September always feels like the real settling-in month. The crayons are starting to wear down, the new shoes have lost their shine, and the excitement of the first day has given way to the rhythm of early mornings, homework, and after-school activities. It’s also the time when routines take hold—and (sometimes) when we start thinking about those big plans and dreams we’ve put on the shelf.
When I was in college, like many of you, the plans I started with shifted as I explored and discovered my strengths and loves. Still, two “what ifs” have always lingered in the back of my mind.
The first was my dream as a young radio/television major who adored radio—to move to Nashville and work for WSM, the home of the Grand Ole Opry. The history of that station and the role it played in shaping country music fascinated me. With family roots in Tennessee, it seemed like a perfect fit. But this Texas girl just couldn’t bring herself to be that far away from her East Texas family.
The second big one? A scholarship offer to attend law school at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. The thought of earning a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree intrigued me—but my sweet momma wasn’t quite sold. She gently reminded me that, whatever I did as a career choice, I needed to be sure I could go to heaven and always tell the truth—so help me God!
The other day, as I was getting dressed, I reached for one of my favorite treasures: a necklace with an engraved heart bearing my grandmother name, Sassy, and the initial charms of my five grandsons—our newest, Jedson, just added. Our son’s boys are on one side of the heart, and our daughter’s sons on the other.
I looked down, then froze. On the Altom side, in the order they arrived—Walker, Sutton, Myles—the initials spelled WSM. On the Boyd side? JD for Jedson and Deacon. For those who may not know, “JD” is the abbreviation for Juris Doctor—the standard law degree in the U.S. I had to stop and smile. Turns out, God had given me both of those “big dreams”—just in a way far sweeter than I could have planned or imagined. And honestly, I think I got the better deal. After all, this way I get to enjoy my WSM and my JD without having to move to Nashville, take the bar exam, or pay California rent!
Until next time,
