I remember back in the early ’80s, I was living in Todd County and had just gotten into my pickup, fixing to head to town, when a song came on the radio called “Swingin’.” I remember thinking to myself, “Who is that? I’ve never heard a voice quite like that before.” Little did I know that one day our paths would cross, and I’d get to know the man behind that voice.

Alex was twelve years old when he came into our lives from Latvia. I can only imagine how nervous and uncertain he must have been about what his new life would be like. He was leaving behind everything familiar and entering a new country, a new home, and a new family. But from the very

Some people come into your life so early that you cannot remember the first time you saw them. They were just always there, standing somewhere in the background of your childhood, steady as an old fence post and strong as the ground under your feet. That was him. To me, he was perfect. Not perfect

You know how certain things in life stay with you, no matter how many years go by? They settle somewhere deep inside you and become tied to a place, a time, and a feeling you never really lose. For me, one of those things was an old barn sitting on the curve just down from

There was a time when we lived on Allegre Road in Todd County, and to me, that little stretch of road held a whole world. Back then, I had a horse, a little freedom, and all the time in the world, or so it seemed. One of my favorite things to do was climb up

I was listening to Fire and Rain by James Taylor the other day, and two lines grabbed me and wouldn’t let go: “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend,” “but I’ve always thought I’d see you again.” The older I get, the more I realize that’s not just a lyric. That’s real life.

Bob Seger sang a line in his song Against the Wind that says, “it seems like yesterday but it was long ago.” That one line fits Todd County memories better than anything I have ever heard. One moment I am sitting here today, and the next I am daydreaming that I am back on a gravel road with the

Back in December of 83 I brought home a black Labrador retriever from my brother-in-law, and from the moment his paws touched the ground I knew he wasn’t just another dog. I named him Hank. He had those big curious eyes and that eager bounce puppies get when they want to understand everything about the

I was listening to Alan Jackson’s “Remember When.” I had heard that song a hundred times, but this time that one line reached out and grabbed my heart: “Old ones died and new were born.” I thought, “That is us, caught between the ones we lost and the little ones coming along.” At that moment, my

Every year of my life, Thanksgiving meant one thing. Going to Mama’s house. It did not matter what was going on or how busy everybody was. You could count on that house being full. Kids running through the halls, people trying to squeeze past each other in the kitchen, football on the TV, somebody laughing