Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCLIII

Today I'm calling names. I want you to know who these people are. But first let me go back and give you a little background that began to channel my mind in this direction. It was a thought that popped into my brain for just an instant before I flushed it, due to its absurdity. If I think about something that immediately sets off alarms that it is too unbelievable to be true, I try to push it out of my mind and get myself back on track with reality, just as I did in this case. But then it came back. So I pushed it out again, but I soon realized that it wasn't going to leave that easily. Like I've told you before, I want to know the truth, whatever it is, so I decided to give this thought some time and attention and see if maybe there was something to it, regardless of how absurd it may seem. When I log in to the internet with our laptop at home, it automatically goes to Yahoo news, and practically everyday, there is something about some famous movie star, singer, or athlete who is now in a new relationship for the 39th time, or who has just split off with some other celebrity, ending a relationship that has been in existence for more than two years. (Apparently two years is almost an eternity to some of these people.) Here is the "absurd" thought that popped into my mind when I saw this: "Obviously, some people must care about that kind of news." As strange as it may seem, after giving it some careful study, I concluded that since these news organizations want to print stories that people want to read, that thought I had must have some merit. Why? That's beyond me. But then the thought crossed my mind that God cares what goes on in their lives, but He doesn't care any more about them than He does Bill and Emma Williams of Peoria, if there is a couple there by that name.

The fact is, Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt have had no impact on my life whatsoever, so why should I devote so much of my attention to their lives when there are so many people who HAVE had a major impact on who I am and what I have become. That now takes my mind back to where it should be, and it brings a smile to my face as I begin to picture the faces of those who are my real heroes. For example, there's Docia Duke, my first grade teacher...the one person who taught me how to read and write. I'm sure Mrs. Duke has been dead for many years now, but her influence is still very much alive in me. All of my school teachers played important roles in my life, but there are some names that seem to stand out more than others. Mabel Hanes, my fifth grade teacher is one of those people that I'll never forget as long as I live, and though it's impossible for me to let her know now, I hope that when she was my teacher, she may have had some foreknowledge of how much I would look back and appreciate her in the future.

The most outstanding influences in my life are not confined simply to school, however. I would be remiss if I left out my teachers and leaders from my church. The first name that comes to my mind is Penta Collins. We knew her as Sister Penny. A big part of who I am is due to the influence she had on me in my formative years. Two other teachers that I have to mention are Edith Bailey and Earl Francis. What would I have become without them? And there's no way that I can depart without mentioning the name, LC Coon, our youth leader during much of my childhood and early teen years. There's one incident involving him that I have to tell you about...something that no one else could possibly remember, but something that I've thought about many times since then. I was very young, barely old enough to be considered part of the youth group, and he was conducting a bible quiz competition at church. When it was my turn, I nervously stood up and faced the crowd, realizing that every eye in the building was on me. The question started out by giving a general overview of the Book of Ecclesiastes, and then came the question: "Spell Ecclesiastes." My heart sank. I tried to picture the word in my mind, and spell it out one letter at a time according to how it sounded. The smile on LC's face when he told me I had answered correctly and the immediate round of applause from the audience gave me a feeling that will stay with me the rest of my life.

It goes without saying what kind of impact that my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles had on me, basically giving me the training to make it in life on my own as an adult. Also, I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the talent that I see portrayed from some of the celebrities that I have mentioned. Right now, my favorite quarterback is Drew Brees, but there are a lot of names, like the ones that I just mentioned, who have had much more of an influence on me than he has. It's an old worn out cliché, but please allow me to say one more time, "I want to give credit where credit is due." The heroes that I just mentioned above are people that some of you know, and many of you do not. It does me good to go back and remember them from time to time, and place them in their proper places of prominence in my mind. They're the people who really matter. Have you gone back and made a list of the real heroes who have had the most positive impact on who you are? It'll do you good.

Preston