Kenneth Davis

For a healthier heart, be more forgiving !

     When people are reminded of grudges, their heart rate and blood pressure can increase. Forgiveness, on the other hand, has been linked to better heart health. Plus, you’ll sleep better when you let bygones be just that. But keep in mind you can’t fake it: Researchers believe that the health benefits associated directly with forgiving apply only to emotional, not decisional, forgiveness. On the other hand, excessive anger and these signs could mean you're headed for a heart attack..........

Were you successful in solving the puzzle within the timeframe suggested???? If not and you're still wondering, here's the showerhead answer.....

Kenneth Davis

" EARLY BIRTHDAY GREETINGS "

TO 

MARGIE McRAE REED

As an educator, I try to get people to be fundamentally curious and to question ideas that they might have or that are shared by others. In that state of mind, they have earned a kind of inoculation against the fuzzy thinking of these weird ideas floating around out there.

~ Neil deGrasse Tyson ~

     Happy Birthday Margie ! With the achievement of this milestone, you've progressed quite some distance from     "The Washingtonian-Society's Swirl" front page. Neil is probably one of those special individuals like yourself who truely mastered Pythagorean equations, Quadratic reciprocities and Eisenstein integers.I must admit,I was inoculated after basic Algebra,completely finished. As you celebrate your day, may the fuzzy thinking and weird ideas be abdicated by all who love you and absolutely appreciate each of lifes accomplishments that you've bestowed upon others! May the gifts that you receive be reflective of "A Special Thing",according to "Michael Ross". May you continue to be "The Blaze" in our lifetime, who educates the fundamentally curious, so that they like you and Neil, will be able to inoculate the fuzzy thinking and weird ideas floating around out there....enjoy your day and thanks for including me within "Society's Swirl"....

Kenneth Davis

Carrying a grudge literally weighs you down !

Researchers at Erasmus University in the Netherlands asked people to write about a time when they either gave or withheld forgiveness. The human guinea pigs were then asked to jump as high as they could, five times, without bending their knees. The forgivers jumped highest, about 11.8 inches on average, while the grudge holders jumped 8.5 inches—a huge difference and a startling illustration of how forgiveness can actually unburden you.

     Heading off the reservation....how high can you jump ????  Here's another puzzle for you in the meantime. Can you find the rubber glove among the chickens??? The quickest time taken to complete the puzzle is 19 seconds, according to its creators - but that's a record. On average, it takes puzzzlers up to a minute to find the glove...start your clocks...

Larry Milligan

Kenneth, your message on grudges and forgiveness is so timely, I want to just say  Amen!  and Thank you!

Kenneth Davis

" HAPPY BIRTHDAY THURMOND REDMOND "

A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire. ~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld ~

     Happy Birthday Thurmond ! May your day of celebration be full of blessings from your family and friends. I can't say that we were the "Best of Friends" back in the day, but I still consider you as my friend... a friend that I've taken the least care of all to acquire. Hopefully, our classmates will reach out to you today and strengthen your faith in us. Booker T Jones is in the news these days and is known to still play a smooth groove. He has written a book and has a new record album coming out. As your day progresses, may you have a Nathan Mitchell kind of day.....another day of "Smooth Grooves".....enjoy you day my friend...

Kenneth Davis

" EXTENDING CONDOLENCES TO THE MORRIS FAMILY "

The loss of a friend is like that of a limb; time may heal the anguish of the wound, but the loss cannot be repaired. ~ Robert Southey ~

EDGAR  MORRIS JR

Edgar Morris Jr.      Sunrise: March 29,1951         Sunset: October 25, 2019

Edgar Morris Jr. departed this life on October 25, 2019 to be with our Lord. He was a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School. He was employed at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. He leaves behind a wife, Reva Callendar, and two adult children Deddrick Morris and Lajuana Morris with first wife, Shirley Morris. The funeral is scheduled for Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 12 noon at Serenity Funeral Home, 1638 Sycamore View Road, Memphis, TN 38134. Edgar Morris Jr. will truly be missed and loved eternally.

Published in The Commercial Appeal from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, 2019

Patricia White (Watson)

Happy Birthday Cloyd. I know your birthday is tomorrow but I don't want to forget. It was great to spend some time with you and John last month. It had been a while since we just sat and conversed about what's happening in our lives. Thank you for being a friend for so many years. I will never forget the dance we had to learn for The Ballet with Mrs. Worthy. I've heard that dance music a few more times over the years and it immediately takes me back to those good old days. Those were the days. Have a fantastic day my friend. 

Kenneth Davis

"EXTENDING BIRTHDAY GREETINGS"

TO

CLOYD NIGHTINGALE

The fellowship of true friends who can hear you out, share your joys, help carry your burdens, and correctly counsel you is priceless.

