| February 05 '05 |
|
| Volume 453 |
Fiftieth
Anniversary John Edward & Mary Ellen
Felicia
look startled, but it wasn’t the last morsel she had put into her mouth
that produced her expression. Instead it was something I said.
"I remember when they got married," I announced, when the subject of an
anniversary came up during a Sunday lunch.
"You do?" Felicia replied with more than a little skepticism.
I’m flattered that others don’t think I’m old enough to remember
when someone married fifty years ago, but perhaps I should be more concerned
that some might be thinking I’m just confused, or, worse still, that
I have a poor memory.
"We were living on Montgomery St. at the time," I shared. " That’s when
we lived next door to Lane Lemons, actually our house was between Lonnie
Thompson’s and the Lemons’ house. John Edward Sewell bought a house,
a couple of houses down from us, closer to Reynolds Street."
However, had it not been for an incident involving a rock and a sling, I
might not remember John Edward’s first home. As I recall, Tony Austin
and I were honing our skills with a sling, and perhaps Keith Gillespie was
also. I don’t recall whose sling didn’t release properly, but I
vividly recall hearing the rock crash onto the front windshield of John
Edward’s car. I'm pretty certain that we all scampered from the scene
like water bugs at night in the kitchen when the light comes on.
I also remember telling Mama what had happened, not so much for reasons involving
a guilty conscience as much as trying to stave off a beating if she found
out I was involved in the accident and she didn’t hear it first from
me.
"You go down there right now and tell Mr. Sewell what happened," she scolded.
"We don’t have the money for a new windshield, but at least you can
let him know how it happened."
My youth was one filled with trauma. Come to think of it, adulthood has had
its share of traumatic events, too, but when one is young and inexperienced,
the problems one encounters seem larger than life. Having to tell John Edward
Sewell that one of us boys slung the rock that broke his windshield was one
of the more traumatic events I faced as a preteen. Like most fears, gathering
the courage needed to confess is the hardest part.
When I explained to John Edward what had happened, he laughed and said,
"Don’t worry about it. That’s what I pay insurance for."
I couldn’t believe it. Not only did I not get a beating, I didn’t
even cause a financial crisis for my family. I’ve never forgotten how
John Edward Sewell reacted that day. He could have demanded restitution for
the insurance deductible, or yelled at me, or ordered me to stay off his
property, but he chose to understand and to forgive.
John Edward married Mary Ellen Cummings a few months later, and they made
their home on Montgomery Street for about ten years before moving to a different
part of town. Most of us have three names; few of us are called by both of
our first two, and fewer still are the married couples who are known by their
double names. However, John Edward and Mary Ellen are such a couple. On January
16, 2005, their two children held a reception at FBC, Pontotoc, to honor
them on the occasion of their fiftieth wedding anniversary.
Barbara and I were among the many who had the privilege of congratulating
the couple at the reception. If we’re fortunate enough to live another
twelve years beyond August 20th of this year, then perhaps our
children will see fit to honor us in a similar fashion.
Dot In Recovery
Following Bypass Surgery
Barbara’s best friend, Dot Bell, was hospitalized in Memphis, awaiting
triple bypass heart surgery on Saturday, January 22nd. I had visited
Dot briefly on Friday, but Barbara was not able to be off work that day.
I knew she would want to be there to support the family on the day of the
surgery, especially if the committee meeting she had Saturday morning
didn’t last too long. Thus, as soon as Barbara got home Saturday morning,
we hurried to leave for yet another trip on a January Saturday.
"Can we go in your car?" I asked.
"If you want to."
"Well, your LeSabre rides better than my Impala," I shared. "After driving
all week, I’m pretty road-weary."
My Impala belongs to SUPERVALU, who pays for all the auto’s expenses,
both business and personal. However, there are times when such a monetary
incentive is overridden by the desire to travel in relative comfort.
We arrived at the hospital shortly after eleven, and after finding the back
entrance (the one I had used the previous day) locked, we discovered an
underground passage connecting the three buildings and by dead reckoning
made our way to the right building. We found a waiting room filled with folks,
but it turned out we were two floors below where we needed to be.
After using the elevator to go up two floors, I knew we were in the right
waiting room when Barbara saw Jerry Bell.
"There’s Jerry," Barbara stated, "talking to Brother Ken."
Barbara’s better at finding a familiar face in a crowd than I am.
"Where?" I asked.
"Straight back," she replied, bursting through the room ahead of me.
Making our way through the crowded room, I was soon aware that a great many
relatives and friends of the Bells were present. Dot and Jerry’s three
children were on hand, as were the spouses of two of these. One of Dot’s
brothers and a handful of nieces and nephews were also there, as well as
a former college roommate of Dot’s older daughter, Cindy Sanderson.
Though most personable and a conversational delight, neither Barbara nor
I can recall Sherry’s last name.
The next few hours passed quickly, with several of the group taking time
to eat lunch that had been generously provided by one of the area Baptist
churches for everyone in the waiting rooms. Plus, there was a steady din
of conversation as friends and family members recounted old times and caught
up on current happenings.
Cindy and Sherry knew Brother Ken when they were all attending Mississippi
State, and the stories they shared were among the most interesting ones.
My wife has sworn my pen to silence, so I shall only mention what our pastor
had previously stated in a sermon. Ken Hester was once handcuffed by a police
officer and put into the backseat of a police car. He did not explain the
circumstances to the congregation, and I’m not at liberty to do so here,
but I heard the "rest of the story," as Ken, Cindy, and Sherry recounted
their college days, and the rest of the story is not as bad as one might
imagine.
