By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
We met after the Chamber Coffee on Tuesday, as the mayor had been with his family on Columbus Day. What was on his heart was the need for folks to have a blend of kindness and persistence, and there were quotes on both topics that had of late meant a lot to him. The first was from Mr. Rogers, and it was the “kindness quote:”
“There are three ways to ultimate success:
The first way is to be kind.
The second way is to be kind.
The third way is to be kind.”
I laughed and said, “Well, I guess that about does it; nothing else really matters.” But for today’s time he also wanted to talk about persistence — something we are at times lacking greatly in our culture, and something we desperately need. Mayor Ronnie’s source this time was former President Calvin Coolidge (Silent Cal), and the topic was persistence.
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On!’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Coolidge actually gave that speech in 1894 at Amherst College in Massachusetts, and it certainly rings true today. We moved on to other topics, beginning with the Storytelling Festival coming up next week. “It is just the best thing for the kids,” he said. I told the mayor what I tell everyone, that watching the kids get “captured” by the ‘tellers is by far my favorite part of Storytellers; to put down their phones and soak up someone’s story without the aid of anything other than the power of storytelling is formidable.
“We had the first session of the Mayor’s Youth Commission,” the mayor told me, and it was a rare chance to watch kids probe the minds of a federal elected official. In this case, it was U.S. Congressman Dale Strong, who was interviewed on a podcast produced by the kids themselves and broadcast from City Hall. “They asked him about things such as immigration and term limits, and Dale loved his time with them.”
The third topic of conversation was the dedication ceremony and ribbon-cutting for the new Welcome Center located at the Ardmore exit on I-65 that was held on Wednesday, October 16. It had certainly been a long haul to “git ‘er dun,” and Mayor Ronnie was looking forward to attending. He took out a school picture of Quinton, and it was amazing to see how much he had grown. Things just plain move too quickly, and kids growing up is certainly one of them.
We had met right after the Chamber Coffee, but that didn’t deter us from praying. The election was coming up, so many things are pressing upon our land, and so we prayed, right there in the hallway of Trace’s Salon in East Limestone. And then, once again, it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
October 18, 2024