~ Ezra Taft Benson ~

     Happy Birthday Cloyd ! Prayers have been uttered for your continuous healing and recovery. May you have a wonderful day of celebration with Brenda, other family members and friends. Know that you remain representative of the "Esquire" image, as validated by Patricia. Ezra described you as priceless! As you celebrate today, be mindful of the seasonal changes. When you take your daily "Soul Stroll" for exercise, reflect upon the blessings of this season and those to come. May you have a Peter White type of "Autumn Day".....Happy Thanksgiving my friend....

Kenneth Davis

"EXTENDING CONDOLENCES"

TO THE MEMORY OF

CLARA ALEXANDER

Let no one weep for me, or celebrate my funeral with mourning; for I still live, as I pass to and fro through the mouths of men. ~ Quintus Ennius ~

     Notification was recently received concerning the transition of our Classmate and Friend, Clara Alexander. Services are incomplete, however you may follow up by contacting the following.....

E. H. Ford Mortuary - MEMPHIS

3390 ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD

Memphis, TN 38116      (901) 345-9558

Clara Alexander  67, November 5, 2019 -  E. H. Ford.

Published in The Commercial Appeal from Nov. 9 to Nov. 10, 2019

Kenneth Davis

" HAPPY VETERANS DAY "

TO THOSE CLASSMEMBERS WHO SERVED

FROM

" THE CLASS OF 1970 "

Our love, our gratitude, our admiration for our men and women in uniform, our veterans and their families - all of that is bigger than any one party or any one election. ~ Michelle Obama ~

Military veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our country carry a status we all should appreciate and honor.  ~ Reggie Miller ~

I wish every American had an opportunity to sit down, to go to a base, to meet with families, to meet with service members, to sit down with our veterans - because we would think differently about our challenges as individuals. ~ Michelle Obama ~

We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a 'power grab.' Americans understand that these are the values our brave men and women in uniform and our veterans risk their lives to defend. ~ Stacey Abrams ~

Patricia White (Watson)

My life is richer for every veteran that I know. When I was I child, I remember many of the older guys in my neighborhood who I saw daily went to serve in the military. Many of them went without choice.  I well recall there was an absence of the older brothers from many of the neighborhood families. Though the Vietnam war colors my opinion of the military and was the catalyst to my activist years. I know this is not the whole story. 

Veterans, I have watched you lead your families and communites to heights of excellence. I have seven members of my family who are veterans. Over my life time I have met so many men and women who are proud to be veterans and proud families of veterans. Today is the day we set aside to honor and give thanks to you. This day should be every day.  I thank all of you for your service and I promise to always be grateful for the service you have given. We owe you a debt we can never repay.

Kenneth Davis

" EARLY BIRTHDAY GREETINGS "

TO

NORMA BERDEN WINBORNE

A healthy friendship is one where you share your true feelings without fearing the end of the relationship. It's also one where you sometimes have to let things that bug you slide. The tough moments will make you wiser about yourself and each other. They will also make you stronger and closer as friends. ~ Rachel Simmons ~

     Happy Birthday Norma! May your day of celebration be richly rewarded by your family and friends. May the expressions of love and gifts be  congruous to the ceaseless degree of service that you've provided as a dedicated "Patient Service Clerk" employed at the Regional One Medical Center. I read where you began that journey back in 2003. I wonder if you've thought about the fact that the majority of your classmates were born there, when it was called John Gaston Hospital? Talking about coming full circle! While I was reviewing the pictures of friends and classmates attached to your profile, I understand why I choose the Rachel Simmons quote. There's a lot of visual history involved, where healthy friendships and true feelings have made us stronger, wiser and closer as friends. It's also one where we've sometimes had to let things that bug us slide. But that's only my opinion, maybe others will take a look and have an expression of thanks also. At the end of your birthday celebration, here's an additional reflection I'd like to share with you....May you have a JaRon Marshall / Isley Brothers kind of day.....No matter what has happened...."It's Your Thing"......Have a fabulous day.....

Patricia White (Watson)

Hey Norma Happy Birthday. It appears you are a little younger than most of us. Kenneth added the perfect music for you. Sister Warrior. It's yo thang do what you want to do and have a blast doing it. 

Kenneth Davis

" HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLYN PARKER GUNN "

Accountability in friendship is the equivalent of love without strategy.

~ Anita Brookner ~

     Happy Birthday Carolyn! It's a wonderful event to reach another respective milestone in life. May you receive and endure numerous blessings today from Cory, Kevin and friends throughout the day. Our sincere accountability to you everyday should represent the equivalent of expressed love you've extended to us over the years. During the duration of your celebration, I wish you a Brian Culbertson type of day...May the "Colors of Love" cause you to realize that "You're Magic"..... 

