Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Lady Sings the Blues

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     Every so often something shatters like ice and we are in the river of our existence. We are aware. To love another human in all of their splendor and imperfect perfection, it is a magnificent task...tremendous and foolish and human. Love won't be tampered with, love won't go away. Push it to one side and it creeps to the other. Throw it in the garbage and it springs up clean. Try to root it out and it only flourishes. 

     Love is a weed, a dandelion that you poison from your heart. The taproots wait. The seeds blow off, ticklish, into a part of the yard you didn't spray. And one day, though you worked, though you prodded out each spiky leaf, you lift your eyes and dozens of fat golden faces bob in the grass. Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. We all got holes in our lives. Nobody dies in a perfect garment.

~Louise Erdrich~

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS

TO

MARINO HARDY

     He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God's providence to lead him aright. The strength of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts. Noble deeds that are concealed are most esteemed. Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it. 

~Blaise Pascal~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

DEDICATED TO THE HUMOR

OF

ESTELLA WRIGHT MAYHUE-GREER

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     I was a loud child, and if my mother sang to me, I would be quiet. Most of my life I didn't feel very normal. There's definitely been some moments where I feel like, all right, I've finally graduated and I'm a normal lady. I've been writing joke songs since I was a kid and it served me well at S.N.L. I can write those in my sleep. In fact, I have. I never thought I'd get a chance to do what I'm doing. It's such a dream. To have your childhood dream realized is a really big deal. I like being a funny lady. I think there's nothing sexier than a funny lady. I don't look my best when I wake up! But I do feel beautiful when I'm tired and happy and I've had a good laugh and a glass of champagne. I really love laughing.

~Maya Rudolph~

     Maya Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. In 2000, Rudolph became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). Rudolph was born on July 27, 1972, in Gainesville, Florida,  to singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph.

IT'S TIME FOR

JUST JOKING MONDAYS

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

                                                                     Bernie Mac!!!

Kenneth Davis

 SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND  By Marsha Burns

     July 25, 2023: You are very close to being able to break through a long-standing problem that has been difficult to overcome. Your ability to continue to press on in spite of the difficulty has been impressive, but now the doors will open to show you the way to a real answer. Be sensitive to My leading, says the Lord. Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His names sake.

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Loving kindness towards ourselves doesn't mean getting rid of anything. It means we can still be crazy after all these years. We can still be angry after all these years. We can still be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness. The point is not to try to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.
     The next time you lose heart and you can’t bear to experience what you’re feeling, you might recall this instruction: change the way you see it and lean in. Instead of blaming our discomfort on other circumstances or on our own weakness, we can choose to stay present and awake to our experience, not rejecting it, not grasping it, not buying the stories that we relentlessly tell ourselves. This is priceless advice that addresses the true cause of suffering—yours, mine, and that of all living beings.

~Pema Chodron~

     Beloved Buddhist teacher, author, nun and mother, Pema Chodron has inspired millions of people from around the world who have been touched by her example and message of practicing peace in these turbulent times. 

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

The Burning of the Robert Church Jr. Home

In 1879, Memphis lost its city charter due to a yellow fever epidemic. Robert R. Church, the South’s first African American millionaire, was the first citizen to buy a $1,000 bond to help restore the city’s charter.

The telling and retelling of the burning of the former home of Mr. Church has over the years produced articles, book chapters, and posts of varying degrees of accuracy.

In 1953 Mr. Church’s home at 384 S Lauderdale Street was involved in a massive urban renewal project. It along with 19 other homes on Lauderdale, located just north of Georgia Street, was scheduled for the wrecking ball. Because of the deterioration of this neighborhood it was determined that the houses should be razed and the area revitalized from the ground up. By this point Mr. Church had not lived in the home since 1941. Several other families had lived in the home until 1951 when the property was abandoned and sat vacant for the next 2 years.

Beginning in 1934, and every year thereafter, Fire Department Instructors and Chief Officers from all over the world came to Memphis to learn new ways to fight fires. In 1953 the Fire Service introduced the “Fog Nozzle” to the national fire service. This revolutionary new nozzle was designed to put the fire out faster and with significantly less water damage. In order to fully demonstrate this new nozzle the Fire Service needed structures of different sizes, with two and three story homes being the desired targets. The Church home, a three story eighteen room dwelling, was perfect. Next to the Church’s abandoned house was a two story nine room house that made the possibility of this very first comprehensive test a reality.

The firemen started and extinguished several small one and two room fires in the two story home to the North.  They then purposely allowed the smaller home to catch the larger home on fire. The fire was put out by the firemen using the new nozzles and only 10,000 gallons of water.

