The Contributor: Sept. 1, 2021

$2

Buy this paper with Venmo!

Include your Vendor’s Name & Badge #:

w w w . t h e c o n t r i b u t o r. o r g

N I B RO Y ES A H H G U O KI M B R

Volu m e 1 5

| Number 18 | September 1-15, 2021

IN THE ISSUE

Contributor Board

Tom Wills, Chair Cathy Jennings, Bruce Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Ann Bourland, Kerry Graham, Peter Macdonald, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Erik Flynn

LOCALES - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS - SALUD - ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...

GRATIS

4

13

Septiembre

2021

Año 19 - No. 336

L a N ticia

14

www.hispanicpaper.com

“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Escanee esta imagen para ver La Noticia newspaper edición bilingüe digital

17

Nashville, Tennessee

Variante Delta: Qué hacer para mantenerse a salvo del COVID

Hay mucha preocupación por el impacto del COVID-19 y su variante Delta , afectando no sólo nuestro medio en Nashville, sino al resto del mundo. Es también motivo de alarma, la cantidad de hispanos que eligen no vacunarse a PorYuri Cunza pesar del riesgo que Editor in Chief conlleva enfermase. @LaNoticiaNews Como van las cosas, todos estamos en riesgo, vacunados o no, por ello los siguentes protocolos para prevenir el contagio son aún su mejor opción para cuidarse y cuidar la vida de sus seres queridos. Aquí le presentamos la información publicada al respecto por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).

Guarde al menos un (1) metro de distancia entre usted y otras personas, a fin de reducir su riesgo de infección cuando otros tosen, estornudan o hablan.

Mantenga una distancia aún mayor entre usted y otras personas en espacios interiores. Cuanto mayor distancia, mejor.

Convierta el uso de la mascarilla en una parte normal de su interacción con otras personas. . Para que sean lo más eficaces posibles, es esencial utilizar, guardar, limpiar y eliminar las mascarillas correctamente.

Indicaciones básicas sobre la manera de ponerse la mascarilla: Lávese las manos antes de ponerse la mascarilla, y también antes y después de quitársela y cada vez que la toque.

Asegúrese de que le cubre la nariz, la boca y el mentón.

Cuando se quite la mascarilla, guárdela en una bolsa de plástico limpia; si es de tela lávela cada día y si es una mascarilla médica, tírela a un cubo de basura.

No utilice mascarillas con válvulas.

Cómo reforzar la seguridad de su entorno Evite las 3 “C”: espacios cerrados, congestionados o que entrañen contactos cercanos.

Vendor Spotlight

In Memoriam

"I’m so stressed out thinking what am I going to do today, where am I going to sleep, where can I park that’s going to be safe..."

"He was the guy you always knew would bring you back both the thing you asked for and the change."

Preguntas sobre la vacuna anti COVID-19

What to do to protect yourself and others (source: WHO)

Se han notificado brotes en restaurantes, ensayos de coros, clases de gimnasia, clubes nocturnos, oficinas y lugares de culto en los se han reunido personas, con frecuencia en lugares interiores abarrotados en los que se suele hablar en voz alta, gritar, resoplar o cantar.

*Utilice una mascarilla (de preferencia N95 o KN95, no pañoletas).

No olvide las normas básicas de la buena higiene Lávese periódica y cuidadosamente las manos con un gel hidroalcohólico o con agua y jabón. Esto elimina los gérmenes que pudieran estar en sus manos, incluidos los virus.

Evite tocarse los ojos, la nariz y la boca. Las manos tocan muchas superficies en las que podrían coger el virus.

Una vez contaminadas, pueden transportar el virus a los ojos, la nariz o la boca. Desde allí el virus puede entrar en el organismo e infectarlo.

Al toser o estornudar cúbrase la boca y la nariz con el codo flexionado o con un pañuelo. Luego, tire inmediatamente el pañuelo en una papelera con tapa y lávese las manos. Con la observancia de buenas prácticas de ‘higiene respiratoria’ usted protege a las personas de su entorno contra los virus causantes de resfriados, gripe y COVID-19.

Limpie y desinfecte frecuentemente las superficies, en particular las que se tocan con regularidad, por ejemplo, picaportes, grifos y pantallas de teléfonos.

La Noticia + The Contributor Los riesgos de contagio con el virus de la COVID-19 son más altos en espacios abarrotados e insuficientemente ventilados en los que las personas infectadas pasan mucho tiempo juntas y muy cerca unas de otras. Al parecer, en esos entornos el virus se propaga con mayor facilidad por medio de gotículas respiratorias o aerosoles, por lo que es aún más importante adoptar precauciones.

Reúnase al aire libre. Las reuniones al aire libre son más seguras que en interiores, en particular si los espacios interiores son pequeños y carecen de circulación de aire exterior.

La Noticia, one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers Conoce tus derechos: in the nation, ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada? brings Spanish content to The Contributor.

Evite lugares abarrotados o interiores, pero si no puede, adopte las siguientes precauciones:

Abra una ventana. Aumente el caudal de ‘ventilación natural’ en los lugares cerrados.

1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

por

¿Me infectará la vacuna contra el COVID-19 con el virus?

No. Ninguna de las vacunas que están en desarrollo actualmente en los Estados Unidos contiene el virus, pues no hay posibilidad de que la vacuna infecte a alguien con el virus de COVID-19. ¿La vacuna me enfermará?

No. Las vacunas Pfizer y Moderna contra el COVID-19 no contienen el virus y no pueden causar infección o la enfermedad de COVID-19. Algunas personas que reciben la vacuna desarrollarán dolor o enrojecimiento del brazo, fiebre, dolor de cabeza, escalofríos y fatiga. Típicamente, estos síntomas desaparecen después de uno o dos días. ¿Cuándo se deben vacunar las mujeres embarazadas?

Las mujeres embarazadas no se incluyeron en los estudios para estas vacunas. Se piensa que la vacuna es segura y efectiva en mujeres embarazadas y el embarazo no se considera una contraindicación. Ni los CDC ni TDH han incluido a las mujeres embarazadas en la lista de condiciones preexistentes de alto riesgo. En base a esto, las mujeres embarazadas deben vacunarse cuando llegue su fase laboral. Metro recibe la vacuna de TDH según el plan estatal de asignación de vacunas y se espera trabajar dentro de esa estructura.

Soy un voluntario que trabaja en un hospital. ¿A dónde voy para vacunarme?

Si usted es un empleado o trabaja como voluntario en un hospital y tiene exposición directa al paciente o contacto con materiales potencialmente infecciosos y tiene preguntas sobre cómo recibir la vacuna, comuníquese con su supervisor en el hospital.

Lee más: https://www.asafenashville.org/es/infor macion-sobre-vacunas/ Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com

Vendor Writing

In this issue, vendors write about eviction, father figures and the joy of the Hadley Park Library reopening.

Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.

Contributors This Issue

Hannah Herner • Linda Bailey • Amanda Haggard • Maurice Ballard • Joe Nolan • Ridley Wills II • Susan Adcock • Eric H. • Carey L. Biron • Elizabeth Frantz • Anna D'Amico • Yuri Cunza • Mr. Mysterio • Vicky B. • John H. • Jen A. • Tyrone M. • Norma B. Contributor Volunteers Joe First • Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • John Jennings • Janet Kerwood • Logan Ebel • Christine Doeg • Laura Birdsall • Richard Aberdeen • Marissa Young • Robert Thompson Cathy Jennings Executive Director Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations

www.juanese.com juaneseUSA@gmail.com

Hannah Herner Staff Writer Jesse Call Housing Navigator

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Raven Lintu Housing Navigator Dymin Cannon Housing Navigator Carli Tharpe Housing Navigator Barbara Womack Advertising Manager Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom WIlls Contributor Co-Founders

The Contributor now accepts Venmo!

Scan the QR Code above, or find us: @The-Contributor Make sure to include your vendor’s badge name and number in the description. If you bought this version digitally, you can still leave your regular vendor a tip.

Email Cathy@thecontributor.org for more information or with questions!

PAGE 2 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed.

The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate.

Submissions may be emailed to: editorial@thecontributor.org Requests to volunteer, donate, or purchase subscriptions can be emailed to: info@thecontributor.org Please email advertising requests to: advertising@thecontributor.org

The Contributor P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, TN 37203 Vendor Office: 615.829.6829

Proud Member of:

Printed at:

Follow The Contributor:

Copyright © 2018 The Contributor, Inc. All rights reserved.

YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE ONLINE TO THE CONTRIBUTOR FOR JUST $99 A YEAR OR $30 FOR 3 MONTHS. DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE OR YOUR ISSUES WILL BE MAILED MONTHLY AND YOU CAN DESIGNATE A VENDOR TO RECEIVE THE PROFITS — AND EVEN LEAVE A TIP FOR YOUR VENDOR! VISIT: WWW.THECONTRIBUTOR.ORG TO SIGN UP

populist.com

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 3

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: ACE

Ace finds home in Nashville

BY HANNAH HERNER Contributor vendor Ace has lots of stories to tell of his own reality in his 33 years of life.

He came to Nashville in May of 2021.

He says he’s lived in every state except for South Dakota and Hawaii. The last place he lived was Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He said he lost his job there, working to make an income through the stock market.

“I came over to Nashville because one time passing through here I noticed that there was a lot more pretty people. They were a lot more respectful,” he says. “They treat people nice and generally just the fact that everyone cares. And I can wake up every day and see pretty people everywhere.”

Even though he hasn’t been here long, he says Nashville is his favorite of all the places he’s lived.

“When I first got on the airplane, I felt comfortable. So I decided to go on one plane to the next and go all over the United States. Coming here is the first

place on the ground where I actually feel at home,” he says. “I go from one state to the next uprooting my life and taking everything I own and starting over. And so far I've done great. Doesn't matter how many times you start over, I always end up doing good. And this state actually has been the best as far as resources. And mainly because of The Contributor paper the people that work with that.”

Ace tells of a difficult childhood — he says his dad took him and his sister away from his mom at a young age. As a result he didn’t have a relationship with his mother until he was 17. He had trouble making friends, too.

“That's why I'm so good with programming. I literally made my friends,” he says.

Ace talks about his former professions in computer programming and advertising, and says he wants to get a computer to get back into those fields. He says he wants to build a “multi-billion dollar ad-

vertising business” and claims his last computer crashed because he was hacking into things he shouldn’t.

He brings his entrepreneurial mindset to The Contributor, often suggesting things to help sell the paper easier. Like a contraption to help hold more papers in the air at one time, better signage, or a kiosk at a hotel or airport.

“Right now it's kind of hard being a programmer with no computer. So I think that selling the paper has been good, I believe in selling this paper because while we take people that are down and out and you help them get back on their feet, and even those that don't get back on your feet, you help make sure that they have enough resources to survive,” Ace says.

He first came to the downtown office for a boxed meal, but ended up signing up to sell the paper, and got registered for food stamps with the help of The Contributor’s housing navigation team.

PAGE 4 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

“I'd seen people standing in line. And I was like, ‘man, I'm hungry.’ So I came over here. And I'm like, ‘hey, these people have a lot of resources.’ It was cool because I got food stamps through this place. I didn't even know how to do food stamps or where to go,” he says.

Shelby and 5th Avenue in East Nashville is Ace’s favorite spot to sell, and he’s quickly upped the number of papers he can sell at one time. He says it’s helpful to have The Contributor as a documented source of income to help him get housing without having to put extra money down.

When asked about the secret to success at selling the paper, he said: “Easy, treat it like a job. It is a job. A lot of people think that you're going out there and it's the same as holding a sign. Well, it's not, because you're not writing what's on there you're going out and selling information about what's going on. It's not your stories you’re selling, it’s a bunch of different people's stories.”

NASHVILLE HISTORY CORNER

Ward-Belmont Pembroke Hall and its residents.

WARD-BELMONT’S BEGINNINGS

BY RIDLEY WILLS II On Sept. 25, 1913, Ward-Belmont opened on the 49th year of Ward Seminary and the 24th year of Belmont College. The school’s president was John D. Blanton. Jennie Taylor Masson, the Ward-Belmont registrar, put an advertisement in a Monteagle Sunday School bulletin about its summer schools. She gives a rather complete description of the school and its faculty.

In the school’s academic department, there were 20 teachers, graduates or postgraduates of Toronto University, Vassar, Wellesley,Bryn Mawr, Smith, Goucher, Chicago University,

Vanderbilt, Michigan, and Columbiaa most impressive list. Ward-Belmont was, according to its registrar, “the most complete, modern and thoroughly equipped Boarding School for Girls and Young Women in the South, and equal to the best in America.”

The School of Music, the most expensively maintained in any such school in the country, had, in 1913, 17 teachers of piano, voice, violin, other stringed instruments and pipe organ.

Ward-Belmont also offered Schools of Expression, Domestic Science and Home Economy; and Art, which pro-

vided the best training in painting, drawing and designing.

In 1913, Ward-Belmont featured a superb gymnasium and swimming pool with gymnastics a specialty and a course in physical education.

All rooms for boarding students were “outside rooms, commodious and attractive.”

Classes were small with one resident teacher for every 10 resident students.

John D. Blanton, president of Ward-Belmont, had come to Nashville in 1892 as a teacher and vice-president

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 5

of Ward’s Seminary. His inf luence was strongly felt in the civic, religious, educational and fraternal life of the city.

In 1928, he would be named Nashville’s most outstanding citizen. Dr. Blanton served as president of the Tennessee College Association,and vice-president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. A devoted member of First Presbyterian Church, he died in October of1933 at age 74 of pneumonia, which developed during an asthma attack.

PAGE 6 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

IN MEMORIAM: ERIC HUDSON

MOVING FORWARD 10/9/19 | ERIC H.

Moving forward I was on the street got help from the people I meet.

Don’t give in when life looks thin.

‘Cause I am now able With the help of Open Table.

Thank God for Miss Adcock for getting me off the concrete and rock.

THANK YOU FATHER 10/31/19 | ERIC H.

I know my Father is proud of my ways Even after all these days Though after all these years He may not be here But sees that I am sincere It has been a while It still makes me smile To know he still looks down on me And sees I’m not where I used to be Thank you Father for being true And teaching me what I need to do

‘CONTRIBUTOR’ VENDOR ERIC HUDSON DIES AT 45 Friend of Eric’s describes him as a gentle spirit who was always willing to give to others

BY SUSAN ADCOCK On the day Eric Hudson died he texted me at 5:44 a.m. A sleepy green cartoon character with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. He wrote: “Good Morning.”

At 8:02 a.m. I text back: “Good Morning to you.”

Within seconds he texted back again: “Welcome to Friday.”

I remember seeing it as I left for work and thinking what a sweetheart he was, dropping random thoughts onto

my phone for no reason beyond the genuine love he felt for those around him.

Eric was always a giver.

When we first met he slept in Centennial Park where he ran daily errands for people; watched their dogs. He was the guy you always knew would bring you back both the thing you asked for and the change. It was hard, though, and physically exhausting. One day he looked at me and said: “Can you get me out of here please?”

Eventually we managed to get him his own apartment, but not before a couple of seasons of what I liked to call Warming Shelter Carpool Karaoke.

These were some of the most memorable and fun car rides of my life. Eric and his friends sang enthusiastically even when they didn’t know the words, from West End Avenue all the way to Shelby Park.

We laughed, we sang, we hid beer in the back of my car; we learned about

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 7

real friendships and now we grieve for the gentle spirit that was and always will be Eric Hudson.

Eric Hudson March 10, 1977-Aug. 15, 2021 Eric was an organ donor and although circumstances prevented his donation, no one was surprised he made the offer.

See you on the other side, friend.

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF STREET PAPERS (INSP)

U.S. URGED TO BOOST HOUSING FOR HOMELESS YOUTH

BY CAREY L. BIRON Dash left home when she was a teenager, after a rough patch with her parents when she came out as gay, eventually landing in the shelter system in Anchorage, Alaska.

The shelter was a safe and helpful space, she said, but it was also chaotic and difficult to study as a first-year college student — with three people to a room and constant coming and going, everyone kept their personal belongings in lockers.

So after a few months she applied to a program that felt tailored to her needs: time-limited "transitional" housing where she would have her own living space, along with help preparing for a more permanent housing situation and a stable life.

"Having that quiet space and little desk in my room, I was really able to focus," Dash, who asked to use her first name to protect her identity, said in a phone interview.

"It was helpful to just think and reflect on life but still have the option to communicate with other young people and the staff."

Transitional housing programs are seen by backers as critical, filling a gap at a key point in the lives of the country's 4.2 million unaccompanied homeless youth.

But the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began to deprioritize such programs in 2012, said Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, which advocates for homeless young people.

