When I said good-bye to my weekly updates of California to the Bootheel observations, I wasn't quite sure what would come next. Writing that weekly post gave my life shape but then it all seemed to dry up. As it turned out, not writing was a sure sign to stop looking, battle back my severe homesickness, and start living. And that is exactly what I did.
I started going to the river every day. The smells and sounds and motion of the river were healing and slowly but surely, the crashing of ocean waves was replaced by the gentle lapping of water at the river's edge. I also got a job. Well, actually, the job got me. Sometimes, when we think we are the most invisible, that is when people can see us most clearly. New eyes, no preconceptions, clues here and there, a job offer. So, nine years after retiring, I'm working again, albeit, part-time, but working none-the-less. And, this work gives a new shape to my life.
But then something unexpected happens and I have to write it down so I won't ever forget it. It all started with a dental appointment. My friend, Sr. Sharon, had an early morning appointment with her dentist in Blytheville and, never one to miss an opportunity to go to a bookstore, I hitched a ride with her. She dropped me off at Blytheville Book Company (BBC) and while she sat in The Chair, I sat at a table reading and enjoying an espresso and steamed milk. The nice thing about a bookstore in a small town is that everyone is a friend. Stories are swapped, names are shared, and favorite book titles are recommended. This day was no different. By the end of my morning, I had encountered a piece of living history, met another California refugee (who left before leaving was the thing to do), and was charmed by a little boy named Q.
I never got the gentleman's name so I will call him Mr. Gent. Mr. Gent was in the Arkansas National Guard back in 1957 when he was sent to Little Rock, AR. Do you remember the Little Rock Nine? They were a group of young black students set to integrate the first school in Arkansas and it wasn't pretty. Orval Faubus was governor of Arkansas at that time and by the time the event passed, the first tentative steps towards integration had been made, fully eight years before the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March in 1965. I was ten years old in 1957 and have no clear memory of the event except for what I learned in history class. I do remember clearly the Selma/Montgomery March. I was a senior in high school and President John F. Kennedy had been dead for 16 months. Mr. Gent was there and when I think of him this evening, I hope that I run into him at the bookstore again. I would love to pick his brain.
After Mr. Gent departed, I continued talking with Judy, the 1997 refugee from California. Well, to be honest, she wasn't really a refugee. She and her husband followed a job offer to Blytheville and they never left. Once we discovered that we were both from California, we swapped town info. Imagine our surprise to discover that in 1997 we lived just 90 minutes from each other. I was in Turlock and she was in Madera. It was only a matter of time before we were comparing notes on the cultural whiplash we both experienced, though 22 years apart. Mr. Gent, before he left, declared that she sounded like Arkansas and I gave myself away as an Outlander because I said Cah-ruthersville, not C'rutherville. Not to worry though. In another 20 years, I'll sound like The Pirate, an interesting blend of California and Missouri. Judy and I are now Facebook friends and we have actually seen each other again at the BBC.
Thinking my morning was behind me and home looming, I still had one surprise in store for me, this at the Blytheville McDonald's as you are leaving town. Picture an older black man and a four-year-old boy both wearing dashing, sporty hats. He was so cute and I had to say so. The little guy was so proud of his hat. It turned out the older man was actually his father and himself, the father of MANY. The little guy was his youngest. I asked his name and his dad answered, "Q". I blinked. Q? I couldn't believe my ears. I've only heard of one other boy called Q, EVER! And that boy was my own son. So, I'm shaking my head, astonished by the wonder of it all and dad acknowledged that it WAS pretty unusual.
Life is full of surprises. Living history, a California refugee, and a little boy named Q all walked into my life in the space of 90 minutes. Two weeks after experiencing it, I'm still feeling the glow of it.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Saturday, April 20, 2019
It was a year ago . . .
Sitting by the river, I find myself reflecting on how quickly things can change with community support. We see it happen every time we gather as a community for street fairs, BBQ's, and community-wide clean-ups. We are supporting the health of the town through our communal efforts and our willingness to approve tax proposals that support our library and also our ability to update and manage our water issues. I love these community efforts and they are all about the things that we all notice. But . . . there is a quieter and generally unseen effort happening behind the doors of more than a few homes all over Caruthersville and across the county.
I met Eleanor Taylor about a year ago when I became aware of our struggling GED program. They were losing their meeting place and funding was hard to come by. Not much has changed except they do now have a permanent new location inside the offices of the Pemiscot Initiative Network (PIN). Eleanor has a passion for education and after gaining her Bachelor of Science degree and her Education Masters, she has devoted her life to education. Currently working as a substitute teacher, she has also been the director of the local GED program since 2010.
