Jeff Hampton – Page 83 – Jeff Hampton, Writer

September 14, 2021

The Gig Life

For Wilshire Baptist Church

“How long have you been retired?”

We were browsing in an art gallery in Saint Jo northwest of Fort Worth a few weeks ago when the manager asked that question.

“I’m not retired. Neither of us are,” I answered, probably with an edge in my voice. Granted, she and LeAnn had just been talking about retiring from the state education system, but LeAnn has built a busy new career as an early childhood and education consultant and grant writer for various nonprofits. Still, the manager looked at me and made an assumption that rubbed me the wrong way.

September 7, 2021

Short Memory

For Wilshire Baptist Church

Remember the house explosion in Plano? Or the condo building collapse in Florida? And what about that deadly pet cobra that slithered into hiding in Grand Prairie? Oh, and the children in cages on the Texas border? What happened to all these news stories that had us spellbound, captivated or outraged?

September 3, 2021

Repairs: Minor and Major

For Wilshire Baptist Church

“Do you need some help?”

Our neighbor Carlos walked across the street to check on me, no doubt after seeing and hearing me start, stop and restart my mower several times. I was under the shade of the trees, troubleshooting a breakdown in the mower’s self-propulsion drive system, and when he came over and asked the question, I had the front wheels off, the front end up on a flowerpot, and I was looking underneath at the belt that turns the wheels.