I admit that this is something new for me. I wrote this while undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. It was a fun diversion for me during a time that wasn't much fun.

The book is in its final editing, designing, and formatting stages.

Look for it in October.

Today is Mothers Day. For those of us whose mothers have passed away, it is a day of remembrance and thankfulness. We are thankful for their love for us and the sacrifices that she made for us.

I recently learned something new from the animal world about motherhood. We have a few chickens that we keep for their eggs. Yvonne recently decided to try to hatch some more eggs to add to our current chickens. She put a number of eggs from our chickens in the hatcher. For some reason, only two eggs in this batch hatched and only one survived.

When the surviving chick was three weeks old, we decided to buy some live chicks from the store. We picked out six cute ones. When we got home, we placed the six new chicks in the box with the three-week chick. That evening, as the sun went down, the six new chicks seemed to think that the three-week old was their mother. The crowded up to her. To my surprise she allowed them to do it. When they were scared during a storm, they crowded under her wings. I was even more surprised when the mothering instinct took over for her and she took the little ones under her wings to protect them. Here she was still at the age she would have been hiding under her own mother's wings, but instead she had become the mother figure herself.

This morning as I was thinking about my mother, I also remembered a few other women that played a major motherhood role in my life. These women were not my mothers, but they stepped forward at times when I needed some mother-type leadership in my life.

Carolyn Hess was my mother. she was a person that I could always depend on to love me and to pray for me.

Katie Patterson was my mother-in-law. She was a very quiet person and did not have a lot to say at times. Like my mother, I could depend on her to love me and to pray for me. Her quiet Christ-like manner was a great example to me to follow.

Esther Steenson was another lady that had quite an influence in my life. I learned many things from her that I believe helped me become a better person.

All three of these women are gone now. But I am not ashamed to say that I loved all three of them and I miss them. Celebrate your mother today, but also celebrate and recognize those in your life who were not your mother but played a mother-like role in your life.

It was a beautiful Spring morning. The flowers were blooming and the leaves on the trees had returned. The cooler weather was just a memory to him. He loved the warmth of the sun on his back. The cooler weather of winter is not much fun when you sleep outside like he does. He is not homeless but his master refuses to let him in the house. It is probably the best that he stay outside anyway. The last time he got into the house, he left a mess on the floor and his master was not happy with him at all. So he stays outside even when it is cold or raining. He was tough enough to handle it, so he could not get mad at his master. He wasn't worried about anything. His mother was tied up beside him.

His name was Pablo. He was a young Spanish donkey. Even though he had a master, he had never been ridden, beaten, or put to work in the fields. Although he was so young, he was proud to be a donkey. He knew that people tended to look down on donkeys. Donkeys don't have the good reputation that some other animals have. Donkeys are considered to low in value. They aren't good for anything other than for transportation or for use in the fields for plowing.

But Pablo had some pride. He knew that throughout the centuries, there had been some donkeys that played important roles in history. Centuries ago, there had been a prophet named Balaam who had a talking donkey. It was the only donkey in the history of the world that had ever been able to talk. The patriarch Abraham had taken a donkey with him when God told him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The donkey had carried the load of wood to be used on the altar.

Pablo was not entirely sure about this, but he had heard stories that Mary, the mother of Jesus had ridden a donkey to Bethlehem when she was pregnant with Jesus. That was just a rumor, but it did make sense. She would have had trouble walking that distance while being nine months pregnant. He had overheard the talks that his master had with his neighbors about Jesus. Some people said that he was a miracle worker. Some said that he was the coming Messiah. Others said that he was a fake prophet who faked the miracles. The word on the street was that the leaders of the Temple were seeking to arrest him and put him to death. Everyone in the country was talking about him even though no one could agree on whether he was the real Messiah or just a conman. Everyone had a opinion on the subject.

Pablo was sure that one day, he would get his chance to take his place in history. He would do something important. Everyone would know his name. It helped that, at least in his own mind, he was a rather handsome young donkey. Of course, his brothers and sisters all laughed at his ideas. Pablo did not come from an important family of donkeys. After all, they had been born and raised near a pig sty. His family was not anyone important. As far as his brothers and sisters were concerned, Pablo could dream about being the king of Israel. That was not going to happen and neither was anything else important going to happen in Pablo’s life.

There seemed to be something important going on nearby today. Pablo could hear the rumblings of loud talking and yelling not too far away. He started looking around to see what the uproar was about. He saw two men walking down the street looking all around. Maybe these men would know what situation was. The man on the left said to the other one, "Look. There are the two donkeys right where the Lord said they would be."

The men walked towards Pablo. Pablo felt confused as the men got closer. They apparently knew that he and his mother would be tied up right there. How is that possible? One man walked up to him and started untying his rope while the other one untied his mother. Pablo reared back so that the rope pulled tight. Pablo was a little afraid of these men. He had no idea who they were. He brayed loudly in fear. Pablo knew how to bray as loud as any donkey in Jerusalem.

