Hometown Madison - November & December 2016
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Volume 3 Number 1<br />
nov/dec <strong>2016</strong><br />
LANDSCAPER’S OASIS<br />
____________________<br />
A Print-Worthy Pursuit<br />
____________________<br />
NEVER A WORRY
PUBLISHER & EDITOR<br />
Tahya A. Dobbs<br />
CFO<br />
Kevin W. Dobbs<br />
CONSULTING EDITOR<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES<br />
Rachel Lombardo<br />
Kati Gaines<br />
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />
Camille Anding<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Shari Veazey<br />
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Othel Anding<br />
CONTRIBUTING<br />
PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Chris Todd<br />
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS<br />
Alisha Floyd<br />
Brenda McCall<br />
LAYOUT DESIGN<br />
Daniel Thomas / 3dt<br />
Missy Donaldson / MAD Designs<br />
<br />
I was well aware that the phone call would come along with the questions of solutions from our<br />
newlyweds who are planted in Dallas. “What if we only get one day of vacation for Thanksgiving?<br />
How do we juggle time between two sets of parents at opposite ends of the states?”<br />
Those are some of the questions my daughter Camea has been dealing with as she and her new<br />
husband are suddenly faced with making traditions separate from their parents. It’s not an earthshaking<br />
problem when compared to the big picture of life, but it is another reminder that life is<br />
on a continual path of change. Some changes are wonderful–like finding the perfect mate. Other<br />
changes, like having to spend holidays away from family, are not so wonderful.<br />
I’m grateful that <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong> Magazine helps to give us insight<br />
into change and how to make the best of it–thanks to our neighbors and<br />
friends that are highlighted within these pages. In every issue we feature<br />
people challenged with change in various areas of their lives as well as<br />
how they cope.<br />
We are all in the circle of life together. It’s important that we support<br />
each other throughout our journeys. We hope your holidays are filled<br />
with happiness and joy–even if in the midst of change.<br />
www.facebook.com<br />
/hometownmadisonmagazine<br />
For subscription information<br />
visit www.htmags.com<br />
Contact us at info@HTMags.com<br />
601.706.4059<br />
26 Eastgate Drive, Suite F<br />
Brandon MS 39042<br />
<br />
All rights reserved. No portion of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong><br />
may be reproduced without written permission from<br />
the publisher. The management of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong><br />
is not responsible for opinions expressed by its<br />
writers or editors. <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong> maintains the<br />
unrestricted right to edit or refuse all submitted<br />
material. All advertisements are subject to approval by<br />
the publisher. The production of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong><br />
is funded by advertising.<br />
In this issue Landscaper's Oasis ........................6<br />
Where Dreams Come True.................16<br />
Shopping Local ......................... 21<br />
Authentic Chamber Music. .............. 22<br />
A Print-Worthy Pursuit........26<br />
A Distinguished Career .....................36<br />
Holiday Gift Guide...........................44<br />
Never a Worry.......................... 48<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison3
I FOUND<br />
SATISFACTION<br />
COMPASSION<br />
As soon as we arrived on the lush campus, I knew St. Catherine’s<br />
Village was where mom would find renewed purpose.<br />
Everything…from the protected, dignified surroundings to the<br />
familiar sensory experiences…kept her engaged in life. And<br />
satisfied me, knowing she would receive care through all stages of<br />
memory loss. You know what else I found?<br />
Living here was unexpectedly within reach.<br />
Intimate Living Spaces<br />
CAMPBELL COVE &<br />
HUGHES CENTER MEMORY CARE<br />
Private bedrooms with<br />
common living areas<br />
Stimulating, enriching<br />
activities<br />
24-hour nursing care and<br />
on-duty security<br />
Assistance with<br />
day-to-day activities<br />
CONTINUING<br />
LIFE CARE <br />
Independent Assisted<br />
Memory Skilled<br />
(601) 856-0160<br />
www.StCatherinesVillage.com<br />
Proudly CARF-CCAC<br />
Accredited<br />
Photo by<br />
Hull Portraits<br />
At Canton Academy<br />
WE LIKE WINNING!<br />
2015-<strong>2016</strong> All Sports Award Winner<br />
www.CantonAcademy.org<br />
Join us for our<br />
First Bejeweled<br />
Snowflake Tea<br />
<strong>December</strong> 28, <strong>2016</strong><br />
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.<br />
Reservations Available<br />
Christmas Tea Gifts<br />
Available Now<br />
7048 Old Canton Rd Ridgeland<br />
(769) 300-4948<br />
HighBiscuitsTea.com<br />
4Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
YOUR LIFE O UTDOORS<br />
We specialize in the construction and modernization of decks, patios, pergolas,<br />
cabanas, outdoor fireplaces and kitchens. Fresh air never looked so good.<br />
PROVISIONDESIGNS.COM | 601-573-1971
Landscaper’s<br />
Oasis<br />
Camille Anding<br />
Palm trees loom over the dark-stained Jefcoat fence<br />
that encloses Michael and Ashley’s backyard oasis and<br />
tempt one to know its secret.<br />
For the family of Michael and Ashley Campbell and<br />
their three daughters, the secret is out. The major project<br />
undertaken by Michael Campbell, owner of Pro-Lawn<br />
Landscape, and John Hertel of ProVision Design is<br />
completed and in full entertainment mode.<br />
When Michael was hired for a landscaping job at a<br />
former customer of John Hertel’s and saw a cabana that<br />
John had designed and built, Michael knew what he<br />
wanted for his own backyard project. He called John,<br />
and the project began.<br />
6Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison7
The massive beamed cabana sits as the focal point and<br />
is anchored by a stone fireplace that offers a roaring fire<br />
or “backdoor” fire pit. The cabana is an entertainment<br />
center in itself with overhead TV, bar, and outdoor kitchen,<br />
complete with a Primo Grill. An inviting half-moon<br />
wicker couch seats family and guests on aqua upholstery.<br />
John’s wife, Allison, selects the appropriate colors and<br />
seating for their designs.<br />
Distressed, custom made Adirondacks by Larry Glass<br />
of Heartwood, provide leisure comfort around the fire pit.<br />
The atypical pool shape adds interest to the oasis and<br />
unique composition for the cabana, diving stone and water<br />
falls. The diving stone is from Morgan Stone as well as the<br />
other stone used throughout the design. Morgan Stone is<br />
located on Hwy. 471 in Brandon.<br />
A wonderful mixture of stamped stone and scored,<br />
stained concrete add to the overall surface of the renovated<br />
yard.<br />
From the landscaping by Michael to John’s architectural<br />
genius, a once typical backyard has been transformed.<br />
Michael calls it, “My happy place.” n<br />
8Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison9
Quality care backed<br />
by the Baptist<br />
Medical Center.<br />
Only Baptist gives you a network of clinics backed<br />
by the resources of the Baptist Medical Center.<br />
For same-day appointments, call or download<br />
our free app at mbhs.org/onlyatbaptist.<br />
The Following Is Not For Print/For Information Only<br />
Placement: <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong>. 11/<strong>2016</strong>. 8” x 5”. Commissioned by Diane Martin.<br />
(CorpComm001/Layout A-L/Clinic/Ads/Only Baptist)<br />
10Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison11
Ladies Night Out<br />
First Baptist Church <strong>Madison</strong><br />
October 6, <strong>2016</strong><br />
12Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison13
14Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
Fa-lalalala<br />
in Love<br />
WITH YOURSELF<br />
Whether you’ve been naughty or nice,<br />
Santa wants you to have what you<br />
deserve—Treat yourself!<br />
make your appointment today<br />
mention this ad for savings on<br />
injectables, skin care, and laser services<br />
Erica H. Bass, MD • G. Eli Howell, II, MD<br />
W. Dotie Jackson, MD • Emile A. Picarella, MD<br />
Somprasong Songcharoen, MD<br />
RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY • COSMETIC & AESTHETIC SURGERY • SURGERY OF THE HAND<br />
St. Dominic East Medical Tower | 971 Lakeland Drive, Suite 315 | Jackson, MS<br />
Colonnades at Baptist | 501 Marshall Street, Suite 502 | Jackson, MS<br />
601.981.2525 | www.mspremierplasticsugery.com<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison15
16Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
Where Dreams<br />
Come True<br />
Camille Anding<br />
Some simply “wish upon a star” for a life of vacations<br />
and celebratory holidays. Carolyn Laird doesn’t wish it.<br />
She, along with her family, experience it.<br />
Carolyn has been a Disney fan since she was a child. After marrying Hank, she inoculated him with that same<br />
fascination for Mickey and Minnie. Their son, Brian, became the next Laird to gravitate to Orlando for vacations. When<br />
Brian honeymooned with his new bride, Renee, their destination was Disney World. Now their son, Joshua, a sixth<br />
grader, makes the fifth family member to relish vacations with the Disney characters in their favorite theme park.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison17
Here’s the mind-boggling statistic:<br />
Carolyn and Hank have vacationed in<br />
