Mark CarnesMay 136 minAlong The Way“One regular Chicken Philly Sub on wheat bread, along with one regular Turkey Breast & Provolone Sub on wheat bread. Sure, we’ll make...
Mark CarnesApr 28 minWE Did It!My first-born son’s High School Basketball career was drawing near to the end, and we had just been given the news. During his senior...
Mark CarnesMar 126 minWinning Is Not A ScoreI had just finished a tearful embrace with my son’s High School Basketball Coach, who left the locker room first. Immediately following,...
Mark CarnesFeb 195 minSenior Night=TOGETHERThe day started in darkness, before the sun came up. Before I even rolled out of bed, I already had tears in my eyes. It was Senior...
Mark CarnesFeb 45 minShowing Up for The MundaneOne by one, each of my three sons leaned in and bent over her with tenderness. They clutched her bruised and tattered hand into their...
Mark CarnesJan 285 minSomethingI had just put the last of my mom’s personal belongings into the white plastic bag the hospital had given to me. A few sticks of gum, one...
Mark CarnesJan 215 minOpportunities for JoyWe are now almost two weeks into my mother’s hospital stay, and it continues. I will not relist the trauma of everything that has...
Mark CarnesJan 146 minThis Is TraumaThis is trauma. The week began like any other week. That is when trauma decided to make its uninvited way into the serenity of my life....
Mark CarnesJan 74 minStaying In The MomentIt was the evening of December 25, 2021. The Christmas rush had come and gone as quickly as an Appalachian storm. The floors and couches...
Mark CarnesDec 23, 20216 minO Night Divine(The “Insights” column will take next week off between Christmas and New Year’s. It will return the first week of 2022. Merry Christmas...
Mark CarnesDec 17, 20215 minPicture PerfectThe picture you see here is from Christmas Day 2014. It looks almost picture perfect. It gives the appearance of a perfect, well...
Mark CarnesDec 10, 20214 minChristmas (Time) In The City“Silver Bells, Silver Bells, It’s Christmastime in the City” Times on the farm growing up could be very difficult, and oftentimes quite...
Mark CarnesDec 3, 20216 minWhere It BeganMy mother played the piano. Most people who know her well, know this. She played the piano and organ in church for many years. She taught...
Mark CarnesNov 19, 20215 minMake Room For The Left TurnEvery Christmas, when my family is on the way home from an event in town, there is the option to take a left turn into a neighborhood. In...
Mark CarnesNov 12, 20214 minThe Story Behind the StoryOne of my favorite and most gratifying moments on any stage, anywhere, was Christmas In The City 2016. That was the year I got to sing a...
Mark CarnesNov 5, 20215 minIf A Picture Could TalkThis picture was taken on Sunday, December 13, 2020. It was taken the last night of Christmas In The City, just moments after the last...
Mark CarnesOct 29, 20217 minA Spooky StoryIt was known as the Land of the Waxhaws, a region of North and South Carolina ranging from Waxhaw, NC to Lancaster, SC & Buford, SC....
Mark CarnesOct 22, 20215 minI Was Raised This WayI was raised that way… I was a scholarship collegiate athlete, and it was the first weekend our Coach had required us to stay on campus...
Mark CarnesOct 15, 20214 minWe’re Burying the People Who Raised UsThe coffin was set center stage, draped in beautiful flowers, just at the foot of the altar rails of the old Waxhaw United Methodist...
Mark CarnesOct 8, 20214 minThe Weight of The Right and The Wrong· Where is everyone and why did they leave? Is anyone coming back? · Why doesn’t everyone see the value, obedience, and...