Presidential Character Traits and the Fruit of the Spirit

Recently, I dropped in on a friend of mine at work.  This friend is the Priest at the local Episcopal Church.  While there, I noticed a framed print of Galatians 5:22-23.  These are the verses that describe the "Fruit of the Spirit".  

For those not familiar with these passages, I would like to share them and then ask a question in relation to our last few Presidents.  There will be no right answer to this question as we are all spectators of observation when it comes to our Presidents.  We can only know their personal persona as provided by what they say or write, what the media reports and the policies that they put into place.  We may have to guess, speculate or wait until they leave office to know what an individual is truly like.  

The scripture that I am asking about in relation to our past Presidents reads as follows:  

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking, and envying each other.

A couple of weeks ago, I finished a book entitled, "Team of Five, The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump.  The book was very interesting and took a look at the Presidents that were alive when Trump became President (Jimmy Carter, the late George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama).  These men arguably are members of the most elite fraternity in the world with each having assumed the responsibilities of the Presidency and moved on into private life.  

The author, Kate Andersen Brower, looks into the different relationships the Presidents have with one another (some very surprising) and how they have lived their post-Presidential lives.  It speculates if and how Donald Trump might fit into this "Team" as he has been most critical of all the surviving Presidents.  Interviewed for the book, Trump himself states that he does not see himself being a member of the team.    

A very interesting section of the book comes from those who worked in the White House residence and what it was like to work for the different Presidents and First Ladies.   

The following is my task for you:  Based on what you know about Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, give them a pass or fail grade on the following character traits:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.  

Give one point for a pass and zero for a fail and total the score.  It will be interesting to see how each President rates on the "Fruit of the Spirit" scale.  Feel free to share you opinion/score with me.  This should be interesting. 

God Bless America and the Whole World

It has been almost a week since President Trump ordered a military strike on Syria.  As I watched the news that night, Trump stepped to the podium and in a very un-Trump like manner began to read a scripted speech on what had happened that evening.  At the very end of the speech, Trump said, "God bless America and the whole world."

Over the decades, I have heard Presidents say, "God bless America" or "God bless the USA" but never have I heard a President end a speech asking for God to bless the whole world.  I am sure that the speech was scripted but even so, this was a bold and perhaps very telling way to end a speech concerning a bombing prompted by the use of chemical weapons on innocent civilians and children.

Looking up the oddity of Trump's wish for God to bless the whole world, I only found one article in Politico, written by Matthew Nussbaum, entitled: Trump Breaks Precedent by Blessing the Whole World. According to Nussbaum's article, asking for God's blessing on the USA began with Richard Nixon and became a common theme for Reagan and those that followed him.

Trump who campaigned on an "America First" theme would seem to be the last President one would expect to ask for God's blessings on the whole world but President Trump continues to surprise.  In this instance, Trump's choice of words was on point with perhaps the most famous verse in the New Testament, John 3:16, which begins: "For God so loved the world".

God bless America and the whole world.

Mississippi Artist Trying to Save Swamp

What kind of person falls in love with a swamp?  Robin Whitfield, that's who.

Robin Whitfield inside the Chakchiuma Swamp

I have known Robin Whitfield since 1989.  She was an early teenager but seemed much older than her actual age.  She seemed mysterious and grown up to me.  A teen-aged girl that wore peasant skirts and vintage clothing before vintage clothing was cool.  Later, Robin would go to Delta State University and graduate with an Art degree.

Immediately after college, work placed Whitfield in Grenada, MS and before long the Clinton, MS native began to put down roots and call Grenada home.  She opened an art studio in downtown Grenada and began to discover her surroundings even more. In doing so, she discovered the Chakchiuma Swamp.  This swamp located near downtown Grenada was being abused by the general public and instead of being appreciated, many simply used it as a dumping ground and a place for high school students to drink beer leaving the empties behind.  Robin helped to call attention to this problem and the need of preserving the swamp.  In doing so, she helped to rescue and rehabilitate the swamp.

Her involvement and concern for the Chakchiuma Swamp helped to create interest within the school district and with civic groups around town.  Throughout the year, there are educational programs, cleanup and conservation efforts, kayaking, fishing and bird watching   The swamp, now known as the Chakchiuma Swamp Natural Area is touted as: A community Outdoor Recreation & Wildlife Conservation Area in downtown Grenada.   

While all of this seems to be a nice story, the problem is this; Grenada, as is the case with many small cities throughout the U.S. finds themselves short of money.  The city is considering a selective cutting of the timber within the swamp which would bring in some of the dollars needed by the city.  

Earlier this year, Robin with support from the local Garden Club and other organizations persuaded the city to look elsewhere for money and to save the swamp.  Since that time, a new City Manager has been hired and the destruction of the swamp is back on the table.  A one-time infusion of money (approximately $200,000) could leave behind a swamp that most likely will be destroyed for decades.  While I am not a "tree hugger", this truly seems a shame and is an example of where our smaller rural cities are today, choosing between the long-term good of the community and short term fixes.

This is a story of a special place that has the potential of being endangered and of an artist who loves that place and the City of Grenada, a city that has to make hard decisions on how to solve their economic problems.  Whitfield uses much of what she finds within the swamp for her paintings, not only the subject matter but the soil, leaves and bark wind up on her canvas.  Whitfield regards her work as visual poetry in the language of color and shape. 

