BOOM! COVER PROFILE: Debby Thomas
For more than four decades, Debby Thomas has quietly built a life rooted in service, faith, and community across Alabama’s River Region. A nurse by profession and a servant at heart, her journey has taken her from Midwestern beginnings to a life deeply woven into...
Greg on The Value of Citizenship: Why It’s More Than Just a Fancy Passport Stamp
In an era where there’s such political polarity, one item has established massive support among all. Voter I.D. The concept enjoys 80-20 support among Dems, Republicans, and Indies. Yet, the current Congress could not bring itself to pass the SAVE Act, requiring proof of citizenship...
Chivalry. In a Teahouse?
When wife Cindy suggests I write about a “teahouse” in Auburn, I’m not too excited. But my deadline is approaching and I don’t have time to plan a truly exciting writing assignment like rappelling from a helicopter into a tropical jungle. How does an outdoorsman...
Housing During Retirement: Your Go-Go Years, Your Slow-Go Years and Your No-Go Years
When people think of retirement, they often envision the couple walking on the beach, sailing the sailboat, or playing golf. It is easy to picture the active part of retirement that is free of the stresses of work and career. However, with many retirees living...
The Graduation Circuit
There’s a certain time of year when your calendar starts filling up with events that all look the same—graduations, ceremonies, receptions, and invitations that somehow all land on the same two weekends. I call it the Graduation Circuit. You start getting the cards in the...
When Your Partner Is Struggling with Midlife
Sometimes the shift is subtle. Your partner seems quieter than usual. Maybe they’re a little more withdrawn, more irritable, or just…not quite themselves. Conversations feel different. Energy is off. The things that used to matter don’t seem to carry the same weight. And you find...
What We Pass Down
May has a way of making us think about generations. Graduation season reminds us how quickly children become young adults. Mother’s Day reminds us of the women who shaped us. And spring itself seems to whisper that life keeps moving forward, whether we’re ready or...
BOOM! COVER PROFILE: Dr. Mark Kingry
After more than three decades serving the River Region, Dr. Mark Kingry has built a career rooted in excellence, relationships, and a genuine passion for helping others. In this conversation, he reflects on the early days of launching his orthodontic practice, the evolution of technology...
Still Being Shaped
April has a way of reminding us that growth doesn’t happen all at once. It shows up in small ways. Longer days. Warmer air. A little more color coming back into the world. And if we’re paying attention, it shows up in us too —...
3 Things Frog and Toad Were Right About
I still remember sitting on the floor next to the cubbies in my classroom. It was silent reading time which was my favorite part of the day. The book (and the words) were perfectly sized for my elementary hands. Little did I know the lessons...
The Weight We Don’t Carry
I was sitting in traffic the other day—nothing major, just one of those slow crawls where nobody knows why we’re stopping, but everybody’s annoyed about it anyway. I glanced at the clock, did the mental math, and immediately decided I was now “running behind,” even...
Now Playing in April “The Tax Monster”
Tax Day is April 15, 2026 – or as I call it, Wednesday. The one date on the calendar that unites Americans more than Thanksgiving, the Super Bowl, or discovering that your favorite fast-food chain now charges extra for dipping sauce. It’s the annual reminder...
To Give Old Doors New Life
For good reasons, we still get frequent questions about the doors on Cindy’s design studio at The Waters in Pike Road. Over the past 20 years, hundreds, if not thousands, of people have been photographed in front of them. We acquired the doors during the...
The Importance of Nutrition and Hydration for Aging Adults
As we age, our bodies change in a multitude of ways. Metabolism slows, appetites are not as robust, and the body’s ability to sense thirst becomes less reliable. These changes make proper nutrition and hydration especially important for older adults, and something that needs to...
BOOM! COVER PROFILE: Bea Forniss
As Bea Forniss prepares to celebrate her 75th birthday this summer, she shows no signs of slowing down. A lifelong educator, state leader, community advocate, and woman of deep faith, Bea’s story is one of purpose pursued with intention. From her humble beginnings in Pritchard,...