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November 2006
I BELIEVE, OH I BELIEVE!
I watched the CMT Country Music Awards the other night and was thrilled when Craig Wiseman won “Song of the Year” for his song, “Believe” recorded by Brookes and Dunn. My book club, The Pulpwood Queen’s had hosted the book launch for Michael Morris’s “Live Like You Were Dying” that was based on the song written by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols. All three of the boys had come for the book launch and I was impressed by the books story and the words and message of the song. These were words to live by and now with “Believe”, I thought to myself how true since I had just finished our first ever BOOKS ALIVE event. I had never believed more in my life.
A little over a year ago today, I ran over to the Hamburger Store here in Jefferson to grab a sandwich and a slice of their to-die-for pie and was shocked when I entered the cafe. The place was packed on a weekday and I did not know a soul. Now I live in a town population 2,100, everybody knows everybody. I wasn’t sure if I was in a Rod Sterling “Twilight Zone” television flashback or what the deal was. Suddenly I saw my minister, Polly Standing. waiting on tables. What in the world? I scampered over to Polly and asked her, “What ‘s going on Polly? Who are these people?”
Polly, as she bused tables told me as she threw her arms out to span the room, “These are all displaced families from Hurricane Katrina, Kathy.”
Flabbergasted by all these families I was viewing dining on what looked like bowls of gumbo. I was suddenly aware that here were people in need, desperate need. I asked her, “What can I do to help?”
Flash forward to this past weekend, I planned and helped put into play the first ever Christian and Inspirational Book Festival as a fundraiser for my church that we named BOOKS ALIVE! My church, The First United Methodist Church of Jefferson, Texas helped coordinate the relief efforts for all the displaced families of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. The church and its members had provided shelter. We converted all the Sunday School rooms into emergency family shelters for the displaced families. The church provided food, and really all kinds of assistance through outreach and mission. The Hamburger Store provided over 2,000 free meals for these families. I was inspired to help on this mission and came up the idea of doing a book festival as a fundraiser for the church’s mission and outreach programs. By God, if the church could help this many people in crisis then I could put together an event that would raise money for this church. BOOKS ALIVE was born!
I sent an email out to all my author friends who were either Christian writers or who I thought would be perfect for inspiration for this festival. I told them that all money collected would go to the church. I also told them that I could not pay them anything to come as it was a fundraiser for this church. The response? Everyone I emailed came back and told me they would come. They would love to help a church who helps others. To this day I cannot ever thank them enough for their generosity. I was humbled by their reponse and continue to be humbled by their outpour of love and presence during this past weekends events. Our good works had begun.
Now 15 authors came to Jefferson this past weekend to give their testimonials, their stories about their lives and their books and yes, their music and perform for us. We raised something like $2,500 and the money and checks still keep coming in. To say that this event was successful and life-changing would be an understatement. I knew that these authors I selected would inspire others regardless of the attendees choice of faith. This event was to be for everybody, for the adults, the youth, and the children. What I did not expect was how much it has changed the way I look at everything I will do from now on.
This event was not brought to fruition easy. In fact, at one point we had to decide if the event would even be able to take place. Our ministers 21 year old twin daughters had gone to Houston to sing at a wedding. While there, Jennifer’s face fell as in Bell’s Palsy and then her whole side became paralyzed. Hospitalized, they thought maybe stroke and then after tests it was determined she had MS. The other twin, Kimberly then would have to be tested and their mother, my Pastor Polly as well. Kimberly tested fine, no MS but they found lesions on Polly’s brain which could mean MS or even worse cancer. They would have to do a spinal tap. Polly was found to be free of both MS and cancer, evidently the brain lesions were due to scarring from the migraines that Polly suffers. With Polly gone, we all kind of floundered in getting the event together. Prayers to Polly and her family, at least we now know what we have to deal with in the days ahead.
Then I got the call, should we just cancel the event? Thank God that he gave us all enough faith to continue. It did not take me a minute to realize that because of this personal tragedy to my minister’s family, that we now had all the more reason to do this BOOKS ALIVE event. Our minister’s family was going to need help too, onward and upward was what I told our BOOKS ALIVE committee at the church. We rallied and thanks to our wonderful church member, Jim Gallant we had a banner up on the highway, one in front of the church and flyers to post around town. The Pride House Bed & Breakfast, Michelle and George Ostott, Jimmy and Ann Byrd, The Gingerbread House Bed & Breakfast came forth to help us with rooms for the authors. The Hamburger Store donated homemade pies, cakes and gave us a $200 donation for the church. Many of my Pulpwood Queens gave $100 and more to the church and Elizabeth Stokes and Kay Brookshire baked casseroles and desserts for the authors. Polly’s oldest daughter, whose husband had just days before left for his second stint in Iraq and who just found recently she was pregnant with her second child, cooked the authors dinner Friday night. What an inspiration! Women of the church, like Ann, Charlotte, Joyce, Paula, and more helped feed the authors and run the event. Pastor Polly even had out-of-town friends come in to do everything from serving the authors to doing dishes. We had men of the church like Jim Gallant, Bill Smith and John Standing take care of the lights, stage, and all for the outdoor concert to cooking hot dogs out on the grill with the youth of the church. Everybody just pitched in to help the church to raise the funds to help others.
