Capturing Time

Thanksgiving is over and my house is quiet and empty, but for three dogs who watch me like hawks wondering when I might cook again so they can catch the crumbs. I understand how they feel. I’m stuffed with holiday goodness already wondering when I’ll get more, but I’m not talking about leftovers or turkey gravy on toast. I am talking about captured time with family, like riding in a car to a new destination, bundled on a boat, walking in woods, prepping food, or sitting in front of a fire sipping something warm with nowhere else to go and nothing else to do but visit and learn from one another.

When our children are young, we spend most of our time doing tasks. We operate in tandem, preparing for or executing the next activity or passage. And then it flips, and if we are lucky enough to have our own parents still, we suddenly find ourselves wrapped in generational wisdom, like an apple pie with two golden crusts. My mother shares opinions, ancestry, and marketing trends, while my two grown kids offer real estate analysis and fresh perspectives on everything from travel to modern relationships. All I have to do is stop what I’m doing—engage and listen.

In this month’s People-Inspired Podcast, I talk (and listen) to Dr. Lint Hopkins and Chef Linton Hopkins about their extraordinary, synchronistic lives as father and son. In 1997, when they underwent cancer treatment together, they captured time in a way that changed their relationship forever.

Chef Linton Hopkins and Dr. Lint Hopkins

Dr. Lint Hopkins is a retired neurologist and professor who spent 45 years seeing patients, teaching medical students, and mentoring young doctors at Emory Medical School and clinic. His approach to medicine was always about more than science, and included listening, empathy, and lifelong learning. Linton’s retirement didn’t slow him down — he’s the author of two excellent books about East Lake golf course and golfer Bobby Jones, titled East Lake—Where Bobby Learned to Play, released in 1996 and 2025. 

Chef Linton Hopkins is a James Beard award-winning chef, restaurateur, and co-founder of Hopkins & Company. Known for his thoughtful, ingredient-driven Southern cooking, Chef Hopkins and wife, Gina, have built a restaurant family that celebrates community, craftsmanship, and connection. From Restaurant Eugene to Holeman & Finch to C. Ellet’s, and more, he’s helped define what Southern food means today — not just what’s on the plate, but who’s at the table.

What I love about this conversation is how it reveals the through-line between them — a shared curiosity, a respect for craft, and a genuine love of people and stories. Whether it’s medicine, food, or family, both of these men see life as something to be studied, celebrated, savored, and shared.

Here’s to capturing the time to listen and learn from those we love. Happy Holidays!