It’s vacation time, if we make it
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Jamie Patterson Managing EditorThe annual family vacation has arrived once again.
By the time this column hits the press, we will be with my husband’s family on the beach for a week of sun, sand, water and fun.
And I couldn’t be more excited.
James has grown enough to have a little more bravery when it comes to getting into the water. He is now ten feet tall and bulletproof. With his latest obsession with sharks and other sea life, I am sure he will be “on the prowl” in the waters of the Gulf this week.
Baby Elsie has also grown into a full diva since her visit to the beach last year. At only a few months old last year, she spent most of her time in my lap under an umbrella. She went up to the beach house for quite a few feedings and naps.
But now I have got a feeling that she is going to be running full speed over the sand. I expect sudden rushes toward the water. And sitting with Momma is gonna be the last thing on her mind.
I’ve got a feeling that I won’t get much reading done this year. I’m gonna be chasing babies around.
But the one thing that I am not excited about is the sense of urgency to get to the beach from my husband Jason. Refusing to let anyone else drive, he takes it pretty serious.
Like most men, he won’t take the time to print the map out.
“I’ve been going here my whole life,” he says. “I don’t need a map.”
Oddly enough, he will ask me hundreds of times what exits or routes the maps says to take. But he will never make visual contact with the map I have stashed away.
And when he does take the wrong exit, I will get blamed for it.
“I’m taking over with the directions,” he says. “You have failed in your duties as navigator.”
Jason also has problems with letting people take bathroom breaks. He has an obsession with “making good time.” I don’t know why because we can’t even get into the beach house until his mother arrives with the door key.
Jason promises James the world with candy, toys, juice, radio songs and so forth if he can wait to use the bathroom for another five exits.
But don’t let Jason see an Arby’s or Stuckey’s. He will run people off the interstate to get to the exit. One year, James’ car seat titled over in the back seat because of the sheer force Jason used to make the exit.
But I am very happy to have a getaway with my family. We enjoy watching the kids with their excitement. We are thankful for grandparents and aunts and uncles who allow us to have one date night while they entertain the kids. With the postcard worthy scenery, sitting on a back deck is heaven on earth with the waves in the distance.
And with Jason at the wheel and two excited kids in the backseat along the way, it will be one wild ride to get to it all.
Dear Editor,
The decision by the present school board not to renew the teaching and coaching contract of Mr. Archie Carlyle was a planned and calculated act of politics. This kind of thing has been happening for years.
They didn’t follow policies or procedures in this matter. The state’s report on the district asked the board to stop interfering in this kind of situation, but it seems they didn’t get the memo.
My mother always put her 11 children first in making decisions for their futures. It is clear this board did not do that.
Mr. Carlyle’s only crime was putting his students first. I feel like Jesus, when he told the people at the well, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”
I and the 800 people who have signed the petition calling for Carlyle’s return can find no fault in his dedication to our community. We are being laughed at across the state, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Our community is losing faith in our ability to work in a productive and successful district. The Yazoo Herald’s sports editor called it a “travesty.” I ask the question, where are all those Christian folks, his co-workers, his pastor and his fellow church members?
Where are the athletes, past and present, and most of all where are the parents? He has mothered and fathered when you were unable to make it to a game or on the road, giving your children heart-to-heart talks of motivation and encouragement both in the halls of our schools and on the streets of this community. Now he deserves your support in this critical matter.
This affects us all, black and white, because the future of our community is at stake. I am asking everyone to show as much concern about this matter as they do during election time.
Mr. Clifton Jones, I sat on the school board when you and your wife in a 3 to 2 vote were denied what you rightfully deserved. When you first ran for alderman you were the only politician I ever spent an entire day with, walking the streets because I believed in you. When I ran for mayor as an independent, I endorsed McArthur Straughter in the primary. Many people thought I was crazy, but I was exercising my rights.
Mr. Aubry Brent Jr., I followed you from Vicksburg to Belzoni and saw people commit perjury to defeat you. When citizens support a candidate, they want something in return. As a citizen with the 800 petitioners, we are calling in our wager. Just get the record of the board of that decision, which is public record. Check the timeline of the action, and you will be amazed. Next month you will appoint or reappoint a board member, but before you do we deserve answers.
If you find me wrong I will come back and sit before you and the school board and give a public apology. Everyone deserves their day in court, and Mr. Carlyle certainly does.
What you do or don’t do will determine the caliber of teachers and coaches willing to come into our community and work with our children.
Johnny Staples
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