"The rich are different", or so proclaims F. Scott Fitzgerald in "The Rich Boy." This is debatable. I had a crude but honest friend that used to say "hey we all look the same from behind bent over to pick up the soap in the shower." I have no idea where Charley Cary got that line, but that may be more true than the "rich are different."
The morning was the beginning of a beautiful New York day. My mom and I were taking a short vacation in NYC. I am blessed to have odd connections to interesting people. My sister in law's cousin has been a business manager for David Rockefeller for many years. David is the last of his generation of the Rockefeller dynasty. He is now in his mid 90s. He spends his weekends north of the city in his country home on the Hudson River. We were pleased to learn we could meet him. Upon entering his beautiful old home, if one didn't notice the security, the butler, the cook, and the private nurse--- you wouldn't know you were in the home of a multibillionaire. I wanted to meet him not because he was wealthy. I was interested in talking to him about his life-- his service in WWII, his leadership in building the World Trade Center towers. And I wanted to know about his life, much of which had been spent giving away family money and running foundations in the arts and social support for the poor. He was sharp and friendly, and quite "undifferent." His great joy was showing us the tricks his dog Snoopy did. He would spend the rest of the weekend in the old family home. Monday morning a helicopter would land on the lawn and take him back to his high rise in Manhattan. At 95, he would show up at "The Rock" at his office to go about being rather "undifferent."
Unfortunately, our western culture judges success and "net worth" by bank accounts, real estate holdings, and material goods. It was at my father's funeral I realized no one at that moment cared how much money he died with...in his pocket or in the bank. No one cared that daddy had lost the farm to debt, and he was now making an honest living driving the local trash truck. Everyone there knew he'd never worked the system of US government "farm welfare." What seemed important to people, about 300 of them in a town of 200 people, was the fact that Jimmy McCoy was a man of his word. He was kind and big hearted. He would often be the first on the door step of a neighbor in need. Everyone also knew dad struck the match too many times and I know he popped the top of a cold one too often. But even that didn't seen to matter in the end, when it was all over except for the flowers, and him being carried to the hole "we were planting him in", as he was fond of saying about funerals.
I sat Friday night at the OSU Educators Hall of Fame and realized in the end, our net worth must be measured by what we give, not what we take. It must be measured by the open hand of releasing our lives to others, not the closed hand of hoarding. It must be measured by the brave action of helping the needy, not the cowardly stance that only the lazy can't better themselves. I sat there and thought about that little man, Skeet Carney, described in A Rainbow in the Dark. Skeet did the unthinkable many times. He went to Kirk's basketball games being the only white face in the crowd. He drove to east side of Atoka, and begged Ripp to return to college. He hired African American kids when plenty of whites needed jobs. And more than that he treated them without a speck of difference regarding their skin color.
So if we view being wealthy by measures like Dr. Henry Kirkland Jr., Skeet Carney, or even my Daddy--- maybe the wealthy are different. Different in spirit, Rich in spirit.
I have always liked getting news. When I was growing up on the farm one of the highlights was seeing the rural mail truck coming down the road, kicking up dust as they came. The dusty trail always seemed to give a sense of urgency...like the mail must get delivered and FAST. So, I would run to the mailbox and see if there was any mail for me. Sometimes, I would be waiting on photos that were processed at Owl's Photo in Weatherford, Oklahoma. My how my heart would race if upon opening the mailbox I would find a large envelope with a picture of an Owl on it. Or maybe there would be a letter from a relative or friend. I often awaited letters from my grandmother that had cancer. Grandma Bartz would travel to either Oregon or San Diego, California to get treatment for her advanced cancer. We would write each other, and I always enjoyed getting her letters.
My how times have changed. The email sat in my INBOX for a couple days last week before I opened it. But those lovely words, "We have fabulous news for you! Your entry A Rainbow in the Dark has been named WINNER in the national book contest, the 2012 Next Generation Independent Book Award in the African American category." And as a bonus, we received finalist status in Multicultural and Book Cover Design.
Dr. Kirkland and I will travel to New York City in early June to receive the award. The event will be held at The Plaza Hotel on June 4 th. This award is yet another confirmation that this story should be told. And, if it is to be told, it will be! BE PART OF THE TELLING!!
