Musings

By Sean Dietrich I had a dream about him last night. It has been nearly three decades since he died, but there he was. Alive. We met in some kind of diner. A breakfast joint. Maybe this was heaven? He was running late, I was already sitting in a booth, sipping...

By Sean Dietrich I am an imaginary old man. I am every World War II veteran you never knew. I am each faceless GI from the bygone European War. Or any other war for that matter. I am in my 90s and 100s now. Lots of young folks probably don’t even...

By Dr. Kerry Knight, Emerald Beach Church of Christ It’s so refreshing to hear someone say, “Have a blessed day.” It may sound a little hokey and insincere to some, but the Bible speaks of it frequently. The word “blessed” is given over 300 times in the scriptures, and that...

By Kerry Knight, Minister for the Emerald Beach Church of Christ George Washington Carver once said, “I will never let another man ruin my life by making me hate them.” Carver was an African American and an innovator during a very difficult time in our country’s history after the Civil...

By Sean Dietrich The old dog was found walking on the highway. She had no name. No home. Nobody. The guy who found her was a guy we’ll call Peter. I call him this because this is his name. Peter was 67 years old at the time. He was riding in a...

Book Review by Jack Smith In the summer of 1968, I was a beach lifeguard at Myrtle Beach and the only thing I worried about was girls. As Apollo 8 soared towards the moon and the Democratic Convention exploded in Chicago, nine men tried to accomplish the age-old sailor’s dream:...

By Sean Dietrich She was trash. At least that’s how she was treated. She was found wandering a rural Mississippi highway. Beneath the stars. It was a wonder the girl hadn’t been hit. This was a busy highway. The kind with transfer trucks. The dog was walking in the center of the...

Is It Really Important? By Kerry Knight, Minister for the Emerald Beach Church of Christ I’ll never forget a conversation I had with someone while inviting them to our church services. Their response stopped me cold. “I don’t do church.” Like many others, he thought attending church was unnecessary. “I can...

By Kerry Knight, Minister for the Emerald Beach Church of Christ A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagon load of corn in the road. The farmer who lived nearby came to investigate. “Hey, Willis,” he called out, “forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner...

Former local Sean Dietrich (he recently moved to Alabama) is a columnist and novelist known for his commentary on life in the American South. In addition to Bay Life, his work has appeared in Southern Living, The Tallahassee Democrat, Good Grit, South Magazine, Alabama Living, the Birmingham News, Thom...