Historically there are those who have said that E H Crump was sending a message by destroying the former Church home. He might have been. The former Mayor was in declining health in 1953, and while he may have had some involvement with the test, it’s not clear that he specifically wanted any certain dwelling destroyed as a political statement.

Kenneth Davis

Philippians 4 New International Version

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

     Recently, I've completed two roundtrips to Memphis, TN and Como, Mississippi. The purpose, to comfort and provide immediate support for my sister's children and my other siblings. The earthly transition of my sister has now been completed, as her empty vessel was returned to Mother Earth on Sunday, July 23rd. I am grateful to everyone of you, who expressed your fervent sympathies and condolences during the past week. I'm even more grateful for your prayers of safe travels, support and encouragement. Additionally, your acknowledgements and wellbeing expressions on and after my birthday, sincerely touched my heart. I read the scriptures above, during her homegoing services and I'm sharing them with you as an  expression of gratitude for you all. May the peace of God, continuously transcend your understanding and guard your hearts and minds, forever....Thank you so much, my friends....stay safe and be blessed....

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Once you know what's in your food you can't unlearn it. When a body is in an alkaline state, it avoids disease, but when it's in an acidic state - where you're eating a lot of processed foods, meat, dairy - you're not going to have that hydration in your body, and you're not going to have that ability to fight off disease, and it's going to impact your immune system and the inflammation in your body too.
     Every day, I have something that is so full of nutrition and so full of foods that give you life, rather than take them away, that it makes me feel amazing and really good inside. It balances my blood sugar, balances out all of the things that I need, the nutrition that I need to get into my body.
     I actually start my day with a cup of warm lemon water with cayenne pepper. It jump-starts your detoxifying system in your body, jump-starts your liver, helps you eliminate the food that you ate the day before, and also just gets your body in an alkaline state ready to ward off disease.

~Vani Hari~
 

     Vani Deva Hari (born March 22, 1979), who blogs as the Food Babe, is an American author, activist, and affiliate marketer who criticizes the food industry. She started the Food Babe blog in 2011, and it received over 54 million views in 2014. She is a New York Times best-selling author, and companies such as Chick-fil-A and Kraft may have changed or reconsidered ingredients in their products following her campaigns.

6 Foods to Keep You Hydrated During a Heat Wave

Bored of water? These foods are a tasty way to add some variety to your hydration routine. 

Giselle Castro-Sloboda (https://www.cnet.com/home/)

     Hydration needs vary based on your size, activity level and how much you sweat. Gabriela Barreto, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist says there are two indicators of hydration level: your thirst and the color of your urine. "Drinking to thirst can be appropriate for most individuals to maintain their hydration levels and as for urine, you're looking for a pale yellow color," says Barreto. She says the only times you shouldn't be concerned about the color of your urine are during your first pee of the morning because it tends to be dark, or if you are taking vitamin B supplements, which make urine more likely to appear bright yellow. 

     With the current heat wave hitting much of the country, staying hydrated is even more of a priority, which is why it's important to make sure you're also eating the right foods. There are many foods that are hydrating (and in season) that can help quench your thirst.
Which foods are most hydrating? Most foods contain some amount of water, but it probably won't surprise you to learn that fruits and vegetables are at the top of the list. To get the most out of these hydrating fruits and vegetables, make sure you follow standard dietary guidelines. Barreto says, "Dietary guidelines recommend two to three servings of fruit and three to four servings of vegetables for most adults." There are no specific guidelines for hydrating fruits and veggies, but by eating the daily recommended amount of produce you will be adding to your hydration, she says.  

     It is estimated that 20% to 30% of fluid needs can come from food, including fruits and veggies. And by combining certain foods, you can boost your hydration. "When looking to adequately rehydrate, carbohydrates, fluid and sodium are key," says Barreto, adding, "Carbohydrates are important for optimizing water and sodium absorption in the body."

Watermelon and other melons
     Watermelon isn't just a fruit that is synonymous with summer, it's also highly hydrating. It's made up of 92% water and has antioxidants, important nutrients like vitamins A and C, magnesium, fiber and lycopene (a pigment found in red, yellow or orange colored fruits and vegetables). Other melons such as cantaloupe are also made up of 90% water and are a good source of potassium, folate, as well as vitamins A and C. 
     Barreto says one hydrating summer recipe to try is a cucumber and watermelon salad with lime, mint and salty feta. As previously mentioned, the sodium and carbohydrates will help the body easily absorb the water from the fruit. Barreto points out that for this reason you'll also notice some sports dietitians recommend sprinkling some salt on your watermelon.

Cucumbers
     Cucumbers are made up of 95% water and consist of vitamins like vitamin K, magnesium and potassium. This refreshing veggie can be easily added to salads, sandwiches, water or eaten on its own. Its high water content also makes it a low-calorie vegetable and is an ideal food to add to your diet if you're looking to lose weight and feel full longer.  

