The Mid-South Philosopher

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           Position Paper on Restructuring of Gordon County Government

Published Each Sunday                                                                              An Independent Commentary on the Post-Modern World

          http://www.mybeautifulamerica.com/BeautifulDixie.htm>

I love this presentation because it depicts the South as something other than a backward, racist wasteland.  In particular, I appreciate the "Flag" that is raised over the South at the beginning.  This is the only "Flag" that should "ever" fly over us!

Oh, be a real American patriot and buy the CD offered at the end!

The Strength in Family

© Dr. Gary D. Lemmons, July 20. 2008

My six year old granddaughter, Mary Margaret, is named after her two great-grandmothers, Mrs. Margaret “Mac” Walter and Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Parrish.  Both ladies took great pride in Mary Margaret and have been as actively involved in her life as circumstances will permit.  Mary Margaret knows and loves both of them.

I speak in the past tense because this past Friday, Mrs. Margaret “Mac” Walter was laid to rest at the tender age of 97.  “Mac” as she was called by old friends in the community and by the members of our First Presbyterian Church, was an institution in Calhoun and Gordon County.  A registered nurse and wife of the late Dr. Robert Walter, she had been active in our community since coming here with her husband in the 1930s to open a much needed medical practice.  A registered nurse, she took the lead in organizing a number of services at the old hospital and then worked tirelessly for the erection of the new hospital that came about in the late 1970s.  In her spare time, she was active in civic and community affairs.  An avid gardener, she was founder and first president of the Sequoyah Garden Club, the contributions of which to the City of Calhoun are innumerable.

My granddaughter, Mary Margaret, and my grandson, McClain, have solid memories of her as they do of Mrs. Parrish, their other great-grandmother.  Both, Mrs. Walter and Mrs. Parrish have seen to that.  When Mary Margaret and McClain are my age and look back on these memories, they will be fond ones.

To me, that is so important.

When I was growing up, I only had one great-grandfather, Andrew H. Tyler, who was still alive.  I had only one set of grandparents, Cecil and Walt Lemmons, still living, albeit, I did have “Granny Stell”, my step-grandmother, on my Momma’s side of the family. I learned a lot from all of them.

On a brighter note, this week, I discovered a new cousin that I didn’t know existed.  I found Trish online through the services of Ancestry.com.  Trish lives in another part of the United States and she and I have been sharing information about our common relatives.  Trish belongs to a branch of the family that had become lost from the rest of us…or perhaps we became lost from them…no matter, we are reunited and that is very good.

Some of my friends say that dealing in genealogy is a useless pursuit.  “Why get all involved with seeking out third cousins once removed”, I am often asked.

I am convinced that there is within all of us a desire for “home.”  And, “home” is more than just a place.  It is the people that are a part of us.  It is belonging to something much greater than ourselves. It is that state of filling the void or sense of loneliness that dwells deeply within each of us. It is seeking the strength in family.

Knowing who we are and from whence we came is a part of understanding just where it is that we may be going.