In dealing with the city of Grenada, Whitfield has asked the city if she could raise the money from a large number of people offering a "buy a tree" program letting the swamp stay as it is. The city is agreeable to this program but is asking for the money by mid-March 2017.  The choice for the city is to collect $200,000 from Whitfield who will keep the swamp in place or from the timber harvester who will most likely destroy the swamp.

Robin Whitfield needs your help.

A gofundme page was started: https://www.gofundme.com/friendsofcsna to help Whitfield with the purchase of trees within the swamp to help hold off the City of Grenada.  I hope that you will consider donating and that you will help to spread this blog.

Below are two YouTube stories from the past concerning the swamp and Robin Whitfield.  This will give you an idea of what a prize Grenada has right within its downtown area.  I hope you can help Robin to save the swamp and help Grenada to be able to maintain a natural prize that many small cities would love to have.

CHAKCHIUMA SWAMP w ROBIN WHITFIELD (please watch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNEZ01c7d94

A PAINTER'S PASSAGE (please watch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6awzkInZX8

SWAMP GRENADA

https://swampgrenada.wordpress.com/concept-plans/

ROBIN WHIFIELD STUDIO, GRENADA, MS

http://www.robinwhitfield.com/

A Hidden Gem: The Abita Springs Opry

Last Saturday, my wife and I along with M.D. and Marijane Whitfield left Clinton headed south.  Our destination was the Covington/Abita Springs area.  The ultimate purpose of our journey was to see and hear the Abita Springs Opry.  Abita Springs is right beside Covington, LA on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain and right across the lake from New Orleans.  For those in search of day trip or an overnight stay in the New Orleans area before the heat and humidity of summer completely sets in, I would recommend a fun trip to the Abita Springs Opry.

Abita Springs Town Hall, hoe of the Abita Springs Opry

The show is held in the Abita Springs Town Hall.  The old town hall is set up to hold about 400 people in white plastic folding chairs.  There is a "concession stand" behind and to the side of the stage that serves soft drinks, water, gumbo and what I am told  is an amazing bread pudding.  If you eat before going to the Abita Springs Opry, save room for the bread pudding.

The Opry starts promptly at 7pm and ends promptly at 9pm.  I think there is a broadcast of some sort that is involved with the Opry and that is why it is on such a strict schedule.  Each band will play between 5 - 7 songs and you will get a good taste of their style, talent and music.  On the night that we went the show it ended with three strong groups.  Perhaps the one with the most personality was a group called Chrispin Schroeder who was lead by a local pastor named none other than Chrispin Schroeder.  The next group, The Deslondes was kind of like a modern day "'O Brother Where Art Thou".  They fused New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, Country and a twist of Jazz and Gospel.  The last and perhaps most talented group was Tuba Skinny.  who played a traditional bluesy New Orelans Jazz with a wonderful trumpet and clarinet as well as a talented vocalist.

The Deslondes

The term "Opry" is often linked to the Grand Ole Opry and country music.  That is not the case with the Abita Springs Opry.   The Abita Springs Opry hosts "Louisiana Roots Music" which can be anything from bluegrass, jazz,  zydeco, gospel or busker (New Orleans street performer) music.

I would give the Abita Springs Opry a big thumbs up and recommend it to anyone.  If you like live music then you will really enjoy the Opry.  The next and last performance of the Opry before Fall 2016 is May 21st.  It would be wise to buy tickets in advance.  Tickets are $18 each and the contact number for the Opry is 985-892-0711.  Make sure and check out the website of the Abita Springs Opry for more information: http://www.abitaopry.org/index.html

A Post-Election Observation

A True Story:
Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the Mississippi Republican senatorial runoff between Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel, I came upon a situation just west of Mississippi College.  A 60 year old African-American nursing assistant, dressed in nursing scrubs and driving an older model Chevrolet Blazer was on the side of the road, her right rear tire shredded.  Helping her to change the tire was a white male, mid-30's, a McDaniel voter. 

Another white male, mid-50's, a Cochran voter, came upon the scene.  He walked beside the car and offered to help in removing the very tight lug nuts.  As the Cochran voter loosened the lug nuts, the McDaniel voter raised the car on the jack.

At that same time, a white truck with an African-American male, maybe a Democrat, maybe a crossover Cochran voter, drove up behind the disabled vehicle.  He stepped out and walked to the scene, asking the woman if she had a spare.  She replied, "In the back."   He reached into the back of the Blazer and removed the spare tire.  As the bad tire was removed, the spare tire was put in it's place, the driver of the white truck tightening the lug nuts.

Looking back on the scene, it seems to me that the woman on the side of the road with the broken down Blazer is a lot like the state of Mississippi, not the richest with maybe not the best vehicle on the road.

What really struck me was how selflessly the three men helped that woman on a very hot afternoon.

Any one of them could have probably changed the tire by themselves but here they were, three men whose political views were set aside for the greater good of the woman broken down on the side of the road.  Three men whose job was made easier by welcoming one another to the process and each doing their part, working together.

Wouldn't it be refreshing to see this type of cooperation and behavior from our politicians and their supporters.  Our state and country would be better for it.

The True Heroes

Up until this week, we had been hearing much about Syria and chemical weapons and a possible air strike on Syria by the United States.  President Barack Obama, 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been beating the war drums and trying to encourage the American people and our allies of the importance of striking the existing regime in Syria.

Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary efforts" to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. Part of the Nobel Committee's decision was based upon Obama's promotion of nuclear nonproliferation and a "new climate" in international relations fostered by Obama, especially in reaching out to the Muslim world.  After the last couple of weeks, perhaps Obama should consider giving the Peace Prize back.

Much has been made of Vladimir Putin and the Russians coming to the rescue to help at least temporarily keep America from becoming involved militarily in another country.  While there is some truth to this, I think there are two other true heroes.  They are heroes that stepped up a couple of weeks before the Russians.

The first heroes are the British Parliament. When faced with the opportunity to fight alongside the U.S. in another war in a Middle Eastern country, the British Parliament voted 285-272 against using military force against Syria. This thirteen vote difference kept the British on the sidelines and postponed a strike. 

The second group of heroes was the American people.  Democrats, Republicans and Independents for the most part were all tired of war.  The last poll that I recall reading about before the "Russian Rescue" had only a 29% support level for a strike against Syria.  Predictions by the news media were that both the House and the Senate would vote against military action.

Hopefully, this episode has been a lesson to Obama and to the elected officials that represent us.  We dodged a bullet this time.  Sometimes history works out that way.

A Great Book on Mississippi and Katrina

Last year I shared a number of books that I had read with you.  This year,  I have not read as much but it seems that some of my more favorite books have been written by those who are or have been correspondents/journalists in written or broadcast news.

Perhaps two days after the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the most timely is a book written by former CNN correspondent, Kathleen Koch.  In the book, "Rising From Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered",  Koch, who had two CNN documentaries concerning Hurricane Katrina and the response of the communities of Bay St. Louis and Waveland in the wake of that storm, writes in great detail that which she could not put in a one hour documentary.  Koch, a former resident of Bay St. Louis and graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, is able to communicate what so many Mississippians felt after the storm.

There is an unexplainable pride in being a Mississippian.  In a state where you are continually first in every bad category and last in every good category, Mississippians can easily have an inferiority complex.  And yet, for some reason we are a proud and stubborn people.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi responded well.  Very well.  In that we can be proud.  Koch documents this and the spirit of our people, especially those on the Coast and those from inland Mississippi and other parts of the country who volunteered to help.

I would recommend that you read her book.  As a Mississippian and a former resident of Bay St. Louis, it made me proud.

You Can Never Err On The Side Of Generosity

Every once in a while, someone does something really nice.  Something that is truly unexpected.

This past Monday, Ms. Leora Cook came by my office for help with her insurance.  After helping her with what was a very easy task, she displayed a beautiful caramel cake as a gift to me and my office.  Needless to say, it tasted wonderful.  Everyone in the immediate office complex was thankful.

Of course, the cake was not necessary in order for me to help her with her insurance.  However, when this 84 year old woman presented it to me, it was much appreciated.

It is odd the things that we remember.  Maybe the gift of cowboy boots to a young boy.  A gift from my Uncle Avery in Greenwood.  A purchase that would have been frivolous for my family at that time.  Or maybe the fun that my Uncle Earl would bring home in a large brown paper bag.  A bag filled with sparklers and fire crackers.  In the cold air of a Louisville, MS night, we would slip out into the yard and fire them off, whole packs of firecrackers at a time, writing our names in the air with the sparklers.

At least ten years ago, when my children were much younger, my family went to Margarita's for Mexican food.  Across the restaurant, sat Chet Dillard and his wife, Marilyn.  I had helped Chet with his campaign for Attorney General many years earlier.  We exchanged pleasantries.  Chet and Marilyn went back to their meal and we returned to our table and ordered ours.  Chet waved goodbye as he left the restaurant, my family enjoying our food.  When we were finished with our meal, I asked the waiter for the check.  He told me that the man across the way (Chet), had paid for our meal.  Ever since, I have appreciated that simple gesture of kindness.

All those memories because of a caramel cake.  Or maybe the generosity, appreciation and kindness that it took to make it.  Maybe we should all make an effort to be a little kinder.  To be a generous giver.  A giver of our time and money and appreciation.  Because, take my word for it... people remember.

Our Austin Experience: For Ole Miss Fans Headed to UT Game

Recently, our neighbor two doors down, told Mary Lea that she and her husband were going to the Texas-Ole Miss game in Austin.  It is their first trip to Austin, TX.

This past September, Mary Lea and I were in Austin on the weekend that UT was in Oxford playing Ole Miss.  Besides battling rainy weather, we enjoyed our visit there.  If you are an Ole Miss fan headed to Austin and you have never been there before, the following is the travel advice that Mary Lea gave to our neighbor:  

Cheryl –

So good to see you yesterday and I am so excited about your Austin trip.  Here are some pics from our trip:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151035911945741.425965.502660740&type=1&l=47f0285ec4

Austin Images that brought things to mind:

http://www.google.com/search?q=austin+texas+south+congress&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=X0PUUa2lPNKx0AHOu4GIDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CDUQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=754

SoCo area – South Congress area – there is shopping and this is the area where some of the food trucks are -  The Mighty Cone was my favorite.  And Fran’s Hamburgers was an old-fashioned burger and malt restaurant – not a food truck but an old drive-in.

There is also food trucks all over…and in another park area is Gordoughs - http://www.gourdoughs.com/  It doesn’t sound good but it is delicious…you and Jehu should split the Flying Pig.

Gourdough's: The Flying Pig, Bacon with Maple Syrup Icing
Their slogan: Big. Fat. Donuts.

