Archive for Fact
Our Insulated Lives
Memorial Day, 2009 – As I sit in my recliner in my air-conditioned home looking through the glass sliding doors on to my back yard watching the rain come down, I think the time has come for a little bit of self-examination. Just to the right of the glass doors stands my “entertainment center’ where my flat-screen television quietly waits to provide me with “entertainment” from my digital cable, my DVD player, my Blu-Ray player, or my Wii. To the left of the glass doors is one of two built-in bookcases that frame the massive corner fireplace that warms my home anytime I desire, but is not necessary since all I really have to do is turn on the central heat. On the bookcases are color photos of loved ones, small ceramic pots and urns. Oh yeah, there are books on the shelves as well. Books of all types and sizes and at least three different translations of The Bible.
Just like the rest of my home, my “living room” is dry, comfortable and safe just as is Magee, my favorite dog, who is currently sacked out on the couch next to my chair. She raises her head as my wife passes through. She is curious to know if Pam is headed to the treat cabinet that holds her favorite treat, meat-stuffed rawhide. Her ears perk up as Pam opens the fridge but when the familiar crinkle of plastic that might indicate other potential “treats” isn’t heard, she turns to look out into the yard pretending that she really doesn’t care. But she waits until Pam returns and sits in her own recliner before giving up hope and lays her head back down and with a sigh dozes back off to dream the dreams that dogs dream. Later, Magee will give me even less attention as I rise to take advantage of one of the multiple in-door plumbing facilities scattered through-out my home. Apparently, she is acutely aware that there are no treats stored in those places and her feined interest wanes even faster with me than it did with Pam.
It is in this safe and comfortable place on Memorial Day that the reality of our “insulated lives” strikes me hard. For several weeks while preparing for a Memorial Day Special radio show, I have been thinking along the lines of how insulated everyone is from the harsh and cold realities of the world. It is not for me to wonder about the fairness or unfairness of life, because it is simply true that there is no inherent fairness in life and to wonder about it would serve no purpose. It is not pessimism that makes me say that, but rather realism. Our founding fathers acknowledged that “all men are created equal” and left it at that, because they knew that after a person is created, his or her perception of the fairness or unfairness of life is often determined by that individual.
This is not to say that there isn’t some inherent unfairness in life. There are some things individuals simply cannot overcome. A crippling disability, a tragic event, a devastating illness, a sudden death, or an economic catastrophy are all unfair situations that anyone may face. And while some people survive and some even thrive afterward, sadly, some do not.
Part of my preparation for the radio show was the publication of my great-uncle’s story of being a prisoner of war on Bataan and in doing so, I spent a lot of time reading his words. I noted when I originally wrote the story in 1985 that he often said, “I was lucky.” That comment struck me back then when I was 20 years old, but I failed to grasp the significance then. It would take 24 years, surviving a life-threatening illness and the loss of my step-daughter before I could read those words again and understand what he was really saying.
We live our lives insulated from the realities of life. We go to the store and buy our steaks and pork chops and chicken nuggets separated from much of the work that it takes to get the food to our tables. We click a button and bring the world into our homes instantly, and never think about our lives before the time when we could do such a thing. We decide to take a vacation and get into our cars, a train or a plane and go basically where ever we wish without a lot of thought about the days when such travel was beyond the realm of possibility. We are able to read books of our choosing, listen to music we like and watch movies we want to see. We are all lucky.
We are lucky that certain men and women woke up one day and decided to give more than their fair share. They stepped up to the plate and swung hard and hit a home run for all of us. They acknowledged the risks, took up their arms and marched into the gaping maw to fill the gap so the rest of us wouldn’t have to do it. The freedoms that I enjoy on this rainy Monday sitting in my comfortable, air-conditioned home, were paid for by the blood of thousands who were willing to do the hard things. It was a sobering moment when I heard my uncle say he was lucky, a moment that took many years to come back to me. For in his words I find the humility of a true military hero unwilling to take any credit for surviving one of the most difficult events anyone can survive. In his words, I realize that the ones who did not survive are still with him each and every day. In his words, I hear his acknowledgement of the unfairness of it all. And finally, in his words, I hear his thankfulness that God protected him and allowed him to return to the relative comfort of his life and the lives of all those he was prepared to die for.
The lives we live are insulated by the blood of men and women who did not return. And more than anything else, when he said, “I was lucky” I was really hearing him say “Thank you.” We believe in our comfort that we can change the world that somehow we can make it more fair when in reality all we can change is our reaction to the unfairness. Today, on this Memorial Day, we should react by remembering how unfair we are to only set aside one day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our comfort.
I am lucky and so are you. No matter the situation, no matter how unfair life has been, we are all lucky. To the men and women of the United States Military, I say, “Thank You!” For without your courage, your strength, your committement, your dedication, and yes, your lives, how much more unfair would our lives be.
