Author: Buddy McElhannon
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The Manly Art of Pondering
I sometimes wonder if there is a common misconception among married women that a husband sitting quietly, deep in thought, must be either upset or up to no good. Seeing the studious look upon my countenance one recent morning, my wife asked, “Is everything ok?” Wanting to quickly dispel any notion that I might be…
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Cracker Jack Gospel
It all started with a box of Cracker Jacks. I don’t remember much from my fourth-grade year at Toney Elementary in 1960. I recall Mrs. Jakes was my teacher. And I remember a box of Cracker Jacks. Our principal, Mr. Grady, announced over the speaker one Friday afternoon that anyone who came to Sunday School…
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Blue Monday?
Feeling Blue? According to some psychological researchers, you are not alone. January can be a dreary, depressing, downhearted month. More specifically, the first Monday of January is considered the most miserable day of the year. Did I just hear an Amen? Multiple factors contribute to so many of us feeling gloomy and guilty. We have…
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Tears of Grace
It was the day after Christmas 2019, and the last place I wanted to go was the local Mall and face the crowds of people returning unwanted gifts. Yet here in a crowded suburban mall, it was I who received an unexpected gift…one wrapped in tears of grace. Even as I type this, my emotions…
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Wise Men Tell No Lies
I just had an epiphany about Epiphany. The annual Christian Feast day of Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, will be celebrated this year on Monday, January 6, 2020. This day marks the official end of the twelve days of Christmas and celebrates the journey of the Wise Men who followed yonder star and…
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I Gave My Wife a Vacuum Cleaner for Christmas…and Lived to Tell About It.
It is a marital truth known by all women and romantically challenged men that a husband who gives a toaster/electric can opener/pool table/vacuum cleaner to his wife as a Christmas gift should first be sure he is ok being relegated to sleep on the living room couch that night. So you can imagine my shock…
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A Mouse Named Noel
My son and daughter-in-law had to put down their fifteen-year-old poodle this week. Every dog lover understands the heartache that comes when its time to say goodbye to a loyal, lovable, and forever-a-part-of-the-family pooch. It’s especially tough when you have to explain such a loss to your two young daughters. My son shared how he…
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If It’s Eggrolls, It Must Be Christmas
Christmas is a time to make memories, and hopefully, the kind of memories that still make you laugh, giggle and smile sixty years later. Unless it was the Christmas of 1986, when “Santa” had the bright idea to leave all his Christmas gifts in one 10 foot long black plastic bag so that our family…
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The Simple Joys of Christmas
The headlining theme of last year’s December 2018 edition of Southern Living magazine was one of the “Simple Joys” of Christmas. I always chuckle a hearty HO-HO-HO at such teasing titles. While offering readers the hope of a simple Christmas, the magazine proceeded to unload a Santa sleigh-full of ideas on decorating, wreaths, cooking,…
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The Great Musician’s Birthday
Grief shouts the loudest during holidays. Following the loss of a loved one, those left behind must navigate a minefield of emotions during those first holidays without their beloved. And who wants to talk about such a gloomy subject at a time like Christmas? For most of my adult life, grief was never an…
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