The Old House

                 Dead End   Mr. Frank Miller stormed into my office. Maybe stormed is too strong a word, but he was evidently highly upset. When a man over eighty storms into a room, and he is your mentor, you quickly want to find out what is wrong. I didn’t have to ask as Mr. Frank got right …

The story below is one of my favorite ones. It’s a baseball story. But about much more than baseball. It’s about family and (attempting to) live the regret-free life.                   From the Curt Iles book, The Old House (2002) Sliding into Home . . . with no Regrets   Twenty years from …

A Word from Curt Last night when the Astros won an improbable 1-0 10 inning victory over the Padres, I wanted to call my Dad and discuss the bizarre ending of the game. But I can’t.  Today, April 8, marks fifteen years since his death. I still miss him. I still think, “I can’t wait to tell that story to …

A word from Curt  My calling: Stay Curious Never Cease to be Amazed. Share Remarkable Stories.   The following story, from our second book, The Old House, always moves me when I read it again. It really happened and I was there to see it.  Read it and help celebrate a birthday. A Remarkable Story: The Corporal and the Colonel …

Wow!  I wrote my first book, Stories from the Creekbank, in 2000. Not only is it still in print, but it’s a steady seller. I’m so grateful for friends and readers like you who’ve kept my thirteen books “evergreen.” Evergreen is the book-selling term for a title that continues to sell long after its publication. We’ve been blessed in this. …

It’s a new year. Always a good time to think about the speed of life and balance. This story from my childhood sums up what I’m still searching for: the balanced life.   “Come apart or you will come apart.”  – Vance Havener I come from a long line of men and women who lived in the woods and loved …

  From The Old House by Curt Iles “Coco” Harper Lives Recently, they built a new Post Office in Dry Creek. It’s a large modular building complete with glass doors and modern conveniences. Out in front of it, the Postal Service poured a large concrete paving area. However, it just doesn’t look like it fits in Dry Creek. On the …

A word from Curt: Emotion The best stories elicit emotion. Sometimes tears. Other times laughter. Even anger or sadness. A good story creates emotion. Today’s blog is a funny story from an unlikely location,  Dry Creek Cemetery. Enjoy. Laugh. Retell.   “Six Foot Deep” in Trouble   One of my ministries is to work with people in selecting their grave …

Today’s word is one I struggle with:  Prayer. I struggle with it because I get so wrapped up in my life and problems, zooming from one chore to another. Lord, teach me to pray. Amen. Reading this story (again) reminded me of the importance of prayer.     Pray One for Another   “. . .And pray one for another.” …

A Homeless Lady And Jesus said, when you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. – Matthew 25:40   When the teenager saw me, he sprinted over. “Bro. Curt, there’s a homeless lady inside the Tabernacle, and she won’t let any of us help her.” “A homeless lady in Dry Creek?” …

  A word from Curt Teacher.  There’s no higher calling.  There’s few professions that can influence as well as a dedicated teacher. The best teacher I ever met was Charles Cavanaugh. This is his story.   Professor Cavanaugh’s Best Lecture Nervously I stood in the hallway outside the Louisiana College biology department’s second floor office, waiting to see Professor Cavanaugh. …

  A word from Curt Relationships. The longer I live, the more I believe it: everything rises and falls on relationships. This story, from The Old House, reflects that with several memorable stories.   A Bridge Built on Catfish   Driving over the small bridge across Mill Bayou, I’m filled with disgust at the trash strewn in the ditch. Scattered …

If you missed yesterday’s story letter,  click here to read. Erik and Yvonne Pederson had been on my mind all week. Yvonne was buried yesterday in her beloved Dry Creek.  I had the privilege of delivering her eulogy. I had spoken at her husband’s funeral about ten years ago. I described her as “A woman with a dazzling smile who …

A Word from Curt     Baseball season opened this weekend. Our beloved Houston Astros were scheduled to begin play today in New York against the Yankees. Rained out. Baseball shouldn’t be played north of the Mason Dixon Line until May. As my son Clay said, “I’ve waited for six month for opening day. I guess I can wait one …