All Posts

Part 1 of 2. “Goodbye stranger. It’s been nice. Hope you find your paradise.”— “Goodbye Stranger,” Supertramp Sometimes we see what we want in the clouds. Other times, what we see is exceedingly clear. Such was the case, at least for me, on the first day of this new year. Sitting on my balcony after a call with a friend, a patch of wispy clouds against a crystal-blue late-afternoon sky caught my attention. And then I saw the D. For Dorinda. The new year carries with it the re

“Walked out this morning, I don’t believe what I saw A hundred billion bottles washed upon the shore Seems I’m not alone in being alone Hundred billion castaways looking for a home.” -       ‘Message in a Bottle’ by The Police This one will admittedly be hard to believe. But trust me, it's a true story. I’ll stake my 38 years of marriage to my Bear. It wasn’t a message in a bottle as the lyrics atop this column convey. No, instead it was scribbled in the sand, written as clea

What’s your favorite Christmas memory? That’s a tough question for me as I’m sure it is for you, too. For most of us, the majority of those favorite holiday memories are centered around family. Of Christmas past, I think back to going to my grandparents’ house on the Smith side of my family when I was young. My dad was very close to his five brothers and sisters, in turn making us cousins tight as well. We’re still close today, although separated by 400 miles or so between he

“And who will give you strength when you’re not strong. Who’ll watch over you when I’m gone away.” -       Alter Bridge, “Watch Over You” Dear Bear, This one will be a hard one to write. The holidays are hard. The nights are hard. The firsts are hard. It’s now been more than seven months of firsts. Thanksgiving has come and gone – my first one without you since 1982. Now, to brace for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Our December anniversary. Just thinking about spendin

Sometimes, things happen for a reason. Sometimes, people and things seem to drop into our lives at an appropriate time. Angels among us? I’ve certainly had some encounters over the past year that loudly echoes the Bible verse of Hebrews 13:2 saying “some have entertained angels unaware.” For example, in July 2024 in Brooklyn, New York, Dorinda and I met a stranger inside a restaurant. My wife – my Bear – was in the midst of chemotherapy. A trip to New York was a welcome respi

This week’s column will take a side road, a divergent of sorts. If you’ve read by first two columns for Gulf Coast Media, you know that the focus is me navigating Gulf Shores alone, moving here after losing my wife, Dorinda, to cancer in April. And while Gulf Shores isn’t the focus of this trip, it’s still geared around a beach town. And my Bear. This column and next week’s will focus on my road trip to my hometown of Florence last week. So, buckle up and take a ride with me…

My 4-year-old grandson loves wearing what he calls “neck shirts.” You and I call them tank tops. Whenever I visit, I have to be sure to pack a neck shirt to sleep in, per his request. He thinks it makes me look cool, like him. So, on the morning of Nov. 6, I smiled and thought of my grandson when I saw a third-grader at Gulf Shores Elementary School – wearing a tank top, mind you – smile and say, “This is so cool!” The reason for him saying that was pretty cool. I was there w

During what would be my wife’s final hospital stay, he was there for us. Everyone should have such a friend. Count yourself fortunate if you do. So, I would like for you to meet Eddie Woods. Dorinda and I were at UAB’s Women and Infants Center in Birmingham. We were there for 10 days in April, a time when we would eventually learn Dorinda’s cancer had spread to her lungs. She underwent so many tests and procedures, many of which were very painful. I didn’t leave her. With mos

“It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down. I had the radio on, I was drivin.’’” _ Runnin’ Down a Dream, Tom Petty By Wayne Smith Gulf Coast Media Contributor It really was a beautiful day, a beautiful weekend for the 52 nd  annual National Shrimp Festival. Here’s what prompted it for me. As I watched a spectacular sunrise in the east beyond the Gulf State Park Pier from the beach on the morning of Oct. 9, I turned to look to the sky in the west. High above was the still glow

"There are places I'll remember, all my life, though some have changed …Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before…" — The Beatles, "In My Life" Maybe it's the water. As I try to find my way these days after losing Dorinda in April, there are places I gravitate toward that bring some comfort. Gulf Shores is home now. It's where we planned to retire to, together. I'm here, just without her. On most days, I will make my way to a beach somewh

This is a story about books, the beach, and my Bear. As a preface to this column, what’s better than settling in on the beach with a good book? It was one of our favorite things for my wife and I to do over our 38 years of marriage. With Halloween approaching, this column also will bite into that as I’ll mention one book in particular, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” And it’s about a beautiful resource for our beach town – the Thomas B. Norton Public Library in Gulf Shores – and one

This is a story about two blue trucks – one a hand-made, metal decorative truck – tagged “Margaritaville.” The other a much smaller, plastic toy truck. By association that means it’s also a story about wheels, the title of this column. I’ll circle back to that road at the end of this trip, so take a ride with me. And it’s another story about Dorinda, my Bear. The decorative truck sits on a chassis that’s about one foot long. I bought it for Dorinda from a family hardware stor

One. Let's start here. One year ago this month, my wife and I had climbed a mountain. She had completed chemotherapy at UAB Women & Infants Center. She rang the bell. We celebrated with a family beach trip to Gulf Shores. But there were more mountains ahead. Too many. Dorinda bravely climbed each one of them with me by her side. I lost my Bear to cancer in April. We would have celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary in December. (Bear was my nickname for her — Dorinda was a s

“… Dreams of loneliness, Like a heartbeat drives you mad, In the stillness of remembering what you had, And what you lost, And what you had …” -       Fleetwood Mac, “Dreams” The above song is one of my favorites by Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. I can close my eyes and hear Stevie singing it. If you’re of a certain age, I’m sure you can, too. This column touches on dreams and one woman I met on the beach who helped me understand a dream I had about Dorinda soon after losing

“Learning to walk again. I believe I’ve waited long enough, where do I begin?” -       Foo Fighters, “Walk”   I’m gradually losing my ability to walk. Or at least the ability to do so without some assistance. It’s the result of a genetic condition I was diagnosed with in the fall of 2024 – the same time Dorinda was undergoing cancer treatments. I am trying to take it easy. Trying to be careful and trying not to fall. Trying to stay positive. Trying not to give up. It is hard

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” -          F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Dear October, You were my wife’s favorite month. Mine, too. There are many reasons why. Fall colors. Cooler days and crisp nights. Pumpkins. Halloween. Our son, Alex, was born in October. So was my late father. Alex and his wife, Lauren, will celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary with you this month. It seems like it was only a short time ago that Alex was dancing

“… Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one …” — Doc, Back to the Future III It was a game that took me back in time. Just a game, a high school football contest with Orange Beach at Robertsdale on Sept. 26. And for a moment or two, it did take me back. Travel with me if you want. In the first “Back to the Future” film, Marty McFly went back 30 years from 1985 to 1955. I went back 42 years initially before m

"Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach. I feel it in the air, the summer's out of reach. Empty lake, empty streets, the sun goes down alone." — Don Henley, "The Boys of Summer" The vision is forever etched into my mind. It was during our last trip together to Gulf Shores in March. I had settled into a hot tub when I realized I had forgotten my towel. At that moment, I saw my wife, Dorinda, walking toward me, wearing her sunglasses, waving my towel and smiling at me. Now, ev