The following authors came to Jefferson, my church, paid for their own flights, rented their own cars, paid for their own rooms and then several donated generously back to the cause and some even donated all their book sales to the church. May I suggest to you readers that they pay attention to authors and artists who would go to great expense to help a little church in Texas. These authors came from Minnesota, Los Angeles, Nashville, Tennessee, and some made this a part of their national book tour as National Book Award winner Kimberly Willis Holt. Please buy their books and CD’s as a thank you to the authors and artists who made this event such a success. I guarantee you will be the one rewarded. I have also included their websites so you can contact them and thank them for their tremendous generosity.
Justin Lookadoo, author of “The Dateable Rules: The Guide to Sexes” “Datable: Are You? Are They?” “The Dirt on Dating”, “The Dirt on Sex”, “The Dirt on Drugs” “The Dirt on Breaking Up” http://www.lookadoo.com/
Kimberly Willis Holt,author of “Waiting for Gregory” “Part of Me: Stories of a Louisiana Family” “Dancing in Cadillac Light” “When Zachary Beaver Came to Town” “Mister and Me” “My Louisiana Sky” www.kimberlywillisholt.com
Dr. Michael Johnson, author of “Cowboys and Angels” “Reflections of a Cowboy” “Tad Pole and Dr. Frog” “Horse Stories” “Susie, the Whispering Horse” “A Gift for Ida and Bell” “Stories from the South” “Stories for Teachers” “The Most Special Person www.michaeljohnsonbooks.com
Carolyn Brooks, author of -Breaking the Silent Addiction of Abuse…America’s Genocide -Exposed by Bronze Bow Publishing, expected release, November or December 2006 -Chicken Soup for the Mother Daughter Soul 2 – Mother’s Day, April, 2007 -One Year Life Verse Devotional by that includes inspirational -Devotional writings of many authors including Carolyn Brooks, Release July 2007 Biblical Work Ethics www.carolynbrooks.com
Denise Hildreth, author of “Savannah from Savannah” “Savannah Comes Undone” “Savannah by the Sea” www.denisehildreth.com
Jonathan Pierce, Nashville Christian musical artist, CDs include- “Jonathan Pierce: For You” “Jonathan Pierce: Santuary” “Jonathan Pierce: Mission” “Jonathan Pierce: One Love”
R. Dean Johnson, author, screenwriter, producer of - LIFE: Be There at Ten Til “Just Pray”, Runner up of BEST LIVE ACTION at Palm Springs International Festival of Shorts 2005, BEST SCORE Rhode Island International Film Festival 2005, HONORABLE MENTION Independent Narrative Carolina Film Festival www.rdeanjohnson.com
Ron and Caryl McAdoo, husband and wife author team of - “The Price Paid” “Great Firehouse Cookbooks” “The Apple Orchard Bed & Breakfast” “The Thief of Dreams” And their children’s books www.SargeantSocks.com www.LonghornCreekPress.com
Charles Martin, author of “When Crickets Cry”, “The Dead Don¹t Dance” “Wrapped in Rain” “Healing America”, www.charlesmartinbooks.com
Jim Ainsworth, author of River Series Books, “Biscuits Across the Brazos: A Family Story” “In The River¹s Flow” “Rivers Crossing” www.jimainsworth.com
Pamela Stone, author of “A Woman’s Guide to Living Alone: 10 Ways to Survive Grief and Be Happy” www.pamstonewriter.com
Allison Bottke, author of “A Stitch in Time” www.godallowsuturns.com
And also our wonderful Kimberly and Jennifer Standing, of the twin singing duo “Mirror Image” which should have a new CD soon and can be contacted through The First United Methodist Church at www.jeffersonfirstunitedmethodistchurch.com
Justin Lookadoo opened our event Friday night and brought the church down with laughter. Saturday was a day that began with National Book Award winner, Kimberly Willis Holt, and continued with fantastic author after another until the outdoor concert that night featuring Mirror Image opening for Christian and Nashville Musical Artist, Jonathan Pierce. Sunday morning the event continued with Denise Hildreth giving the sermon and her husband, Jonathan Pierce again treating us with his wonderful music!