Disney World 138 times since 1978 plus<br />
a “few” times in Disneyland. Carolyn,<br />
the art teacher at First Presbyterian Day<br />
School, laughs and says, “Disney World<br />
is our home away from home.” In fact,<br />
when Carolyn decides to retire, she and<br />
her husband plan to head straight to<br />
Orlando so they can live closer to their<br />
favorite destination.<br />
Records speak for themselves. The Laird’s<br />
name is inscribed on a brick in the Magic<br />
Kingdom, and their picture is displayed at<br />
the entrance of Epcot. The family usually<br />
travels to Disney World an average of four<br />
times a year. Their choice of travel is by car,<br />
and they always stay on the grounds of<br />
Disney World. Thanksgiving is Carolyn’s<br />
favorite time to visit because the Christmas<br />
lights are up and the crowds aren’t as large.<br />
Speaking of Christmas, Carolyn and<br />
Hank also love Christmas trees and begin<br />
decorating their own nineteen Christmas<br />
trees in September. They are displayed<br />
throughout their house, and no two trees<br />
are alike. Each full-size tree features its own<br />
theme. Along with the lighted trees are<br />
numerous Disney-themed decorations and<br />
impressive collectibles from Disney World.<br />
The reason is simple. If the Lairds can’t<br />
live in Disney World, they bring Disney to<br />
their home. They are also firm believers in<br />
making dreams come true!<br />
“Disney World is our home away from home.”<br />
18<strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison19
Holiday<br />
Favorites!<br />
Chocolate Turkeys<br />
NANDY’S CANDY<br />
1220 E. Northside Dr., #380, Jackson, MS 601.362.9553<br />
Monday-Saturday: 10-6 www.nandyscandy.com<br />
Keepsake Advent Calendars<br />
20<strong>2016</strong>
Shopping LOCAL<br />
Shari Veazey, Executive Director, Mississippi Municipal League<br />
As we approach this year’s holiday season,<br />
our thoughts will naturally turn to shopping and<br />
the quest to find the perfect gifts for family and<br />
friends. Many people now do all or most of their<br />
shopping on the internet, while other shoppers<br />
will choose to shop at “big box” retailers.<br />
But this year, I would urge you to make it a<br />
point to shop at home and support your local<br />
retailers and businesses. Brick and mortar<br />
businesses are extremely important to cities,<br />
towns and our state as a whole. When you shop<br />
locally, you are supporting “mom and pop”<br />
businesses that, in turn, support the cities and<br />
towns where they are located.<br />
In Mississippi, 18.5% of sales tax paid by local<br />
businesses is diverted back to the municipalities<br />
where they are located. This revenue supports<br />
critical municipal services such as police and fire<br />
protection; water and sewer; parks and recreation;<br />
libraries; and street infrastructure. For many<br />
municipalities in the state, sales tax revenue is a<br />
significant contributor to their overall budget.<br />
A recent survey of the Mississippi Municipal<br />
League revealed that sales tax is often the largest<br />
source of revenue for many of the 299 municipalities<br />
located in the state.<br />
There are many other reasons to shop locally,<br />
though. Local retailers and other small businesses<br />
are more invested in the overall success of their<br />
communities and are more likely to play active<br />
roles in the betterment of their city or town.<br />
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration,<br />
in 2015, Mississippi housed more than<br />
242,000 small businesses making significant<br />
contributions to the state’s economy. These<br />
locally-owned companies support community<br />
events, local schools and sports teams, and often<br />
create partnerships with other small businesses,<br />
neighbors and residents.<br />
Small locally-owned businesses are the largest<br />
creator of jobs nationally, according to the Small<br />
Business Administration. As a general rule, local<br />
retailers can offer better customer service and add<br />
a more “personal” touch to the buying experience.<br />
Big-box retailers may have a larger physical<br />
footprint, but small retailers often have access<br />
to the same vendors and are more vested in<br />
satisfying your needs as a customer. They can<br />
order products that are not currently in stock,<br />
and because they are locally owned, they can be<br />
more flexible to extend a sale price, or offer a<br />
rebate to attract your business.<br />
Now, no one can dispute the convenience<br />
factor of ordering products online from the<br />
comfort of your home or office, but online<br />
retailers have an unfair advantage over our<br />
“Main Street” businesses that are working hard<br />
to grow, or sometimes just sustain, their clientele.<br />
These same businesses are contributing to the<br />
fiscal health of cities and towns, which ultimately<br />
benefits local citizens. Internet based businesses<br />
do nothing to contribute to these communities<br />
or to the state of Mississippi.<br />
The Mississippi Municipal League has been<br />
and will continue to be a strong advocate for the<br />
implementation of internet sales tax as a<br />
mechanism to simply level the playing field. A<br />
local retailer in one of our member cities has<br />
told me of many instances of “showrooming”<br />
where customers come into his store to try on a<br />
coat or pair of shoes, and when questioned by<br />
a salesperson about making a purchase, they<br />
indicate that they are just trying on the item so<br />
they could make the purchase online.<br />
Determining the mechanism for collecting<br />
internet sales tax is not easy, but with all of the<br />
technology and software currently available, it<br />
can be done. The MML would support a method<br />
of taxing the product based on the destination.<br />
For example, if someone in a Mississippi city<br />
buys online from a company and the product is<br />
delivered to their home, then the state of<br />
Mississippi would collect the 7% sales tax on the<br />
purchase and then divert 18.5% back to the city<br />
where the online purchase was delivered–the<br />
same method used when purchases are made<br />
in a brick and mortar retailer.<br />
Closing the online sales tax loophole will give<br />
cities and towns in Mississippi more resources to<br />
invest in improving the business environment<br />
and the quality of life for our citizens. In the<br />
meantime, when you choose to shop locally,<br />
you are doing much more than helping one<br />
small business–you are supporting your entire<br />
community. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison21
Authentic<br />
Chamber<br />
Music<br />
Camille Anding<br />
22<strong>2016</strong>
hen Mississippi Supreme Court Justice<br />
Jess Dickinson steps from his chamber<br />
and into life away from the courtroom,<br />
he’s the true “music man.” The gifted musician, who<br />
plays thirty musical instruments (yes, thirty), credits his<br />
grandfather for introducing him to string music.<br />
Jess was a fourteen-year-old when his grandfather taught<br />
him how to play the guitar–the guitar he purchased by trading<br />
ten bushels of personally-picked peaches. In the years that<br />
followed, Delta musicians influenced his Charleston,<br />
Mississippi, upbringing and before graduating high school,<br />
Jess had formed his first band. College life at Mississippi<br />
State University included another band and a love for a<br />
musical career that led him to drop out of college and move<br />
to California.<br />
After a few years of rubbing shoulders with top musical<br />
talents, Jess’s love for music didn’t die, but his dream as a<br />
career musician faded. He moved back to Mississippi and<br />
completed college and law school.<br />
In the summer of 1989, Jess and his wife, Janet, vacationed<br />
through the Ozarks and stopped in Mountain View, Arkansas.<br />
Jess was immediately captivated by the Ozark musicians that<br />
gathered on the town square to play their guitars, fiddles,<br />
mandolins, bass fiddles, harmonicas, banjos, and dulcimers.<br />
From there the Dickinsons traveled to the Ozark Folk<br />
Center where Jess encountered his first hammered<br />
dulcimer. He immediately told Janet that he had to<br />
have one .<br />
For the next ten hours, Janet took the wheel of their van<br />
while Jess, with his new dulcimer, tuner, and twelve-page<br />
instruction booklet, rode in the back. When they pulled<br />
in to their Gulfport home, Jess had learned his first song,<br />
Send the Light, which he played the following Sunday in<br />
church. In <strong>November</strong> of 1990, Jess walked onto the stage<br />
at that same Ozark Folk Center and played three numbers<br />
on his hammered dulcimer. The packed audience gave him<br />
a standing ovation.<br />
Since 2002, Jess has served on the Mississippi Supreme<br />
Court but hasn’t forsaken his love of music. The Bluegrass<br />
Appeal is his third band, a talented group that’s performed<br />
on public radio’s syndicated show, Thacker Mountain Radio<br />
Hour, and twice on the University of Southern Mississippi’s<br />
Roots Reunion Concert. Jess also teaches dulcimer lessons<br />
and performs solo for festivals, weddings, and other events.<br />
With his judicial duties and nine grandchildren, Jess and<br />
Janet have busy days ahead and nine more opportunities to<br />
pass on their musical talents and of course his love for the<br />
beloved hammered dulcimer.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison23
Urology Associates<br />
of Mississippi<br />
Our physicians are highly skilled and experienced<br />
in treating a wide array of urology conditions<br />