His master heard the noise and came out to check on Pablo and his mother. His master would protect Pablo from these strangers. His master asked them, "Where are you going with my donkeys?"

The man on the left side answered, "The Lord has need of these donkeys immediately. We are taking them to him."

Pablo's master replied, "Okay. Take them then. Just bring them back when the Lord is finished with them."

The men left walking away with just a nod to the Master, leading the donkeys by their ropes. The very confused Pablo had no choice but to allow the men to lead him and his mother away from their home.

They walked down several city streets. As they walked along, the roar of the nearby crowd grew louder. Pablo was worried about what he was about to get into. He hoped that it wasn't a riot or revolution. A handsome young donkey could get killed that way. At least he had his mother along to protect him from any danger.

They walked through the city gates to outside the city. He saw a large crowd of people standing around talking. So, this was where all of the loud noises were coming from. Pablo thought that there must be several hundred people filling the streets. What is going on here? The people there seemed excited. They were all talking loudly, trying to talk over the roar of voices. The two men didn't seem worried. They led the two donkeys right through the crowd.

The men walked up to a man standing there outside the gate to the city. He was quietly and calmly standing with a number of other people. Pablo wondered who this man was. Why wasn't he excited like the rest of the crowd?

One of the men spoke up, "Lord, we found the donkeys right where you said they would be."

Pablo thought to himself, "This must be the Lord that the men were talking about who needed us. What could he want with us?"

The man, that the two men were calling the Lord, approached the donkeys. Some of the people in the crowd rushed forward and placed their cloaks across the donkeys. The man they called the Lord sat on the cloaks draped across the two donkeys so that he could ride in comfort. Many other people placed tree branches and their cloaks on the road leading into the city. Pablo was not sure about having this man ride on his and his mother's backs.

The people immediately began shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"

Even more people from the city came running up asking what was going on. They had been attracted by the great noise. They were asking, "Who is this man? Is he someone important?"

The crowds shouted back in answer to their questions, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

Pablo immediately raised his head in pride. This was the Jesus that everyone in the city had been discussing for months. Some people said that he might even be the Messiah. And he had chosen Pablo and his mother to carry him for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. No one could ever look at Pablo again and think of him as a lowly donkey. He had been chosen by the Messiah to carry him into Jerusalem all the way to the Temple. Pablo was no longer a Nobody. He was someone important.

Carl B. Seay / April 9, 2026

Coming soon a new imprint.

Our nonfiction books are published by Pocataligo Books. Our novels will be published by Menehune Press, which is owned by Pocataligo Books in Danielsville, Georgia.

Keep an eye out for more news about this exciting endeavour soon.

According to Google, Valentine's Day is about celebrating love, affection, and romance. I think that we tend to think about it as more of a day for romance than for love. It has become a day for sending roses and a romantic card to the one you love. It has become a day to take your spouse or partner out to a fancy restaurant. It may even be the day that you kneel down and ask that person to marry you. Books, television shows, and movies have helped to train us to consider Valentine's Day as a day for romance. Is it about love or romance? Somehow romance is related to love but sometimes it is not always clear exactly what that link is due to the heavy emphasis on romance over love.

Do not misunderstand me. I have nothing against romance. I think that it is an important part of a relationship. After twenty-four and a half years of marriage, I still open the car door for my wife. I still try to do things that make her life simpler. I do my best to help her feel loved and valued. There are plenty of hugs, handholding, and “I love you”. I have learned to value her thoughts and ideas on subjects, even when I disagree with her. Romance is a great part of a marriage or relationship. It helps the other person feel loved.

Recently, I had occasion to reconsider the whole romance versus love subject. After a mild heart attack in December last year, I decided to follow the cardiologist's recommendation and have a triple bypass surgery. To be honest, it was a very hard decision for me to make, as I knew how hard it was on the patient after the surgery. I did it as much for her as much as I did it for me. To be honest, I did not want to go through the pain and the long and difficult recovery, but knew it was needed.

Once the surgery was over, I was able to see real love in action. There was nothing about romance to it. It was pure love in action. She was there by my side, other than the four days I was in ICU. Even then, she was there all day, but they would not let her stay at night. Once I was moved to a step down room, she was there night and day with me.

I couldn’t get out of bed without help. I could not get comfortable in the hospital bed without help. I could barely stand. I was very weak. There were very few things that I could do for myself. I could not sleep except for a few minutes at a time. I was miserable.

When the nurses came in to do things, Yvonne took over the things that she could do on her own. When one nurse told her to go home, clean her house, and get some rest because she, the nurse, would take care of me that night. In her quiet sweet way, Yvonne softly said, "I'm staying." The nurse wasn't happy but she could not keep Yvonne from staying. When I needed to be bathed for a second surgery, the old nurse working that day insisted that she needed to do it. Yvonne looked at her and quietly said, “I have already taken care of it." That old nurse was not happy. She was still insisting that she needed to bathe me. She never got the chance to bathe me.

