Howdy, Partners!
I grew up on Westerns, watching them with my dad and grandpa. From Gunsmoke and Bonanza to nearly every John Wayne film, those tales of good versus evil became part of my childhood backdrop. I spent countless hours in make-believe, a cowboy hat from Tweetsie Railroad on my head, greeting everyone with a slow drawl: “Howdy, partner!” I’ve always wondered about that phrase. Was it really common in the Old West, or just Hollywood magic? A quick search shows “howdy”…
There and Back Again: A Congregation’s Tale
Many of you know that I very much enjoy J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories of Middle-earth. (One of my tattoos can attest to this!) These include The Lord of the Rings and other stories, but they began with the children’s classic The Hobbit, where a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins takes an unexpected journey full of adventure, and his whole life is changed. In the story, Bilbo writes his adventures in his memoirs and titles them, “There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Tale.”…