The agency instead shifted focus to shorter- and longer-term housing, Duffield said, leaving out the many homeless youths who need more help than can be offered through emergency programs, but do not have the chronic problems that would require permanent housing.

"There's a slogan 'housing ends homelessness,' but it doesn't really, if young people don't have what they

People camp out on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to highlight the upcoming expiration of the pandemic-related federal moratorium on residential evictions, in Washington, U.S., July 31, 2021. REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ need to stay in housing and be economically independent," she said.

The pandemic has redoubled that need, Duffield said, pointing to a rise in young people being separated from their families due to lack of employment, evictions and other economic factors.

A spokesperson for HUD did not respond to requests for comment.

The department has previously pointed to research finding that transitional housing is "generally more expensive and achieves similar or worse outcomes than other housing models serving similar populations."

‘Breathing room’ Duffield and others are hopeful they can turn federal policy on the issue under the new Biden administration, including through proposed legislation that would give local authorities greater flexibility in supporting homeless youths.

"The effects of homelessness on a child can last a lifetime," said Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, a co-sponsor of the bill, the Homeless Children and Youth Act, in a statement.

"It is in all of our interests to ensure that vulnerable kids get a roof over their heads in a safe and stable environment. Common-sense reforms, like offering more transitional housing, will help do just that."

That position is backed by new data published in June that examined all young people who exited the US transitional housing programs run

by Covenant House International in 15 cities over a year.

The findings were highly encouraging, said David B. Howard, who oversees research for the non-profit: nearly three-quarters moved into stable housing, and 69 per cent were employed or in school.

Such findings suggest the approach can be an important "runway"

to independence, he said.

"It's giving breathing room for that young person to know they're going to have the time to dig in and figure things out," he said.

That can be particularly important for those who have been in the traditional foster care system and who typically "age out" at 18, Howard noted.

In the Covenant House study, the average length of stay was about seven months, but Howard said the data suggests that even shorter stints can be significant.

The constricted timeframe also encourages more concerted effort than a permanent model, he said.

"It's meant to be part of a transition, so let's use the time to really focus in on what the issues are that need to be addressed."

‘Seismic’ shift Covenant House has been able to maintain its transitional programs

PAGE 8 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

since the 2012 policy change with additional effort, Howard said.

Yet many homeless service organizations rely on HUD funding for some 60 per cent of their budgets, according to the June report.

It quoted one Virginia provider as characterizing the change as "seismic," prompting a quick shift away from transitional programs, eliminating case managers and more.

The change made it "very challenging" to keep transitional programs alive, said Deborah Shore, founder and executive director of Sasha Bruce Youthwork, which runs six such programs in Washington.

The move has also hurt youth homeless services more broadly, said Shore, who has worked in the field for 45 years: "Youth programs, which were having trouble competing anyway with the adult system, have had a much harder time competing for any funds."

She said the Covenant House findings comport with their own internal assessments.

"If you stay in homelessness for long ... you transition into a long-term way of life. We're doing everything we can to avoid that," she said.

Today in Anchorage, Dash is doing the same: Five years on, she is back at Covenant House, now working with teens seeking safety and stability.

Her time in the transitional program was key in helping her learn how to be on her own, she said - how to budget money, purchase a vehicle and eventually move into an apartment.

"I know a lot of other young people who went through the program (and are) becoming better versions of themselves," she said.

"Prior circumstances don't define who we are."

Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo

NEWS

Seniors in an era ripe for scams

BY HANNAH HERNER Scams targeting older adults are nothing new. But it’s gotten worse in recent times due to COVID-19 isolation, the rise of the internet, and the increase in the number of citizens in the senior demographic in the United States. Nonprofits, the state and national programs seek to spread awareness to prevent seniors from losing money.

The National Council on Aging counts scams involving health insurance, counterfeit prescription drugs, sweepstakes, telemarketing and fraudulent anti-aging products among the top 10 ways seniors are taken advantage of financially.

In more elaborate scams, scammers pose as grandchildren or attend funerals to claim that a recently deceased loved one owed them money.

During the pandemic, medical scams came to the forefront, promising miracle cures or guaranteed prevention of COVID-19. Being physically isolated made for a ripe environment for scam artists.

“Particularly in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, when everybody was socially isolating, that was a f lag because what a lot of the fraudsters do is they like to get the seniors alone. That is one of their prime tactics. They don't want anyone else advising or potentially obstructing that scam,” says Rachel Carden of the securities division of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.

AgeWell Middle Tennessee puts out a monthly newsletter detailing prevalent scams. They also hold community workshops in preventing scams. Grace Smith, executive director of AgeWell says it’s wise to go by the motto, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”

“Scammers are really good at making you feel like it's urgent or you're in trouble if you don't do something. Or you have to act today or the offer won't be good anymore. If someone is pressuring you in that way, it's a classic sign. It's probably

TO REPORT A SCAM: If you suspect that you or a loved one might be a victim of securities or insurance fraud, or if you would like to file a complaint or speak with an investigator, please contact the Tennessee Securities Division – Financial Services Investigations Unit at (615) 741-5900.

For more information on elder abuse and financial exploitation visit https:// www.tn.gov/commerce/elder.html To sign up for the scam newsletter go to: agewelltn.org/scam-prevention a scam,” Smith says.

The Senior Financial Protection & Securities Modernization Act, passed in 2017, allows enhanced penalties for those who scam seniors and/or people with cognitive impairment. It also formed the Elder Investment Fraud and Financial Exploitation Prevention Program, which educates those who work closely with seniors on spotting the signs of abuse and financial abuse and reporting to state authorities.

In 2018, the North American Securities Administrators Association passed the “Senior Safe Act,” which encourages training for financial institutions and grants them immunity for sharing information about transactions in an effort to save a senior citizen from financial exploitation. While this type of training is required in some states, it isn’t in Tennessee.

“In the past five years, there has been a concerted effort, both through legislation and through some grant initiatives, to do a better job in making sure that the penalties are stiff for people that abuse older adults or take advantage of them financially. And also just to try to break down barriers and in providing victim

support,” Smith says.

Smith added that these types of crimes are also underreported.

“Most of the time, people are so embarrassed that they've fallen victim that they don't want to tell anybody, even their own family members,” she says. “In those cases, it can be hard to understand the full extent of people being impacted by scams, but also hard to prosecute if it's never reported.”

The U.S. Census estimates that by 2034, older adults will outnumber children for the first time in history. With a very small percentage of those seniors in institutional care, it’s up to caregivers, medical staff, and others in close orbit to look for the signs of fraud. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance sends out literature to senior stakeholders made by the NASAA. Another thing for those close to seniors to watch for is for cognitive decline, where they become especially vulnerable.

If a loved one is facing cognitive decline, it’s important for a trusted family member to have safeguards on bank accounts, or even enter a joint bank account with them, and watch for abnormal withdrawals.

Smith says older adults can generally be more trusting, not wanting to come off as rude by refusing to answer questions or not answering the phone, or door. And with modern technology, fraudulent emails and websites can look legit, like they’re coming from their own bank, for example.

“I think just having a conversation just very candidly, you know, look, you can't trust people that call you that you don't know,” Smith says. “And there are a lot of scams out there. And you don't ever, ever, ever want to give away your bank account number or your social security number, any personal information like that, that someone could use to take advantage of you. I think those conversations are really important. And a caregiver can give examples of scams

that are out there.”

Carden adds that it’s not just a stranger-danger situation when it comes to scams. Sometimes family members convince older adults to move money around or gain power over the money to use for themselves.

“It can occur within families, it doesn't have to be a stranger situation.

Unfortunately what happens in the case of elder fraud and exploitation is that you'll have family members who may be taking advantage of the situation and trying to become power of attorney or trying to obtain control over their financial assets,” Carden says.

The internet is a way for fraudsters to reach seniors, who can be especially susceptible because they aren’t digital natives, too. National organization MediaWise has a program that teaches fact checking targeted to older adults. Online training shows seniors how to ask who's behind the information, what's the evidence, and what are other sources saying, so they don’t fall for inaccurate news or conspiracy theories.

“Seniors were falling for misinformation for a few reasons,” says Alex Mahadevan, program manager for MediaWise. “One, they were the targets because they are the highest voting block, they have lots of money, they've always been the target of scams, you know, and they're not as familiar with the technology, and they have a lot of free time.”

Mahadevan noted that during the pandemic, this type of misinformation could even be deadly for seniors. Even the word “news” has a different meaning from when seniors were growing up. A Facebook “newsfeed” bears little resemblance to the newspapers that seniors trusted in their formative years.

