Dawn in North Carolina

I took this photo recently on my way to speak in North Carolina  - the quiet just before sunrise. 

Ahhh, Summertime

I am not a fan of summer.  I do not sweat well.  I do not like sticky skin.  I do not like dampish clothes.  I do not like high humidity.  I do not like the way by clothes wrinkle just by walking out the door.  I do not like a hot interior in the car.  I do not like daylight savings time because it just seems to add an hour of heat to the day.

When did this happen – not liking summer?  As a child, I could not wait until June to get out of school, lay out in the sun, play softball in the summer league, have a flower garden and be a total sun-up to sundown outdoor kinda gal.  What happened to that carefree life? 

Oh, that’s right.  I became an adult!  Adulthood can pull the living stuff out of life.  Would you agree?  But, being an adult doesn’t always mean we have to grow up.

I have made a pledge to get outdoors again this summer like I did in the 60s and not dwell on the things I do not like about the heat and humidity but just savor the joy of summertime.  Why don’t you do the same!

Fathers Day

I loved my daddy.  He was such a decent, caring, and fun loving man.  No one could have asked for a better dad than my brothers and I had in Joe Hicks. 

 When I think of my father, I immediately smile.  He was just pure joy.  No one ever loved life more than my dad.  Everyone wanted to be around him.  Children were drawn to him!  Men admired him.  Women thought he was charming.  He was the complete package.

Although a stern disciplinarian, he punished only when it was deserved.  There was never a discussion as to why we were being disciplined.  It was just the overhanging fear of when it was coming.  Oh, I’d try to be extra special good when he arrived home from work so he’d think, “What a precious child she is!”  I just knew I’d win him over and he’d just let the disciple slide.  Little did I know, I was like a dog who had just misbehaved….I gave him every signal he needed when he walked in the door announcing, “Laura has messed up again and it’s time to fix her!”  Daddy mostly disciplined with lectures.  Oh, they were painful!  And, you felt like a slimy slug when you slunk away from him - vowing to never disappoint him again. 

Two things I learned from those discipline sessions:   One - I had to pay for my crimes.  Two - I became a good speaker by listening to his delivery methods!  In other words, he made me who I am today! 

 I salute my dad, Joe Hicks!

National Hollerin’ Day

In North Carolina, we’re proud of our heritage. We appreciate the good life of today but we celebrate things of our past with a passion.  National Hollerin' Day is today in Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina - normal population 468. But, on National Hollerin' Day, an estimated 5,000-10,000 people come to hear some gifted hollerers!   

And, honey, there are different kinds of hollerin.  Don’t believe me?  Well go to www.ibiblio.org/hollerin/hollerin.htm and listen for yourself.

If you want learn more go to www.hollerincontest.com to find out more about this fun event!  Eeeyhaw!

Flag Day

Today is Flag Day.  You may be saying, “So what?”  Well, I am a patriotic girl and I say we pay attention to Flag Day because our United States flag has been a symbol of hope and freedom since 1776 all over the world. 

It all started when George Washington and two other members of the Continental Congress asked Betsy Ross (let’s hear it for Betsy!) to sew the first American flag sometime in the late spring of 1776. The young widow was in her early 20's when she completed the first flag with thirteen stars arranged in a circle to represent the 13 colonies.  The colors of the flag were symbolic too. Red stood for hardiness and courage, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance and justice.

A year after Betsy finished Old Glory, the Continental Congress officially adopted the design for the national flag, and henceforward the Stars and Stripes symbolized the U.S. around the world.

The first "official" Flag Day was celebrated in 1877 - the flag's centennial. Flag Day was made a permanent observance in America in 1949.

Hang your flag today!  Be proud to be an American. For further information about the Stars and Stripes go to http://www.usflag.org/

Oprah Rules

An entire generation was grown up with Oprah.  What a success story she is!  Now, she leaves her show after 25 years to pursue other dreams.  I just love that!  Her net worth is $2.4 billion and she is still dreaming.  Not bad for a little southern girl from Mississippi. 

Oprah Winfrey has the heart of champion and enjoys much success. But she knows real success comes when you help others.  There are untold stories of how Oprah touched so many lives.  Oprah was just doing what comes natural to her while millions benefited.  On her final show, the last words she said after thanking the audience was, “To God Be The Glory.”  That says it all.

Who does not admire her for a life of wows and woes?    Thanks, Oprah, for sharing 25 years of your life with us weekly to let us see and experience the truly remarkable woman you are!

WalMart Rules

I love Walmart.  I do!  I love going to one location and getting just about anything you want for a good deal.  Evidently, many people feel the same way I do.  Recently in an article from Fortune Magazine it declared this retail chain, “Planet WalMart” for 2010 and here are some reasons why:

1) They sold $421,849,000,000 in merchandise

2) They employ 2.1 million people

3) Their 8000 truck drivers drove 749 million miles (that’s circling the earth 30,000 times)

4) They have 952,203,837 square feet of retail stores and this figure does not include their parking lots, distribution centers nor offices

5) They are revamping the stores again to enhance more buying by meeting customer desires, wants and needs

I think the Federal Government should have consultants from WalMart giving them advice on the economy!  Let’s hear it for Sam Walton and his dream!

Text Addiction

I don’t really understand the addiction to texting. Why does anyone need to know what I am doing 24-7.  I prefer my life to be private.  But, some people tell every minute detail of their day.  Is it because we mistakenly think others care that much about us?  Or, are people’s egos so massive they feel they are the center of the universe? 

In the United States, as reported by CTIA in December 2009,  286 million US subscribers sent 152.7 billion text messages per month, for an average of 534 messages per subscriber per month.  The Pew Research Center found in May 2010 that 72% of U.S. adult cell phone users send and receive text messages.  And, that information is two years old! 

 I guess I miss face to face conversation and talking on the phone.  Could I be showing my age?