The bats come out at the Congress Street Bridge every evening at dusk IF it is not raining.  There is a viewing park at the Austin newspaper (Austin Statesman, I believe) that is a great place to view the bats.  I know it sounds creepy but it is pretty amazing to watch…they come out for like an hour but 10 minutes is about all you need to experience it once!

Town Lake…we walked around it about 3 miles.  Good walking trail.

6^th Street  -  Great tex mex was at the Iron Cactus (they also have a restaurant on the Riverwalk in San Antonio).  I highly recommend this restaurant.

We wanted to go to the Broke Spoke but it was closed for a private event…just a hole in the wall kind of bar/restaurant…but supposedly has amazing Country Fried Steak and is an Austin institution.

The Johnson Presidential Library is on the campus of UT and was under renovation, but the top floor of the library has a replica of his oval office including an avocado green phone…it was pretty cool but Ricky and I are history buffs.

The Salt Lick Barbecue restaurant was out from Austin in Driftwood, TX but it IS worth the drive.  They accept cash only.  Their bbq turkey is amazing.  http://saltlickbbq.com/

We also drove out to Barton Springs (Zilker Park) and then Mt. Bonnell. 

Also – I just remembered a great breakfast spot -  Kerbey Lane Café – Just across from the UT campus - http://www.kerbeylanecafe.com/cafe-locations/ut/   They have great omelets and special pancakes.  I think we had the lemon poppyseed pancakes and they were amazing.  It is a UT hangout for students.

We walked each morning and walked around the Texas State Capitol grounds and it was a nice walk and an impressive complex.

We drove from Austin to San Antonio and back about a 90 minute trip.  And, we discovered Gruene, TX by accident on that trip.  We ate lunch at the Grist Mill Restaurant and they also have live music there in the evening.  It was a great location…I think it may be 45 minutes outside of Austin - http://www.gristmillrestaurant.com/

Hope you find this helpful…and I cc’d Ricky in case he thinks of something I forgot.  It looks like we were all about the food and I guess we were this trip because it rained the entire time.  Very much hoping you all have much better weather.

ML

Not Funny!!

A few Sundays ago, in Atlanta, the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections reported that a doctor from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. Hannah Berry Gay (a south Jackson girl and Wingfield graduate), had successfully cured a Mississippi infant of HIV.   This is positive news for not only the medical community but for the world and especially Africa with the abundance of babies who are born there with HIV.  This is also positive news for Mississippi, a state that evidently is stuck in the 1950s and 60s according to several television comedians.

Jon Stewart, Daily Show slam on Dick Molpus and Mississippi

Just over twelve hours earlier before the announcement of the cure for HIV in infants, on Saturday Night Live in a regular skit called, "Really!?",  Seth Rogan and guest host and African-American, Kevin Hart joked about the Supreme Court's debate over Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.  The two comedians made jokes concerning Mississippi.  Hart stated that in Mississippi he wouldn't even feel comfortable going outside on a cloudy day, much less at night.

He continued, "Mississippi, listen - I know you're not as racist as you were in 1965, but understand something - no one is as racist as you were in 1965.  Listen, that is statistically the best year in history of racism.  Saying you're less racist now is like being pulled over for a DUI and telling the cop, 'I've been drunker.'"

Just weeks before, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart took a shot at Mississippi and it's former Secretary of State, Dick Molpus, basically implying that Molpus and the state of Mississippi were racist.  Molpus, a native of the racially notorious, Philadelphia, MS was known in Mississippi for his work towards racial reconciliation and the "comedy" against him and Mississippi was unjust.

Constance Slaughter-Harvey

According to a blog written by the Clarion-Ledger's Jerry Mitchell, Molpus was criticized for a possible federal clerical error.  In 1995, Mississippi legislators ratified the 13th Amendment after it being rejected by that same body 150 years earlier.   Then- Assistant Secretary of State and African American, Constance Slaughter-Harvey stated that she "distinctly remembered sendng in the final paperwork to have the 13th Amendment ratified.  The Office of Federal Register said the paperwork was never received.

Mitchell's blog quotes Slaughter-Harvey who worked in the civil rights movement with Medger Evers and Aaron Henry as saying any criticism should be directed at her since she was in charge.  Concerning the paperwork, she further states, "That was taken care of.  That was important to me."

On Stewart's show, he portrays Molpus as a good ole boy segregationist who files the paperwork in a shredder behind his desk.  

Jon Stewart has since given an on air apology, but there is something about the jokes from our comedian friends concerning the Mississippi of today that stikes me wrong.

If it were not for the fact that Mississippi has the most African American elected officials of any state, maybe it would be funny.  If it weren't for all the many people of both races who have made efforts towards getting along and treating each other in a civil manner, towards reconciliation, it might be funny.  If my children were not the second generation of students to be educated in integrated public schools, it might be funny.  If I did not live in an integrated neighborhood and community, it might be funny.  If the state that these comedians describe even existed anymore, it might be funny.  But it's not funny.

In 2007, my wife, Mary Lea Nations and two other female partners started a non-profit, association management company.  Her partners are Jean Weiss and Bertina Dubra, both of Clinton, MS.  Dubra just happens to be African American.  In the Mississippi of Saturday Night Live and Jon Stewart, this would not be possible.  Mary Lea and her partners have several national clients and at times are in the running for additional national clients.  Do you suppose the "comedy" about Mississippi helps them?  I think not.  Do you think that is funny?  No, it's not!

