What had been the tennis court was now a ballroom with strings of fairy lights and chandeliers hovering above. At the far end of the court was a stage for musicians, a lot more than the usual Billy and The Boys operation. Floating on one side of the stage was a 72" helium filled white balloon with the word "Shen" on it. Across the way was another similar balloon, but it read … [Read more...] about The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 11
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The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 10
Pappy’s Place went into overdrive preparing for Billy’s supposed “history-making” event. Unbeknownst to Shen, he had been working on the arrangements for weeks. “Good thing she said, ‘Yes,’” Bertie told Hannah. Like Eisenhower orchestrating D-Day, Billy had already locked everything down. Nothing fancy. Just a simple little gathering with a ceremony, a dinner and a little … [Read more...] about The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 10
Bring Some Fireworks Home For The Fourth Of July Holiday Weekend
So this Fourth of July is definitely going to be different from any in the past. On the heels of the governor's tightening restriction, many traditional parades, festivals and celebrations won’t take place. But why not take this passel of lemons and make a pitcher of lemonade? Here are some reasons why this change of plans might not be all that bad. It means that … [Read more...] about Bring Some Fireworks Home For The Fourth Of July Holiday Weekend
The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 9
Billy’s return had come just in time. It seemed that he was turning 35 the following Saturday. When Hannah sprung the news about a birthday celebration, Shen realized the talk of birthdays had never come up. But she had no time to think about it, thanks to Hannah and Bertie drafting her into the preparations. It wasn’t going to be a big event, because they hadn’t known if Billy … [Read more...] about The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 9
The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 8
Billy had been gone for days and Shen hadn’t heard from him. Even when Hannah said that sometimes there were areas in the field where there was no phone service, it didn’t help. Luckily, the bustle of the day’s activities helped distract Shen, as did her talks with her mother via Skype, even on days when her mother wasn’t quite sure who Shen was. When Shen told the care … [Read more...] about The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 8
Community Partners Of Dallas’ 2020 Change Is Good’s Virtual T-Shirt Contest Is Open To All Munchkins
Calling all munchkins! It’s time to get your markers out for Community Partners of Dallas’ annual Change Is Good T-shirt contest. It’s absolutely free and open for any kiddo. This year’s "reimagined" Change Is Good starts with the submission of virtual entries. Instead of having a private get-together where kids create masterpieces, the creations will take place at home and … [Read more...] about Community Partners Of Dallas’ 2020 Change Is Good’s Virtual T-Shirt Contest Is Open To All Munchkins
The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 7
Dinner was catch-up time for all the kids and adults. House rules were that no television or cellphones were allowed. It was time to talk about what had happened during the day. While Billy and Ham tried to make the best of the day’s news and developments, the conversation always brightened up when hearing about the kids and their activities. For Billy the highlight was just … [Read more...] about The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 7
The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 6
As the medications wore off and the word of the virus was spreading, the household took on a different tone for the next couple of weeks. Ham wasn’t around much. He was at the hospital and giving news interviews about the pandemic. Billy was in his office doing videoconferencing with other oilmen trying to salvage oil prices that were reminding some of the Great Depression. … [Read more...] about The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 6
The Family Place Welcomes All To Attend Tomorrow’s Virtual Dedication of Its New Southern Dallas Counseling Center
In a topsy-turvy world human beings are pretty darn resilient. They come up with new ways to carry on. A perfect example is The Family Place’s dedication of its new Southern Dallas Counseling Center tomorrow. Usually those types of events are by-invitation-only. But this one will be open to everyone to attend, and no one will have to leave their keyboard because it’s taking … [Read more...] about The Family Place Welcomes All To Attend Tomorrow’s Virtual Dedication of Its New Southern Dallas Counseling Center
The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 5
Over breakfast Billy told Shen, Hannah and Ham that the Dallas County officials were locking down the area the next day because of the coronavirus. Shen shook her head and almost stood up. She needed to get home to take care of her mother. For the first time since Shen had known him, Billy wasn’t smiling. “Care facilities aren’t open anymore,” he said. “No one goes out and … [Read more...] about The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 5
The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 4
Sunday morning, Shen woke to the sound of children laughing outside. “Good morning, sleepy head. Time to rise and shine.” It was Hannah. As Shen slowly got her bearings, Hannah suggested she might want to get out of bed and go for a walk. “I had the strangest dream of someone in my room, and then this morning I could have sworn I heard children…” Hannah didn’t let her … [Read more...] about The Best Thing You Ever Met – Part 4