At one time, this program was one of several in the Bootheel. Now it is the only one, though I have heard of efforts to restart some of the programs that have closed. The GED program has one great purpose. It gives people a second chance to make a difference in their lives by earning their high school diploma and, as a consequence, make a difference for the people in their lives. And in our community, that change is happening. This past Fall three students completed the three to six-month program. One student finished and qualified for entering into the Armed Forces. Another received a promotion that would have otherwise not happened, if not for the completion of the program. A third qualified for and was hired into a job that was more than minimum wage. This Spring, at least four more students expect to complete the program. This is what I call success and affecting great personal change in one's life.
It isn't unusual for GED students to go on to specialized trade schools or college after graduating. Getting through the program takes from 3 - 6 months and involves a final competency exam to graduate. But don't let this short period of time fool you. It isn't easy. GED students are often unemployed or under-employed. They frequently have children. Classes are in the evening. It takes commitment, determination, and sometimes reliable childcare to go out at the end of a long day for classes. Anyone who has gone to night school can relate.
The basic need of money is obvious. Grants for rural GED programs are very hard to come by. There is an on-going need for school supplies, financial assistance (i.e. for that quarter of a tank of gas that is needed to get to class), and for offering a small stipend to the teacher. Funding ran out for the program a couple of months ago and, Eleanor, because of her passion for this program, currently does it for the pure love of it and her dedication to the students.
The money covers a variety of needs but there is one intangible need that is often overlooked. Many of the students arrive in class hungry. It's an undisputed fact that hunger interferes with learning, so nourishing snack donations are always welcomed. Think cheese sticks, apples, boxes of raisins, protein bars, bottled water, and baby carrots for starters.
Monetary donations can be made via David Fullhart, Director of the Pemiscot Initiative Network (573) 333-53-1 x231 or via Eleanor Taylor (573) 333-2021. There is also a GoFundMe page that is set up for direct donations. The money is deposited directly to the PIN bank account designated for the GED program. The link for the GoFundMe is https://www.gofundme.com/aytfcb-making-dreams-come-true.
The lives of people are very much like the river I live next to and love so much. Feed their minds and they will be strengthened and flow relentlessly forward in life. We, as a community, pull together well on the big and obvious needs. Let's act now to care for the GED program and help the individual and less obvious needs of our community.
I met Eleanor Taylor about a year ago when I became aware of our struggling GED program. They were losing their meeting place and funding was hard to come by. Not much has changed except they do now have a permanent new location inside the offices of the Pemiscot Initiative Network (PIN). Eleanor has a passion for education and after gaining her Bachelor of Science degree and her Education Masters, she has devoted her life to education. Currently working as a substitute teacher, she has also been the director of the local GED program since 2010.
At one time, this program was one of several in the Bootheel. Now it is the only one, though I have heard of efforts to restart some of the programs that have closed. The GED program has one great purpose. It gives people a second chance to make a difference in their lives by earning their high school diploma and, as a consequence, make a difference for the people in their lives. And in our community, that change is happening. This past Fall three students completed the three to six-month program. One student finished and qualified for entering into the Armed Forces. Another received a promotion that would have otherwise not happened, if not for the completion of the program. A third qualified for and was hired into a job that was more than minimum wage. This Spring, at least four more students expect to complete the program. This is what I call success and affecting great personal change in one's life.
It isn't unusual for GED students to go on to specialized trade schools or college after graduating. Getting through the program takes from 3 - 6 months and involves a final competency exam to graduate. But don't let this short period of time fool you. It isn't easy. GED students are often unemployed or under-employed. They frequently have children. Classes are in the evening. It takes commitment, determination, and sometimes reliable childcare to go out at the end of a long day for classes. Anyone who has gone to night school can relate.
The basic need of money is obvious. Grants for rural GED programs are very hard to come by. There is an on-going need for school supplies, financial assistance (i.e. for that quarter of a tank of gas that is needed to get to class), and for offering a small stipend to the teacher. Funding ran out for the program a couple of months ago and, Eleanor, because of her passion for this program, currently does it for the pure love of it and her dedication to the students.
The money covers a variety of needs but there is one intangible need that is often overlooked. Many of the students arrive in class hungry. It's an undisputed fact that hunger interferes with learning, so nourishing snack donations are always welcomed. Think cheese sticks, apples, boxes of raisins, protein bars, bottled water, and baby carrots for starters.
Monetary donations can be made via David Fullhart, Director of the Pemiscot Initiative Network (573) 333-53-1 x231 or via Eleanor Taylor (573) 333-2021. There is also a GoFundMe page that is set up for direct donations. The money is deposited directly to the PIN bank account designated for the GED program. The link for the GoFundMe is https://www.gofundme.com/aytfcb-making-dreams-come-true.
The lives of people are very much like the river I live next to and love so much. Feed their minds and they will be strengthened and flow relentlessly forward in life. We, as a community, pull together well on the big and obvious needs. Let's act now to care for the GED program and help the individual and less obvious needs of our community.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
W.B. Yeats
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