Squash
     This versatile vegetable does well as an addition to soups, stir-frys, salads and as a side. Popular summer squashes like zucchini are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, fiber and are made up of 94% water. The high water and fiber content will keep you full and hydrated for an extended period of time.  

Strawberries
     This popular summer fruit is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, manganese and folate. It's an easy fruit to add into smoothies, yogurt, salads or eat on its own. Strawberries are made up of 91% water, making them the perfect fruit to quench your thirst and satisfy your sweet tooth.  

Lettuce and other leafy greens
     Make a salad out of lettuce and other greens like lettuce, watercress, spinach or bok choy, which have high water content and provide lots of vitamins and minerals. Lettuce consists of 96% water and has folate, fiber and vitamins K and A. Spinach is high in iron, folic acid, calcium and vitamins C and A. Watercress, meanwhile, provides 100% of the recommended dietary intake for vitamin K, which is an essential nutrient for blood clotting and maintaining healthy bones. Bok choy is abundant in vitamins K and C, which means any combination of these greens is guaranteed to provide you with a salad full of nutrients. 

Citrus fruits
     If you enjoy oranges, grapefruits, limes and other citrus fruits, then eat up. Citrus fruits tend to be made up of about 80% water, making them good options for hydration. They are also high in vitamin C and fiber, and good for supporting your immune system. They're even versatile enough to add to fruit salads, eat on their own, add to water, salads and even as a marinade for proteins, such as chicken or fish. 

     The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Our emotional symptoms are precious sources of life and individuality. It is possible to live for the next life and still be merry in this. It's wrong to deprive someone else of a pleasure so that you can enjoy one yourself, but to deprive yourself of a pleasure so that you can add to someone else's enjoyment is an act of humanity by which you always gain more than you lose. Pride thinks it's own happiness shines the brighter, by comparing it with the misfortunes of others. What though youth gave love and roses, Age still leaves us friends and wine.

~Thomas More~

     Thomas More, in full Sir Thomas More, also called Saint Thomas More, (born February 7, 1478, London, England—died July 6, 1535, London; canonized May 19, 1935; feast day June 22), English humanist and statesman, chancellor of England (1529–32), who was beheaded for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. He is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS

TO

OLIVIA JOHNSON KIMBLE

&

ALVIN HOWLETT

     It is easy to say how we love new friends, and what we think of them, but words can never trace out all the fibers that knit us to the old. Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.

~George Eliot~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     Playing the guitar is like telling the truth - you never have to worry about repeating the same lie if you told the truth. You don't have to pretend, or cover up. If someone asks you again, you don't have to think about it or worry about it because there it is. It's you. Jazz is the big brother of the blues. If a guy's playing blues like we play, he's in high school. When he starts playing jazz it's like going on to college, to a school of higher learning.
     I think of guitar players in terms of doctors: you have the doctor for your heart, the cardiologist, then one that works on your feet, your leg. But I believe George Benson is the one that plays all over. To me, he would be the M.D. of them all.

~B. B. King~

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 
FRIDAYS

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Everyday epiphanies encourage us to cherish everything. Today a new sun has risen. Everything lives. Everything can speak to your soul passionately if you will be still enough to listen. Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. 

     It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present - love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure - the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.

     Today, look at the blue sky, hear the grass growing beneath your feet, inhale the scent of spring, let the fruits of the earth linger on your tongue, reach out and embrace those you love.  Ask the Spirit to awaken your awareness to the sacredness of your sensory perceptions.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach~

SATURDAY MORNING GARDENING TOOLS

13 Vegetables to Plant in August

     August is a great time to consider planting cool-weather crops that do best during fall temperatures. Some of these crops include carrots, peas, broccoli, and many leafy greens. Kale and spinach prefer cold temperatures, but some lettuce varieties help bridge the gap between August and September. Finally, some crops that take a bit longer to grow, such as beets and turnips, are best started, with some special attention, during this month. 

No matter where you live, August can be a wonderful month in the garden! If you want to try your hand at a fall garden, this month is the perfect time to get started. Here are some crops that work well when planted during this transitional month of the year! Let’s talk about 13 of them now. 

A benefit to planting things during the month of August is that most of these options can be grown from seed rather than from established plants. So long as you plant them in a good location, most of these crops thrive during the warmer temperatures afforded by the end of August and fully mature as temperatures get colder in September. However, be sure to check your local region to ensure success with certain vegetable varieties and types. 