From the fictionalized account of Dr. Henry Kirkland Jr’s life, who became a Hall of Fame educator twice over, in A Rainbow in the Dark comes a powerful scene in which young Kirk encounters a dying man who was shot. Kirk finds himself caught up in the drama largely because of the color of his skin. Here is the account from the book; while Kirk sits in the sheriff’s car as a suspect to a murder he had nothing to do with:
“The strong aroma of blood suddenly grabbed him like an iron fist. He could even taste the blood. It was a sweet metallic taste that reminded Kirk of weekends he’d spend with his grandparents, just outside of Stringtown. They raised cattle and hogs. In the summer, Kirk and his dad would help butcher the hogs. It was always a brutal day that Kirk dreaded. His visits to the farm were peaceful and quiet, except on butchering day.
The event would begin by Kirk’s grandpa, Sam Colbert, walking into the hog pen with a hammer. He would find the hog he wanted, and then hit the hog right between the eyes. Grandpa Sam then took the razor sharp knife and slashed the hog’s throat from ear to ear. As the hog’s blood gushed everywhere Kirk’s job was to help drag 9in to the scalding vat. Before the day was over he would be covered in blood.
The sheriff walked around the front of the car, then opened the door and was seated. “You’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do, boy.” said the sheriff. What was this about Whiskey, drugs, revenge? Or was it just random?”
I don’t rightly know,” said Kirk. “I’ve heard Johnny hadn’t been very faithful to his wife and he smacks her around.
The sheriff jumped back in his seat.
“Are you tellin’ me Marie put you up to this?’
“Put me up to what?” asked Kirk with a blank look on his face.
“Killing Johnny Morman.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” asked an incensed Kirk. “I didn’t ki8ll him. I was trying to save the poor bastard.”
“Save him?” said a disbelieving sheriff. “Would you like to know what I think?” asked the sheriff.
“Yes, sir.”
“I think you are a liar!” scream Sheriff Cain. “I’m gettin’ real tired of your lying. Get out of this car.”
Kirk stepped out of the vehicle, and the sheriff strode over to where he stood. Cain spun Kirk’s tall thin body around and forced him over the car hood. He then frisked Kirk down from head to toe. When he felt the gun in Kirk’s pocket, he stopped.”
So, here stood Kirk, alone and innocent. But the sheriff was building a good case against him. This it seems is where police work get difficult. One must keep an open mind about all the evidence and not rush to judgment.
The case of Zimmerman-Davis in Florida highlights the problem with 24-hour news channels. These cases hit a news cycle and must run their course before they fade from the national scene. The true tragedy here is a young man’s life is over. The second tragedy is as a nation we seemed to be asked to take a “side” before anyone knows what really happened that night on a street in Florida. The best scenario would be to let justice take it’s course in the county in which the event occurred. Do we really know the police had put this case to rest without plans on arresting Zimmerman after further ongoing investigation? No one knows what really happened that night. What we do know is a young man in dead. Many in the media have turned the victim though into the older Zimmerman. The man, Zimmerman, is the one with the gun, the one who was told to stand down by the police, the one who was “patrolling” the street with gun at the ready, the one who decided to become investigator, prosecutor, judge, and jury that night. And, on the other hand, Davis has been painted as the young small innocent kid who went for skittles and a glass of tea. Did he approach and attack Zimmerman that night. Many in our country seem confident he did.
We would all do well to hold the police accountable for investigating a case in which an unarmed man is gunned down in the street. We could also do well to attempt from forming an opinion about a tragic case in which we really know nothing about.
In A Rainbow in the Dark, Kirk was about to get caught in the middle of a crime he had nothing to do with. If not for some LOCAL influence, he could have been accused and convicted of a crime he had nothing to do with. That would have changed his life forever. And on that dark street in Florida a young man’s life was ended forever. But, let’s all let the police to their job. The police should be investigated by an outside law agency in my opinion to see if they ended their investigation abruptly.
(The following needs to be read as satire, otherwise no one will get it)
Skeet Carney, a main real character in A Rainbow in the Dark, always asked three questions of people he had mentored. I can just imagine Skeet doing his nervous tic of pulling at his slack pants with his elbows and swiping a finger along his lip, and asking:
1. Are you saving money?
2. Are you going to church?
3. Do you have insurance?
Our country is in a world of hurt. The only person not worried about the $16,000,000,000,000
of debt is the white fat guy on Fox News at 5 PM EST. Otherwise, the rest of us are a bit concerned.
And what's even scarier than the number is the fact that no one with the right resume is willing to be POTUS (president of the United States) in the next four years. I submit that the current and at least the last three presidents are largely responsible for the huge debt the U.S. now carries. One guy thought we didn't know if his lips were moving for us to read he was lying, the next fella needed a new belt because he had trouble keeping his pants up, the "decider" couldn't decide to quit starting wars, the present gent doesn't know that you can't sling a dead sea turtle without hitting a pipeline across the fruited plains so one more big pipe is going to harm nothing. And no one in congress is innocent in this mess either.
