Random Connect Points:
Reba's Stories

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I attempted to publish a neighborhood magazine in the fourth grade. I wrote for the high school paper. I went to college thinking I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. I won a VFW essay writing contest in the fifth grade. I’ve always loved to write letters. But I’ve always struggled with exactly what it means to be a writer. Can you officially be a writer just because you write? How many published books, poems, magazine articles or songs does it take to officially be a writer? What makes someone fit the definition of a writer? And who is the keeper of that definition, anyway? Merriam Webster? Anne Lamott? Mrs. Hanna, my eighth grade English teacher? How is questioning whether I can be called a writer just because I write any different from questioning if I can I be called a musician because I play music? Or can I be labeled a gardener because I have a straggly herb garden? Can I be described as a cook because I make...

Rarely does a book appeal to all my “reading” senses – well written, important message, compelling story and human connections. “Grace Will Lead Us Home” about the shootings at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church is one of them. I recently listened to an interview on the SC Lede podcast on SC Public Radio with the author of the book, Jennifer Berry Hawes . She’s a reporter for the Post and Courier who witnessed first-hand many of the details surrounding this tragedy. After hearing Hawes’ podcast interview, I knew I had to read this book. And I knew I had to buy it and not just borrow it from the library or listen on Audible. I had a feeling it would be one of those books I’d want to mark up and re-read. For anyone who thinks they have an understanding of the circumstances, the emotions, the complexities or the passions surrounding the shooting, the trial and the its aftershocks, this book illustrates there’s far more to this story than just an accounting of events in a series of ...

How many times have you ridden by this tree at that funny little triangular intersection of Millwood and Butler near the Mad Platter? There’s a lovely oak tree planted in the center surrounded by various plants kept up by the City of Columbia. There’s also a plaque dedicated to the memory of those who died 25 years ago today in the crash of a US Air jet en route from Columbia to Charlotte.   Of the 57 people on the plane, 37 died. One was our friend, Gaines Jontz. He was one of the first friends we made when we moved to Columbia in 1993. A talented architect with a quick wit and generous heart, Gaines brought many into his circle of friends. Our friendship with Gaines is one of those random connect points in life that lasts a lifetime. I am so grateful that, thanks to the web of connections he left behind, so many of these friendships remain. He brought people together in his life and has continued to do so even after he died. Because of Gaines, our ...