By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
Monday was one of those days you’ll never forget and that you hope you won’t ever have to repeat. It was also a day that was filled with grace, beauty, hope, and promise. Two families had tragically lost two family members, and our town was reeling. The funeral for both was held on Monday. Mayor Ronnie and I chatted about several things that were far more positive, but discussion about the loss did (and in my view, needed to) weave itself in and out of our conversation.
I finally asked Mayor Ronnie if there was something he wanted to say in the space of this column, and he grew quiet for a while. Then he said, “In spite of tragedy, whether it’s natural or manmade, family—anything, we wrap our arms around people, and that’s the most important message we can give.”
The mayor went on to talk about how Athens needs to be a “protective community,” and by that he meant far more than having excellent first responders, which we do; it means people being aware and ready to help their neighbors.
WKAC AM 1080 had a special presentation of #1 hits from 1968, and while that year Mayor Ronnie had been in the jungles of Vietnam and I had been protesting him doing so, Paul McCartney did a special thing for John Lennon’s boy, Julian. He wrote the classic, “Hey Jude.” What I had just found out was that the monster hit originally was called, “Hey Jules.” Paul changed the title in order to protect the boy’s privacy as he gave him musical advice on how to navigate the Lennon’s divorce and the invasion of Yoko Ono. “Take a sad song, and make it better,” while not exactly gospel is still really good advice. Sometimes it takes a long time, but it is possible.
We moved on to things that we look forward to every year; the first being Celebrity Waiter’s Night that is held every year at Applebee’s Restaurant to raise funds for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society. People come for dinner, and all the tips earned by their waiter go toward Relay. There is a friendly contest amongst those who have been designated as waiters, and people turn out in droves. This year the waiters are Mayor Ronnie, Athens Police Department Officer Michael Stainbrook, Athens High School Coach Cody Gross, Pammie Jimmar of the Chamber of Commerce, Athens Fire Department Firefighter Jordan Pugh, Jackie Jackson, Kay Burlingame, and Doug Swaim.
It is also almost time for the annual Sheriff’s Rodeo. (See the front cover article.) For more than four decades, Limestone County has had one of the largest outdoor rodeos east of the Mississippi, and all the proceeds go to procure equipment and training for the department.
It had been a difficult but profitable conversation, and there was just one thing left to do, and that was to pray. So we did, fervently, and then it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