A Prisoner Of Japan: A POW’s Own Story
Powell Magee - 1941
Editor’s Note:
The following is a copy of a paper I wrote in college for a World War II History class. I interviewed my great-uncle, Powell Magee about his experiences as a POW of Japan in the Pacific Theater. With the exception of a few grammar corrections, it is presented here exactly as it was written. I have added multiple photos and maps to help readers understand the story more thoroughly.
Born March 2, 1920, Powell Magee died as a Child of God, Loving Husband, Beloved Father, Air Force Veteran and United States Hero on July 7, 1995.
This is his story.
Grandmother And The Chair
Anne Matilda Farrar McCaleb
We all called her “Grandmother.” In reality, she was my father’s grandmother and my great-grandmother. Anne Matilda McCaleb (née Farrar) was born on May 8, 1887 and died February 3, 1983 at the age of 95, just a little over four years shy of her 100th birthday. There was never any confusion among the family when speaking of Grandmother because both of my parents’ mothers were called “Grandma” and only Anne McCaleb was afforded the full-blown honorific, “Grandmother.” I’m not sure how that happened and I’m not really sure it matters.
What I am sure of is that I was a lucky young man because until I reached the age of 18, I was fortunate to have both my maternal and paternal grandparents and a great-grandmother still alive. More fortunate still, I was able to grow up with ample opportunies to get to know and enjoy all of these wonderful people. In light of the fact that tomorrow is Mother’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to share a funny story about my Grandmother that happened when I was about 11 years old. (more…)
Hudson Crawlin’
If you don’t live in Mississippi, Alabama or Lousianna, then you are missing out. I’ll probably get in trouble with the Southern Immigration Board for telling you that, but I can’t help it. I just have to let the cat out of the bag. About once every 6 or 8 weeks, my wife and I take a couple of hours to do what I call euphamistically, “Hudson Crawlin’.” (more…)
Leaving Ripples
Yesterday, Pam and I went to the funeral of the grandfather of a former employee. We don’t go to many funerals and haven’t since the funeral of our daughter, Alicia. No one enjoys funerals, but there are some funerals that are more positive and optimistic than others. Such was the funeral of James Louie Poythress. We went because we wanted to support his family during this most difficult time, but after the service we felt supported and comforted ourselves. (more…)
Valentines Day Show 2009 – WMOX
A couple of days before Valentines Day, my lovely bride, Pam, joined me on the radio to tell our very own love story. We told how we met and how it happened that just a couple weeks after this broadcast, Pam and I were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary.
We both hope you enjoy the show!
Part 4 was supposed to be the story of our wedding, but unfortunately, a caller got the listeners going with a random discussion about racial issues. Therefore, I have chosen to eliminate that portion of the show because it wasn’t worth repeating. We’ll have to tell the wedding story next time! Sorry!
Team Hoyt
Through my work with Rivers Of The World (ROW), I am constantly accessing YouTube and GodTube for something or other. Recently, I created a personal account at GodTube for the purpose of uploading videos of the Sunday Morning Services at my church, Lauderdale United Methodist. So, it came as no surprise when I started getting emails from GodTube regarding the latest videos or updates and honestly, like most of the email that comes to me, I ignored most of them. That is, until I got one last week listing the eight top videos viewed in 2008. (more…)
Airy Arizona
In November, 2008, Pam and I took a trip to Scottsdale, AZ. Neither of us had ever been that far west and it was a great chance to see a wonderful part of the country we had never seen. Pam is on the board of Wesley House and when the opportunity to go to a conference for boardmembers came her way, we jumped at the chance. As usual, we decided to extend our stay a few days and be tourists for a short time since we rarely take full vacations. (more…)
CANS For Kids
I’ve been a member of The Downtown Optimist Club for over 15 years now. During that time, I’ve served as an officer in almost every position. I’ve helped raise money to support Youth programs in and around Meridian, MS and Lauderdale County. And I’ve listened to speakers come and request money for all kinds of projects, programs, events, and activities. And not once has any of these speakers affected me the way our speaker did yesterday. (more…)
Everything Else Is Fluff
I’ve always heard that “if you enjoy your work, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Well, I enjoy what I do, in fact, I love my job. Helping people with their computer problems and solving what seem to be big crises in people’s lives helps fulfill my “hero complex.” Never heard of a hero complex? Well, probably not, since I made it up years ago to describe the feeling I get from helping someone recover an important file they think is gone forever, or getting a computer back up and working for a business just in the nick of time before they start losing a lot of money, or even helping an older person be able to send email messages to their grandkids. The Hero Complex is a probably a big part of why people do a lot of the things they do for work. The easy examples are doctors, policemen and firemen, but car mechanics, store managers, air conditioner technicians, janitors and even waiters and waitresses have told me that they have similar opportunities to be heroes in their jobs. (more…)
