Good Evening TXK
I don’t fish. That’s probably the most important thing to get out of the way before I introduce you to my new stepdad.
His name is John Cox. He married my mom on May 22, 2025, and before I even had time to overthink it as I usually do, our family tree gained a new branch. A stable one. A gentle one. A drives a truck, works with his hands, goes fishing to decompress kind of branch. Basically, the polar opposite of me. As we have established, I decompress by locking the door and running a bath, steaming like a plate of Waffle House hash browns.
But even if we find peace in different places, I think we understand the feeling just the same, because peace is peace, my friends. And that’s what John brings to my mom’s life. That’s what he brings to ours.
Last June, I wrote an article about my own dad—my biological one. I talked about how forgiveness isn’t a light switch you just flip one day, but a million small moments of bravery, heartbreak, grace, heartbreak again, and surrender. There were a lot of tears in that piece. A lot of things I’d never said out loud before. But this year feels like the other side of that story. Last June, I was grieving a loss. This June, I’m celebrating a gain. It’s a full circle moment.
Growing up, I prayed hard for my mom, as I watched her carry the heavy, burdensome weight of life on her shoulders with a kind of strength that made me proud, but also a little sad. No one should have to be that strong that long. I asked God to send her someone who didn’t just see her, but cherished her—someone tender, consistent, good. And then John showed up. Sadly, I don’t think he knew what he was walking into.
There was skepticism at first. Not because of anything he did wrong, but because rejection has a way of leaving behind a scar that sometimes itches, even after it’s healed. I didn’t know if I was ready to trust another man. I have always struggled to trust men.
But what I can say about John Cox since the day he met us is that he has shown up… fully, kindly, without performance or pressure. He loves my mom the way she deserves to be loved. He laughs with her. He calls her beautiful. He steadies her. And without ever saying the words, he made it clear he wanted to love her kids, too. We’re all grown now, so he didn’t have to. But he chooses to anyway.
John David got a new fishing buddy. Parker got a new partner for sports banter. And I got a reminder that second chances don’t just exist, they can exceed your expectations. I got a quiet presence that doesn’t try to change me, but supports me instead. I got someone who tells my mom, “You’ve done it alone long enough. Let me help now.”
This isn’t about fairy tales or happy endings, because life’s way messier than that. This is about faithfulness, a little bit of redemption, and the slow, steady kind of God-orchestrated healing that sneaks up on you when you’re not even looking. I love watching someone love my mom with both hands open.
We all want to believe good people still exist in the world, and John is living proof they do.
I don’t fish. But I’ve started looking at fishing poles a little differently these days.
Live Music
June 7
Sean Harrison
Hopkins Icehouse
June 14
Van Halen Tribute Band
Fat Jacks Oyster and Sports Bar
8 pm
June 14
Tailgate Poets
Whiskey River Country
9 pm
June 20
Anthony Price Acoustic
Redbone Magic Brewing Company
7 pm
June 21
Heather Linn & the Deacons
Whiskey River Country
10 pm
June 28
Moss Brothers
Whiskey River Country
9 pm
June 28
Magnolia Brown
Fat Jacks Oyster and Sports Bar
8 pm
June 28
Black Strap
Hopkins Icehouse
Local Events
June 5
Movies in the Park: Paddington
Spring Lake Park
7:30 pm
June 10
Ceramic Breakfast Set with Chris Thomas
TRAHC’s ArtSpace at 518 Pine
6-8 pm
June 12
Broadway: Disney Cabaret By the Muses
Texarkana Regional Arts Center
7 pm
June 12
Movies in the Park: The Goonies
Spring Lake Park
7:30 pm
June 13
Downtown Live!
Downtown Texarkana
6-9 pm
June 14
Hats on for HandsOn: A Summer Brunch
The Collins Home
11 am-1 pm
June 17
Beginner Hip Hop 6-7 pm
Intermediate Hip Hop 7-8 pm
TRAHC’s ArtSpace at 518 Pine
June 19
Juneteenth Family Jam
TRAHC’s ArtSpace at 518 Pine
7-8 pm
June 20
Mission Texarkana’s Annual Daddy Daughter Dance Fundraiser
Highland Park Baptist Church
6 pm
June 22
Texarkana Animal League’s Inaugural Sporting Clay Competition
Rocky Creek Outdoors
1pm
Camps
Beech Street Baptist Church
beechstreetfbc.org
Challenger International Soccer Camps
texarkanasoccer.com/camps
First Baptist Texarkana
fbctexarkana.org
Heritage Church
heritagechurch.org
Judith McCarty School of Dance
judithmccarty.com
Northern Hills Baptist Church
northernhillsbc.churchcenter.com
Pleasant Grove ISD Athletics
pgisd.net/departments/athletics
Silvermoon Children’s Theatre
silvermoonkids.com
St. James Day School
stjamesdayschool.org
Texarkana College Kids’ College
texarkanacollege.edu/
kidscollege
Texarkana ISD
txkisd.recdesk.com/community/program
Texarkana Regional Arts & Humanities Council (TRAHC)
trahc.org
TexRep Drama Camp
texrep.org/dramacamp
The Gallery at 1894 Art Camp
Call 870-330-5003
Trinity Baptist Church
trinitytxk.com
UAHT Kids College
uahtkidscollege.com
Wake Village First Baptist Church
Call 903-832-4588