⦁ Beets - Kale                     

⦁ Kohlrabi - Rutabaga

⦁ Broccoli - Cabbage

⦁ Turnips - Lettuce (Many Varieties)

⦁ Carrots - Spinach

⦁ Cucumbers - Peas

⦁ Chard 

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     God reveals Himself in rearview mirrors. And I've an inkling that there are times when we need to drive a long, long distance, before we can look back and see God's back in the rearview mirror. Maybe sometimes about as far as heaven -- that kind of distance. Gratitude is not only a response to God in good times - it's ultimately the very will of God in hard times. Gratitude isn't only a celebration when good things happen. It's a declaration that God is good no matter what happens. You've got to use the life you've been given to give others life.
     I receive grace. And through me, grace could flow on. Like a cycle of water in continuous movement, grace is meant to fall, a rain...again, again, again. I could share the grace, multiply the joy, extend the table of the feast, enlarge the paradise of His presence. I am blessed. I can bless. When we lay the soil of our hard lives open to the rain of grace and let joy penetrate our cracked and dry places, let joy soak into our broken skin and deep crevices, life grows. How can this not be the best thing for the world? For us? Like the wind, Grace finds us wherever we are and won't leave us however we were found.

~Ann Voskamp~

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS

TO

FRED HODGES

     Some men never seem to grow old. Always active in thought, always ready to adopt new ideas, they are never chargeable with foggyism. Satisfied, yet ever dissatisfied, settled, yet ever unsettled, they always enjoy the best of what is, are the first to find the best of what will be.

~William Shakespeare~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     I'm not a star, and I don't want to be a star. Stars fall. I'm an ordinary guy with an extraordinary job. I'm an entertainer and I really enjoy entertaining. I think if you're going to really be what you say you are, you have to really live it, work it, practice it, and think it. Suffering is a good teacher. It keeps you in its grip until you've learned your lesson. Whatever success I've had, I always like to top it.
     It took me a long time to get to where I'm at, in my career and as a man. I was going through my trials and tribulations in life, and it gave me the strength to tackle things that have come my way. Making people laugh is what I've been doing since I was like four or five years old. I still have a lust, I still have a passion. I don't care about how I look, I'm dedicated to the laughs. I can't build myself by beating somebody down.

~Bernie Mac~

IT'S TIME FOR
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

The devil, you say....
     Did you hear they arrested the devil?

Yeah, they got him on possession. 
~Gregg Siegel~

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS 
TO 
GWENDOLYN JOHNSON THOMAS
 & 
ORVA WALLS

     Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is. 

~Jim Morrison~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love. Charity and love are the same -- with charity you give love, so don't just give money but reach out your hand instead. Love is not patronizing and charity isn't about pity, it is about love. The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.
     None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful. If you can't do great things, do little things with great love. If you can't do them with great love, do them with a little love. If you can't do them with a little love, do them anyway. There is a famine in America. Not a famine of food, but of love, of truth, of life. If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.

~Mother Teresa~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

August routinely holds the most births in a year! Why? There’s no way to know for sure, but because August babies tend to be conceived in November/December, perhaps it is because parents-to-be want to snuggle up in those cooler, darker months.

Those who celebrate August birthdays are thought to be creative, theatrical, and passionate…all personality traits that make them a blast to be around! As August is the last month of the summer, it tends to be jam-packed with wonder and end-of-season adventure…so it makes total sense that August Warriors are fun.

These Warriors are born with leadership traits like boldness, charisma, and loyalty. It is no wonder they make great trailblazers and tend to make fabulous leaders. Watch out because those leadership traits can sometimes look more like vanity.

Warriors born in August are pragmatic, organized, logical, and down-to-earth folks with incredible attention to detail. They are fantastic helpers. However, their meticulous nature and high standards can make them critical…of themselves and others and inflexible.

August has gorgeous birthstones. The first is the green peridot, which was named after the revered Madame Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanos and fire, said to have created the Hawaiian Islands. The second birthstone is the sardonyx, which is a blend of red and white bands of minerals making the stone look like candy stripes. The third birthstone is the spinel, which can look identical to a ruby. The Imperial State Crown of England, which was once thought to hold an enormous ruby, actually holds an enormous red spinel.

August Warriors can boast that they have two of the brightest, fun, most meaningful flowers out there: the gladiolus and poppies. The tall, sword-like gladiolus got its name from Roman Gladiators who would wear the flowers around their necks during competitive games. Poppies enjoy a rich history of symbolism with their attractively bright colors and opiate qualities making them symbols of sleep, peace, and death but also resurrection. In the U.S., red poppies are often worn on Memorial Day to honor soldiers who died in war.

A few famous August babies are Anthony Anderson, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Kobe Bryant, Dave Chappelle, Bill Clinton, Viola Davis, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Magic Johnson, Meghan Markle, Barack Obama, Keke Palmer, and Deion Sanders.

James Stone