Kenneth Davis

Nov. 21 is World Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day

We don't know why, but pancreatic cancer has a very interesting physiological link to depression. There seems to be a deep link, and we don't know what it is.  ~ Siddhartha Mukherjee ~

     Please forgive me for not posting this information sooner. I'm personally dealing with separate family situations related to "Pancreatic Cancer". The date over-shadowed my reality. Pancreatic cancer often doesn’t cause any signs or symptoms in the early stages, which can make it hard to diagnose early. Symptoms can also be vague and may come and go, while the severity can also vary for each person. You may not have any or all of these symptoms.
It’s important to remember that symptoms can be caused by more common things. They can also be caused by conditions such as pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or hepatitis (inflammation of the liver).

•   Abdominal and mid-back pain

  Pain in the mid-back or upper abdomen could be caused by a pancreatic tumor pushing against or invading nerves or organs near the pancreas.

•   Unexplained weight loss

  Unexplained weight loss can be an early symptom and can occur without any pain or apparent change in digestion.

•   Yellow skin or eyes

  Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), caused by excess bilirubin (a component of bile) in the blood. Jaundice can also result in itchiness of the skin, abnormally dark urine, and light or clay-colored stools.

•   Change in stool

  Many pancreatic cancer patients experience diarrhea, constipation or both. Diarrhea consisting of loose, watery, oily or foul-smelling stools can be caused by insufficient amounts of pancreatic enzymes in the intestines.

•   New-onset diabetes

  New-onset diabetes in people over the age of 50, and a sudden change in blood sugar levels in diabetics who previously had well-controlled diabetes.

•   Digestive problems

  This may include poor appetite, nausea, indigestion and vomiting.

•   Loss of appetite

  Pancreatic cancer can decrease appetite or change the way food tastes.

•   Mood Change

       The cause of the majority of pancreatic cancer cases is unknown, but research studies have identified the following risk factors that may increase the likelihood that someone will develop pancreatic cancer.

   

    Inherited genetic mutations

  Disorders being studied for connections to pancreatic cancer include: BRCA mutation, cystic fibrosis, familial adenomatous polyposis, familial atypical multiple mole melanoma, Lynch syndrome, hereditary pancreatitis, PALB2 mutation and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

   

   

    Family history of pancreatic cancer

  If a person has two or more first-degree relatives (mother, father, sibling or child) who have had pancreatic cancer, or a first-degree relative who developed pancreatic cancer before the age of 50, you may have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

   

   

    Family history of other cancers

  Risk of pancreatic cancer increases if there is a history of familial ovarian, breast, or colon cancer, hereditary pancreatitis or familial melanoma.

   

   

    Diabetes

  Pancreatic cancer is more likely to occur in people who have long-standing diabetes (more than 5 years). This can also be a symptom.

   

   

    Pancreatitis (chronic and hereditary)

  Chronic pancreatitis indicates an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. It’s even higher in individuals with hereditary pancreatitis.

   

   

    Smoking

  People who smoke cigarettes are two times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than people who have never smoked.

   

   

    Obesity

  Obese people have a 20 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer when compared with people who are of normal weight.

   

   

    Race (ethnicity)

  African Americans and Ashkenazi Jews have a higher incidence of pancreatic cancer when compared with individuals of Asian, Hispanic or Caucasian descent.

   

   

    Age

  The chances of developing pancreatic cancer increases with age. Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are over the age of 60.

   

   

    Diet

       Treatment for pancreatic cancer is dependent on how advanced the cancer is and a patient’s overall health. If possible, surgeons will remove the cancer; the most common operation is the Whipple procedure (surgery to remove all or part of the pancreas and other organs). Surgery is usually followed up with chemotherapy.
  
  For metastatic pancreatic cancer (spread to other parts of the body) treatment may include chemotherapy and occasionally radiotherapy too. A patient may also be offered treatment to relieve symptoms and the opportunity to join a clinical trial.

  Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers with a survival rate of less than 10 pecent. If pancreatic cancer is found early, it is more treatable so visiting your doctor could save your life!     

   

Kenneth Davis

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS

TO

" LORETTA LUSBY THORPE "

Whether you're an obstetrician or a third-grade teacher or a real estate agent, you know when you're doing good work. You're passionate about it. ~ Susan Isaacs ~

     Happy Birthday Loretta ! Achieving milestones in life aren't always guaranteed, but blessings are consistently welcome. May your day of celebration be defined by a prolific collection of family and friends bearing love, praise and gifts fit for a Queen! George Eliot stated "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". Thank you for being an old friend and I hope to see you at our 50th Year Class Reunion. At days end today, I hope that you've had a Mark Etheredge kind of day...You were completely "CONNECTED".....have an awesome birthday...

