Seems We Just Got Started

Have you ever had any encounters with red birds or butterflies?  I never thought too much about them until last year. After Kinsley's funeral, we came home and we parked the jeep and there was the prettiest red bird sitting in a branch right in front of us. I remember telling Sammy days after about this red bird was hanging around outside. Sometimes when he would come in from work he would say, hey that red bird is out on the porch. When Kinsley's friends would come over to see us we would walk them out to the front porch when they would get ready to leave and this red bird would zip by. It was like no one could see this bird but us cause it would go by so fast. Sammy and I got to where we would just look at each other and smile. We took a trip to see Beth, Ryan and Mac a few weeks before Sammy passed away and as I was putting stuff in the car this little butterfly would not leave me alone. I mean it was going all around me, like aggravating me to death. The we

Now, I grew up in the United Methodist Church here in town and, Lord, I reckon' Daddy and Mama have sat in the same pew as long as I can remember (that would be left side as you enter the church, 4th row toward the back, and sat near the window). Do y'all have a favorite spot? Well it made things easier for finding your parents. For a few months after we got married, we would only come home on Sundays 'cause there was just something about him (Sammy) sleeping in my bed and Daddy and Mama down the hall. You know what I mean? Y'all think back. Weird, ain't it. I could just see Mama coming down the hall swinging that stick, gave me the heebbie geebbies!!! Hey and we dare not shut the door. Didn't wanna give them the wrong impression (you know "up to no good" ha!). After church we (Mama, Daddy, Keith, Lisa, Sammy and me) would all head to my grandmother's (Mama Pet) house for lunch. My other grandmother, Mama Helen would cook some Sundays for about

Some of you may or may not know that Sammy was a drummer. He played drums in the school band. He also played base guitar in a band (forgot what their name was). You know we had the Darwin Drum Company in Burnsville, where drums were manufactured. Sammy loved putting together drums, so we have a few sets here at the house. Another thing he loved to do, especially on the weekends, was put on some music, crank it up, and play along. One day, I went shopping and when I came home he had a set of drums set up in our bedroom. Our bedroom is real big and you couldn't get any more romantic than that, huh!! He would open the siding glass doors and he entertained our neighbors. One day, I came home from work (IES) and needed to take our garbage off (back then you took your own garbage way down the road to a big garbage dumpster) before mowing the yard. I came in and changed clothes (like get out of my good clothes and put on real comfy clothes, like no bra, t-shit and tight shorts, don't

MY TOWN IS THE PLACE WHERE MY HOUSE IS FOUND BUSINESS IS LOCATED, AND  WHERE MY VOTE IS CAST. IT IS WHERE MY CHILDREN ARE EDUCATED, AND WHERE MY LIFE IS. MY TOWN HAS A RIGHT TO MY CIVIC LOYALTY, IT SUPPORTS ME AND I SHOULD SUPPORT IT. MY TOWN WANTS MY CITIZENSHIP, NOT MY PARTISANSHIP. MY FRIENDLINESS NOT MY DISSENSION. MY SYMPATHY, NOT MY CRITICISM. MY INTELLIGENCE NOT MY INDIFFERENCE. MY TOWN SUPPLIES ME WITH PROTECTION, TRADE, FRIENDS, EDUCATION, SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, AND THE RIGHT TO FREE MORAL CITIZENSHIP. IT HAS SOME THINGS BETTER THAN OTHERS. THE BEST THINGS I SHOULD SEE TO MAKE BETTER. THE WORST THINGS I SHOULD HELP TO SUPPRESS. TAKE IT ALL-IN-ALL, IT IS MY TOWN AND IT IS ENTITLED TO THE BEST THERE IS IN ME.                                                                                                                            Circa 1938 This has been sitting on a table in my parents house ever since my daddy became mayor.

Today is a special day for my family.  My daddy is hoping to get re-elected for mayor. If elected, this will be his 4th term. Back in January of 2001, Daddy called my brother (Keith), sister (Lisa), and me to come to his house. He wanted to ask us something. Lord, we couldn't imagine what he wanted to ask us 'cause we were always asking him for advice. He told us to sit down. He wanted to run something by us and see what we thought. Now my daddy had been an alderman for  years, but he wanted to run for mayor. He told us he had put a lot of thought and prayers in this and wanted to know our thoughts on this. Our answer was... why hadn't you done this a long time ago? This must be in his blood 'cause my grandmother (his mother, Helen Bryant) loved to get out and hand out cards, make phone calls for whoever she believed in and wanted you to vote for. She would have been soooo Proud of her son. Daddy and I have been going door to door for the last couple of weeks asking