I continue to thank my entire community, family and friends who have reached out to us this week as we begin the next chapter of our lives following our house fire.
And again, my God is good, all the time!
I want to share how excited I was to find photographs at my office here at The Herald. I was relieved to find an assortment of photographs on my desk and bookshelf at work of my Momma, our three children when they were babies and toddlers, portraits of Jason and I when we announced our engagement and the formal family portrait we took when we were still very much a young family.
And anyone who knows me knows that I was extremely close to by grandparents, especially my Paw Paw. I was so worried that I had lost all my photographs of him in our house fire. I feared I had no physical trace of the man I was named after, the man I named our son James after and the man who shaped me.
But I uncovered a photograph of me, Maw Maw and Paw Paw outside their home one Easter when I was probably about eight years old. I grinned from ear to ear when I found it, knowing I found at least one photograph. And it fit our family history perfectly.
I was decked out in an Easter dress and hat. Maw Maw had her “house-shirt” on that she always wore when she was washing dishes.
And Paw Paw had his signature overalls on, complete with a pipe filled with Prince Albert in his hand.
It is still a hard pill to swallow that I lost an old family photo album that held memories of the Jackson family, spanning back from about four generations. But God blessed me with a loving Paw Paw who taught me so much in our 13 years together before he passed away.
And although I only may have one photograph, it’s the memories and lessons that cannot be destroyed. And how awesome is that? My God gave me a Paw Paw, and He has kept his memory alive in my heart.
And those lessons I learned from that simple country boy are coming in loud and clear in this moment of my life.
• “Laughter is the best weapon and medicine. If you can’t laugh, you got nothing.”
I truly think if you can find the humor in any situation, you can pull through it with flying colors. And even if it is a laugh in the middle tears, at least you can do that.
• “Don’t be a victim. The world doesn’t have time for somebody with a chip on their shoulder. Don’t be a failure because somebody else, or even the world, did you wrong.”
Paw Paw pounded this lesson in my head up until his dying day. Don’t complain, and prove to the world that you can shake off the dust and get back in the game of life.
• “Work hard and work harder than the person trying to beat you.”
A good work ethic is one of the best lessons Paw Paw taught me. Always work like someone is trying to take your spot because the second you slow down, they will. And through this recent trial, even when the Devil tries to beat you...just keep working to stay on top.
• “Being country and simple isn’t all that bad. People around you with snobby big-city attitudes need to remember that they are still from Mississippi.”
Be humble, and even if you reach the top of the mountain, don’t forget your journey from, and maybe even back down, the valley. I never forget that I came from a one-horse town that had more country farmers than street lights. And Paw Paw always told me to treat everyone from the school janitor to the bank president with respect. And, throwing in a quote from my favorite comedian Jackie Gleason, “be nice to the people on your way up because you are going to see those same people on your way back down.”
• “Don’t be as dumb as a bag of hammers.”
What good is a bag of hammers when all you need is one to hit the nail on the head.
• “Protect and love your family. They may aggravate you, but don’t let anybody aggravate them.”
Blood and family are one of the most constant things you have in your life. There may be battles, but love and forgive. And always go to bat for them.
These are simple lessons from a country boy whose name you will never find in a history book. But you will find his legacy in me and mine.
A fire may take out some photographs, but your family’s history lives on through your actions today. And I thank my God for giving me a Paw Paw, who continues to help me as I continue on this road of life.
