The crowd was larger this year than any crowd the past seven. The Carl Grant Events Center at Union University was filled with tables surrounded by people of all kinds, ages, colors, and worlds held together by the sad reality that someone they loved has been murdered—some of them fifty years ago and some five months ago. The reality that no one truly understands this grief is echoed in the camaraderie across the room.
Read MoreThe events, places, people, and things that we remember in our lives can be extremely non-discriminant. In a singular moment, I sometimes think that whatever I’m doing or whoever I’m talking to in that moment is so important or emotional that it will be burned into my mind forever, only to realize a few weeks later that I can’t even remember the moment. I simply remember thinking that I would remember the moment.
Read MoreThey are givers. They are doers. They are thinkers. They care. They love to see good, and they love to be the good. People in Jackson, Tennessee are dollar after dollar, event after event, changing the world they live in like no other city in the world, and I’ve seen this first hand. I have watch this yearn for a better world grow larger in the hearts of many while doing work at a local non-profit.
Read MoreAnd off I was about to go! I woke up last Wednesday morning realizing I was about to leave for three months and I hadn’t packed a single thing, made a list (I live for making lists!), or made a game plan. I’ve traveled a lot, but it requires special strategy when you have to pack for two seasons, tour performance clothes, everyday clothes, and something comfy. Cue me standing in an airport with everything but the kitchen sink.
Read MoreIdeally, an organization would not require restructuring. It might and should be focused on the future, but it would not be worried about it. It would already be running effectively and efficiently and would simply be looking at how to keep that success a reality. That is not the current state of our school system, unfortunately. At one time, however, our school system was running effectively. This is evidenced if you start having conversations with the people within our community.
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