She was not only doing everything she could for me, she was also trying to help the nurses by taking some of their load off of them, and trying to make their jobs a little easier. She knew that when we got home, everything would be on her anyway.

When it became clear that I needed a feeding tube, she watched the nurses feed me a couple of times. Then she took over the job, asking lots of questions. At the time of this writing, she is still feeding me four times a day. She also has to crush my medicines and give them to me through the feeding tube. She carefully keeps me on a feeding schedule so that the feedings are spaced apart correctly.

As I have gotten stronger, I have been able to do more things for myself. She no longer has to help me get up from the bed. She no longer has to bathe me or wash my hair for me. She does still help me keep up with my medicines and appointments. She drives me to my doctor appointments. She still watches over me like a hawk. For the last month and a half we have been together almost every minute of the day and night. You may ask if we are tired of each other yet. The answer is, “NO!” That may not be romance, but it sure looks like love to me!

Yvonne is the new Wonder Woman!

Added Note:

I know that this essay will embarrass her. I would never do that on purpose. At the same time, I have to give credit to her for her amazing love and how she has taken care of me.

Update (2/16/2026)

I have been able to begin eating and drinking some as my throat has begun healing from the damage from the intubation. I am able to drive now but she still stands ready to take over if I am too tired.

Carl B. Seay

January 30, 2026

There are no dragons in Georgia. Everyone knows that! Dragons lived in places like England where they had castles and kings. The dragon always took the damsel in distress and locked her in a tower (like Fiona in Shrek). Then the prince in the story had to slay the dragon to get her back. And by the way, dragons are never purple. Everyone knows that!

But maybe, just maybe there really was a dragon at one time that lived in Georgia. We don't know what happened to it, but here is the story - or at least as much as we know. Unlike the fairy tales, here is no prince in this story.

There was once a little girl named Kendal. She was a pretty girl. She was tall for her age. She liked to explore the woods behind her house. Although she liked her friends, she liked to spend time alone exploring the trails in the woods. She never went far because her mother would worry about her. Besides, she was afraid of getting lost in the woods. She was only 10 years old.

One day she was walking down her favorite path through the woods. The path led toward a beautiful waterfall that flowed down into a stream. She had been to the waterfall a few times before. She enjoyed looking at the waterfall and hearing the sound of the falling water. It was so relaxing.

On this particular day, she decided to walk all the way to the waterfall. She had lots of time to get there and enjoy the waterfall and still get back home before dark. She slowly walked along the path enjoying the trees and flowers in the woods. It smelled so nice because of the flowers. Kendal liked flowers a lot.

She could hear the waterfall long before she got close to it. The roar of the water falling 50 feet from the top of the hill sounded so nice. As she got to the last curve in the path before it got to the waterfall, she could see a flash of something purple through the tree branches.

"Purple!" she exclaimed softly. "There is nothing purple at the waterfall! What could that be?"

She slowed down her walk as she rounded the curve in the path. She moved quietly in case there was something dangerous in there. She just had to see what the purple thing was. She could not imagine what it was. These woods definitely did not have any purple trees growing in them. The waterfalls are never purple. What could it be?

Kendal carefully crept around the curve to get where she could see the waterfall. She peeked past the last tree.

"Wow!" she whispered. "What is that thing?"

Kendal had never seen anything like this before. Standing in front of her was a large purple animal. What was it? The huge animal was standing at the base of the waterfall. It was drinking water from the stream coming from the waterfall. At first, it did not move and Kendal didn’t think the creature saw her.

It slowly raised its head and turned around to face Kendal. It appears that it did sense that she was there after all, but it did not seem to be worried about her being there.

What was this strange creature? It was hard to describe. It had a long pointed tail. It had scales all over its body. It was huge. It must be at least 15 or 16 feet long. It was bigger than an elephant. All of a sudden, Kendal realized what the creature was. It looked exactly like the pictures of dragons in the fairy tale books. At the same time, it was somehow different. This dragon was purple all over. Who ever heard of a purple dragon? And what is a dragon doing here in Georgia? She had never heard of a dragon in Georgia before. This was crazy! Kendal was getting very confused!

The big purple dragon just calmly looked at her. Kendal stared back at the amazing dragon. While the creature was huge, it did not seem to be a danger to her. After all, there was no fire or smoke coming out of its nose. But just in case, Kendal was ready to run toward home as fast as her legs could carry her.

Since the dragon had seen her, Kendal took three more steps forward. She shakily said, "Hello."

In a deep voice the dragon asked, "Hello. Who are you?"

"You can talk?" asked Kendal.

"Of course I can talk!" roared the dragon. "How else could we communicate with each other?"

"Oh, okay," answered Kendal. "I didn't know dragons could talk. My name is Kendal."

"Hello there, Kendal. What are you doing here at my waterfall?"

"Your waterfall? I had no idea that it was your waterfall. I didn't see any signs anywhere that said, 'Keep Out! Beware of the Purple Dragon.'"

