Week's Best - 2nd Edition

This has been quite the week, folks. We gritted our teeth through/enjoyed/raged about (depending on your viewpoint and disposition) the inauguration of our/their/your/not my (see earlier qualifier) 45th President of the United States, and although there were a couple of very small protests that got out of hand, we got to see democracy in all its creaky, sometimes irksome, sometimes noisy and unpleasant glory. But if you thought that was the big story of the week, you are mistaken.

The big story of the week is that every damned day, people got up and did the right things for the best reasons, took care of their neighbors, dug deep in their pockets to help others in their time of deepest need, hugged their spouses and children, held a door for a person struggling with their mobility, let a frazzled mom with a cranky toddler go ahead of them in line at the grocery, made somebody laugh, and spoke up to take exception when they heard someone being picked on. Folks got on their knees to pray for guidance, for patience, for peace, for forgiveness, for the strength to keep fighting their good fights without making enemies along the way. They prayed to God, or to Allah, or just to unknown gods known collectively, perhaps, as Hope and Faith in Humanity.

But nobody needs a reminder of that, right? So I'm just going to share the best things that happened in my very small orbit this week.

*****

On Monday, I got a new back door. It's a very special door. It took a crew of 4 workmen 10 fulls hours to install it. This, my friends, is a door that deserves a name, so I have given it one.

Dumble

*****

 

Since the first of the year, every book I've read has been on my Kindle Paperwhite, but this week I picked up an actual paper and ink one to read. There is still just something about a book in my hand that will beat a device every single time. Among the less lofty reasons for that is that a real book just looks more interesting through the eye of my viewfinder. 

*****

Late Thursday afternoon, the whole local staff of Central Alabama Community Foundation traveled to Chisholm Community Center to surprise Charles Lee and his organization That's My Child with a surprise $3,000 grant. This was the first of 30 of these we'll be awarding, in celebration of the Foundation's 30th Anniversary.  I slipped into the gym a few minutes before the actual surprise happened, and enjoyed watching some of the young men who take part in Mr. Lee's programs play some basketball. After I got home to cull the pictures I'd taken, I was surprised by what I discovered in this one featuring these two fellows, poised to play, wearing their jerseys numbered "3" and "0" right next to each other. 

*****

WEIRD FAMILY STUFF

What I got to do on Thursday got me to thinking about something my Great Grandfather, the Rev. J. Russell Crawford, said back in 1889, probably in one of his sermons. Somewhere along the way somebody illustrated this nugget and presented it to either my Nannaw or Mama. I remember well that neither of them were altogether pleased with the "folksy" art, but it doesn't take away from what my Great-Granddaddy said, something that perfectly explains what I try to tell folks about the work of the Foundation. We help those "greenbacks" get from our amazing donors into the hands of the folks with "grit, grace, and gumption" who are doing really awesome things around this ol' River Region.

*****

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING

The Wangs v. the World by Jade Change (real book)

Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman (Kindle)

BEST STUFF WE WATCHED

The last episode of this season's Longmire (Netflix) 

By the way, Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays Walt Longmire's friend Henry Standing Bear in this series, has played roles in a gazillion movies and TV shows. He shot to fame back in 1987 playing the role of Richie Valens in La Bamba. But before he did that, he was born...... an Upchurch. 

Yep. 

and

The first episode of Victoria on PBS