As more and more seniors come of age in the next decade, the younger generation looks to protect them and empower them to protect themselves through education about the possibility of scams.

NASHVILLE PRIDE FESTIVAL 2021 Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park Saturday Sept. 18 and Sunday Sept. 19 Come by and visit The Contributor's booth!

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 9

COVER STORY

THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL Over the years, our vendors at The Contributor have shared so many opinions with us. They often have strong feelings and thoughts about who should or should not be in office, who isn’t holding up their end of the political bargain and who citizens should think more about before giving them a chance. We decided over the next year to allow space for folks who sell the paper to tell our readers what they think about local politicians. The first in our series is a profile on Robin Kimbrough Hayes, who is running for 2022 Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge, Division V. (Go to https://www.nashville.gov/departments/elections to find voter registration information and election dates.) Hayes profiles herself in her own words, and then our vendor Maurice Ballard gives us his thoughts on Hayes, who befriended Ballard over his years of selling The Contributor.

PHOTO AND COVER IMAGE COURTESY OF ROBIN KIMBROUGH HAYES PAGE 10 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

COVER STORY

IN HER OWN WORDS: Robin Kimbrough Hayes Robin grew up in a trailer park in Lexington, Ky., as a latchkey child before attending Fisk University in Nashville. After earning her law degree from Emory Law School in Atlanta, she returned to Nashville to serve as Assistant Attorney General in Tennessee's Attorney General Office where she argued cases from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River before the Court of Criminal Appeals. Later she also served as Associate General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.

These professional experiences showed her that her heart is with everyday people. While using her legal skills to advance social justice for the least in our communities, her faith also led her to become an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, which she considers to be a vital part of her call to ministry, as she works to address issues of poverty, criminal justice reform, and women's issues. A member of the Nashville Branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), NOAH

(Nashville Organized for Change and Hope), Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated, the Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship.

Additionally, she serves as the President of the National Panhellenic Council of Nashville, and provides leadership for all the Black Greek-lettered organizations on issues addressing criminal justice reform, policing, housing, healthcare, economic development, and voter engagement. Recently, she accepted an appointment to sit on the Tennessee Democratic Party Advisory Board and a Board member of the Tennessee Democratic Women’s Collaborative.

For over a decade Robin dedicated her career to helping victims of domestic and sexual violence as Legal Counsel for the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, where she worked on legislation and policies to keep victims safe and hold batterers accountable. She organized state-wide training and consultations to educate and inform others on these issues

and is a strong believer in power and strength through communication. Now, Robin has integrated her faith and legal background serving as a chaplain and special advisor in a higher education setting. After her US Senate primary race, she split her time with the chaplaincy representing indigent clients and volunteering for the Legal Aid Society. Robin has proven herself a champion on issues having an impact on the poor and underserved communities. She has advocated and fought fearlessly for her clients while raising awareness on barriers facing many of them, including access to healthcare, systemic racism, poverty, mental health, and housing. She served as an expert and spokesperson at numerous events on topics related to the intersection of faith and criminal justice, anti-racism, cultural humility, deprivatization of prisons, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and civic engagement.

Robin Kimbrough Hayes wants you to join her in her fight for justice for all by becoming a member of Team Justice.

IN A VENDORS WORDS: Taking and making the turns in and of life with Robin Kimbrough Hayes

BY M AURICE BALL ARD

As it's all known by every individual in life that everyone has or had some sort of hardship and or terrible struggle within their childhood lives, well only to bring abroad the turns of life in which indeed that can be called an enormous and outstanding accomplishments, we view the actual actions of one that began as a trailer park latchkey child from out of Lexington, Ky. I believe Robin Kimbrough Hayes is one that has found it and has accepted it in her mind and heart to constantly keep leaping over the many trials and hurdles in and of life only to insist on seeking and searching for the betterments of life.

Yes, she has fought, but found her ways through the hectic turns of life. She has accepted that true growth must happen, and in that personal hunger and thirst, her first turn and or stretch came the abilities to achieve and attend school at the prominent Fisk University here in Nashville. Then there shortly afterward she entered another turn in the race of life by continuing an upward pike into earning her law degree from the well known Emory Law School of Atlanta, and but then returned to Nashville to continue to be of a marvelous service worker where she has served as Assistant Attorney General within the Attorney General Office here in Tennessee, in which her

works of arguing cases from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River before the Courts of Criminal Appeals were truly amazing. She also worked as Associate General Counsel for Tennessee Department of Children's Services. All of these jobs have allowed her to stay true to understanding and keeping her heart with the everyday individuals and people.

Within that time of using her legal skills to advance the social justice for the least of Tennessee's communities it allowed her heart to truly become touched by our Almighty God whiles her faith strengthened and began to deeply move in works for the Lord to-wit she became an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, in which is a vital part and or key of her ministry/life as she dealt and deals with addressing all issues of hers in today's life, such as poverty, criminal justice reform and the many women's issues there.

Then again we can examine another turns in her life whereas she has also became a member of Nashville's Branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), NOAH (Nashville's Organized for Change and Hope), the Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated, the Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship. In addition to that she does grand service of president

on the National Panhellenic Council of Nashville by providing leadership for all the Black Greek-lettered organizations on issues addressing Criminal Justice reform, policing, housing, healthcare, economic development, and voter engagement. Most recently she has accepted an appointment to sit on the Tennessee Democratic Women's Collaborative while being a happily devoted and responsible wife and mother of five.

Within the turns of life in which Hayes has came upon we can see that she is still running strong at a comfortable pace, while for over a decade she has dedicated her career towards helping victims of domestic and sexual violence in and of circles of those circumstances by being legal counsel for the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, in which she has furiously and endlessly worked on litigation and policies to-wit keeps victims safe and hold abusers accountable. She has organized state-wide training and consultation to educate and inform others of these issues and is a strong believer in power and strength through communication.

Whereas through this means of communication the abilities of her integrating her faith and legal backgrounds as she serves as a chaplain and special advisor in a higher education setting, the

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 11

realization is that after her U.S. When the Senate primary race was over she continued her run within the turns of life in which she split her time with the chaplaincy representing energy clients and volunteering for the Legal Aid Society. As expectations being a major factor of this so-called life the question posed is doesn't those turns in her battlefield of life in which she has made tremendous accomplishments make her worthy as a true champion? A champion on and of issues having an impact on the poor and underserved communities. She has advocated and fought dearly and fearlessly for her clients as raising awareness on barriers facing many of them including access to healthcare, systematic racism, poverty, mental health issues and housing.

Then on top of all that remaining a loving caring and responsible mother and dedicated wife, she’s a woman that has found it fit to share herself and her expertise as being a spokesperson by sharing her knowledge at a number of events on topics related to the intersection of faith and criminal justice, interracialism, cultural humility, deprivatization of prisons, the George Floyd's Justice in Policy Act and civic engagement. That's something that all should join her in, an American dream where I believe she will make justice count for us.

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT: MONROE HARDING

MONROE HARDING CONTINUES A 128-YEAR LEGACY OF CARING FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE CHILDREN

BY ANNA D’AMICO Founded in 1893, Monroe Harding has adapted to the changing nature of caring for displaced children.

Originally an orphanage, the organization now focuses on foster care, reuniting children with birth parents and helping children heal from family trauma in the meantime.

“Our mission is to change young peoples’ lives,” said Shan Edmonson, director of foster care at Monroe Harding.

Monroe Harding works with the Department of Children Services to make decisions in the best interest of the children, said Edmonson.

According to Monroe Harding’s website, the average length of a child’s stay in foster care is 12-18 months, but the arrangement can last anywhere from a few days to a few years, depending on the case.

“Each child or sibling group is individualized, so it’s a case by case basis,” said Edmonson. “It just depends on the circumstances of the birth families or guardians at that time.”

Birth parents must track progress and complete a Permanency Plan to make sure they can take care of their family once they reunite, but the length of care can always be extended if need be, said Edmonson.

The biggest need facing the organization right now is willing foster parents, including those willing to foster teenagers and sibling groups.

“There are about 9,000 children currently in the state of Tennessee who are in need of a foster home,” said Edmonson. “So we often are trying to have a variety of recruitment efforts and ideas, but there’s an enormous need for additional foster parents.”

According to the Monroe Harding website, a foster parent can be anyone over the age of 25 who has a steady income, space for a child and is able to pass a background check.