"Well, now you know. No one is supposed to know about this place. It is my secret hiding space."

Kendal asked, "Mr. Dragon, Can I ask you a question?"

"I guess you can ask," the dragon replied. "But my name is not Mr. Dragon. Do I really look like a boy dragon? Now, what is your question?"

"Why are you purple?"

"I was born that way. My father, Robert, was purple. My mother, Alexis, was purple. My baby brother, Aiden, was purple. Is being purple a problem?"

"No, of course not! I was just curious. I have never seen a purple dragon before. To be honest, I have never seen a dragon before of any color."

"If you have never seen a dragon, how do you know dragons aren't purple?"

"I guess you are right. I didn't mean to be rude,” Kendal answered."

"It's okay this time. But you still haven't answered my question about what you are doing here."

"I like to come out here to look at the waterfall and think about stuff."

"I can understand that. I come here to think and enjoy the waterfall also."

"What do dragons have to think about?" she asked.

"I mostly think about little girls invading my quiet space!"

"Oops! I’m sorry!"

The dragon told her, "I am just picking on you. You can come back anytime you want. Just don't bring anyone else or tell them about me."

"Thank you! I won't tell anyone about you. They would never believe me anyway."

"How about doing this, yell my name when you get close so I know that you are coming.” The dragon softly added, “ I don't have any friends any more."

"Do you really want to be my friend? What do I call you?"

The dragon told her, "My name is Katie. And yes, I guess I do need one friend. Everyone needs a friend. Even if that friend isn't purple."

Kendal laughed at that and said, "I don't have a lot of friends myself. I don't mind being your ‘unpurple’ friend. Can I come back tomorrow and see you?"

Katie replied, "Yes! Please come back and we will talk more."

Kendal smiled and said, "Yes, I will be back tomorrow. Goodbye, Katie, my large purple friend!"

Carl B. Seay

September 1, 2025

Brrrrr. It is so cold outside. The wind is blowing hard and a few snowflakes have started falling. There is a light dusting of white starting to cover the trees and the grass. No creatures or people are stirring around. It is just way too cold outside.

It is nice and warm inside his home though. There is no wind or snow inside. There is a roaring fire in the fireplace keeping everything comfortable. Near the fireplace is a large stack of firewood so he will not have to go outside for a while. Hanging from the mantel are two stockings. The larger stocking has a ‘F’ on it and the smaller stocking has an ‘O’ on it. On top of the mantle there is an ancient mantle clock ticking away. It was made back in the 19th century. The clock mechanism has to be wound up every few days or the ticking will stop. Although the clock is so old, it still chimes the hours on the hour. This beautiful clock was passed down from his grandparents and it is his most treasured possession. The clock now says that the time is 11:45 at night. It is Christmas Eve and it is almost the magic hour – midnight.

The room is comfortable but it has only a few pieces of furniture. There is a sofa and a coffee table to the side. He sits in his comfortable recliner chair. These are the only pieces of furniture in the room. It is all that he needs. Even the sofa is not needed often as he rarely has visitors and he likes it that way.

There is a decorated Christmas tree a few feet from the fireplace. There are strings of popcorn, ornaments, and tinsel hanging on the tree. There are no lights on the tree because he does not have electricity – he decided many years ago that he didn’t need any electricity. He does fine without it. The fire in the fireplace and an old-fashioned oil lantern are the only light in the room.

The room is not very big or fancy, but it is comfortable and cozy. He likes the room just as it is. It is big enough for him since he almost never has company. All of his friends moved away many years ago. They begged him to move with them to a warmer climate but he has no desire to move away. He is comfortable and he has everything that he needs. He misses his friends but doesn't mind being alone.

He has been alone for more years than he cares to think about. No one ever comes to visit him any more. Of course, he lives way out in the woods. The path to his place is not easy to find. He had never needed to own a car. Even the Post Office and Amazon can't find him. Google never heard of him and doesn’t believe that he exists. He is alone but he likes it that way. He is getting old and he is becoming grumpy. He is sure that no one would want to be around him any more. He is getting so old that all of his joints ache. It is no wonder that he is grouchy. As long as he has firewood in the fireplace to fight the chill of his home and has food in his pantry to eat, he is happy. Without anyone to talk to other than Otto, he sometimes even has trouble remembering his own name. His name is Franklin but his friends have always called him Frankie. He is okay with not remembering his name sometimes, since he really doesn’t like it too much. He would love to have a better name, but he was stuck with what his parents gave him.

Since it is getting late he is dozing in front of the fire. He is as happy as an old grouch can be. No one is around to disturb his peace. His faithful companion, Otto, is stretched out on the floor beside him. Otto is his only companion. They both are happy and content. Did I mention that his home is a cave? How he came to live in a cave is an interesting story that we will discuss at another time. That story also involves the adventure where Otto became his companion when he rescued Otto from some men who were hunting raccoons. Those men’s dogs had actually chased Otto up into a tree. By the way, Otto is a raccoon – that is why the dogs had been chasing him. We will relate that story at another time.

