My Hero...

On Sunday January 6, 2013 I lost my hero.   My Grandmother Lalia Louise Hawthorne Wixson passed from this world.  It is a hard thing to accept, someone that meant so much to me no longer a phone call away… There are moments where it is almost unbearable.

But then I think of the legacy that she left me.

Every time I look in the mirror, I see her work in progress.  She took me in when I needed her and she insured that I went to school and had every tool that she was able to give me to live the best life I possibly can.   

And I will. 

Every breath I take, every moment… will be in honor of her. 

Lalia Louise Wixson

August 4, 1939 – January 6, 2013

Louise Wixson, 73, passed from this life Sunday, January 6, 2013 at Hospice Ministries, Ridgeland.

Visitation is 5:00-8:00pm Monday, January 7, 2013 at Baldwin-Lee Funeral Home in Pearl. Graveside services arer 2:30pm Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at Drakes United Methodist Church Cemetery in Flowood. 

She was born August 4, 1939 in Madison County, a daughter of the late Robert Lee Hawthorne and Catherine Lee Eley Hawthorne. She was a devoted wife, mother and homemaker and a member of Drakes United Methodist Church.

Survivors include sons, James Grant Wixson and wife Michele and Bubba Wixson and wife Becky; daughters, Sheila Williams and husband Marvin and Tina Wixson; brother, Henry Hawthorne; sisters, Sarah Haskins, Betty Dulworth, Annette Creel, Clara Reid and Margaret Hawthorne; grandchildren, Jayroe Williams and wife Rebecca, Heather Williams, Christina Shores, Grant Blakeney, John Wixson and Kirby Wixson; and great-grandchildren, Autumn Williams, Destiny Crosby, Hanna Crosby, Hayden Shores and Charles Williams.

Good Life: A Photographic Glimpse at 2010

This is a view of my world from my eyes through just a few of my favourite photos from 2010.

Reaching Out

It is amazing how time flows… it seems like just yesterday we were at the dawn of a new decade, and now the year is nearly half finished. So many things change, and so fast… it never ceases to amaze me. Time to me is like a river, you can’t stop it and occasionally you hit rapids or pick up people on the banks! The Mississippi River is the most important River in the United States, and here it is flowing under the I20 and Old Hwy 80 Bridges in Vicksburg, MS.

Many of you have heard about the Tornado’s that devastated my home state last week. I would like to report that I am well, my city was not affected, however Yazoo City and surrounding areas about 30 miles north were devastated, if you would like to help please visit Here and Here.

We also have another series of storms moving in this week, hopefully nothing as severe as those last week.

Scheme of Things

There are moments where we are suddenly snapped to the realization that we are small in the scheme of things, and no matter how massive we are in our own world… overall it’s not that much. I got this when I saw this couple staring at the barges along the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, MS… The size of the river, and the boats, set against the couple in a loving almost futile embrace of protection against the evils of the world, inspired the above thought.

Rivers

Rivers are a mysterious part of the landscape; they provide a mode of transportation for man and water to the sea. The Mississippi river is the largest river and North America that provides just this purpose; it connects the American heartland to the sea, and effectively divides the continental United States into Eastern States and Western States.

On some nights, I have found that if you travel to a river… you can sense spirits travelling down with the water. Where they go I am not sure, but I can definitely see why so many ancient cultures revered rivers as paths to the other world.

The Mississippi

Anytime you fly out of Jackson, Mississippi (JAN) on American Eagle Airlines, you go to Dallas, Texas (DFW). In order to do this you fly over one of the greatest, if not the greatest river in North America… the Mississippi River. I remember seeing it when flying to DFW the first time, I was a little crest fallen… I expected something a little grander. And then I realised that you see the Mississippi River, and you do not see many other rivers from that height, so that gave me a clue to its size. Now I look forward to seeing it when I fly, almost like saying hello to an old friend.

Dreams

Dreams start out as small streams flowing through our lives, and as we go forward… they grow. Soon our dreams are so big, that they overflow their original banks and spill over into every aspect of our lives.

Suddenly we are faced with a question, what do we do with this?

The answer is simple, and often over looked. Jump in feet first, and let it surround you... you never really know what is possible.

(About the photo: The Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Mississippi at Sunset.)

Equality

In 1776 when they said that all “All men are created equal,” they may have only meant “all white land owning men are created equal,” but we as a nation have come a long way… we have seen many people die fighting for their freedom, against us (Civil Rights Movements)… the United States. Some of these people have won their freedom, some are still fighting, but we need to actually realize that we will only truly live up to the standard that we project to the world… and we project to ourselves, when we finally live up to our own standards and truly acknowledge that all people are equal no matter what race, religion, sex, sexual preference, national origin, disability, etc. Only then will we truly be a free nation for all.

Mighty Mississippi

A lot of talk has been of the frightening water levels for the Mississippi River, and flooding concerns. This photo was taken in Vicksburg, Mississippi on 4-9-2008. The river used to be about forty feet down the submerged embankment. The water is already forcing city officials to take protective measures and close the river all that protects the city from the Mississippi… but truthfully if the river wants something, it will take it.