“The only thing that would hinder anyone from becoming a foster parent is they do have to pass a background check, fingerprint and local and state background checks. They must be financially stable enough to take care of their own needs before adding someone else into the home,” said Rhonda Allen, vice president of clinical services and

child care at Monroe Harding.

The training process for becoming a foster parent includes a six-week course on becoming a parent and a home study that lasts 60 to 90 days, said Edmonson.

“We call that process a mutual selection process,” said Allen. “It gives the prospective parent an opportunity to say ‘yes, this is a good fit’ or ‘no, it may not be’ and it also gives the agency an opportunity to say ‘maybe you might be a stronger support person than a foster parent.’ So it’s a good process to cover the expectations, the type of children you’ll serve and what’s expected of you and the agency so people can make informed decisions about their next steps.”

The main goal of foster care is to provide a supportive environment while a child is in or transitioning out of state custody. Having a firm familial foundation in youth leads to a more successful adult life, said Allen.

“What we do know for a fact is that if children are unstable at a younger

age and are not able to be stabilized or supported, they don’t do well as young adults,” said Allen. “So in foster care, what we hope to do is stabilize the children in homes that can support them, help them through their healing process, and get them prepared to return back to their families or go to

PAGE 12 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

another stable living condition.”

In addition to foster care, Monroe Harding provides services in housing, education, therapy and healing, and reengagement for young people up to the age of 26 who have experienced family trauma. For more information, visit monroeharding.org

MOVING PICTURES

“...cat-and-mouse capers...”

BELCOURT THEATRE’S NEW ‘HEIST!’ FILM SERIES IS SET TO THRILL FALL FILM LOVERS

BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC The crime film genre is a surprisingly broad category that gives us gripping procedural masterpieces like The Silence of the Lambs, buddy comedies like 48 Hours and personal portraits framed on characters like “Dirty Harry” Callahan. The Belcourt’s newest repertory series, Heist! focuses on the films which give us the cat-and-mouse capers of daring criminals pitting their wits against the hard-nosed coppers and brilliant detectives who’ll do anything to catch them in the act. Unlike gritty, gory gangster films or the hijinx of Keystone slapstick, the heist genre focuses less on firepower and brawny brutality to zoom in on the detailed plans of intelligent and highly skilled sociopaths whose elaborate strategies to obtain priceless treasures or simply haul off stacks of cash deliver nail-biting thrills.

Here are some Heist! highlights: Jackie Brown This is the only Quentin Tarantino film adapted from another source — in this case, the 1992 Elmore Leonard novel,

Rum Punch. This seems to be the main reason why the director never cites Jackie Brown among his own best works, but many fans and critics disagree. Jackie Brown is endlessly watchable and infectiously quotable. It’s also the only Quentin Tarantino film where no violence or bloodshed is shown on screen. Instead, Jackie Brown gives us one of the most realistic, mature romances in modern cinema alongside a gripping plot to rip off a sadistic drug dealer that culminates in a recursive, brilliantly scripted heist sequence. The film also gives us a luminous Bridget Fonda in her best role, and an underrated turn from Robert DeNiro as a bumbling stoner ex-con.

To Catch a Thief Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant are one of cinema’s great director/actor teams, and To Catch a Thief finds the pair in entertaining form in a heist film with a twist: John Robie (Grant) is a reformed jewel thief living in the south of France. When a burglar starts emptying

jewelry boxes up and down the coast, the authorities immediately come after Robie who must clear his name by catching the thief himself. Grant is great at believably embodying a character while also exuding unbelievable charm and deploying to-the-second comic timing. Here he’s paired with a glowing Grace Kelly, fresh off an Academy Award win for Best Actress in The Country Girl. To Catch a Thief centers the pair’s budding romance more than most heist films might and we’re recommending this as the best date night flick in the series for the stunning Mediterranean scenery, cinematographer Robert Burks’ gorgeous widescreen Vistavision lensing, and the chemistry between these two Hollywood legends.

Dog Day Afternoon The heyday of 1970s New Hollywood cinema gave us some of the grittiest and gutsiest crime films of all time, and Sidney Lumet’s re-telling of a botched real-life bank robbery is arguably the best of the bunch. Dog Day Afternoon is simultane-

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 13

ously hypertensive and hilarious — even the film’s trailer can’t seem to decide if it's teasing a comedy or a crime drama.

It’s also got the unexpected subtext of Pacino’s character trying to steal enough money to pay for his lover’s sex change operation. Most importantly it’s a movie about great actors acting. Pacino is iconic here, but John Cazale steals scene after scene as his fumbling sidekick, and Charles Durning is at his cantankerous best as the detective determined to bring them in.

Heist! opens with Jackie Brown on Friday, Sept. 3. The series features 16 films and runs through Oct. 10. Go to www. belcourt.org for a full schedule, times and tickets.

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.

LA NOTICIA “The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.

LOCALES - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS - SALUD - ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...

GRATIS Septiembre

2021

Año 19 - No. 336

L a N ticia

Escanee esta imagen para ver La Noticia newspaper edición bilingüe digital

www.hispanicpaper.com

“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Nashville, Tennessee

Variante Delta: Qué hacer para mantenerse a salvo del COVID

Hay mucha preocupación por el impacto del COVID-19 y su variante Delta , afectando no sólo nuestro medio en Nashville, sino al resto del mundo. Es también motivo de alarma, la cantidad de hispanos que eligen no vacunarse a PorYuri Cunza pesar del riesgo que Editor in Chief conlleva enfermase. @LaNoticiaNews Como van las cosas, todos estamos en riesgo, vacunados o no, por ello los siguentes protocolos para prevenir el contagio son aún su mejor opción para cuidarse y cuidar la vida de sus seres queridos. Aquí le presentamos la información publicada al respecto por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).

Guarde al menos un (1) metro de distancia entre usted y otras personas, a fin de reducir su riesgo de infección cuando otros tosen, estornudan o hablan.

Mantenga una distancia aún mayor entre usted y otras personas en espacios interiores. Cuanto mayor distancia, mejor.

Convierta el uso de la mascarilla en una parte normal de su interacción con otras personas. . Para que sean lo más eficaces posibles, es esencial utilizar, guardar, limpiar y eliminar las mascarillas correctamente.

Indicaciones básicas sobre la manera de ponerse la mascarilla: Lávese las manos antes de ponerse la mascarilla, y también antes y después de quitársela y cada vez que la toque.

Asegúrese de que le cubre la nariz, la boca y el mentón.

Cuando se quite la mascarilla, guárdela en una bolsa de plástico limpia; si es de tela lávela cada día y si es una mascarilla médica, tírela a un cubo de basura.

No utilice mascarillas con válvulas.

Cómo reforzar la seguridad de su entorno Evite las 3 “C”: espacios cerrados, congestionados o que entrañen contactos cercanos.

Preguntas sobre la vacuna anti COVID-19

What to do to protect yourself and others (source: WHO)

Se han notificado brotes en restaurantes, ensayos de coros, clases de gimnasia, clubes nocturnos, oficinas y lugares de culto en los se han reunido personas, con frecuencia en lugares interiores abarrotados en los que se suele hablar en voz alta, gritar, resoplar o cantar.

Los riesgos de contagio con el virus de la COVID-19 son más altos en espacios abarrotados e insuficientemente ventilados en los que las personas infectadas pasan mucho tiempo juntas y muy cerca unas de otras. Al parecer, en esos entornos el virus se propaga con mayor facilidad por medio de gotículas respiratorias o aerosoles, por lo que es aún más importante adoptar precauciones.

Reúnase al aire libre. Las reuniones al aire libre son más seguras que en interiores, en particular si los espacios interiores son pequeños y carecen de circulación de aire exterior.

Evite lugares abarrotados o interiores, pero si no puede, adopte las siguientes precauciones: Abra una ventana. Aumente el caudal de ‘ventilación natural’ en los lugares cerrados.

*Utilice una mascarilla (de preferencia N95 o KN95, no pañoletas).

No olvide las normas básicas de la buena higiene Lávese periódica y cuidadosamente las manos con un gel hidroalcohólico o con agua y jabón. Esto elimina los gérmenes que pudieran estar en sus manos, incluidos los virus.

Evite tocarse los ojos, la nariz y la boca. Las manos tocan muchas superficies en las que podrían coger el virus.

Una vez contaminadas, pueden transportar el virus a los ojos, la nariz o la boca. Desde allí el virus puede entrar en el organismo e infectarlo.