Utilizing state of the art equipment and advanced treatment techniques,<br />
each of our board certified urologists have specific areas of urological<br />
expertise in addition to providing general urologic care to patients<br />
all over the state of Mississippi.<br />
<br />
Please visit us at our new location:<br />
<br />
601.936.4645<br />
24Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
FIRST ANNUAL<br />
BBQ FUNDRAISER<br />
OCTOBER 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
Benefitting the<br />
Alzheimer’s Association<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison25
26<strong>2016</strong>
Volume 3, Issue 2<br />
may/june/july <strong>2016</strong><br />
The Rock House<br />
_______________________<br />
Dancing Through Life<br />
_______________________<br />
The Lew Crew<br />
_______________________<br />
Teddy "We Care" Bears<br />
A Print-Worthy Pursuit<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
A better name for this story may be “The Power of Serendipity”<br />
the definition of which means to find amazing things that you<br />
weren’t necessarily looking for. That’s what I found in Tahya Dobbs<br />
when God brought us together to form what has been an amazing<br />
working relationship, and better yet, an even better friendship.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison27
28<strong>2016</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> Magazines Staff: Alicia Floyd, Brenda McCall, Daniel Thomas, Rachael Lombardo, Mary Ann Kirby, Tahya Dobbs, Kevin Dobbs
The story of how she and I met is, indeed,<br />
serendipitous. In the fall of 2013, I had left<br />
my very corporate management position<br />
with a popular local magazine and had gone home to<br />
be a full-time mom. It was a bittersweet move in that<br />
I absolutely adored the magazine business along with<br />
the creative process, but corporate media had become<br />
extremely challenging and sometimes their vision and<br />
mine didn’t always align. I wanted to expand and they<br />
wanted to downsize. Bottom lines and budget cuts<br />
always won out.<br />
I could have ended my professional life then and<br />
there and felt as though I had accomplished pretty<br />
much everything I’d wanted. I’d had a successful career<br />
in broadcast and print media sales and management<br />
and felt like I was going out on a high note. The<br />
holidays were approaching and I proceeded to spend<br />
my first stress-free break at home with my husband and<br />
then-ten-year-old son. I was relaxed and present in<br />
a way that I hadn’t been in years’ past when precious<br />
allotted vacations days were being rationed out until<br />
the very end of the calendar year.<br />
The holidays came and went and my son had<br />
started back to school. I was beginning to settle into<br />
my “new” routine and operating at a completely<br />
different pace–and I liked it. One day I was out<br />
running some errands and got a call from one of my<br />
favorite former long-time clients. Noel Daniels called<br />
to tell me, “There’s a gal out here with this new<br />
magazine and I think you two need to meet. She’s<br />
a real go-getter and really has a good thing here.<br />
You could probably help her. It’s called <strong>Hometown</strong><br />
Brandon. Can I give her your number?”<br />
The irony was that just a couple of days earlier I’d<br />
noticed a new Facebook page that had been launched<br />
called <strong>Hometown</strong> Brandon Magazine. It had grown to<br />
over 2,500 likes within the first several hours of being<br />
created and how I happened to stumble upon it, out of<br />
all the things posted on Facebook, only God knows–<br />
but I did. And to be honest, it made me ache for the<br />
business I so loved. I told Noel to absolutely share<br />
my number.<br />
A couple of hours later my phone rang. “Mary<br />
Ann, this is Tahya Dobbs. Noel Daniels gave me your<br />
number so I hope you don’t mind that I called. Is this<br />
a good time?” That was in the spring of 2014.<br />
She was incredibly easy to talk to and we hit it off<br />
immediately in that very first call. It turns out that<br />
Tahya had recently had a career change, too. For years,<br />
she had been a homemaker and raised children–not<br />
just her own three, but four more from the foster<br />
system, as well. Her husband had a life in ministry and<br />
together they had hearts for the Lord and made lives<br />
of service to the church. She carpooled and catered<br />
and taught Sunday school. She was busy raising<br />
children and having a house full was fulfilling to her–<br />
but God had more to come.<br />
Once her kids were all in school, Tahya decided to<br />
explore her options outside of the home. She eventually<br />
took a job with the City of Brandon mayor’s office and<br />
fell in love immediately with all they did to promote<br />
Brandon. She said, “I couldn’t believe I was getting<br />
paid to actually promote the city! It was such a joy and<br />
I made countless friends and connections while doing<br />
it. We created events and partnered closely with our<br />
local merchants. It was truly a dream job.”<br />
That’s where the seed for the magazine got planted.<br />
Tahya recalls, “I’ll never forget one day when one<br />
of the ladies from the Brandon Garden Club came into<br />
our office with a stack of Desoto County publications<br />
and wanted to know what it would take for the City of<br />
Brandon to have its own magazine.” That’s when the<br />
bug bit. She went home that day and told her husband<br />
that she was going to do a magazine.<br />
“I literally felt convicted,” she went on to say. “I<br />
left my job at the mayor’s office and set up camp on<br />
my kitchen table as publisher of a yet-to-be-named<br />
publication. And while I knew nothing about the<br />
magazine business, I definitely knew what I wanted to<br />
do with it. I wanted to promote good things. I wanted<br />
to tell people’s stories–stories about our businesses<br />
and neighbors and give them a real presence.<br />
I went to Hederman Brothers, the locally owned<br />
and operated printer that now prints all our magazines,<br />
and they gave me the name of a freelance graphic<br />
designer that might be able to help me. Daniel Thomas<br />
and I met at McAlister’s in Brandon where I assured<br />
him I knew absolutely nothing about publishing but<br />
had already sold some ads and knew what stories<br />
would be in the first issue. I needed someone to lay it<br />
out and he quickly assured me he could do it.<br />
The magazine would be beautifully designed and<br />
made with high quality paper and would spotlight the<br />
people in our community that make it the wonderful<br />
place that it is. I confided with Jamie Wier, a local<br />
architect-friend, about my idea and he suggested I<br />
name it something that could work in the event we<br />
ever decided to expand. Expand? Crazy, huh? That’s<br />
how we came up with the name <strong>Hometown</strong>.”<br />
In July of 2013, Tahya’s parents retired and moved<br />
from North Mississippi where they had lived and raised<br />
their children. They wanted remain close to kids and<br />
grand-kids and decided to make Brandon their home.<br />
It was a mere three months later that Tahya would<br />
need both a writer and a photographer to help launch<br />
her new business. Tahya’s mom, Camille, had written<br />
for newspapers for over twenty years and her dad,<br />
Othel, was a professional photographer. Once again<br />
God was orchestrating His plan and revealing each<br />
piece of His extraordinary puzzle.<br />
The community welcomed Tahya and her new<br />
venture with open arms. All those contacts she’d made<br />
while working for the City were vital as she started<br />
knocking on doors and asking for support. People<br />
were blown away just a few weeks later when she came<br />
back to deliver her very first issue of <strong>Hometown</strong> Brandon<br />
Magazine. The quality surpassed all expectations and<br />
she’d managed to capture the very essence of their<br />
beautiful community and the people that make it<br />
special.<br />
Since then, <strong>Hometown</strong> has expanded. She and<br />
her husband Kevin have added <strong>Hometown</strong> Brookhaven,<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> Clinton, <strong>Hometown</strong> Rankin and <strong>Hometown</strong><br />
<strong>Madison</strong>. They publish 24 magazines a year with a<br />
circulation nearing 250,000 and have recently<br />
partnered with several area chambers of commerce<br />
to publish their chamber guides. They’ve moved off<br />
of the kitchen table and into an office space and it<br />
now takes a staff of ten to meet the demands of<br />
their ever-growing business. It’s been a remarkable<br />
homegrown success story that I’ve been blessed to<br />
witness, firsthand. And not only does she allow me<br />
to tinker with the magazines, once again doing what<br />
I love, but she’s become one of my dearest friends.<br />
But make no mistake, Tahya doesn’t take a bit of<br />
their success for granted. She and Kevin continue to<br />
honor God at every turn and believe deeply that “to<br />
whom much is given, much is required.” Much of the<br />
content that they publish is boldly faith-based and<br />
serves as a reflection of their core values–both in their<br />
lives at home and in their business.<br />
She goes on to say, “It never occurred to me that I<br />
could possibly fail. Thankfully, I didn’t know enough<br />
to know what all could go wrong. But I felt strongly<br />
that God was showing me favor and I owed it to<br />
Him to give it everything I had. I had to have faith.<br />
So, that’s what I did.<br />
It’s been really incredible. I can’t believe how far<br />
