Faith, Folklore, and Friends

The story goes that the people in this little Mississippi Delta town were excited that President Theodore Roosevelt were coming to go hunting.  They wanted to make sure that he got a bear, so they caught one and tied it up for the President to shoot.  The President refused to shoot it, and the ensuing media attention led to the creation of the Teddy Bear. The Onward Store and Restaurant keeps the story alive. The Onward Store is on the Blues Highway, Highway 61 just north of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

In the presence of God and the Messiah Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly appeal to you    to proclaim the message. Be ready to do this whether or not the time is convenient. Refute, warn, and encourage with the utmost patience when you teach.    For the time will come when people will not tolerate healthy doctrine, but with itching ears will surround themselves with teachers who cater to their people’s own desires.  They will refuse to listen to the truth and will turn to myths.  But you must be clear-headed about everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of an evangelist. Devote yourself completely to your ministry. ~2 Timothy 4:1-5

A different kind of beauty. . . . Cypress Swamp is at milepost 122, between Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi.

The remains of approximately sixteen hundred Confederate soldiers rest here on this hillside in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  From May 18 until July 4, 1863 (47 days), they fought and rested and ate when they could.  They dreamed about home and their mama's cooking and the way the crickets sounded at dusk.  They read and reread the scented letters from their girlfriends and imagined a time when they could be together.  Usually in early summer, they were plowing the cotton and corn and swimming in creeks to bathe and cool off. In the summer of 1863, they sweated and fought and wished this war was over and they could go home again. Thousands of them didn't go home; sixteen hundred of them were buried here, not far from the Mississippi River. We were there last Saturday (June 20, 2015), just days before a few people decided the Confederate flag was a shameful thing and would be hidden from sight, in order to stop evil-consumed people from killing other people. ...

He alone is my rock , my deliverance , and my  high tower;      nothing will shake me. ~Psalm 62:6

Rowan Oak was William Faulkner's home in Oxford, Mississippi, for more than thirty years. The grounds are beautiful, and I like to imagine him walking here, plotting new stories. The house is having a face lift, and the screens you see on each side kept us from seeing the complete exterior of the house. Mr. Faulkner commented that he wanted his obituary to read, "He wrote books, and then he died." His readers loved him too much for that to happen.   His books are challenging for me; I think  and rethink about them for days after I finish reading one. A few weeks ago, I read As I Lay Dying, and finished it feeling like I knew all the characters personally, His books do not have happy endings, but ones that are remembered long after the book is back on the shelf.

How blessed is the person,      who does not take the advice of the wicked, who does not stand on the path with sinners,      and who does not sit in the seat of mockers. 2  But he delights in the  Lord ’s instruction,      and meditates in his instruction   day and night. 3  He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,       yielding its fruit in its season,          and whose leaf does not wither. He will prosper in everything he does. ~Psalm 1:1-3

Because he has focused his love on me,      I will deliver him. I will protect him      because he knows my name. 15  When he calls out to me,      I will answer him. I will be with him in his distress.      I will deliver him,          and I will honor him. 16  I will satisfy him with long life;      I will show him my deliverance. ~Psalm 91:14-16

Old light fixture from a yard sale: $1. Rope from the Dollar Tree: $1 Vintage pulley from estate sale: $14 Candles: 8 for $2.50 Enjoying these night lights: Priceless!