Everything is quiet. Frankie is snoozing in his chair and Otto is curled up on the rug beside him. The mantle clock ringing in midnight interrupts the peaceful silence. Otto and Frankie don’t stir a muscle. They are so used to the gong of the clock sounding every hour on the hour that it doesn’t disturb them. They both keep on lightly snoring. They probably will not wake up until the next morning.

Suddenly, there is a loud rattling noise in the fireplace. Frankie awakes with a start and says, “What is that? What is going on?” At that, Otto finally snorts awake. He looks up at Frankie in puzzlement.

Frankie says, “Don’t blame me, Otto. I heard something and it woke me up.”

They both sit quietly and listen carefully. They are soon rewarded for their patience and hear some more rattling sounds coming from the fireplace.

Frankie tells Otto, “I think we may have a burglar. I can’t imagine what they are doing way out here though. We don’t have anything worth stealing.”

They both sit quietly waiting to see what will happen next. Sure enough, soon there is more rustling noises and soot beginning to fall into the fireplace. The fire is still burning but it has died down some.

Frankie whispers to Otto, “That burglar sure has a hot surprise waiting on him. Let’s sit back and watch what happens. I bet he tries to scoot back up that chimney real quick.”

More soot begins falling. There is a lot of rustling noises. The bottom of a pair of boots appears in the fireplace. There is a clicking sound coming out of the fireplace. Suddenly, the fire in the fireplace goes out and even the smoke disappears.

Frankie says, “Well, there goes the hot surprise. Let’s see who this brave intruder is!”

The shoes slowly lower and some red pants appear in the fireplace. Eventually a white-haired man with a beard is standing in the fireplace. He is covered in soot from the chimney. He seems surprised to see a raccoon lying on a rug on the floor and an old dragon sitting in an extra large recliner.

Looking puzzled, he says, “Frankie and Otto, I presume.”

Frankie asks him, “Who are you? Why did you break into my home? And why did you turn off my fire on the coldest night of the year? This cave gets awfully cold fast.”

The man just laughs and laughs. When he laughs, his large belly and his whole body shake. “Do you really not know who I am? I actually go by many different names, but you can call me Santa.”

Frankie is startled, “Santa? As in the Santa Claus person?”

“Of course! Who else would come down your chimney on Christmas Eve?”

Otto stares at Santa in confusion. He shakes his head like he cannot believe what he is seeing.

Frankie asks Santa, “Okay, if you say so. Why would Santa come to visit an old dragon?”

Santa tells him, “The names Frankie and Otto showed up on my list this year for the first time. For some reason your names have been omitted on my lists previously. There must have been some type of glitch in our computer systems. I sure didn’t expect to find an ancient dragon and a raccoon here though.”

Frankie exclaims, “Well, that explains why I have never seen you before, but why are you here this year? Since I don’t get mail service here, I am sure I didn’t send a Dear Santa letter to the North Pole!”

Santa answers him, “Like I said, your names appeared on my list for needing toys this year, so here I am. I was expecting a couple of children. I normally don’t deliver toys to dragons and raccoons. I am already here now though so I need to give you your presents. There is no need to take them back to the North Pole”

At that, Otto quickly runs up to Santa and runs up his leg. He is obviously ready for his present. Frankie laughs at this. “I guess Otto is ready. Go ahead and give us our presents so you can get on in your travels to deliver presents to all the kids around the world.”

Santa reaches back into the large bag that he had brought down the chimney with him. Frankie could not imagine how Santa had managed to get that huge bag down the chimney – magic maybe. Santa brings out a small stuffed toy raccoon and handed it to Otto. Otto quickly snatches the stuffed animal and runs back to his rug beside Frankie’s chair. He curls up tight with the toy and goes back to sleep. It is clear that he loves his Christmas present.

Santa tells Frankie, “I’m glad that Otto is happy. Now for you, my list says that you have always wanted a yo-yo.”

Frankie sniffs and answers, “Years ago I saw a little boy playing with one. It looked like he had so much fun with it. My parents, being dragons, never had money for toys. Thank you!”

Santa hands the yoyo to Frankie, “Now I must be off. There are millions of children all over the world waiting for their Christmas presents.” With that he twinkles his nose and he disappeared with his bag of toys. Far off in the distance Frankie could hear sleigh bells ringing and the whooshing sound of a large sleigh pulled by reindeer taking flight into the sky. There is also a faint sound of, “Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas and a Good Night to all!”

Frankie, feeling a little less grouchy now, says, “Wow! That was something special. Did that really happen or did I dream it?” Glancing down he noticed that he really did have a brand new yo-yo in his hand. “Now I have to figure out how to use this yo-yo since Santa forgot to leave me the instructions for it.”

Carl B. Seay
December 12, 2025

    In spite of the heat, something magic will take place on that special day and time. What makes that day so special? And what exactly makes it magic? And what is so special and magical about the number twenty-four anyway? It is just another number, isn't it? Well, the number twenty-four indicates twenty-four years. The magic actually started twenty-four years before the date indicated above.

