Candace Echols is a Midtown resident, wife, and mother of five. A regular contributor to The Daily Memphian, she is a freelance writer who also recently published her first book, the children’s book “Josephine and the Quarantine.”
There are 113 articles by Candace Echols :
“We would head back to Busch Stadium and find our spot on the fold-down, red plastic chairs — the ones you would have to peel the backs of your thighs off of each time you would stand up to cheer. Because it was hot. So, so hot.”
“The Taylor vibe was strong not only on stage but also in the crowd, and it came out in how her fans looked and in how they sang, in how happy they were to be in her presence and in how they were a unified reflection of the one they came to see.”
As families celebrate Father’s Day, Candace Echols details the lessons she’s learned from her husband — including that wrestling has some actual value.
“That small smile created a bridge and invited me to walk across — if only by smiling back. As a society, we are fractured in a million jagged ways ... that smile was a step toward reconnection.”
It’s not easy to become a shooting guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, but Luke Kennard wasn’t alone. “It became who we were as a family,” said mother Jennifer Kennard. “And we loved it, but it required a lot of us all to make it happen.”
Tanya Powell-May is a CPA and CEO, with a college basketball background of her own. With a son like Memphis Grizzlies’ big man Xavier Tillman Sr., she knew success was coming.
Debbie Jones, the mother of Memphis Grizzlies player Tyus Jones and San Antonio Spurs player Tre Jones, spent her fair share of hours in the gym when her sons were growing up.
“I’ll admit that the Easter bunny is cute and tons of fun – he swings by our house every year. The eggs are nice. The flowers are a delight. In their own ways, they all point to new life. But there is nothing that compares with celebrating what it means for humanity that Jesus walked out of that tomb.”
“Memphis — tough, strong, seasoned Memphis — this is our chance to be soft. This is our chance to love our sister city — to be the ones who understand. This is our chance to be with.”
“I think maybe every time I’ve left a piece of my heart somewhere, I have been cataloging signposts — signposts that point to a place where all good things will not come to an end.”
“Those two elderly people have lived long in this place — this Memphis we’re in now. They’ve seen a whole lot of water flow under that bridge downtown.”
“While we might not agree on where to get the best pizza in town or which is the best Memphis in May band, we may find we totally see eye-to-eye on the ideal spot to catch a stunning sunset.”
“I’ve experienced all of that, and Scripture backs those descriptions as by-products of walking with Jesus. Once you’ve seen stuff like that, it’s hard to keep it to yourself. It’s kinda like this: When you have tasted Pancho’s cheese dip, you can’t not tell other people about it when they come to our city.”
“One morning, not too far off, we will wake up, we will go outside, and we will discover that while we were sleeping, something that looks an awful lot like mercy has visited our natural world.”
“Our lives have been stolen from us. Even the biggest, baddest, most intimidating woman you know is looking over her shoulder at every turn.”
“With the minutes and hours and days they are given — in big and small ways — these otherwise ordinary folks are pushing back the dark by trumpeting hope to the world around them.”
“The natural world around us is not just the backdrop of our lives. It’s a very real character in our story – one that has been around much longer than we have. It’s worth paying some attention to it, even now, when everything looks so bleak.”
“Memphis, I cannot write in this space what I wish I could, which is a song that cries for you and with you and through you. But instead, I offer something better.”
“It shouldn’t be surprising that my own health seems to mirror the health of the city in which I live. The more crime seems to plague us, the more anxiety impacts my body and mind.”
“Brothers and sisters are not impressed by our accolades and titles, but they love that we hold their histories just as they hold ours. And we still like to connect on Christmas.”
“I believe this old Christmas story is true for lots of reasons. But when I’m in a pinch and can’t think of any of those, I look to Hollywood to remind me of the power in the name that’s behind everything good in my life.”
“It wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I realized nothing that can be wrapped will fully satisfy. And if the stuff in the boxes — the stuff I flew up and down Poplar looking so frantically for — won’t satisfy, what will?”
“Each of us has a particular history, personality, community, set of strengths and weaknesses – and most importantly – heart full of loves. All of these are useful as we sort out how we might fit into Memphis.”
“Today’s column is about the ways the evil of this world threatens humanity, both through our own choices, and through the spiritual forces in and at work around us. Which is exactly the reason for Christmas.”
“The modern American — me, included — can barely sit through a wheat-harvesting description without checking her phone for something a tad more interesting.”