Al toser o estornudar cúbrase la boca y la nariz con el codo flexionado o con un pañuelo. Luego, tire inmediatamente el pañuelo en una papelera con tapa y lávese las manos. Con la observancia de buenas prácticas de ‘higiene respiratoria’ usted protege a las personas de su entorno contra los virus causantes de resfriados, gripe y COVID-19.

Limpie y desinfecte frecuentemente las superficies, en particular las que se tocan con regularidad, por ejemplo, picaportes, grifos y pantallas de teléfonos.

Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?

1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

por

Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.

www.juanese.com juaneseUSA@gmail.com

PAGE 14 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

¿Me infectará la vacuna contra el COVID-19 con el virus?

No. Ninguna de las vacunas que están en desarrollo actualmente en los Estados Unidos contiene el virus, pues no hay posibilidad de que la vacuna infecte a alguien con el virus de COVID-19. ¿La vacuna me enfermará?

No. Las vacunas Pfizer y Moderna contra el COVID-19 no contienen el virus y no pueden causar infección o la enfermedad de COVID-19. Algunas personas que reciben la vacuna desarrollarán dolor o enrojecimiento del brazo, fiebre, dolor de cabeza, escalofríos y fatiga. Típicamente, estos síntomas desaparecen después de uno o dos días. ¿Cuándo se deben vacunar las mujeres embarazadas?

Las mujeres embarazadas no se incluyeron en los estudios para estas vacunas. Se piensa que la vacuna es segura y efectiva en mujeres embarazadas y el embarazo no se considera una contraindicación. Ni los CDC ni TDH han incluido a las mujeres embarazadas en la lista de condiciones preexistentes de alto riesgo. En base a esto, las mujeres embarazadas deben vacunarse cuando llegue su fase laboral. Metro recibe la vacuna de TDH según el plan estatal de asignación de vacunas y se espera trabajar dentro de esa estructura.

Soy un voluntario que trabaja en un hospital. ¿A dónde voy para vacunarme?

Si usted es un empleado o trabaja como voluntario en un hospital y tiene exposición directa al paciente o contacto con materiales potencialmente infecciosos y tiene preguntas sobre cómo recibir la vacuna, comuníquese con su supervisor en el hospital.

Lee más: https://www.asafenashville.org/es/infor macion-sobre-vacunas/ Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com

The New Christian Year Selected by Charles Williams

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—but he was arguably the most precocious and well-read of this eminent and intellectually fertile group. He was also known to have influenced Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden.

Lacking a proper degree unlike his fellow Inklings, this genius Cockney-speaking author, editor, critic, and playwright was eminently well-versed in both philosophical and theological writings of the remote past as of the present day (the mid-20th century) and used this familiarity to good effect in his poetry, supernatural fiction and his lesser-known devotional selections designed for the spiritual benefit of the faithful in the Church of England. This series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year, beginning with Advent (i.e., December) and ending in November, and reaches far beyond the pale of the philosophical and theological discussions of his day. It was under his hand, for instance, that some of the first translations of Kierkegaard were made available to the wider public.

It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

14th Wednesday after Trinity

15th Monday after Trinity

ASK ye for the greater things, and the small shall be added unto you: and ask for the heavenly things, and the earthly shall be added unto you.

Quoted by Origen as a traditional saying by our Lord.

THERE is always some advantage in making men love us.

Human life is thus only a perpetual illusion; men deceive and flatter each other. No one speaks of us in our presence as he does of us in our absence. Human society is founded on mutual deceit.

Pascal: Pensées.

ON the same day, seeing one work on the sabbath, he said unto him: Man, if indeed thou knowest what thou doest, thou art blessed: but if thou knowest not, thou art cursed, and a transgressor of the law.

Apocryphal New Testament.

WE have done nothing . . . if we have not purified the will in the order of charity.

St. John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel.

15th Tuesday after Trinity

14th Thursday after Trinity WHEN the loving kindness of God calls a soul from the world, He finds it full of vices and sins; and first He gives it an instinct for virtue, and then urges it to perfection, and then by infused grace leads it to true self-naughting, and at last to true transformation. And this noteworthy order serves God to lead the soul along the Way: but when the soul is naughted and transformed, then of herself she neither works nor speaks nor wills, nor feels nor hears nor understands, neither has she of herself the feeling of outward or inward, where she may move. And in all things it is God Who rules and guides her, without the meditation of any creature.

St Catherine of Genoa: Life.

14th Friday after Trinity THIS restful travail is full far from fleshly idleness and from blind security. It is full of ghostly work, but it is called rest, for grace looseth the heavy yoke of fleshly love from the soul and maketh it mighty and free through the gift of the holy ghostly love for to work gladly, softly, and delectably . . . Therefore it is called an holy idleness and a rest most busy; and so it is in stillness from the great crying and the beastly noise of fleshly desires.

Walter Hylton: The Scale of Perfection.

THE Way is God.

LOVE is careful of little things, of circumstances and measures, and little accidents; not allowing to itself any infirmity which it strives not to master, aiming at what it cannot yet reach, desiring to be of an angelical purity, and of a perfect innocence, and a seraphical fervour, and fears of every image of offence; is as much afflicted at an idle word as some at an act of adultery, and will not allow itself so much anger as will disturb a child, nor endure the impurity of a dream. And this is the curiosity and niceness of divine love: this is the fear of God, and is the daughter and production of love.

Jeremy Taylor: Holy Living.

GREAT love is also pliant and inquisitive in the instances of its expression.

Jeremy Taylor: Holy Living.

15th Wednesday after Trinity THE less it thinketh that it loveth or seeth God the nearer it nigheth for to perceive the gift of the blessed love. For then is love master, and worketh in the soul, and maketh it for to forget itself, and for the see and behold only how love doth.

And then is the soul more suffering than doing, and that is clean love.

Walter Hylton: The Scale of Perfection.

LOVING, it [the Soul] flies, runs, and rejoices; it is free and is not restrained.

Thomas à Kempis: Imitation.

Boethius: Consolation of Philosophy, translated by King Alfred.

14th Saturday after Trinity

15th Thursday after Trinity

GOD hath created nothing simply for itself: but each thing in all things, and of every thing each part in order hath such interest, that in the whole world nothing is found whereunto any thing created can say, "I need thee not."

Hooker: Sermons.

THE Will of God is the necessity of things.

Calvin: Institutes.

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity THE one supreme, unchangeable rule of love, which is a law to all intelligent beings of all worlds and will be a law to all eternity, is this, viz., that God alone is to be loved for Himself, and that all other beings only in Him and for Him. Whatever intelligent creature lives not under this rule of love is so far fallen from the order of his creation, and is, till he returns to this eternal law of love, an apostate from God and incapable of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now, if God alone is to be loved for Himself, then no creature is to be loved for itself; and so all self-love in every creature is absolutely condemned. And if all created beings are only to be loved in and for God, then my neighbour is to be loved as I love myself, and I am only to love myself as I love my neighbour or any other created being, that is, only in and for God. William Law: The Spirit of Prayer.

LOVE does not consist in great sweetness of devotion, but in a more fervent determination too strive to please God in all things, in avoiding, as fas as possible, all that would offend Him, and in praying for the increase of the glory and honour of his Son and for the growth of the Catholic Church.

St Teresa: The Interior Castle.

THE the blessed Anthony knelt Down upon his knees on the ground, and prayed before Him Who said, "Before thou criest unto Me, I will answer thee" (Isaiah lxv, 24), and said, "O my Lord, this I entreat Thee: let not Thy love be blotted out from my mind, and behold, I am, by Thy grace, innocent before Thee."

St Athanasius: Life of St. Anthony.

15th Friday after Trinity

ST THOMAS says the active life is better than the life of contemplation, so far as we actually spend in charity the income we derive from contemplation. It is all the same thing; we have but to root ourselves in this same ground of contemplation to make it fruitful in works, and the object of contemplation is achieved.

Eckhart: Sermons and Collations.

LOVE is as strong as death; but nothing else is as strong either; and both, love and death, met in Christ. How strong and powerful upon you then should that instruction be, that

comes to you from both these, the love and death of Christ Jesus!

Donne: Sermons.

15th Saturday after Trinity HE showed me a little thing, the quantity of an hazel-nut, in the palm of my hand; and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereupon with eye of my understanding, and thought "What may this be?" And it was generally answered thus: "It is all that is made." I marvelled how it might last, for methought it might suddenly have fallen to naught for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: "It lasteth, and ever shall last for that God loveth it." And so all thing hath the Being by the love of God. Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love.