    The magic had its start in the city of Toccoa, Georgia. The exact location was at Toccoa Falls on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. The starting date was Saturday, June 30, 2001. The time was about 10:00 AM. There was a light rain coming down that morning. Almost all of the attendees at the magic event (a few friends and family members) were holding umbrellas as they walked down the path to the beautiful 186-foot tall waterfall. The falls, as usual, were spectacular. A local pastor was there in his suit and holding an umbrella. And no, none of the people there had any idea just how magical this event would eventually become.

    Toccoa Falls is one of my favorite waterfalls in north Georgia. Somehow though, my eyes were not on the majestic waterfall that morning. My eyes were on the beautiful woman standing there who had agreed to marry me. It had been quite a surprise to me that she had agreed to marry me since my record on relationships was not the best. Evidently, she saw something deep in me that the others could not see.  

    So twenty-four years ago, in the rain and in front of a beautiful waterfall, that I had little reason to look at on that magical day, I married the woman of my dreams. I married the woman that quickly became my soul mate and best friend.

    On that day twenty-four years ago, I loved her so much that I did not think that I could love her any deeper. Over the years, I found out that I was wrong about that, I learn to appreciate her more every year. I have learned that when you are married to the right person there is no limit to your love for them. You love them more every year.

    This woman has now nursed me through two major cancer battles. She has literally picked me up off the floor when I have fallen. At times, she has taken over chores that I normally took care of when I was no longer able to do them. Twice she has rushed me to the emergency room when I thought I was dying.

    Yes, June 30, 2025 will be a magic day. The number 'twenty-four' becomes magic on that day. It will mark twenty-four years since I stood in the rain in front of an amazing waterfall and married the woman that I probably did not deserve. And now, twenty-four years later, we are going stronger than ever. Neither one of us can imagine life without the other one. Now, that is truly magic!    

    And by the way, that magical woman is still just as beautiful. She has aged by twenty-four years just like I have. She is still beautiful to me. But even more important than her outward beauty is her inner beauty. She is a magical creature!

Carl B. Seay

June 20, 2025

Time marches on. It seems like there was no beginning to time and that there will be no ending.
Time speeds up and it slows down. It keeps on marching!.
Tic.Tic.Tic.
Then there is hospital time. It still ticks on, sort of. Each tick is no longer 1 second long. Each tick of the clock may last 5 minutes. Sometimes each tick lasts an hour or longer. And then there are those times each when every tick moves back an hour. You just never know.
2:30! An hour ago it was 3:30. What happened?
Give up on trying to figure it out. You are now on hospital time.
Hospital rules do not obey any natural rules. It moves at its own pace. It can slow down or speed up. The only time hospital times speeds up is when you have surgery. You wake up and it is much later in the day. While it speeds up for you, hospital time slows to a crawl for your loved ones.
You do not control hospital time.
It controls you!

Tic.
Tic.
Tic.

Time marches on except when you are on hospital time.

Carl B. Seay
January 17, 2026

Even those times that you do not have time to sit down and write or edit your book, your thoughts are on your book. Ideas come to you as you shower or lie down to sleep. As you drive, your thoughts are on your book. Every book you read becomes a search for a thought or idea that just might make your book a little better. As you are talking to your spouse, the thoughts in the back of your head are struggling on how to word a sentence better. As you are taking your daily walk, you worry about if your book is successful in making your point. Is it simple enough? Is it too complicated?  Did you succeed in reaching your targeted audience? What could you do better to make the book clearer? How could it be worded better? how do you come across as knowing what you are talking about without appearing to be arrogant?

Someone asks if you have been working on your book. Sometime the answer is that we have not had time to actually sit down and write, but the truth is that we are still actively working on it. That is because we are living in our book and it is living within us. The book has become us and we have become the book.

Memories are strange creatures. They can be triggered by smell, a song, a person, or anything else that brings a memory from the past flooding through your mind. This is particularly true if the past event was one that brought a strong emotional response - either positive or negative. The memory may be of a past relationship, a loved-one who is no longer around, a special event, or sometimes a painful or difficult event in your life.

This happened to me a few nights ago. It was late and I was wasting time on Facebook before going to sleep. I was looking through a few short random videos. I came across a very short video about a gentleman who was receiving his last radiation treatment for cancer. In this short video they were unsnapping his radiation mask from the table and then removing the mask off of him. The video was only about 5 or 6 seconds long. Memories immediately flooded my mind from my cancer treatments 8 years ago. The man's mask immediately reminded me of my mask.

After checking the calendar, realized that 8 years ago today was my last radiation treatment for Stage IV Throat Cancer. My treatment plan included six chemotherapy treatments to assist the 35 radiation treatments.

Now, just having cancer is scary enough. When you know that you have a disease that will kill you if you do not get treatment for it will tend to shake you up pretty well. The chemo-treatments are scary even though you are sitting in a nice comfortable recliner with an IV hooked up to your arm. That is, it is not that bad until you see the nurse coming at you with a bag of poison to put into your IV.