we’ve come–and how much I’ve grown, personally.<br />
And nothing gives me greater satisfaction than having<br />
a business owner that has supported me and entrusted<br />
me with their advertising dollars call and say, ‘Tahya,<br />
it worked.’” n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison29
DON’T BE<br />
BLIND TO<br />
DIABETES<br />
NOVEMBER IS DIABETES<br />
AWARENESS MONTH<br />
One in three Americans has diabetes and doesn’t know<br />
it. Diabetes can cause kidney failure, amputations, nerve<br />
pain and even death. And when it comes to eyesight,<br />
diabetics have a far greater chance of cataracts, glaucoma<br />
and blindness.<br />
A comprehensive eye exam from Jackson Eye Associates<br />
can detect diabetes in its early stages. JEA specialists are<br />
skilled in helping our patients open their eyes to warning<br />
signs.<br />
Protect your vision and your health. Schedule your<br />
appointment with Jackson Eye Associates today.<br />
JACKSON 601.353.2020 | CLINTON 601.924.9750 | MADISON 601.853.2020 | JACKSONEYE.COM | <br />
©<strong>2016</strong> JEA<br />
30Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison31
If you could have<br />
any job for one day,<br />
what would it be<br />
and why?<br />
AnnA Kennedy<br />
A chef in New York.<br />
I’ve always loved to cook<br />
and have always wanted<br />
to visit New York.<br />
Michele BrooKs<br />
Surgeon. This has been<br />
a dream of mine as a<br />
child because I love<br />
helping people.<br />
FrAnK Burnett, iii<br />
Exotic racecar driver.<br />
I like cars and the<br />
places they go.<br />
hunter VAughn<br />
Sports coach.<br />
I enjoy coaching kids<br />
and leading them in<br />
the right direction.<br />
nicole Mcelroy<br />
Pharmacist so that<br />
I can help people<br />
who are sick.<br />
32Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
cArol hArtMAn<br />
Ballet dancer with the<br />
New York City Ballet and<br />
dance in The Nutcracker.<br />
It has been a dream<br />
of mine since<br />
I was a child.<br />
Josh WAshington<br />
CEO of a bank so that<br />
I could make executive<br />
decisions and help people<br />
with their investments.<br />
BAylee gAughF<br />
Singer. Growing up<br />
watching American Idol,<br />
I always imagined myself<br />
on stage singing in front<br />
of Simon Cowell and<br />
hearing Ryan Seacrest<br />
say “The winner of<br />
American Idol is...<br />
Baylee Gaughf.”<br />
christy lArson<br />
Travel agent. Traveling<br />
is one of the best<br />
educational and relaxing<br />
things you can do.<br />
FrAnK Burnett<br />
Sports analyst so I could<br />
travel to all of the marquee<br />
collegiate venues, provide<br />
play-by-plays, interviews<br />
and insight. Then after<br />
the games, eat the fine<br />
cuisines and celebrate<br />
with the winning team.<br />
roBert hArrell<br />
Professional hunter<br />
because I would be<br />
working outside doing<br />
something I love.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison33
Why take your business or your skills anywhere<br />
else? As the leading independent staffing agency<br />
in the market, we consistently attract the<br />
fi n e s t c a n d i d a t e s a n d m a t c h t h e m w i t h t h e b e s t<br />
companies in the area. And because we’ve always<br />
been locally owned, you’ll be dealing with staffing<br />
experts who are invested in, and responsive to, the<br />
local business community.<br />
STAY LOCAL. SEE RESULTS.<br />
As the largest independently owned<br />
staffing service in Mississippi, we<br />
can customize a wide range of<br />
solutions for our clients and provide<br />
a plethora of opportunities for our<br />
employees. We’re large enough to<br />
provide services to big corporations<br />
but just the right size for smaller<br />
companies, too.<br />
Whether you’re looking<br />
for work or need<br />
employees, we can<br />
assist you with a variety<br />
of positions, including:<br />
- forklift<br />
- assembly<br />
- warehouse<br />
- janitorial<br />
IF YOU’RE<br />
READY TO GET ON<br />
BOARD, CONTACT<br />
US TODAY!<br />
- administrative<br />
- call center<br />
- accounting & finance<br />
- marketing & sales<br />
and much more...<br />
JACKSON 601-353-4200 | CANTON 601-859-8860 | MCCOMB 601-250-0800<br />
www.tempstaff.net<br />
34Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
A Distinguished Career<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Growing up in West Jackson in the 1950s,<br />
Kenny Windham probably never dreamed<br />
that he would spend over 50 years of his life in<br />
the broadcasting industry. Yet in October, he<br />
retired with 53 years of service under his belt.<br />
He began at WJDX radio when it was housed<br />
in the same building with WLBT-TV. His<br />
oldest brother Albert “Butch“ Windham is<br />
responsible for Kenny’s being in broadcasting.<br />
“My father died when I was six years old,”<br />
Kenny recalled. “He was a public information<br />
officer with the Mississippi Highway Patrol<br />
and he died suddenly of a heart attack,<br />
leaving my mother to raise four children on<br />
her own.” Butch started working at WLBT<br />
at night, answering the phone. He moved up<br />
to film editor and ran camera in the studio.<br />
When I was in the 11th grade, Butch called<br />
me at school and told me to come over to<br />
the TV station. Maurice Thompson hired me<br />
to answer the phone.”<br />
Kenny explained how in those days, the<br />
TV and radio station were the source of all<br />
information. “People called in to ask about all<br />
kinds of things,” he remembered. “We had an<br />
atomic clock and people called just to ask<br />
what time it was.” Butch taught Kenny how<br />
to edit film, which opened even more doors<br />
for him. “He was a hard, hard worker, but he<br />
wanted to be an agent too. He retired from<br />
the secret service in Escondido, California.”<br />
After graduating from Provine High<br />
School, Kenny went to school at Hinds and<br />
Mississippi College. “I never really got very far<br />
from home,” he laughed. He began his studies<br />
in pre-dental, but ended up earning a degree in<br />
sociology, all along working 46-hours a week<br />
at the station. “I came up learning all about<br />
broadcasting from the best – Alon Bee, Forest<br />
Cox, Joe Root, Woody Assaf and others. There<br />
were a lot of married couples working there<br />
at the time. It was like a big family.”<br />
He stayed on at the station after<br />
graduation, moving into radio sales. In 1974,<br />
WJDX moved to its current location on<br />
Beasley Road in Jackson. The station has<br />
been through a multitude of changes, with<br />
the station being bought and sold several<br />
times. Currently it’s part of the iHeart Radio<br />
group, which includes WJDX 620 AM, 105.1<br />
The River, Z106, MISS103, and Hallelujah 95.5,<br />
along with many other offerings available on<br />
the iHeart Radio app.<br />
Maggie Clark, owner of Maggie Clark<br />
Media Services, recalled meeting Kenny in<br />
1971. “I had just moved back to Jackson from<br />
Montgomery following the death of my first<br />
husband. I was hired to work as the traffic<br />
director for WJDX and WZZQ. Kenny had just<br />
gone from running camera at WLBT to sales<br />
at WJDX. His wife, Trish, and I were pregnant<br />
at the same time and Kenny was so kind to<br />
me. What impressed me about Kenny was<br />
36<strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison37
that he would go after accounts that no one<br />
else would–boutiques and the like. He was the<br />
number one sales person right out of the gate<br />
for WZZQ. He managed to hang in through<br />
five ownership changes, surviving them all.<br />
I can’t think of anyone who has more honor<br />
and integrity than Kenny Windham.”<br />
Over the years, Kenny worked with many<br />
young sales executives, bringing them up in<br />
the business. One of those was Beth Ballard,<br />
sales director at SuperTalk. “I met Kenny<br />
Windham in 1993. He took a chance on a<br />
wide-eyed girl who was selling lipstick and<br />
perfume. I knew nothing about radio other<br />
than how to turn one on! He was a firm and<br />
fair boss and working for him was<br />
a pleasure. He influenced my love for radio.<br />
I appreciate that Kenny gave me the chance<br />
of a lifetime, and a career like no other!”<br />
Since January 1986, Kenny has served<br />
as president and market manager for the<br />
stations, all while sitting on several boards<br />
of directors for organizations like Mississippi<br />
Blood Services, Community Foundation of<br />
Greater Jackson, The Barnett Reservoir<br />
Foundation, Jackson State University Advisory<br />
Board and the Mississippi Association of<br />
Broadcasters.<br />
For 40 years, Kenny served in the U.S.<br />
Army Reserve, retiring as a full colonel. In<br />
January 2003, he was the deputy commander<br />
with the 3rd Personnel Command, and was<br />
sent to Camp Doha in Kuwait, just south of<br />
the Iraqi border. “I had four days’ notice to<br />
pack my bags and say my goodbyes,” he said.<br />
He ran the casualty-reporting branch with the<br />
G1 section of the coalition forces command<br />
headquarters from many countries. “We had<br />
a few attacks while I was there. But for the<br />
most part, I felt safe. It was a heck of an<br />
experience.” He spent eight months there<br />
and learned that war is a young man’s game.<br />
“It was hard.”<br />
“Kenny and I have been friends for over<br />
30 years,” said Dolphus Blackmon, a former<br />
sales executive for Z106 FM. “I have always<br />
admired him for his service to our country and<br />
his sincere dedication to so many non-profits,<br />
promoting their causes through our radio<br />
