CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

Bub

June 26, 2014 | by CJ Woods III

I was looking at a copy of a handwritten document from the 1930 census and saw the list of my grandfather’s children. The census taker wrote down the names of my father’s brothers and sisters and I laughed when I saw the legal name of my uncle, “Bub.” My father … Read More

Magic Words

June 19, 2014 | by CJ Woods III

Someone wrote to identify the day’s “magic word” and I wondered what made the word “magic.” I was told that the word had balance: consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel . . . the eight-letter word had been born magical. My son once said to me, “I can remember when all those … Read More

Where is the Love?

June 12, 2014 | by CJ Woods III

“People killin’, people dyin’ Children hurt and you hear them cryin’… “Where is the love?” I just finished a spate of pool tournaments with a team of people that I enjoy spending time with. The team is breaking up (for reasons that have nothing to do with chemistry) and as … Read More

In Memoriam

June 5, 2014 | by CJ Woods III

I was the assistant creative director of advertising for a department store in St. Louis Missouri when an airplane carrying the governor of Missouri slammed into the earth. I designed an ad that recognized that event, and his death; the text was appropriately subdued, as the store was not interested … Read More

Kidcour

May 29, 2014 | by CJ Woods III

I spent the week before Easter with my grandchild delivery device and her gifts to me. (What? Mothers lose their names when they become “MOM!” Daughters lose their names when they create grandparents. It is the natural order of things, and should not be disparaged.) In that time, I saw … Read More