Browsing: OurMSVoices

Voices from around the state.

Lewis Grizzard, the late, great Southern humorist and columnist, once wrote a book “They Tore My Heart Out and Stomped That Sucker Flat,” which was about the major open heart surgery he endured. Certainly not comparing the relative seriousness of the two, but since I had a full knee replacement on February 26, I’m thinking of writing something like “They Ripped My Knee Apart and Forgot To Tell Me How Much It Would Hurt” (although they did tell me).

Well, we had quite a day at the Pascagoula Kiwanis Club on January 21. The long-time local civic club held a Past Presidents Day to honor those who had served in that capacity over the years, and it was a wonderful moment for those guys and gals, as well as for the club itself.

Nestled in the heart of the Pine Belt, Laurel, Mississippi, has often been overlooked, but this hidden gem in the “Magnolia State” is finally getting the attention for the many treasures found here thanks to the exposure from HGTV’s production of “Home Town.”

So, now, we in Pascagoula will have a Thunder-sized hole in our hearts for a fellow homeboy who went off and did well, then came back to town and did even better. Every now and then in life, folks come along and put their stamp on a community and make a difference with their actions and their personas. John “Thunder” Thornton was one of those people.

The Bible is filled with stories that describe and give us a vivid image of unity. I believe there is a particular set of verses that paint this picture beautifully found in the Book of Psalms. Psalms 133:1-3 can be paraphrased to say where there is unity God commands the blessing. I’ve found it to be true that the quality of our life is not just determined by who we are, it is equally impacted by who we are in alignment with.

Forgiveness is deep inner work. Reconciliation is open, communal work. But what about restoring a person to a position of power that has abused a sacred trust?