The World We Live In

Sitting around, washing clothes, streaming little known singer, Claire Holley from cyberspace as I surf the Internet.  That is what I'm doing this afternoon, but for just a moment, think about the previous sentence.

My grandfather, Byrce McAlilly, was born in 1910 and died sixty three years later in 1973.  He worked in the lumber business, ran sawmills, watched over the hands, smoked Camel cigarettes, raised beagle dogs for rabbit hunting and lived a hard life.  Just imagine that if in his final year of life, if he had called me and said, "Hey son, what'cha doin'?" If I had answered, "Oh, not much.  Just sittin' around, washing clothes, streaming some music, surfing the Internet." he would have thought I was crazy.   Forty years ago, that answer would have been like speaking a foreign language to someone whose lifespan included the end of World War I, WWII, the Great Depression, Theodore Bilbo and Ross Barnett as Mississippi governors and America's walk on the moon which my grandfather thought was a hoax.

Let's break that sentence down:  "Sitting around" for people who lived off of the land, ate from the garden and lived in a frame home that wouldn't be HUD approved by today's standards, sitting around during the daylight hours would have just been lazy.  "Washing Clothes," yeah, there was a washing machine that my grandparents had access to in the latter years of their life, but the dryer, well that was on the clothes line outside.  "Streaming some music, surfing the Internet," What did you say?  Doin' what with the music?

All of this came to me as I was surfing the net.  I saw a headline that stated, "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model Leaked."  Being a curious individual and one who likes to be abreast of current events, I clicked onto the story.  After seeing Kate Upton in a white parka that she had somehow forgotten to zip up, exposing her bare ample cleavage, (just for your info, the magazine cover said she was Polar Bare), I saw a headline out to the side of the Sports Illustrated story that caught my attention.  It read as follows:

One Baby, Gay Dad and Two Lesbian Mothers:  Imagine trying to explain that to someone from a couple of generations ago.

Or maybe even the trump card:

RICKY: Granddaddy, did I tell you that our President is named Obama?

GRANDDADDY: O'bama, hmmm, family must be Irish.

RICKY:  No sir, it's a Kenyan name.

GRANDDADDY:  Kenyan?

RICKY:  Yep, he's half black.

Granddad chokes out the smoke from his Camel.

Then maybe I could say something like:

RICKY:  Hey, what if I come over tonight and we watch a little TV?  That show, The Biggest Loser is on.

GRANDDADDY:  What's that about?

RICKY:  It's these real fat folks.  They go to this place and they make'em exercise and see who can lose the most weight.

GRANDDADDY:  And people watch that!??

Granddad shakes his head in dismay.

A lot has certainly changed in the past forty years.   Take any recent forty year span and a lot has changed over that period of time.  I feel certain that forty years from now, as much or more change will occur for our grandchildren.  For them, it will not be a big deal.  It will simply be the world that they live in.

Tell Me About It

Katie Zinc, who works with me at my office, gave birth to her son, Abraham Zinc on October 30, 2012.  It was the first child for she and her husband, Louis Zinc.  The odd thing about parenthood is that you really have a lot of "on the job training" in parenting.  New parents leave the hospital with a new born child every day.  They are given this delicate, fragile baby in which they are given complete responsibility.  Somehow it almost always works out for the best.

About two decades ago, my first born, Emily, was just a small child, maybe a couple of years old.  She and I would sit and draw and laugh.  Sometimes we would draw people with big round eyes and button noses or maybe monsters with jagged teeth and square mouths.   Sometimes Emily would sit alone with crayon in hand and draw by herself.  She would then present to me the colorful lines and shapes that meant something to her in her eyes.  Often, I would look at the drawing wondering just exactly what it was that she had drawn and say something like, "That is really good" or maybe, "I like that".

I told M.D. Whitfield, a good friend of mine from church whose wife and daughter are both artists how Emily liked to draw.  He gave me some great advice.  Basically, he told me the following:  When she draws something and you don't know what it is, never say, "What is it?".  Always look at the drawing and nod your head and say, "Tell me about it".

I took Whit's advice and it was so wonderful to have a child sit and tell you what their mind thought as they drew a picture.  Often when you are told, if your eyes and imagination are good enough, you too might even see what it is that they are describing and really mean it when you say, "Wow. I like that".

A few years later when Emily was in Kindergarten, her teacher looked at one of her drawings and said, "Emily, that is so good.  You might be an artist".  Emily looked at the teacher and replied, "I already am one".

Some Rumors I Heard

I don't like to spread rumors but I heard a couple of them earlier today.  Acutally, I like to hear a good rumor, then I use my "superior judgement" to determine whether or not to spread it even more.  In this case, I am a rumor spreader.

First, how many times in our lives have we been disappointed when the weather person mentioned snow and then there was no sign of it?  Or perhaps even worse, snow actually fell onto the ground and then melted immediately right before your eyes.  Or perhaps even worse than that, the snow fell onto the ground, accumulated just enough to get to the height of the lowest blade of grass and then melted before 10:00 AM.  Not enough snow to do anything with and not enough time to do anything with the snow that you really couldn't do anything with.  Such is the life of a resident of central Mississippi. 

Well, today, the National Weather Service has been leaking rumors that it just might snow during the wee hours of the night.  Maybe even up to 1-2 inches of accumulation.  A good central Mississippi skeptic will believe it when they see it.