Jonathan told the crowd, he did not know why God called him to do this event, but I do. These authors, musical artists were here to share their gifts and to remind us that it is exactly that, better to give than receive. I knew that this would be an incredible event because I hand selected this people to come. What I did not know was how moved I would be by their spoken words, their written words, their songs, their songwriting, their voice and their unselfish gifts to all who came. Yes, it’s true. My life will never be the same and neither should yours. Mark your calendar for the first week in November 2007, BOOKS ALIVE will be back and I can guarantee you’ll see for yourself a higher purpose for your life. My literacy promoting batteries have been recharged but more important I feel as if I know now that we all have a purpose, a gift, a talent. Won’t you take your gifts to a higher cause.
Everyday I see folks at my church and we speak, we know each other and we come to church on Sunday to fill our lives with the spirit of Jesus Christ. We come because we have a need for spiritual growth and fellowship. Since this event, I have noticed more smiles, more hugs, our lives have been changed. We can’t keep talking about what an amazing experience that weekend was for us. We got to know the authors, artists up close and personal. We have vested interest in each others lives. I know you will too and as one couple told me that had just come for a little getaway to Jefferson, not really knowing about our event, “Next year we are bringing our entire church. Nobody should miss this event.” Or the couple that came to church as they heard Jonathan from their Bed & Breakfast singing outdoors the night before, “Can you help us find a church just like this one in Dallas? We want to find a church that does things exactly like you?”
At one point I thought this event would never be able to work, no one will come. I have learned that God does work in mysterious ways and I will never again lose my faith. I believe, oh I believe.
I never knew that in my life on would be on a mission to promote literacy. I know now that is my purpose here on earth. I never dreamed that one day I would be doing a Christian and Inspirational book festival. God does work in mysterious ways. I may live in a little town but we are a town of big hearted people who have even bigger hearted friends. You may never be able to come to our event but I hope this story inspires you to find your purpose, your gifts, your talent and put it to good works. I have been so excited since this event that nothing can ever bring me down. I can only imagine next year but more importantly, today, this hour, this minute, this second, let’s all begin to do good works. Pay it forward no matter what your faith. This world is made of people who all need each other. And like Denise Hildreth told us, “See that glass as not half empty but half full.” I believe next year Denise that our cup will be overflowing.
Tiara wearing and Book sharing, Kathy L. Patrick
Small Town Saturday Night, it’s a Small Town Saturday Night!
I live in a small town. I moved here from a big city. I discovered I missed living in a small town where everyone knows your name, where you live, what you like on your hamburger. Jefferson, Texas is my hometown now but I grew up in a small town in Kansas called Eureka! Very much like Jefferson, it too was the county seat. Eureka which means “I found it!? was a town that had a Rexall Drug Store, a Ben Franklins, J. C. Penny, Sears, Western Auto Stores. All the kids went to one high school. The principal Mr. Dodd was my dad’s principal and went to high school with my Grandfather Murphy. We had one Lions Park, Jefferson has a Lions Park too. We would drag Main on the weekends honking at all our friends no matter how many times we passed them that particular night. We had the Princess Theatre downtown and then Highway 54 Drive- In just outside of town, out by the one cemetery where all my kin is buried, the Murphys, Maloney’s, Kings and Kelseys.
My grandparents had a shoe repair and western store called Maloney’s Shoe and Saddle Shop. I grew up in that store as a kid. I would run around the corner to the Safeway to buy my grandmother, Helen a pack of Salem cigarettes. She would give me an extra nickel to buy a Cherry Mash or five pieces of penny candy. At 10:00 a.m., we would walk down the block across the street to the Mariani’s Rexall Drug Store for a coffee break with her sister, my Great Aunt Mable who worked at the county gas office. I would order a chocolate Coke made with chocolate syrup, Coca Cola syrup and carbonated water. My grandmother, Helen or Mudder, Mudd, as we kids called her would repeat that coffee break routine with Mable again at 2:00 in the afternoon.
I liked to crawl under the table in our booth to marvel at all the colorful wads of bubble gum stuck under there in the years of children coming for treats to the drug store. Everyone knew I was Helen’s granddaughter, one of Mary’s girls. We knew not to spin on the bar stools as the women who worked there would immediately reprimand you. Sometimes I would sneak away from the booth to go in the corner by the front window to read the comic books you could buy there. Rexall’s Drug Store is now closed at home and last time I peered into the window it looked as if one day they just locked the door and went home leaving everything exactly as they left it.
