Jason PattersonPerhaps if I didn’t mention it, not many people would even notice.
If you’re reading this issue of The Herald and it seems like it might have been rushed, that’s because it was. In fact I hammered out some of the stories in today’s paper in the middle of the night.
There’s a good chance I could get away with cranking out my stories in a hurry. Most readers are probably used to my mistakes, but I know from experience that a lot of our readers are going to be disappointed to turn to this page expecting to see Jamie Patterson’s Saturday column and see the “other” Patterson occupying her space.
I know that because usually whenever someone tells me they like reading my stuff in the paper, they usually add, “But I just love reading Jamie’s columns!”
That’s no surprise to me. I love reading them too, even if sometimes some of the humor is at my expense. I believe what makes Jamie’s columns popular with so many of our readers is that they’re down-to-earth true stories that are entertaining, but also because many people can identify with them.
Jamie’s columns are usually more personal in nature, while I often tend to focus on local political issues. Today, I’ll venture into her territory if for no other reason than to spare her the pain of having to do it herself.
Jamie recently wrote a column about the joy of discovering that she was pregnant for the second time. Once again I realized just how popular her column really is as I was congratulated by people who had read it everywhere I went.
On Wednesday we went for what we thought would be a routine progress report and learned that the baby was lost. Hearing those words from the doctor felt like someone kicked me right in the stomach and my heart dropped down to fill the void.
Earlier when we had walked into the room for the ultrasound, I prayed the words, “God, please be here with us.” I had no idea at the time how much I was going to be needing Him.
It’s easy to be strong when everything’s going your way, and it’s easy to be thankful to God when you’re counting your blessings. Your strength is really tested in times of hardship and sorrow. I guess that’s when you find out how strong your faith really is.
When bad things happen, it takes real faith to believe that God has a plan and knows what’s best for you - even if you don’t understand.
Even if it wasn’t what you had planned.
Even if it hurts.
I believe that, and I’m strong enough to accept it.
But I don’t always like it.               
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Jason Patterson is the managing editor of The Yazoo Herald. He can be reached by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it