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One experience led to the next.
First, there was a warm feeling gently permeating my face as I seemingly walked out of some foggy realm. Gradually, and from some distant place, and wherever it is …
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By Steve Watkins
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12/7/21
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Government statistics say it costs almost 7 percent more just to live today than it did a year ago. Groceries. Fuel. Automobiles (if you can even find them). Everything costs more.
And I …
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By Steve Watkins
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11/30/21
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It’s the time of year to count blessings and take stock of the many reasons we have to be thankful, despite hardships and losses that may be on our minds. The staff of the Stone County Leader …
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By the Leader staff
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11/23/21
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Starting out three weeks and 400 miles earlier, I had a goal of walking into Santiago de Compostela on Thanksgiving Day. It would be a milestone moment and a memorable way to give thanks for so many …
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By Steve Watkins
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11/15/21
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Let’s catch up on a few stories behind the stories -- items that didn’t make the headlines above the fold in recent weeks.
A recent phone interview with Mountain View Band Director …
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By Steve Watkins
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11/9/21
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In a land of democracy where the people supposedly rule, we really should do a better job holding our elected officials accountable.
You can show up once a year at the parade and toss penny candy …
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By Steve Watkins
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11/2/21
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The county government avoided a potential crisis at the Stone County Jail last Friday when four jailer/dispatchers who were set to resign showed up for work.
The quorum court’s budget …
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By Steve Watkins
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10/29/21
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I ain’t as good as I once was,
That’s just the cold hard truth.
I still throw a few back, talk a little smack,
When I’m feelin’ bullet proof.
So don’t double-dog dare me …
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By Steve Watkins
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10/29/21
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For several hours last Monday night, it was the only thought I could think.
I need someone to hold a grudge against. Somebody’s got to pay.
It all began about a year ago – a time when I …
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By Steve Watkins
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10/19/21
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As we turned east down the access road a fresh spring breeze rushed through our partially rolled-down windows and the morning sun radiated warmly through the windshield. In the passenger seat, Daniel …
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By Steve Watkins
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10/12/21
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GULF SHORES, AL -- It’s always been an American way of thinking that things will get better.
Progress and advancement are as big a part of our culture as cheeseburgers and Sunday naps.
The …
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By Steve Watkins
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10/5/21
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When you think on it, it’s amazing just how much of nothing can go on in a little town. In the 1970s and 80s my hometown of Monette, Arkansas had at least a half dozen places dedicated to doing …
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By Steve Watkins
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9/28/21
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At some point during the last year, we dedicated serious space on the Leader’s editorial page to bringing a clearer picture to what social media is, and what it is not. Maybe an editorial, maybe …
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By Steve Watkins
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9/23/21
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“We’re all just walking each other home.” ~ Ram Dass
Most people I know on a casual level believe I’m a risk-taker who makes decisions flying by the seat of my pants, driven by emotion, …
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By Steve Watkins
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9/20/21
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“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” -Proverbs 29:8
For the most part, we are a culture of do-overs and second chances until we get whatever it is we’re doing right. But a few …
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By Steve Watkins
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9/7/21
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It hasn’t happened yet, but it will. As surely as biscuits love gravy, the morning will soon come.
I’ll do the same thing as every other morning stepping out onto the front porch with a cup of …
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By Steve Watkins
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9/6/21
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Over time, I’ve redefined the mark at which I transitioned from a young, or middle-aged, guy to an older man in life’s later seasons.
Marking my 30th birthday was the first occasion. Oh, how …
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By Steve Watkins
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8/25/21
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Any writer who tells you he/she hasn’t been influenced by some other writer isn’t telling the truth or is completely unaware of their surroundings.
When others ask me this question, the …
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By Steve Watkins
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8/17/21
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Our life is a series of seasons, distinct, observable, times from which we learn and grow and evolve the people we are. Each of us is the sum of our seasons.
There are seasons of maturity, seasons …
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By Steve Watkins
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8/10/21
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It happens two, maybe three times a week. Every. Single. Week.
Maybe in a Walmart aisle. A guy who recently bought a chicken coop from me looked once, then twice, before he said it. Most recently, …
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By Steve Watkins
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8/3/21
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