In Jefferson, we have the City Drug Store where you can get the best limeade and soda drinks in the state. They squeeze real limes, that’s a fact. When my girls were little I too had to reprimand them for spinning on the bar stools. Though my hometown is still there, it is a ghost of a town compared to the town of my childhood. The big department store Zenisheck’s is long gone as most of the businesses I remember as a child. I spied a florist shop and video store open now in places where other businesses once were thriving. Small towns my friends are dying. Mom and pop stores are going by the wayside to the influx of super marts and mega stores.
Linda Bloodworth Thomason realized that in her travels across America by car, as she just does not fly. The creator of such television greats, “Designing Women?, “Evening Shade?, and “Hearts Afire? came to my shop to spend almost a week to promote her first book “Liberating Paris? about a small town whose livelihood is being threatened by a super mart. The book could have been written about Jefferson, Texas or Eureka, Kansas, really any small town anywhere. She is now making it into a movie of which I cannot wait to see. Not only because it is a fine read but also because the movie is to be filmed in the Ark. La. Tex. In fact, the grand finale of the film is a wedding scene in which Linda has informed me The Pulpwood Queens will take part as the wedding party. We have our shades of “Bashful? and “Blush? wedding garden party dresses a la “Steel Magnolia? ready with hats to match.
I recently was contacted by Tammy Cromer Campbell, local photographer who has photographed me for several magazine and newspapers, as she had pitched a story to a new magazine called “Town Square?, a magazine on small town living that will be hitting the newsstands soon. She is coming Friday to shoot photos for a feature on The Pulpwood Queens and I for that magazine.
Snowbirds from Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas have been landing in my shop headed south for the winter. They tell me they make it a must to stop each year in Jefferson as they miss the small town charm that they find here.
Do I detect a change in the air? Are people beginning to realize that small towns are pretty cool? I don’t know but when I came to Jefferson almost twenty years ago, I thought this is it! I have found a little slice of heaven. I call it the hand holding capital of Texas because of all the people that come here to get married or celebrate their anniversaries. I marvel each day on how many people I spy holding hands. Where else do you see that these days? Kind of like Mayberry on the Bayou, I thought here is a place where I could settle, get married, and raise children AND not have to worry. I consider Jefferson the best kept secret in Texas being the bed & breakfast capital with it’s historical museums and homes. The former California city I was living in, San Diego, was growing faster than kudzu in Mississippi. I don’t know, one hour to go to the grocery store or two minutes. You take your pick.
My girls can come to my shop after school, go bike riding, head over to The Hamburger Store for a after school snack of cheese fries or down to the General Store for a Blue Bell ice cream cone. If they are gone too long, I’ll call that shop and ask, “Are my girls there?? In matter of seconds they are located. Or if they get into any trouble, like the time Madeleine and her co-horts in crime decided to go swimming in the bayou, before they can hardly get their feet wet, the phone rang.
“Kathy, do you want Madeleine swimming in the bayou or do I need to fish her out and send her back to the shop.?
“You do that, would ya Carol.?
Small towns are pretty special. As Linda Bloodworth Thomason once told me, “Try dropping your kids off a mega mall and see who is watching out for your kids.? My first thought, which goes to show you how twisted my sense of humor is, was pedophiles? I actually watched a grown man hit on a 11 or 12 year old at at neighboring city mall so think about that for awhile.
Nothing made me realize how cool a small town was until we had our last author in, Pulitzer Prize winner, Doug Marlette for his latest book, Magic Time.? I was all worried that nobody would show for some an esteemed political cartoonist, the creator of the cartoon strip “Kudzu?, and was now teaching at my dad’s favorite football teams university, the University of Oklahoma. I should have worried because I had the biggest book-signing event since Kinky Friedman who had previously set the record. For those out-of-state, Kinky Friedman is running for the Governor of Texas whose motto is “How hard could it be??
I had Pulpwood Queen Chapters from Louisiana, ones come from Henderson, Gladewater, Longview, Marshall, Texarkana, Dekalb, Hooks, New Boston, and Linden, Texas and quite a few tourists to boot show up for the shindig for Doug. God Bless Small Town America! I remembered my friend and Pulpwood Queen Helen Thompson was in New York. She told me she was walking by a Barnes and Noble and looked in to see Tony Bennett staring into space with a stack of his latest book on his paintings. No one had come to the booksigning. I could only imagine if Tony Bennett came to my Beauty and the Book to do a booksigning for the same. Jefferson might have it’s first traffic jam.