Let's boil this down. If you were making $40,000 a year and it cost you $38,000 a year to support your family of five, how are you going to get out of a $100,000 debt ? You likely cannot cut enough spending to get the money to pay off the debt. You need to make more money. Back to the government. How does DC get out of debt? The simple answer is live on less than you make-- Skeet's question, are you saving money ? But how does DC make money ? This is accomplished by cutting spending and increasing revenue. It is doubtful the debt will be handled by cutting spending alone. So we need more money. Do we raise taxes? Or do we lower taxes allowing businesses to make more money therefore stimulate the economy and more dollars find their way to DC. What is the answer? I DO NOT KNOW!! I say let's lock 10 of the smartest people we have in a room without any influence of politics. They don't get to come out until they have solved this problem.
Back to my concern. All of the GOP men have a problems. I will not insult the character or intelligence of any of them. I will not insult the readers of this blog by blasting any of them. But, in my opinion, none are qualified for the job. There were three great presidents: Washington, Lincoln, and William Henry Harrison. Harrison makes my list because he didn't live long enough to mess anything up. He served 30 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes. He died of pneumonia. He was too stupid to not give a long speech in the freezing rain the day he was sworn in!
So, we need two things. The first is to amend the constitution to force congress members to serve one term and then go home and get a real job. If they are found within fifty miles of the Capitol, they get arrested. And in this amendment, we move the U.S. Capitol to Liberal Kansas to make being in congress a service rather than a perky opportunity. Why Liberal you ask? Have you ever been to Liberal? Enough said. The second thing is to find a Skeet Carney to be president. His three simple natural laws of life would likely be the answer to all that ails us. NO ONE in my opinion running for president should be president. We need someone who understands how to lead us with a foundation based on truth, living on less than we make, and preparing for the worst case senecio. I therefore ask, WHERE ARE THE SKEET CARNEYS of our day. Maybe they are all gone. But God help us find him or her. If you want to know more about who Skeet Carney is you need to read A Rainbow in the Dark. (this has been a shameless plug from a scared citizen.)
The title of this blog is from one of the best movies ever made in the history of the world, "Oh Brother Where Art Though?" There some things in this world that don't make sense, but they are--TRUE. I guess these things might make sense if we understood the natural way of things better, But they don't make sense to our instinct or experience.
Years ago, I planted a tree. Planting a tree is something that should be in everyone's bucket list. In northwestern Oklahoma City, the dirt is not like it is in Roger Mills County where I grew up. Here, it is a red clay that is more like rock than dirt. This means digging a hole turns in to work really fast. The first tree planting went so well though I decided to plant another one. I've heard the saying "call before you dig." But I reasoned, that in this whole yard what would be the chances of hitting any utility or pipe with a small hole for a tree. Well, evidently, the chances were better than I thought. Because about two feet down, I hit a pipe. Turns out, I'm pretty good at finding the sewer pipe even when not looking for it. Luckily, no damage was done.
I filled the hole in with the dirt I had taken out of the hole. But the oddest thing happened, There was not enough dirt to go back into the hole I just dug. Now, "This don't make no sense" I thought to myself. It will remain one of those things I just will never understand about life. Why does the dirt taken out of the hole not match the dirt placed in the hole.
There's something else that doesn't make any sense. Often when we spend money on ourselves, we just end up with less money in our pocket. But, when we give money away, somehow we seem to get money back. The prosperity preachers have taken advantage of this unusual fact and made an entire theology and a fortune out of it. I don't know how this works. I certainly don't know if God keeps account of things like this. I do know there is a "natural law" that seems to bring money back those who give.
In our book, A Rainbow in the Dark, Skeet Carney is shown as a giving man. He was more giving than anyone knows. As I have spoken with people, I believe now that Skeet Carney gave away as much money as he ever made, yet he never wanted for money. Skeet seemed to figure this odd secret out early in his life. A story that is not in the book, but actually happened involved Kirk's class ring. Kirk went to Skeet one day and asked for an advance in his pay. He needed $5 as a down payment of his class ring. Skeet asked "How much does the ring cost?" When Kirk told him "$36.10.", Skeet quietly went to his little office and wrote a check for the entire amount and told Kirk it was his gift.