stations. If he committed to do something<br />
for any cause or anyone, you could consider<br />
it done. He was a friend to many.”<br />
Kenny was honored at a grand celebration<br />
at the Country Club of Jackson recently, and a<br />
host of broadcast veterans and community<br />
leaders attended, along with present and past<br />
station employees, advertisers, fellow soldiers,<br />
friends and family, including granddaughter<br />
Rainey, whom Kenny describes as “the love<br />
of my life.”<br />
What does someone who has been so<br />
involved in the community for so long do<br />
when he retires? “I certainly plan on taking<br />
some time off,” he laughed. Kenny will spend<br />
some quality time with his wife, Trish. The<br />
couple met at Hinds Community College and<br />
married in 1968. Kenny said he also looks<br />
forward to spending more time with Rainey.<br />
But he’ll still be involved with the organizations<br />
he has worked so tirelessly for. “This is my<br />
second time to chair the Mississippi Blood<br />
Services board of directors, and I’ll continue<br />
working with Dr. Elaine Anthony on JSU’s<br />
advisory board. I hope I’ve helped make her<br />
department into a college, which is something<br />
I have been proud to see happen.” Kenny will<br />
also continue to help with Mississippi<br />
Association of Broadcasters. “I just got trapped<br />
into my second tour of duty as the board chair<br />
there,” he laughed, but said he feels strongly<br />
about the organization and wants to see it<br />
continue to do well after the passing of the<br />
Broadcaster’s executive director, Jackie Lett.<br />
So even though I’m retired, I will keep busy!”<br />
Sadly, the week Kenny retired, his brother<br />
Butch passed away in California. Kenny is<br />
forever grateful to Butch for introducing him to<br />
the world of broadcasting so many years ago.<br />
Looking back on his long career in radio,<br />
Kenny said he feels so blessed to have been<br />
there with the people he was with. “There<br />
have been some really great folks working<br />
with us, and I’m excited about the future of<br />
those who are there now. iHeart Radio is<br />
doing so many neat things and with<br />
technology changing all the time, it’s only<br />
going to get better. Statistically, radio is as<br />
strong as ever, and I know I’ll want to stay<br />
involved in it somehow.” n<br />
38<strong>2016</strong><br />
38<strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison39
AFTER THANKSGIVING SALE<br />
Black Saturday<br />
CALL OR COME BY SATURDAY,<br />
NOVEMBER 26, <strong>2016</strong><br />
The first 20 people to buy a $200 Gift Card<br />
Receive 10 units of Botox for FREE! *<br />
9–10 a.m.<br />
Buy $100 Gift Card<br />
Receive a complimentary $50 Gift Certificate*<br />
.............<br />
10–11 a.m.<br />
Buy $100 Gift Card<br />
Receive a complimentary $35 Gift Certificate*<br />
.............<br />
11 a.m.–noon<br />
Buy $100 Gift Card<br />
Receive a complimentary $20 Gift Certificate*<br />
.............<br />
ALL RETAIL AND SKINCARE 25% OFF -<br />
NOON–5 P.M.*<br />
*Complimentary Botox must be redeemed by <strong>December</strong> 16, <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
*Complimentary gift certificates must be redeemed by April 1, 2017.<br />
*Skincare sale excludes prescription products.<br />
601.790.2222<br />
340 Township Ave. Suite 200 Ridgeland, Mississippi<br />
www.TheSanctuaryBodySpa.com<br />
40<strong>2016</strong><br />
40Nov/Dec
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison41
Your Premier Lighting Store & So Much More!<br />
Hernando<br />
470 Hwy 51 North • 662.429.0416 | M-F 8-5 • Sat 9-1<br />
Oxford<br />
2206 B. West Jackson Ave. • 662.236.0025 | M-F 8-5<br />
Tupelo<br />
1730 McCullough Blvd. • 662.840.8833 | M-F 8-5 • Sat 9-1<br />
Ridgeland - NOW OPEN<br />
314 New Pointe Dr. • 601.499.0693 | M-F 8-5 • Sat 9-1<br />
Visit one of the Mid-South’s Premier Lighting Showrooms<br />
www.magnolialighting.com<br />
FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL<br />
St. Andrew’s Middle School is a community of caring teachers,<br />
counselors, and friends that nurtures the talents and strengths of<br />
every individual. Students graduate into the Upper School confident<br />
and prepared for the excitement and challenges ahead.<br />
Schedule your visit today by calling 601.853.6000<br />
or visiting www.gosaints.org /admissions<br />
42Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
MADISON'S FINEST<br />
Officer Pat Mack<br />
FLORA POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
Why did you decide to be a policeman?<br />
I knew I wanted to be a police officer since I<br />
was 11 years old. I was watching female cop<br />
movies like Foxy Brown and Get Christy Love<br />
while my siblings were watching The Brady<br />
Bunch and Little House on the Prairie.<br />
How long have you been with the<br />
Flora Police Department?<br />
I was hired as a patrol officer for the Flora<br />
Police Department on October 2, 2006;<br />
so I’ve been with them for ten years.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
I have four children: two girls and two boys:<br />
My oldest daughter, Tyieashia Bell, is a crossing<br />
guard for the town of Flora and a process<br />
server for Mack’s Process Services, LLC. She<br />
has two daughters. My youngest, Erica is<br />
pursuing a career in fashion design. She has<br />
a 16-year-old son. My oldest son, Jimmy is<br />
a Callaway graduate and will be graduating<br />
from Jackson State in <strong>December</strong>. He also<br />
wants to pursue a career as a police officer.<br />
My other son, Joe, is a Callaway graduate<br />
and has worked at the Animal Emergency<br />
Referral Center while pursuing a career as<br />
a veterinarian.<br />
What is the toughest thing you have<br />
experienced in your job?<br />
On my first week, fresh out of the academy,<br />
I responded to a medical call. The elderly<br />
female was not breathing, and I had to<br />
preform CPR until rescue services arrived.<br />
Once CPR has started you cannot stop until<br />
someone else takes over. It was only a few<br />
minutes, but seemed like forever.<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing<br />
in your spare time.<br />
I love taking care of my developmentally<br />
delayed little sister on my off days. I also love<br />
designing wine glasses and watching my<br />
favorite television shows.<br />
What are three things on your bucket<br />
list?<br />
I would love to vacation in Australia and Las<br />
Vegas. I would also love to get married again!<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
I admire my god-sister Freddie Singleton with<br />
the Hinds County D.A.’s office. She’s very kind,<br />
funny, and smart. She has taught me a lot<br />
throughout her law enforcement career.<br />
When I have questions about a police<br />
situation, she always has great advice because<br />
of her 30-year career.<br />
Where do you see yourself 10 years<br />
from now?<br />
If it is the Lord’s will, I will be alive and retired,<br />
mentoring children who are in need. I want to<br />
be someone they can talk to when they think<br />
there is no way out of any bad situation.<br />
If you could give one piece of advice<br />
to a young person, what would it be?<br />
Go to school, finish school, go to college;<br />
get a degree! Get a career job so you can<br />
take care of yourself, and avoid a life of crime.<br />
What is your favorite childhood<br />
memory?<br />
My sisters and I used to walk through the<br />
country fields and pick blackberries.<br />
What is the biggest mistake you think<br />
young people make today?<br />
They try to fit in where they don’t belong just<br />
to gain friends and attention.<br />
What is your favorite thing about the<br />
City of Flora?<br />
I love protecting and serving all the Flora<br />
citizens. I love that they love me!<br />
What is your favorite thing about<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> County?<br />
It's a quiet, peaceful place to live.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison43
gift guide<br />
jackson jewelers<br />
14K ROSE GOLD 4.15 CT<br />
MORGANITE AND .18 CT TOTAL<br />
WEIGHT DIAMOND RING<br />
Sanctuary Spa<br />
SKINCEUTICALS TRIPLE LIPID RESTORE 2:4:2<br />
This anti-aging moisturizer gives you an amazing<br />
radiance and provides hydration in just 24 hours. - $125<br />
madison marketplace<br />
JILLY ART...FOR CHRISTMAS<br />
One of our very talented artists here<br />
at <strong>Madison</strong> Marketplace - $29<br />
Deviney Rental & Supply<br />
GIFTS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!<br />
Thank you for shopping local and supporting<br />
small businesses.<br />
HIGH BISCUITS<br />
PETITE FLORAL 10-PIECE MINI TEA SET - $38<br />
NANDY’S CANDY<br />
WOODEN KEEPSAKE ADVENT CALENDAR.<br />
Has a door and compartment for each day leading up to<br />
Christmas. Fill with small toys, notes, candy or more.<br />
$93 non-musical - $168 with music (plays 20+ songs)<br />
CHOCOLATE ADVENT CALENDAR<br />
Rich milk chocolate foil wrapped presents<br />
behind each door - $12.95<br />
heartwood<br />
ROCKING ADIRONDACK CHAIR & TABLE<br />
Contoured bottom and back, big wide arms.<br />
Made from 7/8 thick solid mahogany and<br />
assembled with screws and glue. - $250<br />
44Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong><br />
professional eyecare<br />
COACH TORTOISE SUNGLASSES<br />
with Gold Accents<br />
Calistoga<br />
wine & Spirits<br />
KENDALL-JACKSON<br />
CHARDONNAY<br />
$10.99
Runnels<br />
GIFT CARDS IN ANY DENOMINATION<br />
Jackson Eye Associates<br />
TOM FORD EYEGLASS FRAMES - $325-$500<br />
MS PREMIER PLASTIC<br />
REGENICA DUAL SERUM - $250.<br />
Mention this ad and receive<br />
