The next time you sit for a moment at a red light or in line at the grocery store or at your coffee shop’s community table, take a moment to look not at your cellphone screen but at the people around you. Each person has a story – they are not just the stranger next to you; they are the person next to you. Each one is a wealth of experiences, hopes and dreams – if only you … [Read more...]

When I was in college, my South Carolina history professor posed a question on our first day of class: “I was not born in South Carolina, but I have lived here for 40 years. Socially, can I call myself a South Carolinian?” The class was divided on the merits of birthplace versus tenure versus style of upbringing versus ancestry lines and every manner of opinion. The question … [Read more...]