The second rumor that I heard is also coming from the National Weather Service.  They are talking about the weather being sunny on Friday.  As a gray sky, rain dweller for practically all of 2013, I had to look up exactly what the sun was and its purpose.  As it turns out, the sun is the center of the universe and is extremely hot.  It is located in the sky and will be in the east in the morning and move westward across a blue sky until it goes below the horizon, leaving us all in the darkness of night.  The warmth from the sun helps to keep people happy and makes flowers and plants grow. 

I certainly hope both of the rumors are correct, especially the one about the sun.  As wet as it has been, perhaps our local school districts, government offices and business should give everyone a "sun day" to sit outside and soak in the warmth and the brightness.

Slightly changing the final words of the character "Red" from Shawshank Redemption, I recite the following concerning my thoughts on the rumors/forecast of our upcoming weather:  

I find I'm so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head.  I think it is the excitement only a drenched man can feel, a drenched man at the start of a long jouney whose conclusion is uncertain.  I hope I can make it to see the sun, to see it, to feel it, to smile in it's face.  I hope it is as bright and warm as it has been in my dreams.  I hope.

Belong to Something

“So it’s generally my advice to young people everywhere, but particularly if you are from a smaller, rural culture: ”Belong to something”… people, a state of mind, a way of life, put down some kind of roots if you want to make art, to help it grow.” 

-Keith Carter

The above quote came from Shaun Kelly's blog, Camera Reality.  I know Shaun from our brief time together at Northside Baptist Church in Clinton, MS and a week long mission trip to Macedonia.  A few years ago, Shaun pulled up roots and he and his wife, Savannah (a great name), both natives of Mississippi, made their way to California in the Los Angeles area.

Our only communication has been through Facebook but since they are fairly regular in updating, I have been able to keep up with both of them.

Savannah and Shaun in Macedonia, 2007

Shaun will never be mistaken for a good ole boy from Mississippi.  He is soft spoken with a certain gentleness about himself.  Generally, he will be found in a worn button up shirt, sleeves rolled to 3/4 length and untucked over his long pants which slightly cover his Chuck Taylor style, Converse Allstars.   Often, he will have a camera in his hands.  He has a nice head of black hair and when he sets his mind to it, he can grow a great beard. He had this "Turkish" look of a full, bushy black beard when we boarded an airplane with four other people (my son and his wife included) on our way to the country of Macedonia in Eastern Europe.  We were sent there by our church on a mission effort to teach English as a second language in a mainly Muslim village called Sredno Konjare.

It was on that trip that I gained great respect for Shaun Kelly.  Shaun became more than just this twenty something year old guy in a pair of Converses.   I watched Shaun as he befriended my then 14 year old son and was a friend and teacher to the children and people of the village.  He helped to lead our group.  We had been sent not only to teach English as a second language but to take money that our church had raised during the Advent season around Christmas for the purpose of providing running water to seventy-three households.  We were successful in this project and it was one of the most exciting and rewarding things that I have ever been a part of.

Now Shaun is a Californian and has been so for about five years.  For now, his roots are planted in that soil.  He may never return to Mississippi but even if he doesn't, he belongs to us and we belong to him.  Just this week, Shaun wrote a short blog titled: to be a whole artist; Not a Californian, But a Mississippian and the Rest of it is Got Up, he writes of a sense of place and belonging.  A time to wander and a time to settle down.  While I don't know what the future holds for Shaun Kelly, I find it interesting that when he was a resident of Mississippi, he didn't choose the easiest route to travel.  Shaun marched to the beat of a different drummer.  Like so many Mississippi artists, musicians and writers before him, his thoughts, what he believed in and stood for, often they cut against the grain of what the average Mississippian would deem important and worthy.  And yet, Mississippi is home.

Recently, Shaun wrote of his father in a wonderful blog titled: Stuff I Gotta Remember Not To Forget.  While I don't think Shaun and his dad always saw eye to eye, when reading the blog, I sensed a respect and thanks and sympathy for his father, an honor and sense of gratitude for the sacrifices that his father made for Shaun and the rest of his family.  A working man, doing what had to be done.

 When you see and talk to Shaun and listen to his views on many topics, you wouldn't expect that he is from Mississippi, but sometimes you can't judge a book by its cover.  His wife, the librarian can tell you that.

Where Would Notre Dame Rank in the SEC?

We have heard of the luck of the Irish but after watching the BCS National Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama, it became apparent that skill, strength and speed would be what would win the game, not luck.

Notre Dame had a very good team but not a great team.  Looking over Notre Dame's schedule, of all the teams that ND played, only one team played an SEC team during the regular season and that was Wake Forest who was soundly defeated by Vanderbilt.  The national championship game was a game between two different football cultures.  Notre Dame has a proud football history and tradition but they were embarrassed in the championship game.