a 20% discount.<br />
shayna's boutique<br />
MISSISSIPPI MADE JEWELRY<br />
Susan Love, Cedar Canyon Plantation, Bella B,<br />
Lizabie’s, Liz Henry, Tied Together, MadCaap’s<br />
Project H.O.P.E, Elle J’adore, Brown Water Designs,<br />
Ashley Nicole Designs, Chic’d Out Designs.<br />
madison cellars<br />
BUFFALO TRACE BARREL SELECT - $24.99<br />
Mon Ami<br />
OUR FAVORITE NEW PRODUCT<br />
HA5- For instant smoothness<br />
and hydration - 1oz $96; 2 oz $178<br />
the mustard seed<br />
COASTERS, PILLOWS, TEA TOWELS,<br />
ORNAMENTS, GIFT TAGS<br />
Freshway produce<br />
MAYHAW & MUSCADINE JELLY<br />
Mississippi grown and Mississippi made<br />
$5.99<br />
Magnolia<br />
Lighting<br />
CARVED ANTLER<br />
TRAY - $169<br />
leap frog<br />
MISTEEV-US CHRISTMAS<br />
OUTFIT $39.99<br />
HOLIDAY BOW $13.99<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison45
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong><br />
READER<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
Faith Stuart<br />
Why did you decide to make <strong>Madison</strong><br />
your home?<br />
I had just gotten my real estate license and<br />
this great “fixer upper” came on the market,<br />
on the water in Natchez Trace Village. My<br />
husband and I had already redone three<br />
homes in Jackson so we jumped on it. We<br />
loved the big, waterfront lot and eventually<br />
made the house our own.<br />
How long have you lived in <strong>Madison</strong>?<br />
Since 1999.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
My husband of 32 years is Jim. We have<br />
one son, Matthew, who is a freshman at<br />
Mississippi State. My mother-in-law,<br />
Caroline, also lives with us. The family is<br />
completed by two adorable mini dachshunds<br />
and one large rescue dog that we adore.<br />
What is your favorite memory of living<br />
in <strong>Madison</strong>?<br />
There are two: We helped start a new church,<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> Heights in 2005. The early years<br />
were a challenge but now it is thriving. Also,<br />
youth rec. sports at Liberty Park. My son<br />
played baseball and soccer for many years.<br />
We LOVED every minute of it. We made<br />
lasting friendships from those days.<br />
Where are your three favorite places to<br />
eat in <strong>Madison</strong>?<br />
Georgia Blue, Bonefish, and Kristo’s.<br />
What are some fun things to do in<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> on the weekends?<br />
We are really homebodies and do not get<br />
out much except to meet friends for dinner.<br />
I do enjoy shopping at some of the great new<br />
stores!<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing in your<br />
spare time.<br />
I love to read. I also volunteer at church and<br />
other places. Until this year, we were always<br />
going to ballgames where my son was playing<br />
baseball.<br />
What are three things on your bucket list?<br />
Wow, this is hard. I never thought about it<br />
before. I guess maybe travel to the coast of<br />
Maine, watch Dak Prescott play in the NFL<br />
and hold a grandchild one day.<br />
Where do you see yourself ten years<br />
from now?<br />
With my husband, in a small patio home<br />
somewhere close to our son’s family. I will<br />
be selling real estate ’till I’m 70. I absolutely<br />
love my job.<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
I will have to say my aunt Hazel Dunnam.<br />
She has been a community leader in <strong>Madison</strong><br />
for decades. Everyone that knows her says the<br />
same thing, “she is an amazing woman with<br />
a big heart.” Having her as family, the thing<br />
I have always admired the most about her is<br />
that she is the consummate southern lady<br />
and also is so strong. She has beautiful<br />
manners, she is an incredible hostess, and<br />
always looks beautiful. She never tires of<br />
helping others and does it with a smile.<br />
Personally, the biggest lesson I have learned<br />
from her though is strength. Strength of<br />
character, strong faith to get her and her<br />
family through hard times–all the while<br />
marked by an unmistakable ladylike dignity.<br />
What is your favorite childhood memory?<br />
Everything you expect from growing up in a<br />
small town. The white clapboard house,<br />
riding bikes all over town with friends, the<br />
local Dairy Freeze, never locking the doors.<br />
My hometown, Mt. Olive, was like Mayberry<br />
in the 1960s when I was a child.<br />
If you could give us one encouraging<br />
quote, what would it be?<br />
“God can and God cares” - Chuck Frost,<br />
Associate Pastor, <strong>Madison</strong> Heights Church<br />
What is your favorite thing about<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> Magazines?<br />
My favorite part of <strong>Hometown</strong> Magazines<br />
are the stories about local people. <strong>Madison</strong><br />
has some amazing people with great stories<br />
to tell. n<br />
46Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
Medical & Laser Skincare | Injectables | Coolsculpting | Facials<br />
**“Virtually Painless” Laser Hair Removal Now Available In <strong>Madison</strong>.**<br />
Trim Your Waist<br />
Before Your Tree!<br />
OVER 2,000 TREATED AT MON AMI SPA<br />
CoolSculpting is the only FDA-cleared, non-surgical fat reduction treatment that uses cooling to eliminate<br />
stubborn fat; fat that won’t go away despite diet and exercise. The results are proven, noticeable, and permanent.<br />
ONE SESSION. ONE HOUR. NO SURGERY. NO DOWNTIME.<br />
TREATABLE AREAS:<br />
Love Handles<br />
Muffin Tops<br />
Flanks<br />
Abdomen<br />
Double Chin<br />
Inner & Outer Thighs<br />
BEFORE<br />
8 WEEKS AFTER<br />
First CoolSculpting® Session<br />
9 WEEKS AFTER<br />
Second CoolSculpting® Session<br />
Photos courtesy of Edward Becker, MS.<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> Location:<br />
Mon Ami – The Sculpting Center<br />
501 Baptist Drive, Suite #140<br />
<strong>Madison</strong>, MS 39110<br />
Jackson Location:<br />
Mon Ami Spa & Laser Center<br />
Highland Village<br />
4500 I-55 North, Suite #128<br />
601.366.7721<br />
601.790.9821<br />
www.MonAmiSpa.com
48Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong><br />
NEVER A WORRY<br />
Susan Marquez
Gayle Kramer is the kind of person people want to be around. An infectious smile<br />
and jubilant personality makes all who are around her feel joy. “I want to make<br />
other people happy. I want them to be OK, and I want them to know that I’m OK.”<br />
Even though she’s just finished six-anda-half<br />
weeks of daily radiation following a<br />
lumpectomy procedure for breast cancer,<br />
Kramer continued living her life each day<br />
like nothing in the world was wrong. “I didn’t<br />
have time for cancer,” she exclaimed. “I needed<br />
to keep working!”<br />
Kramer’s journey with cancer began with<br />
a regular checkup and routine mammogram<br />
earlier this year. “I hadn’t heard anything<br />
about the results after two or three days, so<br />
I called the doctor’s office and said I knew<br />
everything was fine, but I thought I should just<br />
check in.” After reviewing the results, Kramer<br />
was told by her doctor that no, something<br />
didn’t look right, and she needed to go for a<br />
biopsy. “Even then, I wasn’t concerned. I just<br />
thought it was something they had to do, and<br />
that they’d realize after the biopsy that I was<br />
just fine.”<br />
But she wasn’t fine. Kramer had breast<br />
cancer and she had to go home and tell her<br />
husband, Larry. I sat my daughter and him<br />
down and told them and I also told them<br />
they’d better not worry about me, because<br />
I was going to be fine. I told them that the<br />
Lord and I had this!”<br />
Kramer likes information, and before she<br />
made any decisions on treatments available<br />
to her, she did her research. “I Googled all I<br />
could, and talked with friends who had had<br />
cancer, and their friends who had had cancer.<br />
I made appointments to talk with a plastic<br />
surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist. They<br />
were all within the Baptist Medical system,<br />
so they all talk with each other. It took a lot of<br />
time, but I’d recommend that anyone having<br />
to make decisions about their own healthcare<br />
or that of a loved one to be informed. I like<br />
information.”<br />
She met with her surgeon, Dr. Scott Berry<br />
at Baptist, and he explained all the options<br />
available to her. “He talked about a full<br />
mastectomy and a lumpectomy. In the end,<br />
I chose the lumpectomy and radiation, along<br />
with oral hormone-blockers.”<br />
Her faith, her friends and her family all<br />
kept Kramer going when she wasn’t the one<br />
to keep their spirits up. “I’ve been through a<br />
lot in life. I had to go through a divorce and a<br />
move to the Jackson area about 15 years ago.<br />
Lots of folks in my family have had any number<br />
of heart problems, but no one had ever had<br />
cancer, so this was a total shock. But for some<br />
reason, it never really bothered me.”<br />
With an attitude like Kramer’s, one has to<br />
wonder if anything bothers her. “I know that<br />
each day you can wake up and make choices in<br />
life about anything from finances to relationships.<br />
But the fact of the matter is that I didn’t<br />
make a choice to have cancer. I’ve always had<br />
such a dark and burdensome feeling come<br />
over me when someone I love is diagnosed<br />
with cancer, but when it was on my end of the<br />
equation, I didn’t feel that way, so I made it<br />
my mission to make sure others didn’t feel<br />
bad about my situation either.”<br />
Kramer is a native of Memphis and her<br />
husband is from Yazoo City. The couple lives<br />