Marsha McMillian (Sherrod)

Marsha McMillian (Sherrod)

Kenneth Davis

"EXTENDING BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO ROBERT PHIFER"

Contemplation of life after retirement and life after death can help you deal with contemporary challenges. ~ Russell M. Nelson ~

     Straighten up Bro! Happy Birthday to you! Your profile on the website states that you’re retired. You should update that to semi-retired (somebody has to do it ). Here’s your contemporary challenge for the day; have a fantastic celebration with the family. May they remind you of all the good that has been and will be. The friends will show up at the end of the month for your annual celebration. At days end, while you’re still contemplating life before complete retirement, may you have a Marcus Johnson type of day. Hopefully your celebration has been “Poetically Justified”, while you “Cherish The Journey”…enjoy your day, my friend…

Kenneth Davis

"BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO DAVID STINNETTE"

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. ~ William Shakespeare ~

Stage 1: Infancy, Stage 2: Schoolboy, Stage 3: Teenager, Stage 4: Youth, Stage 5: Middle Age, Stage 6: Old Age, Stage 7: Extreme Old Age

     Happy Birthday David ! May you have a day of celebration with your family and friends, worthy of the Monarch you've become. Achieving this milestone puts you and I in the close vacinity of Stage 6. We're blessed to have continued to extend our exits and entrances thus far. Surely you recognize the image at the top of this page. Since you haven't upated your profile lately, my  guess is you're still working, so continue to "Slice' em up" until retirement. At the end of your celebrations, hopefully you'll have had a Gino Rosaria kind of day. "Because you're the Monarch of the family, Gino says that "Still Waters Run Deep". So maintain a "Gentle Touch"  as we prepare to exit from Stage 6 to enter Stage 7.....enjoy your day....

Patricia White (Watson)

Hey Robert and David Happy belated birthdays. I hope you enjoyed them immensely. You will never see this one again. I know both of you will have many more to celebrate. I hope that both of you are planning to come to the reunion. Again, Happy Birthday!

Kenneth Davis

" BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO BARBARA BURKS "

If you want special results, you have to feel special things and do special things together. You can speak about spirit, or you can live it.  ~Jurgen Klopp ~

     Happy Birthday Barbara!! Here's wishing you a birthday filled with the spirit of LOVE, to complete this special day. May your family and friends extend to you, exceptional  tributes and unique gifts, reflective of your spirit. We're half-way into the month and there's a spirit we live with during this time of year. Jurgen states above that "You can speak about spirit, or you can live it". You'll be able to do both today and especially during the days to come. May this song by one of my favorite group of musicians blanket you with special results.....enjoy your celebration!! 

Kenneth Davis

"BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO RONALD JOHNSON"

Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance. 

~ Rabindranath Tagore ~

     Happy Birthday Ron ! As you are sitting amongst family and friends today, may your celebration be as joyful as the image of the Tribal Celebration above. May the gifts that you receive today represent the depth of friendship associated with your length of acquaintance. Many blessings be unto you this day. Although Warriors may not have done a "Sleigh Ride" back in the day, I do know that possible snow flurries are forecasted around Memphis and the Mid-South today. Be safe out there today and have a Boney James kind of Funky Christmas celebration with your family....enjoy your day, My Friend... 

Kenneth Davis

"EARLY BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO DONALD MATTOX-LOYD"

Birthdays are a reward for having shown up 365 days in a row. It's like getting a badge for attendance. ~ Gina Barreca ~

     Happy Birthday Donald ! Celebrate your reward today, for reaching this great milestone, in this life we live. May you be constantly reminded during your celebration with family and friends that you have continued to be in attendance for 364 days. As you're blessed with gifts from those in attendance, dance today like the young brave in the image above. Dance as you did when you were the schools "Drum Major" back in the day. When you've finished celebrating, sit back and enjoy a Brian Culbertson evening of being a "Joy To The World" to your family....May you have "A Soulful Christmas" in the days ahead.....

Kenneth Davis

"EARLY BIRTHDAY GREETINGS"

TO

VELMA TATE GILLESPIE

Anniversaries are like birthdays: occasions to celebrate and to think ahead, usually among friends with whom one shares not only the past but also the future. ~ Zbigniew Brzezinski ~
 

     Happy Birthday Velma ! Congratulations upon reaching a most precious anniversary. May your celebration with family and friends be joyful, spirited and complete. May you be blessed to accumulate an enormous amount of gifts equal to your newly celebrated age. During your celebration, may you have a Peter White kind of day. As soon as you get a moment to relax, I hope that you'll be able to hear the "Songs Of The Season". I hope that the sound of "Jingle Bells" will continue to be a part of your past, present and future....Enjoy your day....