Published: January 08, 2009 10:38 pm      

Ending the year with a bang — from one who knows

It’s the second week of January and my thoughts are in the resolution mode, however after reviewing 2008, I’ve decided I should concentrate more on avoiding some of the strange events, unsettling associates, and weird quirks that 2008 brought into my pathway. Let me explain:

January 2008 bumped along without a hitch until the last week of the month.  That’s when the husband and I marched diligently to our church pictorial directory appointment. Oh, my – talk about a knot in the stomach (thankfully the camera didn’t pick that up, I don’t think). Oh, the planning and the scheming that took place just for those three minutes in front of the camera. I mean we were about to make a permanent record of the two of us (from the waist up) – and I was certainly appreciative of that fact as I sat upon years of sinning.  You know gluttony is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Yikes! I’m not a glutton — really I’m not. I will protest that fact all of the way to the  “fat-farm”.

February and March seemed to pass by in a blur-r-r – a soccer blur.  Yes, as you know, I am the self-appointed soccer Me Maw of East Central Mississippi. 2008 was the first year to have both grand’s playing at the same time, on separate fields, and on separate teams.  As a veteran of many, many soccer games, I can testify that the spring season will absolutely chill the bones — attending the games requires a thermos of hot coffee, plus a couple of comforters, knit cap, gloves, and thick socks.  It’s all worth it when the little one jogs onto the field with a smile on his or her face that in turn brings a frozen smile to my face. Yes, it’s all worth it. Thank you, Lord.

April began the rip/romp into selling the family home.  Yes, we put a sign in the yard the first of April and on that very night during the national news it was announced that the housing market had made a plunge to the lowest point since 1945. If I’m lying – I’m dying. The husband and I looked at each other with terror in our eyes. What the heck? We had toyed with the idea of downsizing or right-sizing as my husband stated for a couple of years. We had the place appraised and then priced it $5,000.00 under the appraisal amount, just for good will, we thought. After a couple of months, we lowered the price another $5,000.00, then another $5,000.00 by September. It’s not that the property wasn’t desirable, but rather it was because the ones who wanted to buy could not qualify for a loan.  Finally, by the first of October we decided that God wanted us to stay in our too-big-for-us home, so we did. With the six months that passed, we were now the proud owners of a cleaned, organized, and for the most part updated, lovely home. There will be time later to downsize when the market is more appealing for the seller.

In September my life made a big change and for the best, I’ve since learned. I closed one door and ten others have opened for me. So, dear readers – don’t be afraid to make changes in your life. Think about it, pray about it – and once that you’ve discerned the decision is for best for you, act upon it. Spend your time with non-self serving pursuits and with trustworthy people who make you happy and who appreciate your good works and good name. I promise you that you’ll sleep better at night, lower the blood pressure, and ease your painful heart.

October, November, and December were so delightful and scrumptious that it made me know the pain of September would heal and quickly – indeed it did. The first weekend of October found me at Jonesborough TN attending the National Storytelling Festival with my good friends Sarah Mutziger and Diane Williams. It was a nine-hour drive, but with Sarah and Diane as my traveling buddies, the time slipped always with pings of laughter and the joy of good friendships. There were over 10,000 storytellers at the festival. Oh my gosh – just heavenly. I knew I had found my niche.

Returning to Meridian, Sarah and I hit the ground running – so many stories to tell and so little time. We formed Tall Tales & Recollections Storytellers in Meridian. We’re affiliated on the state level with our Mississippi advocate, Katherine Lewis (Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education) board member and our state mentor is Diane Williams (Mississippi Arts Commission) as well as the Alabama storytelling advocate, Pamula Spivey. These ladies represent a strong foundation for our group – a support group filled with integrity and good will. Diane is scheduled to teach a storytelling workshop at The Meridian Activities Center, Saturday, January 24, 10-1:00 PM.  She is teaching this workshop that normally there is a fee of $100. to $150. per student – she is teaching this same workshop on January 24 for NO FEE (includes lunch). This is an awesome opportunity that only occurs maybe once in a lifetime. Diane is so dedicated to the art form of storytelling that she is willing to donate her time. Call (601) 485-1812, (601) 681-8525, or (601) 485-7778 for more information or to signup.

Also in October, I began a whirlwind schedule of storytelling sessions at schools and churches. By the end of December, it was my honor to receive invitations for storytelling at two churches, five schools, and the Meridian Public Library, and my calendar continues to fill for 2009. Thank you to each church leader, and each school, each teacher, school principal, and each arts organization for allowing me to come and tell my stories to your sweet children. I truly believe as the arts continue to circle throughout the curriculum of our schools that our Mississippi students will benefit tremendously.

Now there are a couple of little things. … that un-for-tu-nate incident where I caught the lovely napkin on fire at the Christmas luncheon and the napkin would not let me blow it out quickly, and oh, how I tried. Oh no, the thing flared up almost like a bottle rocket. Mmm – I hope I’m invited back sometimes. Yes, it was my first invitation to this lovely and longstanding literary club function.  Boy! They won’t forget me – such gracious and lovely ladies who all said, “Oh, don’t worry about it.” But, mmm. … Geez.

And the wedding – oh my, it was a beautiful Christmas wedding. I was invited … shudder – little did they know. I decided to wear my gorgeous long skirt that I only wear for special occasions and on this fateful day I chose my lovely red leather boots. I managed to ascend the steps into the church rather gracefully. … except for the top step. Drat it! That’s when the toe of the boot became all tangled amongst the hem of the beautiful skirt, and I went down. … SPLATTER – right in the doorway of the sweet church. Meridian City Councilman, John Harris, stood at the top of the steps and he reached down and swooped me up so swiftly that I do so hope none of the action was caught on the wedding video. I extend a huge thank you to Mr. John Harris, my pastor, Allen Herrington, my husband, and the nervous and gracious groom, Billy Bradford, for your kind assistance. And if I’m in the wedding video, I don’t want to know about it.

Well, that was my year – I must say I ended it all with a bang, but that’s just me. If you need to know how to bang-up your year, I’m only an email or phone call away – and keep those invitations coming.



Anne McKee is a writer and storyteller. She lives in Meridian. Anne is listed on the Mississippi Artist Roster as a literary artist and storyteller, and she is active with the arts communities throughout Mississippi.