THIS and that are good; take away this and that, and see good in itself if thou canst; and so thou shalt see God, good not by any other good, but the good of every good.

St Augustine: On the Trinity.

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity THE Goodness of God is the highest prayer, and it cometh down to the lowest part of our need. It quickeneth our soul and bringeth it on life, and maketh it for to waxen in grace and virtue. It is nearest in nature; and readiest in grace: for it is the same grace that the soul seeketh, and ever shall seek till we know verily that he hath us all in himself beclosed.

For he hath no despite of that he hat made, nor hath he any disdain to serve us at the simplest office that to our body belongeth in nature, for love of the soul that he hath made to his own likeness.

For as the body is clad in the cloth, and the flesh in the skin, and the bones in the flesh, and the heart in the whole, so are we, soul and body, clad in the Goodness of God, and enclosed.

Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love.

16th Monday after Trinity THE more blest, the more curst, if we make his graces our own glory, without impression of all to him; whatsoever we have we steal, and the multiplication of God's favours doth but aggravate the crime of our sacrilege. He, knowing how prone we are to unthanfulness in this kind, tempereth accordingly the means, whereby it is his pleasure to do us good . . . This is the cause why, as none of the promises of God do fail, so the most are in such sort brought to pass, that, if we after condiser the culprit, wherein the steps of his providence have gone, the due consideration thereof cannot choose but draw from us the selfsame words of astonishment, which the blessed Apostle hath: "O the depth of the riches of the wisdom of God!" Hooker: Sermons.

16th Tuesday after Trinity PHILOSOPHY said: "Every lot is good whether it be harsh or pleasing." And at this I was afraid and said: "What thou sayest is true: yet I know not who would dare to say so to foolish men, for no fool could believe it."

Boethius: Consolation of Philosophy, translated by King Alfred.

I SAY, as do all Christian men, that it is a Divine purpose that rules them and not Fate.

Boethius: Consolation of Philosophy, translated by King Alfred.

[OF Fortune or Luck] This is she who is continually cursed and blamed with bitter voices by those who should praise her; but she is blessed and does not hear; she turns her sphere among the other joyous creatures who were made first of all and there enjoys her bliss.

Dante: Hell.

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 15

FUN

HOBOSCOPES VIRGO

People love to tell me that I’m “entitled to my own opinion.” But somehow I feel like the people who tell me that are the ones who least believe it. If you find that you’re at odds with a friend, Virgo, don’t just tell them what they’re entitled to. Tell them that you care. Tell them that what they think matters. And then tell them why you think about things differently. Don’t avoid the big conversations over a fear of differences.

LIBRA

What’s the difference between a grasshopper and a locust? Well, Libra, they’re essentially the same thing. If you saw a little green locust out there hopping around all alone, you’d think, “hey, look at that happy little grasshopper.”

But when those little green locusts get into groups, they begin to change. They get hungrier, and they change color, and they start to swarm. Locust swarms can be immensely destructive to crops, homes, and even livestock. So don’t ignore those little grasshoppers in your life, Libra. Before long, you might have a swarm.

SCORPIO

I guess it started innocently enough, Scorpio. You had to water that plant up on top of the bookshelf, so you just turned over a milk crate to stand on. But you weren’t expecting the thrill of being up there so high. You thought that if standing on one milk crate is this exciting, what about two? Now I see you out in the park, trying to climb higher and higher. Stacks of milk crates tumbling to the ground all around you.

Maybe you don’t need to climb up so high to feel like life is worthwhile, Scorpio. Have a seat on that crate.

Take a book off your shelf. Look up at your plant and remember when things were simpler.

SAGITTA R IUS

The house next door is for sale again.

Bill’s old house, where he used to sit on the porch all day and keep an eye on the neighborhood. After he died, somebody bought it and remodeled the whole thing. Tore out Bill’s rose bush, built a new porch, and installed security lights.

Sometimes, Sagittarius, we miss the way things used to be because we understand them. We’re afraid of what’s coming next because we don’t know what it might be.

We can’t stop the future, Sagittarius, and someday it may become the next thing we miss.

CAPRICORN

What were you doing a year ago today? Was it like today or was it very different? How did you feel? It’s hard to remember, Capricorn. And a year from today, it will be hard to remember this. If you can’t remember the past and if you won’t remember this in the future, than why are you so worried about the past and the future? Try this instead, what are you doing right now? How do you feel?

AQUA RIUS

Last night I dreamt that you and I were going to trade jobs. You would be an amateur astrologer and I would do...whatever the thing you do is. In my dream, I thought it was a huge relief because I could learn a new skill and I thought you would do a great job making astrological assessments and predictions with no formal training. Sometimes, Aquarius, we just need a change. It doesn’t have to be a big one, but give yourself a chance to try the thing you’ve always wanted to.

PISCES

My wifi router keeps giving me a “trouble connecting” error on the first try, but if I give it a minute and click on the icon again, I can usually get through.

I know you’re not here to give me tech support, Pisces, I just thought you might relate to having a little trouble connecting on the first try. I just wanted to encourage you to stick with it. I know, it can be frustrating not to be instantly understood but once you get through, it will be worth it.

ARIES

The English Romantic poet John Keats died of tuberculosis in 1821. He was only 25. Keats’ poetry was not well known during his lifetime. On his deathbed, he asked that his tombstone read only “Here lies one whose name was written in water.” Of course, Keats’ work is now taught in schools and printed in countless textbooks. But still, Aries, how long will that fame last? There was a time before the English language and there will be a time after it. Perhaps all our names are written in water. I think, Aries, that if we live as though we will be forgotten, we’ll live better for today.

TAURUS

There’s a pepper shaker on every table in this diner. It’s strange to think that only a few hundred years ago, black pepper was busy transforming the world. During Europe’s Middle Ages, pepper was only for the rich and they couldn’t get enough. Europe’s desire for pepper fueled the expansion of trade with Asia and the search for better trade routes. There were sea voyages and wars and military takeovers and now there’s a pepper shaker on every table in this diner. Now that you’ve got the thing you wanted, Taurus, what are you going to do with it?

GEMINI

They say you should dress for the job you want, Gemini. So, even though it’s hot outside, and even though the leaves are still on the trees, I still think it’s a good day to put out your Halloween decorations. And if you’re really ready for the next season to begin, you can start wearing your skeleton pajamas and carrying around a pumpkin-shaped candy bucket.

Whenever you’re ready for a change, I think you’ll find the change is ready for you.

CANCER

I finally got a cast iron skillet, Cancer, but I’m afraid to use it. The guy who sold it to me told me that if I ever get it wet, it may trigger events that will culminate in the end of the world. So I’m just leaving it on the kitchen counter, covered in plastic wrap to make sure nothing splashes on it. Sometimes, Cancer, we try so hard not to do something bad, that it stops us from ever doing anything good. Maybe we should both unwrap our skillets today and cook up something great.

LEO

I had a friend who used to tell me, “Hold your death ever before your eyes.” I figured he was just trying to be mysterious and depressing. But I’ve thought about it some more lately, and I think he was talking about a better way to live. Think of it this way, Leo, if you ignore your own mortality, it’s hard to prioritize living the best life that you can. But if you know what’s coming, then you know you need to make today count.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained entomologist, or a licensed life coach. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster! Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

PAGE 16 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

VENDOR WRITING

Eviction

BY VICKY B. A word that feels so dirty, so painful, so shameful. A word that breaks apart families and separates loved ones. A word that brings back memories and the all-too-real nightmare.

The word is, “Eviction.” To evict, to remove. With seven of them under my belt, you could say I’m an expert at it. One thing is for sure it doesn’t go away until seven years from your last one. Even if you pay it off. No one will rent to you. It’s a word that brings fear to those who’ve been homeless before. We say, “it’s OK we’ll figure something out,” but in reality, we’re dying inside, pushing back the tears.

Crunch time has arrived. Get a storage shed as cheap as possible. Pawn or sell what you can. Cash is king right now.

Preserve all you can.

Once housed, landlords will use this word to keep tenants in line, threatening them with eviction if the rules aren’t followed. Simple rules really, but that word “evicted” comes up on the notices, “If you don’t do this, you will be evicted.” Terror runs through my body and the mind races to survival mode. I can’t lose everything I’ve got; all I’ve worked for and all that people have helped with. Where will we go?

I start thinking storage and then cry

with the thought of how much we all have lost doing that. Is that a smart move or not? My eyes then drop back down to the notice and I read it again.