Shortly after lunch, a nurse phoned Jerry to let him know that Dot was out
of surgery, doing fine, and that visitors could see her soon. Since only
two people at a time could be in the room with Dot, I chose to stay in the
waiting area to give all family members the first opportunity to see their
loved one. I figured Barbara could fill me in, until I had the opportunity
to see Dot back in Pontotoc.
Though Dot was dismissed from the hospital the following Thursday, it would
be Saturday afternoon before I had a chance to visit her. I had been busy
most of the week helping open a new store in Eupora, MS and had even worked
Saturday morning (rare for me). After a futile attempt to find a new cell
phone for Jason on Saturday afternoon, Barbara and I dropped by to check
on Dot.
I was glad to see she was up and about and looking so well. Barbara and Jerry
made coffee in the kitchen while Dot and I talked in the living room.
"Want to see my scar?" Dot joked.
"Yeah, but we’d better wait until Jerry and Barbara get back in here,"
I cautioned.
It’s hard to keep a good hostess down, even after bypass surgery. Sure
enough, as soon as the coffee was ready, Dot was preparing to serve us some
cherry cheesecake pie. Twenty years ago, the Bells and the Carters spent
many a Sunday afternoon visiting over a cup of coffee and a dessert, and
while it wasn’t Sunday, the afternoon certainly brought back a lot of
memories.
Dot had asked me earlier if I would sharpen her kitchen knife and I had agreed
to do so, but when Jon and Cindy and three children stopped by on their way
back to Memphis, following the basketball game, I forgot all about the knife.
On the positive side, Barbara and I now have an excuse to return and maybe
enjoy another cup of coffee and dessert. I can see a pattern developing here.
As of this writing, Dot Bell continues to improve daily. Tonight, Barbara
talked to Dot, and when she hung up the phone, she told me that Dot sounded
like her old self again. I take that to mean Dot’s doing well.
Mr. Habitat Bill
Jackson Honored
On Monday evening, January 24th, the Pontotoc County affiliate
of Habitat for Humanity, International, honored one of its own in the boardroom
of the Pontotoc Electric Power Association. Bill Jackson has served as president
of the board of directors of the local affiliate since it was formed more
than thirteen years ago, and if anyone associated with the affiliate is deserving
of the title, Mr. Habitat, it would be Bill.
Bill Jackson spoke to the group of assembled board members and well-wishers
before officially passing the gavel of responsibility to his successor, Linda
Thomas. Bill cited, the late Colonel Holmes with beginning the initiative
to organize the local affiliate.
"Colonel
Holmes asked me to help in sending out a letter to gauge interest in starting
an affiliate in Pontotoc County. We sent out a lot of letters; I mean a lot,
but we only heard from thirteen of them. I didn’t think that was very
good, but Colonel Holmes was excited, and we soon formed Pontotoc County
Habitat for Humanity," Bill shared.
Bill also shared that it took two years to get the first Habitat house finished,
and that a total of 22 houses now exist. Bill also mentioned that other
individuals have helped the Pontotoc Affiliate reach its current growth level.
He praised the efforts of Brother Joe Steen, construction supervisor for
both the Union County and Pontotoc County affiliates.
Following Bill’s farewell address as president, several individuals
called him back to the podium for recognition. Reggie Collums presented Bill
with a joint resolution from the city and county acknowledging his work with
Habitat. Bob Peeples, vice mayor of Pontotoc, expressed appreciation to Bill
on behalf of the city of Pontotoc and presented him with a commemorative
coin. Brother Joe Steen, however, stole the show by presenting Bill with
a gag award, "The First Annual Doorbell Destruction Award."
All twenty-two of Pontotoc’s Habitat houses owe their electrification
to Bill Jackson’s electrical engineering skills. And, while Bill is
relinquishing his position as president of the board, he will continue to
work with Habitat for Humanity in providing simple, decent, affordable housing
to qualified families in Pontotoc and Pontotoc County.
Following the presentations, refreshments were enjoyed as well-wishers thanked
Bill Jackson for his role in helping Pontotoc County Habitat for Humanity
grow as an organization and a force in changing lives of families in our
city and county.
Bodock Beau
Bible Stories
Children often view life through lens quite different from that of adults.
Bible stories are good illustrations of this phenomenon. The following were
submitted by H.P. Prewett:
GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan,
in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation
in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then, she asked the
class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding,
what would you do?"
A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."
STORY OF ELIJAH
The Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the story of Elijah the
Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the
altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces, and laid it upon the altar.
And then, Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water
and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times.
"Now," said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the Lord would
have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?"
A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand, "I know, I
know," she said, "to make the gravy!"
LOT'S WIFE
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned
into a pillar of salt, when little Johnny interrupted, "My Mummy looked back
once, while she was DRIVING," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned
into a telephone pole!"
DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing
when he was on the Ark?"
"No," replied Johnny. "How could he, with just two worms."
HIGHER POWER
A Sunday school teacher said to her children, "We have been learning how
powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power.
Can anybody tell me what it is?"
One child blurted out, "Aces!"
MOSES CROSSING THE RED SEA
Nine year old Joey, was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday
"Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on
a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the
Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked
across safely. Then, he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for
reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites
were saved."
"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked.
"Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never
believe it!"
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the
most quoted passages in the Bible; Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters
a month to learn the verse.
Little Bobby was excited about the task. But, he just couldn't remember the
Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.
On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the
congregation, Bobby was so nervous.
When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The
Lord is my shepherd and that's all I need to know!"
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