in Yazoo County and attends the Blackjack<br />
Baptist Church. “It’s 203 years old!” She<br />
commutes to work at The Blake in Ridgeland<br />
each day where she is the activities director.<br />
“My job can be stressful, but it’s more rewarding<br />
than anything.” When she first moved to the<br />
Jackson area, Kramer had to go back into the<br />
work force. She rented apartments for Kane<br />
Ditto, then sold residential real estate. From<br />
there she went to work at Embassy Suites in<br />
Ridgeland. One day she walked over to The<br />
Blake, thinking they were apartments. “They<br />
hired me right away as the concierge, but I had<br />
a hard time sitting still!” She said the Lord<br />
spoke to her heart and told her to just be still<br />
for a while, and although it was hard, she did,<br />
and after a year her boss offered her the<br />
activities director position. “I love it! It’s the<br />
perfect job for me.” But because she sees the<br />
residents daily and she’s so involved with their<br />
lives, she sat down with them and explained<br />
her situation. She didn’t want them to get<br />
wind of it or worry about her. “I figured if they<br />
knew what was going on and they saw me<br />
here every day, they would know all was OK.”<br />
At this point, Kramer said she is healed<br />
from cancer. “I have to go back every so often<br />
to get checked, but I am not going to worry<br />
about it.” Her doctor put her name in to be a<br />
model in a fashion show with other cancer<br />
survivors at Mistletoe Marketplace. “Joan<br />
Lunden will be the special guest, so I guess<br />
I’ll be up there modeling for her!”<br />
Kramer said she’s seen a diagnosis like<br />
cancer or other life events really make people<br />
stop in their tracks. “You have to keep moving<br />
forward. To me, the best medicine ever is to<br />
bring joy to other people. When you know<br />
you’ve made someone happy, you can’t help but<br />
be happy, too.” The one thing she suggested<br />
anyone do for those going through cancer is<br />
to send a card. “I used to feel so helpless, but<br />
when I was going through treatment, I got<br />
so many cards. That really lifted my spirits.<br />
Now I know to send lots of cards to anyone<br />
who is going through cancer!” n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison49
BREAST CANCER<br />
AWARENESS<br />
PARTY<br />
In honor of Gayle Kramer<br />
October 18, <strong>2016</strong> / The Blake Ridgeland<br />
50Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison51
Alah Clark, Tom Flowers Allan Wall, Hunter Arnold Beth McBride, Walter Michel Beth Morton, Brenda Ferguson<br />
Danny & Rachel Bolanos<br />
Ridgeland Under the Stars<br />
“Sassy Jones Reunion”<br />
September 29, <strong>2016</strong> / Country Club of Jackson<br />
Bill Bethany, Robby Carr, Allan Wall<br />
Bill Hollingsworth, Fred Cerami<br />
Faye Santangelo,<br />
Chuck Bryan, Linda Keng<br />
Chris Parker, Nessa Braswell<br />
Celeste Carby,<br />
Stephanie Eldridge<br />
Tammy & Van Brun<br />
Cindy & Michael Chandler<br />
Cindy Barth, Linda Williams<br />
Debi Green, Linda & Billy Brunt<br />
Dianne Herrin, Maria Garrison,<br />
Mary Lea Hagan<br />
Jill Fair, Bob Brassfield, Carol McLellan<br />
Dylan Bryan, Kelley Gay Leigh Kelly, Donna King, Mary Jackson George Ates, Honey Ates, Robert Scott<br />
Jimmy Franks, Kimberly David<br />
Leo & Jean Cheng Lydia & Austin Moore Greg Nowell, Thomas Howard<br />
52Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
Tony Webb, Brandy Manning, Kellie Rogers<br />
Tom & Debbie McCollum<br />
Thomas & Latresa Robb<br />
Susan & Tracy Bailey<br />
Vic & Nell Wyatt, Rita Martinson<br />
Shayna & Jonathon Holmes<br />
Sarah Gayden & Andy Hammond<br />
Samantha Moore, Troy Johnston,<br />
Lucien Bourgeois<br />
Allan Wall, Addy Keith, Bill Bethany, Martha House<br />
Beth Morton, Bill Boutwell, Melvin Chaney, Laurie Browning<br />
Raphael Semmes, Ginny Weilenman,<br />
Mark Weilenman<br />
Nevada Hollingsworth,<br />
Candi Galloway Mike & Enjoli Nolen<br />
Michael & Lori Wolfe Marlene Wilson, Vanessa Young Jeff King, David Jackson<br />
Marc Petro, Brooke Howard, Stephanie & Kirby Keith<br />
John Dorsa, Debi Green, Karen & Maur McKie<br />
Keith Ferguson, Beverly Mahaffey<br />
Rosa McIntyre, Maria Garrison<br />
Ric & Erin Martinez, Paula Payne Ray & Rita Satcher Lynn Wells, Rick Dowdy<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison53
The Nutcracker<br />
<strong>December</strong> 2 • 7:30pm<br />
<strong>December</strong> 3 & 4 • 2:00pm<br />
Thalia Mara Hall<br />
Front: Robby Carr · Back (L to R): Justin Gauthier, Daniel Barham, Johnny Beck<br />
Featured Artist<br />
Lisa Busby<br />
balletms.com • 601.960.1560<br />
LET US COVER<br />
the ATM FEES<br />
We’ll take care of any ATM charges when you have an<br />
account at one of our Mississippi locations. Withdraw<br />
cash from any bank’s ATM, anywhere in the nation, and<br />
we’ll cover any fees. It’s completely hassle-free for you.<br />
Origin also offers free mobile banking and guarantees<br />
same-day mobile deposits before 5pm. We’re proud<br />
to serve over 40 locations in Mississippi, Louisiana and<br />
Texas – including five in Mississippi. Find your nearest<br />
one today at OriginBankOnline.com/Mississippi.<br />
Bank Original<br />
OriginBankOnline.com/Mississippi · <br />
Same-day mobile deposit only valid for checks deposited before 5pm.<br />
Mobile deposit limits per customer. Per check limit is $5,000.<br />
Up to 10 checks per day for a total amount of $5,000.<br />
Up to 50 checks per rolling 20 business days for a total amount of $15,000.<br />
MEMBER FDIC<br />
54Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
JACKSON ACADEMY<br />
of <strong>2016</strong><br />
At Jackson Academy, learning involves more than<br />
classroom instruction. Together, faculty and students<br />
create amazing experiences, like those occurring in<br />
JA’s new Learning Commons. This central hub brings<br />
the best of progressive educational tools into one<br />
multifunctional space, where students are eager to<br />
study, think, collaborate, relax, and fellowship.<br />
Student responses? Comfortable. Easier to learn.<br />
Quiet spaces. Convenient for homework. Awesome<br />
green screen and Expo marker walls! Relaxing, but<br />
not distracting. I can get my work done. Perfect.<br />
1/2 PRICE WING TUESDAYS® • 21 SIGNATURE SAUCES & SEASONINGS • BONELESS THURSDAYS®<br />
BIG SCREEN HD TVS • ALL THE SPORTS ACTION • DINE-IN OR TAKEOUT • KIDS MEALS • HAPPY HOUR<br />
THE<br />
WAY<br />
POSITIVE<br />
PROGRESSIVE<br />
COLLABORATIVE<br />
JACKSONACADEMY.ORG<br />
STUDENT-CENTERED<br />
808 LAKE HARBOUR DRIVE // RIDGELAND // 601.856.0789<br />
COMING SOON TO 766 MACKENZIE LANE // FLOWOOD<br />
©<strong>2016</strong> BUFFALO WILD WINGS, INC. BWW<strong>2016</strong>-4063<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison55
The CHALKBOARD<br />
MADI SON COU NTY SCHOOLS<br />
Germantown<br />
Germantown High School crowned Amber Young as their<br />
<strong>2016</strong> Homecoming Queen. Amber is the daughter of Keith<br />
and Camille Young.<br />
12th grade: Hailey Gray, Amber Young, Emma Simpson, Khaki Peets,<br />
Jesseca Bass, Molly Crocker<br />
11th grade: Candace Barlow, Kylie Cockrell, Mary Morgan Agostinelli,<br />
Allie Wilcox<br />
10th grade: Hailey Soper, <strong>Madison</strong> Smith, Emme Walker, Grayson Amis<br />
9th grade: Destiny Ewing, Nicole Easley, Mary Blair Carmody, Iris Ball<br />
56Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
Germantown<br />
Germantown High School held a Community Pep Rally<br />
Thursday, September 22, as part of their homecoming festivities.<br />
The homecoming court was recognized on the field during<br />
this event.<br />
9th grade: Justas Bowers, Destiny Ewing, Holden Grimes, Mary Blair Carmody,<br />
Nicole Easley, Easton Wynn, Iris Ball, Isaiah Wilson<br />
11th grade: Kyle Holmes, Mary Morgan Agostinelli, Tondra Green,<br />
Candace Barlow, Kylie Cockrell, Ben Bell, Allie Wilcox, Noah Greenwood<br />
10th grade: Eli Thurman, <strong>Madison</strong> Smith, Carson Fisher, Hailey Soper,<br />
Grayson Amis, Reid Lott, Emme Walker, Will Fairly<br />
12th grade: Jay Michael Cooper, Molly Crocker, Owen Ivan, Hailey Gray,<br />
Trey Buckley, Amber Young, Emma Simpson, Dean Damon, Jesseca Bass,<br />
Keairee Ealey, Khaki Peets, Cody Dinkelacker<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison57
The CHALKBOARD<br />
MADI SON COU NTY SCHOOLS<br />
Mannsdale<br />
Mannsdale Elementary second graders just held their annual “Fairy<br />
Tale Ball.” Students read fairy tales (even fractured ones), fables<br />
and folktales during this unit. In music, students learned songs and<br />
dances to correspond with the literature. They put what they<br />
learned together and performed for their parents.<br />
58Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
<strong>Madison</strong> Station<br />
Elementary<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> Station Elementary is celebrating its 25th birthday this year.<br />
On September 23rd, it was <strong>Madison</strong> Station night at the <strong>Madison</strong><br />
Central football game against Clinton. The MSE honor choir sang<br />
before the game and each MSE student was given a balloon to<br />
release as they ran across the field at the beginning of the game in<br />
honor of the 25th birthday! Happy Birthday MSE!<br />
MRA<br />
The American Cancer Society hosted their 22nd Brunson<br />
Memorial Golf Tournament at Annandale Country Club. This<br />
year’s tournament honored one of our very own, Missy Hollis,<br />
1st grade teacher and patron of MRA, who is a five-year colorectal<br />
cancer survivor. Missy is an inspiration and shares her passion for<br />