This is not the only example of Skeet's giving. I met a man the other day that is a doctor from Atoka. When he read A Rainbow in the Dark, he wept. He wept because he knew Skeet well. He knew the Skeet we captured in the book was the Skeet he knew. This doctor told me when he graduated from High School in Atoka, Skeet came to his house with a card. In that card was a $100 bill. Who knows how many young people Skeet did this for. It seemed to be his way of telling young people, "I believe in you. I'm investing in you!" There is no doubt Skeet did this sort of thing for countless people. Yet, another one of his passions was saving money. He always asked young people if they were saving money for the future. Skeet was an odd little man. I think he was filled up with more of God than anyone I've ever heard of. Yet, no one ever mentions how Skeet told them about God. Everyone that knew him, seems to tell of how he showed them God. Now that is something that makes sense.
It was a regular day at the office, until I saw the note on my desk. It simply said, "A man from the CIA is in room one and wants to talk to you in private." That is not a note one ever wants to see. I quickly tried to remember if I'd paid my taxes, or ever done anything remotely important enough for the CIA to come to my office. I didn't have a clue why the CIA came to visit, but I didn't like the sound of it.
As I entered the room, I expected someone who could have doubled in "Men in Black." The gentleman actually looked more like a taxi driver. This day just got stranger in my mind. I thought, "Oh, that's their technique”-- appear normal, then turn into a torture machine just when one least expects it.
It turns out; he was there to ask about a patient. This patient was not in trouble, instead, the CIA was offering her a very specific job. I pulled up her chart and remembered her well. When I had seen her years earlier, I was never sure if she was odd, insane, or truly amazing. She had related to me a couple of episodes. She reported one night visiting her cousin’s home. She claimed she had a clairvoyant ability. She claimed that night she felt an evil presents, and had to jump out of bed screaming. She had scratches over her upper chest. She felt she was battling something evil. She was asked to leave by her cousin in the middle of night.
Strange—odd, insane, or amazingly special? She also related an episode of getting off the highway onto a small country road. She says she told her husband, “Something will fall off a truck.” They drove about four miles and approached a truck. Large pipes began to fall off the truck and her husband barely missed them. Again- odd, insane…?
So, here I sat years later being asked about her medical health and my opinion of her mental health. The agent would tell me very little except agencies including Homeland Security were offering her a job in the area of intelligence and national security.
So, how does this relate to A Rainbow in the Dark? I’ve tried to explain to audiences how odd, or insane, or extremely amazing Skeet Carney was to hire Kirk, treat him as an equal, attend his ball games and generally look out for his interest. There is no way for most of us to understand how odd Skeet was in his day. He was decades before his time in the way he viewed race relations. There was no doubt people would have considered him odd and insane if they knew the whole story in that day. It is the cultural perspective that most of us cannot even begin to understand. Paranormal activity is defined as "a phenomena that is beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding." Skeet's behavior was not normal, maybe bordering on paranormal. So, read A Rainbow and decide for yourself what Skeet was all about. You might just be surprised.
I have good news and bad news. If you are not aware there is a "special day" for ALMOST anything in great U.S. of A. For instance, you likely already missed National Give a Hug day, which was on January 21 st. But, take a deep breath; and wipe away the tears of sorrow over all those missed hugs. The entire MONTH of January is National Soup Month-- now there's a month worth enjoying!
And do not loose heart, this month is also National Mentor Month. Who knew? Maybe we should ponder this mentor idea some more. As I have spoken across this state promoting A Rainbow in the Dark, I usually have someone come to me and say they too had a mentor. Most say it was a coach, teacher, Sunday school teacher or some other significant person in their life. I think that is part of the reason A Rainbow touches people so deeply-- the reader injects themselves into the story, feeling the struggle and yet the bright light that leads them on.
So, if you recall a mentor, do something. First of all, we have turned the word mentor into a scary word. Mentor is not adoption. Mentoring is not committing a life long promise. Being a mentor does not have to consume your time or money. The dictionary defines mentor simply as "adviser." Any word that can be defined with one other word can't be that complicated. For National Mentor Month, I would urge us to do two things. First, if you can recall a mentor-- call or write them a note telling them how much you appreciate and still remember them.
Secondly, let’s look for someone in our circle of comings and goings to advise-- let's not even use the "M" word. Make yourself available to give encouragement and advice. Even more importantly, commit to that person that you are a safe confidential person that will listen and walk their path. Sometime listening will be more empowering than giving advice.
