I was in the middle of a fine-tuning a lawnmower engine at my old hardware store when a young fella, maybe twenty-five years old with a laptop under his arm, came strolling up. He looked like he’d just walked off the set of some Silicon Valley show. He said, “You’re Bojangles, right? My dad told […]

I was standin’ in my old hardware store one Saturday mornin’, talkin’ to a young fella about fixin’ up his truck. He was a good kid, smart as a whip, but he had that look in his eye – the one that says you’re just killin’ time until the “real” life starts. “I’m just savin’ […]

Every now and then, my granddaughter will come home from Sunday school with a question that can stop a grown man in his tracks. It was during one of our Saturday morning pancake flips that she looked up at me with those big, curious eyes and asked, “Pop-Pop, what’s it like to be dead?” I […]

Ever feel like your day is a runaway train and you’re just clinging to the cowcatcher, praying it doesn’t hit anything important? I remember one Saturday at the hardware store. The phone was ringing off the hook, Mrs. Gable was in tears because her leaky faucet had flooded her new linoleum (a sin against good […]

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Bojangles, that’s personal! That’s not for the hardware store aisle chat!” And you’re right, in a way. But just like when your sink is clogged or your fence has a loose board, you can’t just ignore it and hope it fixes itself. You’ve got to roll up your sleeves, […]

I remember my old pal, Earl. Bless his heart – he was a good man but a talker. I mean, you could get a sunburn from listening to that man spin a yarn. He’d come into the hardware store and before you could even ask him what he needed, he’d have told you about the […]

Back in my hardware store days, a fella came in, bought a whole truckload of 2x4s for what he said was a big ol’ deck project for someone else. I gave him the best price on town, shook his hand, and wished him luck. Well, six months later, my wife sees that very same pile […]

Ever find yourself at a family barbecue, clutching your sweet tea while everyone else is on their second beer? Or maybe you’re the only one at work who doesn’t use “God’s name” as an exclamation point during a frustrating Zoom call. It can feel lonely sometimes – like being a Catholic in a culture that’s […]

You know that feeling? It’s Tuesday morning. The coffee maker’s on the fritz again (of course it is), your favorite work pants have a suspicious stain, and you just heard the neighbor’s dog let out a yelp that could curdle milk. Your first thought isn’t “Oh, what a beautiful day to be alive!” Nope, it’s […]