After watching the game, I did not feel that Notre Dame was the second best team in the country and even wondered where they would rank if they were members of the SEC.  Here is what I came up with:

Notre Dame played the following teams during their successful season who played against SEC teams:

Michigan defeated by South Carolina, 33-28 in a bowl game

Oklahoma defeated by Texas A&M, 41-13 in a bowl game

Pitt (triple OT win by ND) defeated by Ole Miss, 38-17 in a bowl game

Wake Forest defeated by Vanderbilt, 55-21 during regular season

Of course, ND was defeated by Alabama, 42-14.  If Notre Dame were a member of the SEC, where would ND rank?  I feel that at best they would be a mid-range SEC team.  The following is how I would rank the 2012 SEC teams plus ND:

1.  Alabama

2.  Texas A&M

3.  Georgia

4.  S. Carolina

5.  LSU

6.  Florida

7.  Ole Miss

8.  Notre Dame

9.  Vanderbilt

10. MSU

11. Arkansas

12. Missouri

13. Auburn

14. Kentucky

Maybe an eight team playoff format would bring forth the best teams for the championship game.  Hopefully at some time in the near future we will see it happen.  

The Most Important Person

As 2012 comes to a close, the newspapers, magazines and television will show the leaders and celebrities that have died during the year.  They will be the "important" people that will be "missed" as we move into 2013.

What I have discovered as each year passes is that it really determines where you are or what your situation is in determining who the most important person is.  On Friday evening, on her way to a friends wedding, my daughter's car decided not to crank as she sat at the gas pumps at Obie's Chevron in Clinton.  She called me and stated in a matter of fact way, "My starter has blown up on my car.  It won't crank".  Fortunately, her car was right next door to my office and fortunately starters don't blow up.  I went next door with jumper cables in hand.

Upon quick inspection it became apparent that the battery clamp was broken.  I looked up just in time to see David, a mechanic at Obie's as he stepped out the front door of the convenience store on his way home.  I asked David if we tried to duct tape the clamp to the battery if it would work.  He stated that it might, but that it also might catch on fire and then he said, "Pull it around to the back."

David in quick manner replaced the clamp and advised us to run by when the shop was open and pay for the clamp.   David worked on the battery clamp when he really didn't have to.  At that moment, it was obvious that David was the most important person in the area.  Had the Governor driven up with his motorcade to fuel up, for my needs, David would have still been the most important person there.

Each and every day, we meet people who are important in their own right.  Perhaps it is the cook that prepares our meal or the housekeeper that cleans our hotel room or the nurse who keeps our loved ones well.  Maybe it is the teacher that educates our children, the public works employee who helps to keep our city running smoothly or even something as basic as a good mother or father.  All just doing their jobs.  Generally, these are people of very little power but people who make a big difference and who are important.

Let the networks and the rest of the media spotlight the most known and "important" deaths of 2012, but for all of us, it is important not to look at wealth, power and prestige in determining the importance of a person.  Let's not judge importance by celebrity but by the true worth and character of a person.  Each person is important to someone or some group of people for one reason or another.  We should always celebrate these people with kindness and thanks and even a good tip.  We should do this because it is important.  In doing so, we celebrate the importance of the living rather than the dead.

An Idea On Limiting Gun Violence

After the shooting at the Connecticut elementary school, many are asking the questions, why and how and what is the solution to making sure that this never happens again.

I have listened as many of the talking heads immediately go to some sort of gun control as the solution.  I watch on Facebook as others state that when God was taken from the public schools, it opened the door for this type of thing to happen. 

We all know that a twenty year old man with a history of mental disorders, took guns that his mother purchased legally, went to the local elementary school and began firing with an automatic weapon, killing twenty-six people, twenty of them children.

Michelle Mcloughlin / Reuters

What could be done to make sure that this never happens again?  Sadly, I think very little, however the odds of it happening again could be reduced. 

One idea might be to tie the purchase of a gun directly to your health records?  Instead of simply running a criminal background check (which would have done no good in Connecticut or most mass shootings), also have the purchaser sign a medical release form to order their medical records (with a $50 fee for the records).  If the records come back and have any type of mental condition, mood disorder, anxiety, etc, then that person would not be eligible for a weapon.

What about people who simply needed an anti-depressant during a rough time in their lives?  Place a ten year waiting period from the last prescription written before they can purchase a gun.

This step would not take guns from people but would help in not arming someone whose mind is not well.  It is my opinion that this one step would help.

As for God not being in our schools, I don't buy that.  God is within each and every one of us.  When a child or teacher filled with God enters a pubic school, then God is a part of that school.  When love and compassion is shown to a student by a teacher or one of their peers, then God is there.  When anyone can attend our public schools whether rich or poor, of whatever race or gender, of whatever background or family situation or whether handicapped or able, then God lives in our schools.  When we allow people of all religions and faiths to be a part of our public schools, then God lives in our schools.

Pray for our schools and for the safety of the children in each and every one.  There is no way to make our schools 100% safe.

Mississippi's Original: The Magnolia Flag

This rainy day turns out to be Mississippi's 195th anniversary as a state.  When established back in 1817, there was no official state flag.  In fact, Mississippi didn't have a state flag until just after the date of it's secession in 1861.  Within days, the Magnolia flag was introduced.  The Magnolia flag is symbolic in that it has the Bonnie Blue flag in the top left corner.  The single star was symbolic of Mississippi removing it's star from the union.  The white field stands with a Magnolia tree in the middle.  It is a very distincitve and historic flag and is partly how Mississippi became known as the Magnolia State. 

In 1894, shortly after rewriting it's state constitution, Mississippi also changed it's state flag.  This flag change is unfortunate as this change was made at at time when whites who had been defeated in a war and suffered under reconstruction began to try and "normalize" their way of life.  It is also unfortunate because the Confederate flag which sits in the left corner of our current flag is perceived in modern society as one of ignorance and racism.  I hate that perception as I think our current flag is recognizable, attractive and historical. On top of that, my Mississippi heritage records that some of my ancestors were Confederate soldiers.

