took her to urgent care. She was really scared about it, because the last time she was there, she had to have a shot and that was traumatic. She had to get shots for kindergarten, and now believes that every time she goes to the doctor's …

Continue reading "A Shot of Inspiration"

“The most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do... I had to preach my mom’s eulogy. When the time was getting close for her to pass away, she told me that she wanted me to preach her funeral. I said, ‘Mom, I can’t do that.’ She said, ‘You better,’ and I said, ‘Yes ma’am.’ So …

Continue reading "Great Challenges and Accepting Your Purpose"

“I would take TV intravenously if possible. I waste more time watching television than any human really should. I love old movies, Cary Grant’s my favorite. I'll watch every Cary Grant movie just about that's on. I’ve had my heart broken many times by HBO. The Sopranos and Carnivàle and Deadwood; shows like that. You …

Continue reading "Netflix & Chill: Snow Day Style"

"So I’m driving west, heading for Los Angeles. No second thoughts; I was running from what I thought was my end. No maps, no GPS, no cell phone back then. I made it to Albuquerque, NM. I stopped at a hospital because I was scared. I told them what happened, they told me they wanted …

Continue reading "Running on Empty (2 of 2)"