My Hometown USA

The National Enquirer Created Influencers  Some days, it feels like anybody with a phone and a confident tone can call themselves a journalist. I grew up in the 70s when supermarket tabloid headlines smacked you in the face at the checkout line of Winn-Dixie. I was a little kid, and even I knew something was off when Elvis turned up alive every other week. The man couldn’t even rest in peace without somebody spotting him on an island in the Pacific. Remember these actual tabloid headlines? “I Had Bigfoot’s Baby!” That one isn't as crazy now due to the fact my husband is 6'5" and has the largest head I’ve ever seen, so my sympathies to that woman.  “Bat Child Escapes!” As for me, Bat child needs to go! I cringe near bats!! “Hillary Clinton Adopts Alien Baby” So, maybe? Aliens are now true and Government has been hiding it...so I believe. “Painting of Elvis Weeps Real Tears” If its in South Mississippi, that's just condensation from the humidity! “Gas-Pa...

  Grandma’s Catalog: Amazon Before Algorithms Previously printed in 2013; updated for republication  First, before we dive into this older column, does anyone even get catalogs anymore? Do our children even know what catalogs are? Printed Amazon pages? So much of my younger self looked forward to the arrival of the JCPenney and Sears catalogs. I never stopped to think about how hard those things must have been on the mail carrier. I can’t imagine how he handled phone-book deliveries! That’s another thing our young’uns don’t know anything about. But there was one particular kind of catalog I used to receive randomly: the catalog geared toward old people. Maybe it is suitable for me now, but 20 or 30 years ago, I was a tad bit offended. I called it Grandma’s Catalog . The merchandise displayed page after page consisted mainly of things an elderly person might purchase—or already own—like girdles, hearing aids and liniments. Catalogs such as Harriet Carter, Walt...

A Deer Killed My Husband  A little shocking, I know. But true story. I love deer. My husband hunts deer. And my first husband was killed by one. If my adult life has had some strange recurring theme, apparently it’s deer. For those who don’t know my story, in 1998 my first husband was involved in a tragic accident with an eight-point buck. He died instantly, leaving me with our two precious boys. You might think after something like that I would never want to see another deer again. Instead, I became the lady constantly posting pictures and videos of them. I even host a page on Facebook, Tracy's Backyardigans. I’m blessed to live where my backyard is regularly visited by does, bucks and the occasional fawn. Sometimes there are so many out there it looks like somebody forgot to tell them this is my property and not a wildlife preserve. When I remarried, having a husband who killed deer rather than being killed by them wasn’t exactly on my list of desired characteristics. But I supp...

  Justice, Mercy and the Christian Woman’s Response This comes from my heart as someone who has no direct connection to Lindsay Clancy, her family, her trial or its non-verdict. I keep coming back to this: As Christians, and particularly as Christian women, we do not have to choose between justice and compassion. Both should be our path. We have reached a toxic empathy state. Three precious children lost their lives. That truth should never get swallowed up by arguments, theories, social-media sleuths and too much speculation. Those children matter. Justice for their deaths matters. I also don’t think we should casually pronounce judgment on the mind and soul of a woman who was clearly broken and struggling with serious mental-health issues before this tragedy ever happened. If Lindsay Clancy knowingly and deliberately murdered her children while understanding exactly what she was doing, then she deserves punishment. Personally, I have a difficult time getting p...

Judas Faked it!  Are you? We all probably think we can pick a fake Christian out of a lineup…we assume their lives may not live up to their religious vocabulary. But Fake Christians know when to say “Amen.” They have mastered the concerned church nod. Their “Praise the Lord” rolls off the tongue before you can even finish telling them what happened.  They cook a heavenly banana pudding at the potluck. But not all fakes can be pointed out.  Such as in art, it may take a keen, trained eye to spot the differences. I could point out some mega church pastors I would call wolves in sheep’s clothing but that’s another subject. Of course, I should be careful about appointing myself chairman of the Heavenly Admissions Committee. I cannot see whose heart is authentic.  People who call themselves Christian and act un-Christlike are more prolific these days. But that doesn’t give us the right to accuse every person of “NOT” being a Christian when they say something w...

Do Birthdays Expire? The Birthdays They Left Behind Birthdays can be fun—something to look forward to—or something to resent because they seem to come around faster than the extended-warranty calls about your car. Some birthday celebrations are extensive and complicated, involving decorations, dinner reservations and a cake that requires structural engineering. Others amount to a Facebook notification and a thumbs-up from somebody you went to high school with but haven’t spoken to since 1981. But what is the norm when the person is no longer celebrating birthdays? What do we do when someone we love has passed on? What, exactly, is the etiquette for dead folks’ birthdays? As a former newspaper person, I remember when families would pay for an advertisement wishing a deceased loved one a happy birthday. At the time, it felt a little cringey to me. Did the afterlife still receive the local newspaper? And if so, was delivery included with a heavenly subscription? Now we have social media. ...