Musings

By Kirk McCarley Reflecting on the year just past, how good a year did I have professionally?  Did I get that promotion I had expected?  Have I landed a new employment opportunity?  Do I still find my work engaging?  What achievements are there of which I am especially proud?  Did...

The 2020 book Pathway to Paradise on Florida’s Emerald Coast by Robert Reynolds covers the background of one of Florida’s most exciting regions, the Emerald Coast, which stretches from Pensacola to Panama City, and includes Fort Walton  Beach, Destin, Grayton Beach, Seaside, Inlet Beach, and many other communities. The...

By Clement Clarke Moore 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of sugar-plums danced...

By Gueary Clendenning Christmas is just around the corner. After Thanksgiving, the pace quickens toward the big day! We’ll find ourselves in a big rush, always pursuing one more thing we need to get accomplished. We look for the nearest parking spot in the crowded mall, searching for the perfect...

Heroism comes in many shapes, sizes, and degrees of significance. You can be a hero through your service to others. In his new book, A Modest But Crucial Hero: The Life and Legacy of Rev. George E. Stone (1873-1899), Santa Rosa Beach resident Rev. Judson I. Stone tells the...

by Kirk McCarley A long time ago I was trying to negotiate an especially low point in life. Work was demanding and often frustrating, finances were “hand to mouth” tight, and my wife and I had a couple of young children to clothe and feed.  I was into playing that dangerous...

By Victoria Ostrosky Valerie Peterson, a licensed mental health counselor in Destin, shares important and encouraging words that should touch all of us.  Valerie understands that how we think and what we think directly affects us in our daily lives.  “Where the mind leads, the rest of us follows.” We could...

You probably didn’t hear about it. But yesterday, God visited earth. Contrary to what you’ve heard, God is a big fan of people. He’s a huge fan. In fact, that’s why he came. His visit was an under-the-radar thing. It was non-publicized. God wasn’t in it for press. First, he came to...

By Sean Dietrich I am a dropout. I grew up pretty hard. I am an educational failure. I had few academic opportunities. As a result, I am a very slow reader, and an even wurse speler. This is because, after my father died, my family hit rock bottom. My mother...

By Kirk McCarley I first met Bob over 20 years ago in a Spinning Group Exercise Class.  Even then I admired the passion and vigor with which he attacked each gathering, coupling those characteristics with a light, self-deprecating sense of humor. After a few years, Bob allowed that he was thinking about...