One day during an office visit a young counselor was shocked when she heard the young lady say, "You know that thing you said last week changed my life. When you said my problems probably stemmed from the fact I have spent my entire life trying to live up to my big sister's spotless reputation." The young psychologist could hardly contain her laugh. Because the week before it was the patient that realized on her own the root of her struggle and pain was her struggle with her sister. The patient transferred what was said to her trusted advisor who was simply listening.
Can I be a mentor or even an advisor. I'm not sure. I do know I have two ears to listen with, and that might make all the difference. Now, let's go listen and advise; I heard May is National Listening Month!
No one knows if this meeting ever occurred. It could have happened. The date would have been sometime in June of 1870. Hank arrives first at the general store in Williamson in Barbour County Alabama. As he opens the door he notices a woman about 10 years older. His eyes go to the boardwalk sidewalk as the woman, Jane, enters the store. Hank looked down because it was a cultural reflex. Hank is a black man, a freed slave. Jane's reaction was unfortunately a natural one as well. Whites, even up through the time before integration often looked right through blacks almost as if they were invisible.
Hank was the lone child slave in a home in Newton Alabama. He was separated by his family as early as the age of 9. He received his freedom in 1865 when the Civil War ended. Just by chance, Jane and Hank left the store about the same time. Except this time, Jane was leaving first and held the door for Hank. It was an odd feeling for both of them. Jane was actually raised in Williamson by her uncle Green Beauchamp.
Both of Jane's parents had died when she was about 12 years old. Green and his wife did not have any children so they raised their nieces and nephews. Jane would later move just north to Russell County to attend a private school. She was caught up in a scandal when she eloped with one of her teachers at the age of 16. She was basically disowned by her Beauchamp family.
She had returned to Barbour County to attend the funeral of her uncle Green. She wanted to see the store once again. This story would be interesting just for the odd facts within. But the oddity of it actually involves who these two people are, and their relationship to our story A Rainbow in the Dark. For you see, Hank was a slave in the home of a white man that would actually die the Civil War. That white man was Henry A Kirkland.
When that young slave got his freedom, he would take the name of his former owner. He became Henry Kirkland, the former slave. Young Henry married Isabelle McSwean and started his family. He would later move with his young family to Montgomery, where another son was born-- Henry Kirkland. This Henry would later move to Northeastern Texas, and later to Atoka, Oklahoma. For you see, Hank (Henry Kirkland), the former slave, is the grandfather of Henry Kirkland, Jr-- my friend and main character of A Rainbow in the Dark.
So who in the world is Jane? She is Nancy Eliza Jane Beauchamp, who eloped with my great great grandfather, James Gimble McCoy. Jane is my great great grandmother. So, Dr. Kirkland's grandfather raised his family in the exact town my great great grandmother was raised. About 130 years later, I would walk into Dr Kirkland's class and that would change my life.
Rosa Parks did not know December 1st, 1955 would go down in history. She boarded the bus after a long day at work as a seamstress. She was tired and cold. Have you ever been tired, hungry, and cold? On this night, it would lead to a national movement. At the corner of Lee and Montgomery in downtown Montgomery Alabama, the bus was becoming crowded. Some whites were standing while Rosa Parks sat in her seat close to the front. Someone complained. The bus driver got out of his seat and asked Parks to get up, as directed by the "separate but equal" policy dating back to 1900. Rosa Parks told the driver she was tired and had no intention of standing while a white man sat in her seat. The driver drove one more block and looked in his mirror to see the trouble maker, Parks still seated. He went back to Parks and told her she must move or the police would be called. She politely told the driver, "do what you must, but I am not moving." Parks surely knew two other women had been arrested for not giving up their seat in the previous year. She had had enough. She was willing to stay seated to make a statement, even if she ended up in jail. In fact, the driver got off the bus, went to a pay phone and called the police. Parks was arrested and booked into the county jail. Her crime was not deferring to the ordinance of mandating whites had the right to stay seated.
A young lady named JoAnn Robinson learned of Park's arrest. Robinson worked at a local university. She took it upon herself to write a flyer asking ALL blacks to boycott the bus system. She did this at risk of her job. These messages would reach thousands of blacks. What was meant to be a three day boycott of the bus system would last for well over a year.
The following Monday, leaders in the NAACP organization would meet and elect a young pastor to be the chairman of the Montgomery Improvement Association. That young pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church was Martin Luther King, Jr. I will write much more about King later, but he was thrust into greatest. He never set out to be the voice and face of the civil rights movement.
The previous history is relevant to A Rainbow in the Dark because it is the back story that allowed Henry Kirkland Jr to walk through every door that was opened by those civil rights heros that came before.
