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observations, musings and miscellany from an unapologetic sentimentalist.
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Bill Fortenberry
Dec 17, 20234 min read
this year, it's mrs. fortenberry's christmas
as sentimental as i am, i've never been one for a nostalgic christmas tree. i've always gone for the carefully placed, curated, perfectly...
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Bill Fortenberry
Jun 2, 20235 min read
eleven tools for living with depression
note: this is the last in a series of posts about depression. i’ve been amazed at the responses i have received and consider that...
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Bill Fortenberry
Feb 1, 20235 min read
happy birthday miss a
Autumn turns 24 this week, and in celebration, I decided to take a moment to tell you why I'm so proud of my girl. I've always had a...
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Bill Fortenberry
Dec 27, 20223 min read
the christmas story - 2022
For the first time in probably 20 years or more, we didn't go to Christmas Eve services at church. I'd be lying if I said I missed Pastor...
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Bill Fortenberry
Dec 17, 20224 min read
Thinking About Christmas - Three Stories
Christmas isn't easy for everyone. Sometimes, it can be hard to muster joy, sing a carol or laugh at a party. There may be a temptation...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 26, 20225 min read
if tomorrow never comes
JUNE 2022 - Tomorrow is Father's Day. It is one of the hardest days of the year for me. Here's why: In June of 1998, I was a busy...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 26, 20224 min read
the glue that holds us together
NOVEMBER 2019 - A sweet friend posted a quote on Facebook Thanksgiving Day that caused me to pause for an extra minute or two on a day...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 19, 20225 min read
son of the american revolution
OCTOBER 2018 - I’m a Son of the American Revolution. Well, not technically, but now that I’ve hit my grandmother’s side of my family...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 19, 20226 min read
widows and orphans: the story of bart and fannie whelchel
SEPTEMBER 2018 - Mary Whelchel stares straight into the camera, her wide eyes revealing only innocence. In the same photo are her father,...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 19, 202210 min read
the life and times of henry p. fortenberry
SEPTEMBER 2018 - My wife gave me a DNA test for Christmas last year, and since then, I've developed an appetite to learn more about my...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 14, 20223 min read
goodbye, dwarf house, we'll miss you
JUNE 2018 - My boy came home for a way-too-brief, 36-hour, post-Father's Day visit this week. He stopped in on his way to a week at the...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 14, 20225 min read
don't forget your dad
JUNE 2018 - Twenty years ago this month, I talked to my dad for the very last time. I was a busy 35-year-old with a wife and 21-month old...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 14, 20221 min read
instagram stories: the cornbread pan
FEBRUARY 2018 - When my mom, Mickey is what her friends and family called her, had to sell her house and move in with us, we didn’t have...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 14, 20221 min read
instagram stories: the footprints
JANUARY 2018 - Bryan and Candy Griffin gave us an old bookcase in need of repair probably 15 years ago. I cut and stained new shelves...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 14, 20222 min read
before rushing ahead to christmas, let's stop and be grateful
NOVEMBER 2017 - It’s two days before Thanksgiving, and I am as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve. My boy, my musician, my college...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 14, 20223 min read
life is coming full circle
I met Dr. Kristie Kemper in 1982. She was my journalism advisor my freshman year of college. We’ve stayed in touch over the years, mainly...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 13, 20223 min read
the example
MARCH 2017 - Joe Van Barnes was one of the greats. When our church said good bye to him a few weeks ago it was apparent that, for a man...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 13, 20223 min read
she was radiant
(NOTE: Of all the blog posts I've written, this memorial or eulogy of my beautiful friend, Natalie Bates, is the most read -- more than...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 12, 20223 min read
december 1: looking way back
DECEMBER 2016 - All too often in these materialistic days, the commercial and social aspects of the Christmas season have tended to...
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Bill Fortenberry
Sep 12, 20222 min read
one magical evening
OCTOBER 2016 - It was a magical evening. From the warm, incandescent light washing the back yard in a golden glow, to the gathering of 50...
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