Vendor Writing

Keeping It All In The Family

BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

A while back I got to spend time with Dre (that’s short for Andre.) He’s stopped and prayed with me once before, but this time he came to visit after he’d had a bad day at work, saying he was drawn to come and see me. During our conversation, he told me he worked at group home for teen boys, and that touched my heart, especially since I spent some time in a group home for teen girls at age 17. I also came to a better understanding of what he meant by “bad day.” I commended him for the work he was doing and encouraged him not to give up.

I reminded him that those kids often have a lot of baggage — he nodded yes. During the course of our conversation, a beautiful young lady stopped in traffic and rolled her window down and smiled (it was one of those smiles that instantly melts your heart.) Then she rolled her back window down, and her equally beautiful young daughter smiled and waved at me too. I asked if she wanted a paper she said no but told me to have a good day, and away they went. After they left, Dre smiled and said that’s my wife and daughter! It was SO cool!

I’m ALWAYS happy to see Les, a retired firefighter who stops by regularly for a paper — lately he’s added something new to his visits like a drink, water or soda.

He’s even brought several members of his family to meet me including his grandson Hollis who was spending some quality time with his Papa one day waiting to see if his practice would be rained out.

Alex, someone he’s training to do his job, who also happens to be dating one of his daughters.

On his most recent visit, he brought his youngest daughter Emma, who happens to be a child psychology major with him. She’s one smart cookie!

Brandon and his son Hunter used to come by regularly when they lived/worked in the area. Although Brandon no longer lives in Hermitage, and has changed jobs, I still send him his papers regularly, and in return, he continues to show his support via Venmo.

Recently I was blessed by a visit from Dana, who called me by name. She seemed familiar but I couldn’t place her at first. Then it dawned on me that she’s the daughter of an older gentleman I lovingly referred to as “my chili-dog guy.”

He was my last customer of the day, and he bought me a chili dog meal. I ate the chili dog, my granddaughter ate the fries, and we split the drink. That $5 went a long way!

Since he’s passed away, she Dana comes by occasionally in honor of her dad, who she says “loved me to death!” Well, believe me when I say, the feeling is mutual.

Leigh Ann and her sister Paige (known as the masked mystery woman) because the day I met her she was all covered up and all I could see was her glasses and her eyes. But then again, it was VERY cold outside!

They are relative newcomers at least to my corner, but recently they got my day off to a great start!

Just the other day, Claudia stopped by (I met her in March of 2018, when she asked me to please pray for her six month old granddaughter Blake Allyssa who had a congenital heart problem.)This time she wanted to show me pictures of the now happy, healthy 5 year old and her sister!

How cool is that?

Wes (I came to think of him my “work family,” He was my former boss from Captain D’s who came by one day lookin’ cool as ever on his motorcycle, for a moment, I was a bit nostalgic, thinking of all the fun times I had while I was working with him. Nostalgia quickly turned to nausea when I remembered he was the one who put me in the unemployment line…UGH!

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but in his defense, Captain D’s is supposed to be “fast food” and everyone who knows me also knows I only have two speeds-slow and slower than that! That being said, even Wes would tell you my customer service skills are second to none!

In fact, whenever we had an order that took to long, they’d send me out with it, and I’d usually come back with a tip! He’d say, “How in the world did you manage that?” I’d smile and say, “I’m just that good!”

The only thing he wouldn’t let me do while I was working with him is sing “Free Fallin” or “Gravity” by John Mayer (yep, even back then I was ALWAYS singing)-Why? Because he said he was afraid that it would turn into a self-fulfilling prophesy. (I’m NOT joking…)

All in all I have to say he was a good boss, and a good tipper as it turns out! (Although he scoffed at the idea of getting saddlebags for his bike so he could take the paper. I guess he figures that would take away from his “cool factor,” and he wasn’t about to do that!

Let It Be

BY JEN A., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

"When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

And in my hour of darkness

She is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be"

— Paul McCartney

Someone or several someones hung a large banner along the Chestnut Street bridge the day Gov. Bill Lee signed the bills to outlaw public drag shows and to forbid transgender children from receiving gender-affirming medical care. The banner featured a large red figure of the state of Tennessee with a large black swastika in the center of the state on a white background. Printing at the top read, "Thank you Bill Lee for tirelessly working to fight trannies and fags." And at the bottom was printed, "We must secure a future for white children." It's sort of confusing as to if the two lines of text were meant to be related.

The banner outraged a motorist who drove over and took it down. But you know, I wish they had left it up for all to see every day as they travel through Tennessee. After all, when these and other pieces of restrictive legislation have passed by the legislature to be signed by our governor, this is who we are and I think folks should know that. I think we should have to consider that fact day in and day out. Not only for those of us who live here but for folks who might be considering a visit here.

Speaker Cameron Sexton put on a big show of being outraged that a representative from Tennessee Right to Life, while testifying at a public committee hearing, said that if a member of the legislature voted for exceptions to their total ban on abortions, such as to save the life of the mother or in the case of rape or incest, that member's score would be negatively impacted. The speaker told the representative that he could say that in his room or in an email but not at a public hearing.

And when Rep. Paul Sherrell, a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, suggested at an open hearing that executions in the state could be carried out by hanging the condemned from a tree, conjuring memories of Tennessee lynchings of Black men, women and children in the state's past, the next day he was required to deliver a prewritten apology. Sexton apparently didn't like the optics of one his members publicly condoning lynching.

Why would Sexton not want the public to know that our legislators are racists or that they are more than willing to aggressively promote femicide? Doesn't he want us to know that this gender-affirming care act is just a way to separate parents from the right to make all decisions for their children? Why isn't he concerned that his legislators don't care what their constituents want, but with what some special interest group funded by nebulous out-of-state billionaires wants them to do? If this is what our legislature and governor are, why hide it? They're being paid to do what special interests want them to do. That's just a fact. And they are willing to blow Tennessee up to do it. As Speaker Sexton once said, let those who don't like it vote with their feet. That's a famous line he stole from Ronald Reagan meaning, those who don't like it can just leave.

So I'm all in on swastikas along our highways. Confederate flags, toxic masculinity, and raided public coffers will, no doubt, continue on as well. Tennesseans will continue to live in the charred poisonous crater of wars fomented by sociopathic, egomaniacal leadership almost two hundred and one hundred years in the past. We'll continue to die for manufactured lost causes no one living could possibly be directly tied to anymore. It's what our leaders demand. When the selfish intentions of government officials encourage hate and division to condemn someone to death, we just have to let it be. I believe that's how Jesus died.