Random Connect Points:
Reba's Stories

Hearing someone’s voice encourages a connection that’s completely different than just exchanging a text, an email or even a handwritten letter. In today’s culture, technology often means we are losing the connection forged by voices. A voice is as distinctive to a person as his fingerprint or handwriting. The spoken word is intimate in a way the written word can never be. Over these weeks of quarantine, I’ve thought a lot about the voices I’ve let into my head through earbuds. I’ve listened to lots more music, podcasts, audiobooks and radio shows than ever before. As the days droned on, I came to realize a large part of what drew me to various programs, hosts, singers or narrators wasn’t just the stories they were telling or the information they were imparting, but it was the voice itself. There are four voices that I will always consider my “soundtrack of the pandemic” because they’ve been in my head through earbuds almost daily on  miles of walks or bike rides. Thes...

First office on Capitol Hill Not sure why, but I can always remember the date when I started my "real job" after college (May 23). Over the years, I've come to call this my "adultiversary." It was ten days after I'd graduated with a Journalism degree from UofSC. That day, I arrived on Capitol Hill sporting big hair, a shoulder-padded power suit and aspirations to be a press secretary. My first job was the front office receptionist for a freshman Congressman from Florence, SC. Each year on my adultiversary, I’m grateful for the fact I was able to land my dream job as my first job (or at least the "foot in the door" job that got me to my dream job). This year, however, this milestone feels a bit bittersweet as I see all the new graduates flooding the market with no jobs to absorb them. This school year, I taught a UofSC journalism class that prepared students for advertising careers. Each semester, I found myself not only teaching ab...

It's National Dog Rescue Day. I can't say it any better today than I did in my tribute to Flossie on this day last year. Read it here.

Our little Medway Road family lost one of our long-time and beloved neighbors this week with the death of our sweet friend, John Ledlie. When we bought our house next to John and Peggy 27 years ago, we never imagined we would also hit the jackpot for neighbors. For years, John and I exchanged hellos from our adjoining driveways in the mornings when he drove grandkids to school each day. When I would do my late night dog walk around the block, I’d often see John in his kitchen window. He’d knock and wave as Flossie and I left the driveway, and he was usually there waiting to ensure my safe return a few minutes later. He never told me directly he was keeping an eye out for me, but it always gave me great comfort knowing he was there. John would often show up at our door with fresh produce he had bought, fish he had caught on his many outings along the coast or random frozen pizzas he had “overbought” at the Kroger. Our delightedly inter-generational neighborhood loves...

 Our Campbell family lost its patriarch today when David’s dad, James Lee Campbell, left this earth just two days shy of his 97th birthday. He was the family’s rock, compass and strength. Jim leaves a legacy that will live on through the three generations of his surviving family. Jim was a kind, gentle soul who, with Margaret Anne, his wife of more than 60 years, raised four wonderful humans. A proud, yet humble, veteran of WWII and the Korean War, Jim was a die-hard Notre Dame fan, accomplished engineer, dedicated church leader, committed Rotarian, traveler, chronicler of family history, fisherman, golfer and good friend. He had lots of friends! He was also the best father-in-law a girl could ask for. Always, he treated me as family. From day one. And that meant the world to me because family was everything to him. My favorite memories of times spent with Jim are the evenings when just the two of us were at their house in Columbus, He was in his rocker, and I would be tucke...

Fifty years ago today, a young family moved into a house they had just built. Nothing spectacular about this. It’s an event as American as apple pie … a house in a nice quiet neighborhood with lots of kids. Friends and family members were already living nearby. It was close to schools, church, work and everything important to this family. This house was special to me because it was my childhood home. It was standard 1970s ranch construction with a façade that exactly mirrored a home in historic Colonial Williamsburg that my mother loved. In today’s times, this milestone feels especially important because I am very acutely aware of the need for everything this house stood for – security, family, friends, comfort and familiarity. Although I moved out for college eight years after we moved in, that house continues to live in my heart as my “childhood home.” The word “home” can have so many different meanings at various times in your life. A childhood home evokes different feeli...

This is another in my series of posts spotlighting some of the good circulating on social media. The word of the day is emotions. As an Enneagram 2, I have a lot of those:) Over the past couple of days, I’ve found reassurance and a sense of community from several experts on the topics of fear and grief – two emotions I’ve had a hard time reconciling as part of the events going on around us. If you’re looking for some insight and encouragement around these topics right now, these folks below offer us some good advice. I live in the shadow of Eastminster Presbyterian Church , and while I am not a member, I have long drawn peace from its physical presence. The predictability of the church bells has been especially comforting these past few weeks. Last week, the church’s FB page hosted a lesson about grief and how it affects us (scroll to post on April 3). Nancy Smith - a mental health counselor, wife of Eastminster’s pastor and a long-time family friend - led the sessio...