And what really drove home that small towns are the best thing since sliced bread was when I took my fellow bookseller, Fred McKenzie up the road to Linden, Texas to see Michael Martin Murphey for his 88th birthday gift at Music City Texas. Evidently, they were going to do a live recording for a new CD of Michael Martin Murphy.
Fred and I arrived and the first thing, as I went to pick up our tickets at the Will Call booth, we were greeted by my friends and Lindenites, Jean and Russell Wright. Russ touched my arm and told me, “Kathy, tonight is on us, it’s our treat!? I started to argue and smiling he said, “Go on now, find your seats now. They are up front.? Here I was going to treat Fred and we were both treated instead.
Before we went to find our seats, I asked Fred if he would like to get a bite before the show. Our choices were homemade Chicken and Dumplings or Barbeque Sandwiches. Now this was scratch cooking you all, nothing from a can. I knew for a fact that the local hairdresser in town Linda King had made those dumplings and were they ever good. We took a table behind the sound booth and settled in for our tasty meal. Matt Early, the soundman came by with hugs and wished Fred a Happy Birthday. Evidently, the word had gotten out we were celebrated Fred’s special day. Then here came Pat Robertson who was on the Music City Board and a member of President, Richard Bowden’s band, The Moon and the Stars.
“There you are and here are your V.I.P. patches. Now you can come backstage after the show and join Michael Martin Murphey for some more great food and conversation.?
It was my turn to be surprised. As we headed for our seats, folks from all over stood to shake Fred’s hand, wish him well, with lots of hugs and pats on the back. Our seats were front and center on the fourth row, it was almost like a private concert.
Now the show was great, I love country and western music having grown up listening to the Wichita station, KFDI and Little Donny Doodad with my Grandfather, Dirt riding the pastures and with my Grandmother, Mudd. I was thrown back to a time of happy memories and evidently so was Fred. His eyes were bright and alert as he smiled tapping his toe watching the show.
At the intermission, Richard Bowden recognized Fred as having a birthday and a spotlight shone down on him as Richard encouraged him to stand up and take a bow. The crowd clapped and roared in approval. As he sat back in his chair, I pinched my nose to keep the tears of joy from running down my face. Here I brought Fred to little ole Linden, Texas for his birthday celebration and I was having one of the best nights of my life too.
After the show, we went backstage and hung out with the other V.I.P’s and Michael. I ate some killer cookies and had some awesome pie. Now I have been to concerts all over the country but where else can you hang out with the performer and have homemade food that will have you remembering the good eats from your Grandma’s, can you tell me that?
Yes, it was small town Saturday night, that’s right, small town Saturday night!
As Fred and I drove back to Jefferson, (a mere fifteen minutes away from our nice warm beds), we talked a mile a minute about that night, his birthday, our futures. Now I have been to plays on Broadway, clubs in Beverly Hills, I have walked the walks of authors in Europe, this were all wonderful and memorable events. But that night in small town Texas with one of my best friends, Fred McKenzie, it can never be beat!
Fred and I chuckled as we came roaring in to a town that’s sidewalks usually roll up pretty early. It was one o’clock in the morning. And you big city slickers reading this probably didn’t even know that we had anything to do but watch the grass grow. I beg to differ. We just happen to know that we may not have all the razzle and dazzle of city lights and such but we have something that can beat any “dog and pony show? anytime. We have community and a community that actually cares about one another.
The day I moved out of my condo in California, my neighbor who lived right next door and who I met the first time asked, “You moving in??
“No, moving to Texas. I may not have been born there but I’m getting there as fast as I can.?
“Where are you from?? she asked inquisitively.
“I’m from Kansas.?
“Me too.? She cried. We found out we were both from towns an hour apart from each other, had lived next door to each other for years, and never knew it! The first day I moved to Jefferson, three of my neighbors came by to say “Howdy? and drop off a casserole.
So next time you’re looking for some fun, check out the websites below and head to a small town! And to paraphrase from another Hal Ketchum song, ‘You’ll know what love is!?
Tiara wearing and Book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
For more on:
Eureka, Kansas, go to www.eurekakansas.com
Jefferson, Texas, go to www.jefferson-texas.com
Linda Bloodworth Thomason, go to www.harpercollins.com/authors/27457/LindaBloodworthThomason/index.aspx
Doug Marlette, go to www.dougmarlette.com
Linden, Texas, go to www.lindentexas.org
Music City Texas, go to www.musiccitytexas.org
Michael Martin Murphey, go to www.michaelmartinmurphey.com
Kathy L. Patrick, go to www.beautyandthebook.com
