Last March Entry

I thought I'd post one more time for this month with the article I wrote for the paper down South. Hopefully, it will be in next week's edition.


For the first time in a long time, I’m writing to you from the land of milk and honey, or rather, the land of SunDrop and Bar-B-Q. I’m down in Kannapolis visiting family this past week and thought I would just check in with the rest of you.

Compared to the Northern climes, Kannapolis is almost tropical. It hasn’t been this warm up North since last August, and I’m not expecting to see your current temperatures until late May, maybe June!

Coming back is difficult. It’s wonderful to see family and friends again, and familiar places, but it’s sad, too. I don’t yet have the familiarity with the Yanks that is as comfortable as Kannapolis is to me.

Just being back here for this short time reminds me of the one major thing, besides my family, that I miss about not being in Kannapolis. When I go out and about up North, I never see people that I know. It’s such a sprawling place, and I don’t feel the interconnectedness that I feel in Kannapolis. I like being able to see people I know, and have quick chats and catch up.

I like knowing that no matter where I go around Kannapolis, the chances of running into someone I know are great, whereas in Buffalo, they’re next to nil. When you get used to something like that, it is very unsettling when you don’t have it anymore.

Now that I’m home again, albeit briefly, I feel a little better plugged in to the pulse of Kannapolis. Since this is intended to be more editorial ramblings than sentimental claptrap, I do have a couple of observations I’d like to share.

The congregation at Kimball Lutheran Church, like many congregations across the country, is reading “The Purpose Driven Life.” They are meeting weekly to discuss what they’ve read, and using the discussions to reflect on their lives. When I attended last Sunday, Pastor Rhoades discussed the reading of the book and its real life application during the tragedy in Atlanta several weeks ago.

As a teacher, I love seeing that the community is participating in inquiry level discussion and critically exploring the real world through textual analysis and personal application. What a great role model for the level of involvement that we want kids to participate in during their own academic endeavors! Kudos!

I would also like to quickly address the issue of the lottery. It’s been all over the news since I came into town. (And I’ve written about it before…) I won’t mention any names, but suffice to say that high horses are harder to saddle and ride for any length of time. The question of the poor getting poorer should be dead in the water. The people in this state that want a lottery are already participating in neighboring states, much to the delight of those state’s governments and lottery beneficiaries.

It is not up to those in office to legislate morality, but rather to be a voice for the people. Let’s stop all of the “for and against,” “pro and con” debates, and put the vote to the people…I think we’ll all be surprised at the outcome. Why should North Carolinians continue to support Virginia’s Highway department or South Carolina’s educational initiatives? Let’s adapt to the times by keeping the money in North Carolina, and letting it make a difference here!

It was good to see you, Kannapolis. I miss you, and it’s always nice to come back and visit friends and family. I do my best to keep up with you through the Independent Tribune website, and I enjoy seeing all the good things that are happening in Kannapolis.

See you again in the summer!