Radiation treatment for people with cancer is another whole animal. You have to lie down on a table that is attached to this loud humming machine with its dangerous radiation. When the machine moves its head in place to beam the radiation in exactly measured amounts at you, your mind goes some pretty unpleasant places.

Remember when I was talking earlier about the short video I watched where they were unsnapping the cancer patient from the table? That is the part about radiation treatment for throat cancer patients that I did not tell you about. Because the radiation beam is so tightly calculated to reach the cancer without harming other body parts any more than necessary, they make a large mask that is made for you. This mask snaps down to the board so that you can not move your head, neck, or shoulders during treatment. If you look at the photo of my mask at the top of the page, you will see that it has holes in it. You can see a little bit with the mask holding you tightly to the table. You can talk a little bit but it is awkward. You can even breathe a little bit - but not too deeply. In other words, it is very confining, awkward, and uncomfortable. And did I mention that you can't move? It is one way to discover if you are claustrophobic or not.

And in case you are wondering, I do still have my mask. The picture at the top of the page is my personal radiation therapy mask. At the end of my treatment they gave it to me to keep. It now lives in my hallway at home as a constant reminder of the pain from the cancer and the horrible side effects of the treatments that I went through. It is also a reminder that I am still alive because of those treatments.

Every hotel and motel was sold out moths in advance at double the normal rates. Because of the Olympics every possible event location was rented out. That was not a problem, she would have the ceremony and the reception in our back yard. They didn't have the money to rent a place for the event anyway.

At the time, I worked for a major convention hotel in Atlanta. Normally I would be able to borrow any tables, chairs, chafing dishes, and serving utensils that I needed for free from the hotel. Like every other hotel, it was booked solid for the duration of the Olympics. This also meant that they were busy with dinners and receptions. Finally they were able to free up a few items to allow us to get by for a small wedding reception. It wasn't much, but we made do with what they loaned us.

Also during that time, Bob Carlisle had released a new song Butterfly Kisses that had started becoming popular. I had not heard the song and did not know what it was about. Rhonda decided she had to play that song during her reception for me. She was able to find and buy the CD with the song on it. She knew that I was very conflicted about her getting married. My little girl had grown up and was getting married.

During the reception, it came time for the song. She called me up in front of everyone and put her arm around me. She had someone start the song playing. (Remember I had never heard it). I confess I stood there in front of everyone with tears streaming down my face. It is hard to let your daughter go. And in spite of all my failures, my daughter still loved me. Somehow, Bob Carlisle wrote and sang the perfect song for my daughter's wedding.

In case you are not familiar with the song, I have included some of the lyrics.

Lyrics (partial)

by Bob Carlisle

There's two things I know for sure She was sent here from heaven And she's daddy's little girl As I drop to my knees by her bed at night She talks to Jesus And I close my eyes And I thank God for all of the joy in my life Oh, but most of all For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer  

Oh, with all that I've done wrong I must have done something right To deserve a hug every morning And butterfly kisses at night

Spread your wings and fly She'll change her name today She'll make a promise And I'll give her away Standing in the bride-room Just staring at her She asked me what I'm thinking And I said, "I'm not sure" "I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl" And she leaned over Gave me butterfly kisses with her mama there Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair "Walk me down the aisle, Daddy, it's just about time" "Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy?" "Daddy, don't cry"

Oh, with all that I've done wrong I must have done something right To deserve her love every morning And butterfly kisses I couldn't ask God for more Man, this is what love is I know I gotta let her go But I'll always remember Every hug in the morning And butterfly kisses

The driving force behind this family tradition and also the glue that held the family so closely together was my mother-in-law. Everyone in the family calls her Grandma. She loved her extended family and loved having all of them under one roof - eating, talking, and laughing. It was the opportunity to have her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all of their spouses, partners along their children together. Grandma loved everyone and everyone loved Grandma. She was a quiet woman that somehow made an impact on her family and all of her friends.

One thing you have to understand about Grandma is that she grew up dirt poor in the South. So she knew how to stretch food to feed as many people as were there to ready to eat. So, the more people who showed up at these gatherings all the better. She would find a way to find everyone something to eat - even if it meant that she did without food herself. She grew up in a time when you did not buy loaf bread. Instead, you made homemade biscuits every day. Biscuits were an everyday thing in her home. You might not have much else to eat but you always had biscuits.

Another thing you need to know about Grandma is that she made the best dressing in the world. If you don't believe me, just ask any of her children or grandchildren. I am not sure what she did that made her dressing different but it was different from anyone else's dressing. Everyone in the family was happy when Thanksgiving came because Grandma would be making her dressing and gravy. When the family members had opportunities to eat turkey and dressing cooked by someone else, they were never quite happy. They could not help comparing it to Grandma's dressing and the other dressing was just not Grandma's dressing.

