Ponderings by Dan Ponder

The year was 1975.  I was just starting my Senior year at Auburn University.  I was doing well in school.  Mary Lou had just transferred to Auburn so we could spend our last year in college together.  We had friends and were having fun.  Music was a big part of any college student’s life during…

It was the day before our 41st anniversary.  Mary Lou and I were headed home from Auburn and decided to try to make it back to Donalsonville before the predicted bad weather hit.  We drove along Alabama 169 near Beauregard, as we usually do when making that trip. It wasn’t until a couple of hours…

Yesterday, he was just a fun-loving kid.  His long blond curls and athletic body made him popular with the girls and the friend that every boy wanted to hang out with.  He was a smart kid, polite, and easy to be around. This week, I was proud to watch as my nephew, Davis Evans Ponder,…

It took four tries before I finally got through to the customer service representative for my telephone and internet service.  I went through this long list of options before finally getting to the right place. Once the automated system finally got me where I thought I was supposed to be, the phone would ring. Four…

Hilton Head Island was the site for our latest visit this past weekend with my college roommate, Bill, and his wife, Pam.   Mary Lou and I visited Hilton Head many times in the early years of our marriage, but it has probably been two decades since we visited the popular vacation spot. Like many…

The minister was asking the small kids during children’s church to raise their hands if they had ever played the game “Tag”.  In this day of video games and cell phones, it was good to see that every youngster raised their hand high. The next question was if they knew what “Base” was.  It is…

Each year without fail, the tulips at our office and my home shoot up without warning. There is always an early bird or two which gives a hint as to the color that particular bed will be.  At my request, I don’t know which colors are planted.  I like surprises. At the same time, the…

Sometimes friendship stands the test of time even when many years pass between visits.  Such was the case when Mary Lou and I had dinner with our old friends Jerry and Lynne Weldon Schwarzauer. Mary Lou, Lynne and I met at Girard Junior High School in Dothan.  We became good friends and remained that way…

What does the word family mean to you?  For most it is a very strong word. It defines in one word those with whom you share a special bond.  That bond can be genetic as in the case of parents, children, aunts, uncles, and cousins. That bond can be just as strong without a blood…

A tour of an unfinished structure does not often give enough interesting material for a weekly article. Mary Lou and I had the opportunity to tour the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center in Auburn this past weekend.  It was a visit that was almost overwhelming as I learned what goes on behind the…