BUT, it is time to change.  That is my thought today and was my thought back in April 2001, when we voted on whether to keep our current flag or to move to another.  At that time, I voted for our current flag because it was historical in nature and the other flag was... well, it was something that was just made up and really had no historical signifigance.

Our state is approximately 37% African American.  Of that 37%, probably a large majority would be in favor of changing the flag that some find offensive.  Of the remaining 63% of Mississippi's population, I think if given the chance to chose a flag that was historical in nature with a link to the Confederacy (as is the Magnolia Flag),  I think they would have no problem with changing our state flag to the Magnolia Flag.

Repbulicans now hold the Governor and Lt. Governor's office as well as the majority in the House and Sentate.  They need to step forward with the proposal to make this change.  From an economic development and public relations standpoint, it has to be better than the flag we have.  Also, from a political standpoint, while it will probably not change much in getting minority votes for the Republicans, it just seems like the right thing to do.

It is time for a banner that represents all Mississippians.  It is time to change back to the Magnolia Flag.

Hannah Rachel

Well, it is one week away.  On Saturday, December 15th, Hannah Rachel Cardin (HR) will walk down the aisle at Galloway Memorial Methodist Church.  It is not that many steps from the back door of the sanctuary to the front but it has been a journey that has taken 23 years to get to this occasion.  Her father, Tommie, will escort her and take his place between she and her future husband, Conner Smith before speaking the one line that a father is given in a wedding,  "Her mother and I do".

Emily and Hannah Rachel

Hannah Rachel is a dear friend of the Nations family and has been my daughters best friend since sixth grade.  I have watched as Hannah Rachel has grown from an adolescent and into a beautiful young woman.

Somewhere around my daughter, Emily's sixth grade year, she and Hannah Rachel Cardin (HR) became friends.  Best friends.  Both of them could be classified as nerds and oddly enough, that was part of what made their friendship.  Always competitive, they challenged one another in who had the highest grades in one subject or another or who could become President of a certain club or organization.  Emily, more the athlete and loud, Hannah Rachel, more the refined, girls choir type, they have both kept up with one another and supported each other through thick and thin.

Upon graduating from Clinton HS, both girls made their way to Mississippi State with both of them pledging the Chi Omega Sorority.  For their final two years of college, Emily and HR lived under the same roof at the Chi-O sorority house.  Not only were they Chi-O pledge sisters, they were sisters of a deeper kind.

This past June, Emily married Michael Bufkin.  Of course, Hannah Rachel was there.  She was Emily's Maid of Honor.  She executed her duties flawlessly and was just what Emily needed during that hectic and nerve racking time.  On Emily's wedding day (6/2), the countdown had begun and HR stood only six months and two weeks from her own wedding.

Hannah Rachel continues on with her education, attending graduate school at MSU, while her soon to be husband, Conner, attends veterinary school.  As Emily continues her own education, going to medical school, HR has mailed Emily a card of encouragement each and every week.  Now that's a friend.

I can remember many New Year's Eves with HR.  We would always get an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.  HR is a sucker for ice cream cakes.  We would wait for the clock to strike midnight before breaking out our Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice and toasting in the New Year.  Such good memories.

As we approach wedding day, my only advice to Conner is simply this: Take care of Hannah Rachel.  You are getting a really good girl and a wonderful young woman.

Last To Secede From U.S.: The Conch Republic

After the presidential election, there have been a number of petitions signed asking for different states to be given permission to peacefully secede from the United States.  So far, Texas and Louisiana have the most signatures of any states.  A couple of weeks ago, Mississippi has just over 18,000 of the 25,000 signatures needed to be reviewed by the President.

This past June, I had the pleasure of visiting Key West, FL, the last place to secede from the United States.  As I stepped off the airplane and on to the runway, I looked at the big block lettering near the top of the exterior airport wall, "Welcome to the Conch Republic".

Of course everyone is familiar with the Confederate States of America and their secession from the United States but many are not familiar with the Key West secession.  The following is a brief description of the Key West secession from a blog by Rob Lammie titled, 8 Secessionist Movements in the American History:  I

In the early-1980s, the U.S. Border Patrol set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the Florida Keys in an effort to stop illegal drugs and immigrants. The time to check everyone’s identification at the checkpoint resulted in a 20-mile traffic jam that turned tourists away, thus damaging the economy in the Keys. After numerous legal attempts to have the checkpoint removed, on April 23, 1982, Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow declared the Florida Keys were seceding from the Union.

Moments later, now-Prime Minister Wardlow symbolically declared war on the U.S. by breaking a stale piece of Cuban bread over the head of a man dressed in a U.S. Navy uniform. One minute later, Wardlow turned to the Admiral in charge of the U.S. Naval Base at Key West and surrendered, thus ending the Conch Republic’s Civil Rebellion. He then immediately asked for $1 billion in federal aid to help rebuild his war-torn nation’s economy. While officially the Republic only existed for one minute, the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the rebellion lives on. Today you can buy Conch Republic citizen and diplomatic passports (both of which have been used for international travel, though they are not intended to be official documents) and even an official flag of the republic. 

The secession was successful and the Border Patrol ceased having checkpoints on Highway 1.  As the Conch Republic motto's states, "We seceded where others failed".