My Grandpas’ Boots

MY GRANDPAS’ BOOTS By S.C. ILES   Son, I notice you’re scowling at my scuffed boots.  Like me, they’ve been around a while and have quite a story to tell.  You’ll understand why I wear them proudly when I finish their tale. These boots are six years older than me, and I’m almost seventy. Their history goes back to the years after the Civil War.  That war was hard on my hometown of...

Christmas: A Gift from DQ

A Gift from DQ   Christmas is a time for gifts and there are all types of gifts. The best gifts come from hands, hearts and are created from love and skill. As Christmas 2011 approaches, I’m obsessed with a gift I saw last week.  I call it a gift from DQ. DQ. I’m not referring to Dairy Queen. I’m referring to Dwayne Quebedeaux. Dwayne is a talented carpenter.  His older truck...

A Christmas gift to you: “Medic”

I wrote the following story for a Christmas compilation a few years ago.  It’s still one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it.  Merry Christmas,   Curt MEDIC! By Curt Iles   “Medic. Medic.” Nazi sniper Unerfeldewebel Franz Schmidt didn’t know any English, but in the case of the nearby wounded American soldier, he didn’t need to. The man’s anguished cries were beyond words....

Stolen Christmas Trees… Thoughts on Holiday Giving

A Stolen Christmas Tree From the book,  Wind in the Pines, by Curt Iles   copyright 2004 Creekbank St0ries “I know I tagged a tree in this area.”  Those are the words of my neighbor, Mitzi Foreman, as she walks through our Christmas tree farm on a blustery Sunday afternoon. Together we search through where she tagged her tree last week but cannot find it. “Well, maybe your tag blew off...

Christmas Jelly… a reader’s favorite

From now until Christmas we’ll be featuring stories about this wonderful time of the year.  My prayer is that you and your family will enjoy a wonderful Christmas, and you’ll feel the personal presence of Jesus, the King of all Kings. Christmas Jelly From Stories from the Creekbank Copyright 2000 by Curt Iles and Creekbank Stories “The only true gift is a portion of...