getting the message out about colorectal cancer.<br />
On September 29th, MRA partnered with the American<br />
Cancer Society to have “Missy Hollis Spirit Day” and raise funds<br />
through this meaningful event. Each student could make a<br />
minimum donation of $5 and dress in their school “spirit day”<br />
attire. With every dollar raised, we were able to help support<br />
those affected by every cancer in every community, including<br />
those who are currently dealing with a cancer diagnosis, those<br />
who may face a diagnoses in the future, and those who may avoid<br />
a diagnosis altogether because of education and risk reduction.<br />
MRA is happy to announce that we collected a total of<br />
$11,0003.75 for this amazing cause!<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison59
The CHALKBOARD<br />
MADI SON COU NTY SCHOOLS<br />
Ann Smith<br />
The second grade Pathways students recently visited the Nissan<br />
Training Center in Canton in preparation for the construction of<br />
their VEX IQ robots. In addition to their visit, they are working<br />
on coding and learning to think sequentially which will be a must<br />
in programming the robots successfully! Upon completion, they will<br />
compete with other <strong>Madison</strong> County Schools as they maneuver<br />
their robots through a series of challenges. Their teacher is Mrs.<br />
Lynda Flynn.<br />
Camden<br />
Elementary<br />
Students in Mrs. Lindsay’s 2nd grade class wore surgical caps and<br />
masks to perform “Text Feature Surgery” from articles read in<br />
Scholastic News.<br />
Students in Mrs. Bynum’s and Ms. Griffin’s 3rd grade classes visit<br />
Judge Will Longwitz to learn about the government.<br />
Canton Academy<br />
Mrs. Dawn Lampkin’s Canton Academy K-3 class finished a unit<br />
on the letter “D” by celebrating Doughnuts with Dad. Each<br />
student invited their dad to class for breakfast. A fun time was had<br />
by everyone! Pictured are Kenner and Bo Purvis, David and Eli<br />
Brock, Bobby and Autumn Martin, Chris and Beau Bitner,<br />
Jonathon and Aiden Broome, Morgan and Jolene Belote.<br />
Walk to school day<br />
60Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
St. Anthony<br />
Father Albeen joined us for our Annual Pet Blessing! It was a<br />
beautiful morning for our four legged fur-babies, a fish, some crabs,<br />
a few reptiles, a frog, and a turtle who were received with prayers<br />
and sprinkled with holy water. We all had fun getting to know our<br />
animal friends, and it turned out to be a purr-ific morning.<br />
Another happy tail in the books!<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison61
The CHALKBOARD<br />
MADI SON COU NTY SCHOOLS<br />
Christ Covenant<br />
Christ Covenant School celebrated our Fall Into Fun Festival on the<br />
school campus on October 6th. This annual festival is the largest<br />
school fundraiser with fun events for the entire family and includes<br />
games, sweet treats, inflatables, laser tag, rock climbing, creative<br />
competitions, and a silent auction.<br />
62Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
Kubota RTV X-Series<br />
Do more with Kubota’s full line of powerful 4WD workhorses.<br />
RTV-X900<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
RTV-X1100C<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
RTV-X1120D<br />
<br />
<br />
® <br />
RTV-X1140<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Deviney Rental & Supply<br />
www.DevineyEquipment.com<br />
2173 Hwy 51 / <strong>Madison</strong>, MS 39110 / 601-859-0020<br />
www.kubota.com<br />
*For complete warranty, safety and product information, consult your local Kubota<br />
dealer and the product operators manual. ower K and other specications<br />
are based on various standards or recommended practices. **Realtree ® is a registered<br />
trademark of Jordan Outdoor Enterprises, Ltd. Optional equipment may be shown.<br />
© Kubota Tractor Corporation, <strong>2016</strong><br />
Thanks to our<br />
advertisers<br />
and readers.<br />
We appreciate you!<br />
Follow us on<br />
Facebook<br />
HAVE A<br />
FLEX SPENDING<br />
ACCOUNT?<br />
That money does not<br />
carry over to the following<br />
year…so treat yourself to new<br />
eyeglassesor contacts!<br />
Schedule your eye exam<br />
today at one of our five locations.<br />
—www.optical2000.com—<br />
601-957-9292 • Ridgeland<br />
601-859-3464 • Canton<br />
662-746-4312 • Yazoo City<br />
601-605-2259 • <strong>Madison</strong><br />
601-825-8300 • Brandon<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison63
Welcome To Our Neighborhood<br />
A LIFESTYLE CUSTOM-MADE FOR YOU.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Deck the halls with<br />
HoLIDaY MEATS<br />
& MEALS<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
INDEPENDENT LIVING<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Call 601-863-8883 to tour Independent Living.<br />
MEMORY CARE ASSISTED LIVING<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Call 601-863-8442 to tour Memory Care.<br />
JACKSON METRO LOCATIONS<br />
601-992-4200<br />
®<br />
650 Highland Colony Pkwy. in Ridgeland<br />
www.Beau-Ridge.com<br />
64Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
MoreThan<br />
<br />
<br />
Meets THE Eye<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison65
Camille Anding<br />
The Time Coin<br />
Martha absolutely loved Christmas.<br />
It was a package of so many joys!<br />
There were two entire weeks<br />
of vacation from school and those dreaded<br />
timed multiplication sheets. There were<br />
presents to wrap and hide, cookies to make<br />
and share, boiled custard to drink and weeks<br />
of smelling fresh pine and cedar in the house.<br />
Only one thing hung a veil over Martha’s Christmas joy. It was the<br />
Christmas play that her mother always planned for the Christmas Eve<br />
program at their church.<br />
Since the cast was usually small in their rural fellowship, Martha<br />
knew her mother wanted every child to have a speaking part. “That will<br />
please their parents,” she would tell Martha, but Martha found no<br />
pleasure in saying anything in front of crowds.<br />
She pleaded with her mother to let her skip the play or hold a spot<br />
light, but Martha’s mom was insistent that her daughter do her part.<br />
“I’ll give you your lines early so you’ll have plenty of time to learn<br />
them. It’ll be verses from the Christmas story. It won’t be hard, Martha,”<br />
she would say in consoling tones.<br />
The 24th came, on time, and Martha, the shepherd girl, stood in<br />
bath robe and sandals with a sweaty staff clenched in her nervous hands.<br />
Her heart pounded as she tried to keep her eyes on the baby doll Jesus<br />
and blend in with the other shepherds.<br />
She knew that she knew her verses but<br />
would they come out on cue? Suddenly she<br />
heard her voice, “And, lo, the angel of the Lord<br />
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord<br />
shone round about them, and they were sore<br />
afraid.”<br />
Martha halted! Her mind went blank and<br />
white like her face as she experienced the “sore<br />
afraid.” Her body and speech were paralyzed. She tried swallowing,<br />
but her mouth felt starchy and dry. She heard her mother whisper a<br />
prompt, “And the angel said,” but she needed more.<br />
She took a shepherd’s step toward the stage wing and tripped the<br />
cord that lit Baby Jesus. The manger went dark. Hysteria was ready<br />
to pounce! Martha wished for all the lights to go out so she could hide<br />
under the church.<br />
Suddenly a heavenly voice spoke. It was the rest of her lines and in<br />
her brother’s calm and clear words. Martha beamed through tear-filled<br />
eyes as her older brother shepherd, her good shepherd that night,<br />
continued, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the<br />
heavenly host praising God, and saying. . .”<br />
Martha’s heart suddenly flooded with the Christmas spirit. She<br />
stepped closer to her brother that she loved with renewed brotherly<br />
love and joined in, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,<br />
good will toward men.” And Martha meant it with all of her heart. n<br />
66Nov/Dec <strong>2016</strong>
More than 30 clinics.<br />
Quick appointments.<br />
One number: 844-MSMERIT.<br />
Because there’s Merit<br />
in convenient care.<br />
With more than 30 primary care and specialty clinics in four counties across the Jackson and Vicksburg metropolitan<br />
areas, Merit Health Medical Group providers offer quality care for your family with your schedule in mind. From sore<br />
throats and fever to annual wellness visits and more specialized care, we’ve got you covered.<br />
To see all locations and specialties, please visit MyMeritDoctor.com<br />
Walk-in, same-day and next-day appointments are available.<br />
Just call 844-MSMERIT for an appointment with a provider near you.
In just one treatment, new Volbella<br />
restores fullness, with a gorgeous, smooth<br />
look that doesn’t appear unnatural or<br />
disproportionate. Even naturally full<br />
lips benefit from enhanced lip shape.<br />
And it lasts up to 12 months!<br />
VOLBELLA<br />
L VE<br />
Your Lips Again!<br />
voted<br />
The Clarion-Ledger’s<br />
Best of 2015 and <strong>2016</strong><br />
RUNNELS<br />
C E N T E R<br />
Breast Resizing • Body Lifts • Tummy Tuck • Liposuction • HydraFacial MD<br />
Volbella • Kybella • Botox • Juvéderm • Everlasting Brows • Laser Treatments • Peels & Facials<br />
Scott Runnels, MD, FACS<br />
DIAMOND LEVEL<br />
Top 1% of physicians nationwide performing facial and breast<br />
procedures using Botox, Juvéderm & Natrelle Breast Implants.<br />
Diplomat, American Board of Plastic Surgery<br />
<br />
skin ∆¬e Spa<br />
Member<br />
AMERICAN SOCIETY<br />
OF PLASTIC SURGEONS