My Mother had the secrets for self-confidence by Clifford Dobyns My mother was born in 1897 and grew up in Martha, KY which is a small dot on a good map. My Dad grew up within that same dot and their family farms were about 1 ½ miles apart. My parents were married in the […]
CHRISTMAS SURPRISE by Clifford Dobyns Written: November 2009 I was five years old in 1937 and unknown to me was that my parents had decided to get me a tricycle for Christmas and had ordered one from Sears, Roebuck and Co. Several years would pass before my mother told me what really happened on that […]
Hunting Buddies by Clifford Dobyns When it gets cold and there is a heavy frost, my mind goes back to 1965 when my dear friend, O.D. Riley asked me if I would like to join him, his son and a few other friends for a rabbit hunt. I enthusiastically said yes. A local farmer was […]
A Dollar Well Spent by Clifford Dobyns In the late 1930’s and during the 1940’s Saturday night meant one thing at our house in Northeast Kentucky, it was Grand Ole Opry night. Time for Mom, my brother and I to watch Dad tune in our Philco radio and listen to the country music broadcast from […]
Alabama contributing author, Clifford Dobyns provides a history on the bugle call Taps. “TAPS” by Clifford Dobyns My brother, Kenley died in April 2008 at the age of 77. At his funeral, a pastor other than my brother’s pastor told me that my brother was the most outstanding Christian that he knew in the entire […]
GIFTS OF GOLD by Clifford Dobyns At thirteen years old I was fortunate to be in a Boy Scout troop that took a trip to the Smoky Mountains. On returning home I wanted to make the gift giving a special event. I decided that we would ride our bicycles to a beautiful spot on a golf […]
FRIGHTENED by Clifford Dobyns Were you ever frightened when you were young? I remember being very frightened when I was 11 years old. My Dad had taken me to my Grandfather’s farm to hunt squirrels when it was still dark. We had walked along a narrow path for several minutes when Dad stopped and gave […]
PLEDGES, PROMISES, AND THE NUMBER 101 by CLIFFORD DOBYNS In 1938 I was 6 years old and learned in the first grade how to say the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag. This activity would be hard to find today. At 7 years old I got a bicycle for Christmas and joined the town’s only […]
SMILE AWHILE by Clifford Dobyns A man had stopped his car and was on his knees crying beside the road. A woman saw him and ran up to him and asked “What is so terribly wrong”. The man said “I tried to miss this rabbit but I hit it and I think I have killed it”. The woman […]
MY DAD by Clifford Dobyns My Dad grew up on a four hundred acre farm in eastern Kentucky. About one-third of the farm was thick forest which was very good for hunting, two-thirds of the farm was great for growing crops. Dad had five brothers and one sister and it took everyone doing their part […]
