When I am in a retail outlet, I tend to choose the register being operated by a Black person. When possible, I choose Black men. It’s just my way of being an anti-Karen, of saying, “I trust this Black person to handle a financial transaction.” One day, having already gone to three dollar stores that…
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Folks of Fairview: Typewriter Repairman
“It’s only 15 miles, but it takes about 30 minutes,” Ed Tatsch said of the distance from his home just over the county line to his parents’ house here in Fairview. Tatsch’s parents Gene and Mary Lou moved to Fairview in 1998; soon after, Tatsch and his family transferred to Western North Carolina as well.…
Aging Gracefully: A Tale of Timelessness
“The olive tree never dies,” Zach told us gesturing to the trees in the Garden of Gethsemane. “These trees are thousands of years old and yet they still bear fruit.” Tireless guide Zach, the Palestinian who guided our tour of Israel, knew a little something about aging gracefully. A grandfather who had been considering retirement…
Remembering my Uncle James
Let me tell you about my Uncle James. Early Days Born a few months before the Great Depression’s first birthday in June 1930, he was my Grandmother’s third child and first son. He grew up in a big house that was still too small for the Mitchell family that topped out at seven children and…
From Suffering to Hope: A Eulogy
A full decade at least before it was time, my mother-in-law, Joyce Lawrimore, pulled me aside and said, “Aileen, I want to ask you a question. I want you to do my funeral. Would you be willing to do that?” I said, “Today?!” She passed away on June 14, 2019. Doing her eulogy was one…
Reflections on Violence in the US
I have a widely varied group of friends and loved ones. I have people in my life who think Fox News is too liberal and those who think MSNBC is way too far to the right. I have loved ones who would not even own a toy gun; and I have friends who are packing…
Teacher Appreciation: 5 Love Languages
One of my favorite books is Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages. The truths of this book have guided me in relationships and in ministry. Chapman’s premise is that individuals give and receive love in different ways; that is, we speak different languages when it comes to communicating love. He has identified five love languages: Gifts,…
Thank you #20: to my wife
A couple of years ago, I started a Thank You note series. The (lofty and unrealistic for me) goal was that I would write one a week for 50 weeks. Alas, the last one I published in the series came out in September of 2016. I never really quit the series; just got busy writing other…
Lasting Love: from “I do” to eternity
On June 10, 1925, before God and the witnesses present, Mabel Louise Cobb, 20, and Jesse D. Martin, 23, promised to love and cherish each other as long as they both should live. And that’s what they did. For better, for worse, from Georgia to Cuba to Brazil and back to Georgia again; in sickness…