This year Thanksgiving will be much different. The driving force behind regularly meeting together and the glue that held the family so closely together is no longer here. Last December at the age of 90, the matriarch of the family passed away. What a great loss this was to the family! So the question is, What will Thanksgiving look like this year? It will be more difficult to get everyone to meet without Grandma. She was the primary reason for the tradition. The family is still close but is this enough without her? Where is the incentive to gather together for Thanksgiving without Grandma's dressing? Only time will tell. One thing for sure is that even if the extended family does meet together, Thanksgiving will never be the same again without Grandma and her dressing.

How do you write a tribute to someone who is quiet and unassuming? How  do you write about someone who never won an election or any great awards or recognition? How do you write about someone who by the world's standards was no one important? However, with her quiet, sweet, and loving personality, she stood out in an amazing way. She was well loved and respected by everyone who came in contact with her.

Katie Mae Patterson was born on August 27, 1931. Her family was poor and never obtained wealth, fame, or fortune. She married Robert Donald Patterson. Together they had six children - three sons and three daughters. Life was never easy for them but Katie was a good wife and mother. She worked very hard to provide for her family.

Little did she know that life was about to become even more difficult. One night her husband had a fatal heart attack. He was only fifty years old. At that time, Katie was left to finish raising her four younger children alone while working to provide a home for them. The difficult life now became even harder. Katie was never one to complain about her circumstances. She just did what had to be done. She continued to work hard to do what she did best - love, provide, and care for her family.

Katie was a quiet and caring woman. She was always working to care for others. She was not one to argue or insist on expressing her views to others. At the same time, she was confident and unshakable in her faith in God. She remained faithful to her church and to her faith. She quietly studied the Bible and spent time in prayer for those who were sick, hurting, or in need. She might not have much, but she was quick to share what she had. If you visited her home, she would offer to fix you something to eat. It would not matter how little food she had available, she would find something  to fix and make it stretch so that no one would go hungry. At family gatherings, she was usually the last one to get her food. She was always worried that there might not be enough food for everyone. She would rather go hungry herself than not to have enough food for everyone else. She remained this way until her last days on earth.

There are so many other examples I could give such as stepping in to help raise her grandchildren when she was needed. The last nine months of her life, Yvonne and I were blessed to be able to welcome her into our home when she was no longer able to properly care for herself. Even then, she hated being a burden on anyone. She wanted to help others, not be dependent on others to help her.

When I think of Katie, there are a couple of Bible scriptures that come to mind. Proverbs 31:10 (KJV) says, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." That is a good description of Katie. She was one of a kind - a precious jewel.

Another Scripture that reminds me of Katie is 1 Peter 3:3-5: "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:"

Katie's real beauty did not come from putting on fancy clothes or jewels. Her true beauty came from within. Her beauty came from her faith in God and her faithfulness to try to live a life pleasing to God. I truly suspect that she succeeded in these endeavors. I am confident that when Katie passed from this world to her reward, she was welcomed with open arms and greeted with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant".

Without God, there would not be love. The Bible has a lot to tell us about love and its relationship with God. Love actually comes from God. God is love. 1 John 4:7-12 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God that He has loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God: if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us." (ESV). That makes it clear that God is love. If we love God then we must also love others.

How much does God love us? As John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world. that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." That is powerful love. We did not love Him first, but He loves us. We did not deserve that love. God does not love us because we are beautiful, smart, artistic, or talented.

The Apostle John has a lot to say about love. Some people even call him the love apostle. In 1 John 4:13-20, he states, "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because he has given us His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him; whoever loves God must love his brother."

Jesus also had a lot to say about love. Remember to the Jews in Jesus' day the Law and the Commandments were vital to their worship of God. In Matthew 22, when the lawyer asked Jesus which of the commandments was the greatest in the Law, Jesus replied in verses 37-40, "And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'" The Ten Commandments as we know them have now been condensed into two commandments and there are both about love. First we are to love God and then we are to love others. Not only are we to love them but we are to love them as you love yourself.  Interestingly, this is not a suggestion or request for us. It is a commandment!

This above tells us where love comes from (from God) but still does not tell us what love is exactly. Did the Bible give us a guideline how we are to love our neighbor as ourselves? The answer is yes. God's standard about love can be found in 1 Corinthians 13. Let me warn you ahead of time that God's style of love is not easy. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a states, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." I don't know about you but those are pretty tough standards to keep even with those who love you most. More than that though, is that God expects us to love pour neighbors in the same manner. Talk about something hard to do. One more thing to think about - in Matthew 5:44, Jesus says, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Let's all admit that in our nature, this type is impossible. This type of love can only come from God. Only God can place this type of love within us. We just are not capable of producing this type of love without God. This even means we must love the unlovable. We must love those who hate us, revile us, call us names, harm us, etc. This also means that you have to love your exes, abusive partners, and whoever else is impossible to love. I suspect that we all have failed to love others as God expects to. We need to ask God to help us learn to love others like He expects us to love them.