By June MathewsAs a wife, mom of three under 3 and part-time nurse, Alexandra Gaskins is juggling multiple roles these days. But her busy schedule hasn’t stopped her from adding one more role to the mix. With her first children’s book, “I Have, Not I Am,” Gaskins became an author. Inspired by two nieces, one with Down syndrome, the other on the autism spectrum, “I … [Read more...]

By June MathewsIt’s almost unimaginable. If you had told us years ago when we started this that we would be marching in London’s New Year’s Day Parade, we would have never believed it,” said Toni Dennis, founder of Birmingham’s groove krewe Magic City Disco.But there they were Jan. 1, noon local time, boogeying their way from Green Park to the Palace of Westminster on a … [Read more...]

By June MathewsWhen a college friend calls from a two-hour drive away and says, “I’m in the emergency room. My cancer’s come back,” how do you respond?If you’re Jennifer Hallman, you say, “I’m on my way,” and begin gathering items that might be useful under the circumstances: a soft blanket, fuzzy socks, essential oils. But she felt like something was missing.“My … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantStan and Barbara Nelson are in their 70s, but the Hoover couple didn’t let a little thing like age prevent them from completing an eight-month, 6,000-mile waterway adventure.Stan Nelson’s longtime friend Jim Hughes, who lives in Chattanooga, had brought the idea of doing America’s Great Loop to their attention three years ago. Boaters doing the … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantSoprano Sadie Goodman will perform at a concert in two weeks, but she doesn’t know what she’s going to sing.She’s perfectly fine with that.That’s because Goodman will be performing in concert with Charles Billingsley, one of Christian music’s most distinctive artists for nearly 30 years, during the Portraits of Hope’s “It’s Christmas Time Again” … [Read more...]