I don’t have to worry about that rule and then take a deep breath.

Loud firecrackers can spark a PTSD episode from a veteran, and a word like eviction starts my PTSD. There’s no cure for it, but many have learned to live with it. I hope one day to be able to help other homeless people who are recently housed to identify the signs of PTSD and share tools to handle it.

I need to learn that first though. I’ve said many times writing has been my therapy.

This past month millions of Americans were threatened with eviction until an 11th hour save came in. What a roller-coaster of emotions to have to go through. Living out of boxes in a home you’ve rented for years, not knowing when the ax will drop or the federal money will come in. It’s a game of cat and mouse that effects not only the renters, but the owners of the property as well. I’ve always said, “It’s business not personal, it’s business” and it is.

That doesn’t make it any less painful or shameful. It’s just easier for me to breathe with that thinking.

THEME: BACK TO SCHOOL

The Law and Sin

BY JOHN H. Just sitting around today reading the word and came to this scripture that I’d like to share with people who are against their kids wearing masks.

Whether parent or kid’s decision, does it matter if it’s the law? Does money, wealth, prestige, power make us act this way? You break that law — it’s sin, people. Romans 7:7 says, “I would have never known what sin was had it not been for the law.”

These kids are the future at stake.

Should we have more consideration for someone else or our children? I don’t understand many as parents. Actually the children shouldn't really have a say — so, I clearly understand why the schools are making it law because many parents are very negligent, irresponsible. What if you went to pick up your child from school, you get to the school and you’re told that your child was rushed to the emergency room at Vanderbilt? The child had a sickness they weren’t accustomed to

seeing. We tried to reach you but we couldn't. What if you got that news?

How would you feel? Or what if your kid came home very sick? “One who preferred to be unmasked.” Do you actually think bad things don’t happen to good people? What if a well-known kid die from this virus, what then?

Better yet, what if the kid’s yours? The way that many are acting, God just may allow it, to let you parents see how important the law is. How to be more respectful. It's OK to be able to make decisions for your family, yes, but when it involves many more families, wouldn't it be better to just follow the law that’s been set before you?

God said in his word that we should follow the law of the land. I know sometimes it’s hard, but we must. If not, it’s sin. Sin is sin whether big or small, bad or good. Can’t compare — it’s all sin. I encourage you to follow the laws of the land. It would be your child who gets very ill.

ACROSS 1. The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical 5. Hallucinogenic drug 8. Some special effects, acr.

11. Chip in Vegas 12. Cordelia's father in Shakespeare play 13. One in squirrel's stash 15. Dissenting clique 16. Tangerine/grapefruit hybrid 17. Type of lemur 18. *Popular messenger 20. Mosque prayer leader 21. Down Under marsupial 22. Thanksgiving serving

23. *100 days of snapping, e.g.

26. Military's inactive force 30. Repeated Cuban dance step 31. The Kinks' lead singer, a.k.a. godfather of Britpop 34. Late December season 35. Rough, as in voice 37. Chop off 38. Stephen King's "The ____" 39. "Do ____ others..."

40. Strep throat organ 42. File a suit 43. Sewing pearls on a wedding gown, e.g.

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 17

45. One with authority 47. Army bed 48. Space path 50. Law school test acronym 52. *Unique social media identifier 55. Latin dance 56. "Place" in French 57. Sacred Hindu writings 59. Post-mortem bios 60. Actress Campbell 61. African chieftain 62. Recipe amt.

63. Nirvana's "Come as You ____" 64. Badger's den DOWN 1. Current tense of "had" 2. All over again 3. Eczema symptom 4. Second shot 5. Corporate department 6. Salpae, sing.

7. Type of coffee maker 8. Elizabeth McGovern's "Downton Abbey" role 9. Inspiring horror 10. As opposed to outs 12. Capital of Zambia 13. Bruce Wayne's ____ was Batman 14. *Message under a post 19. Bootlicker

22. Da, to a Russian 23. *Done to social media past before applying for job?

24. Feudal lord 25. Haile Selassie's disciple 26. Gym exercises 27. Comedy Central's "critique" 28. Dolby Theatre to Oscars 29. Often considered wise 32. *Video blog 33. Charge carrier 36. *Audio series 38. Killed, like dragon 40. Big bang maker 41. Permeate 44. I to Greeks, pl.

46. Sheet music line, pl.

48. Basketry stick 49. Clark Kent actor Christopher 50. Black, yellow and chocolate dogs 51. Parking spot for a boat 52. Bone in human forearm 53. *Bernie wearing mittens, e.g.

54. *Do this before posting?

55. Chronic drinker 58. It's open to interpretation

VENDOR WRITING

HPL Outsanding staff. From the left: Lindsay, Shandi and Jocelyn. PHOTO BY JEN A.

Our Shangri La

BY JEN A. “We love the things we love for what they are”

- Robert Frost I've been thinking a lot about that Frost quote over the past year and a half of the pandemic. There's probably a place we all love and miss more than any other that has been closed or is so far away we didn't dare travel there. The isolation has been tough. But the longing for that special spot has kept us warm and looking forward. It has been instrumental in our striving to learn how to safely navigate the health threat posed by the COVID-19 virus so that we might get back to our own personal Shangri La. That place for me has been the Hadley Park Library. When I first moved into a room across the way from the HPL, conditions there were deplorable. But over the years, through a little bit of care and investment and a merry-go-round of staff-

ing changes, it had become a sanctuary of respite and learning for our community.

It was a place for me and my neighbors to seek answers to our questions, to be distracted from our sometimes difficult lives with a good book or a movie, a place to get another ridiculous government form copied. It was safe shelter from the storm called life — until it wasn't.

One of the hardest parts of being locked out of my library home away from home was that every time I looked out of my window — there it was. I could see it and pined for the sparks of life coming from its shelves of books. I just couldn't get to them. There were idle computers just waiting to be fired up to help us understand just what the heck was going on in the world. All the wonders of the universe lay just on the other side of a locked glass door. The longing for all that the library had to offer was excruciating at times.

But what I missed most about my library was the staff. After being closed for such a long time, I worried our extraordinary librarians would be whisked off to loftier posts. Jocelyn, who works with our young people and has been with us the longest, is a gem. She's the no-nonsense rock to which our library community is anchored. She caught on to us right away.

But she really blossomed into full force when Lindsay came onboard. Lindsay, our branch manager, is a talented administrator with a winning smile and exceptional, capable charm.

They're a great team and any library would be lucky to have them. We aren't the easiest group of folks to wrangle, but they have done it with grace and a steady hand.

This week, they finally unlocked the door to my Shangi La and invited the community back inside. Our staff is in-

LIZ CHENEY

BY T YRONE M., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR Yes, hats off, congratulations to you Liz Cheney for not being in Trump’s cult. They got so damn mad when she didn’t go along with the (Big Lie), Donald Trump’s buddy. Matter of fact, they they demoted her and got someone else to take her position. I know dirty as hell! The GOP and their allies all are caught up in Donald’s (cult).

Liz Cheney went on the (air) and told the nation Donald Trump has actually lost the election, something we all (knew).

The puppet master once again pulling strings and making people jump around. Liz, I admire you for standing up to this Big Liar (Donald Trump) and making those (cowards) and Senators and House Reps look like fools. You and I know the truth, and it will set you free. But Trump’s cult following don’t want to.

Photos from the garden of vendor Keith D. PHOTOS BY HANNAH HERNER

PAGE 18 | September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

tact and we have a newbie, Shandi. I'm sure she'll fit right in with Lindsay and Jocelyn as guides. I cried, of course, as the crest of this particular unrelenting COVID wave broke. I wonder how many waves are yet to come. That is impossible to know. I only know that I am grateful to the Nashville Public Library and their small army of workers who make all things operate smoothly. They took the time to breathe new life back into our little library. Thank you!

Hadley Park Library may not be the biggest or fanciest library in town and we may not have the trendiest patrons. But I can't think of another Nashville branch library that is more important. We love it for what it is — a rock of stability for our community and our window to a world where everything is possible.

It's our Shangri La — our paradise finally found.

VENDOR WRITING

Father Figure

BY NORMA B. In a recent article, I wrote about John, who helped me get to a Garth Brooks concert, which was a monumental event for me then. But to be honest, as long as I knew him, he was there for not only the big things in my life, but also the little things too, which as it turns out were just as important. Who knew?

My mother met John around 1971 through her younger brothers Thomas and Mike. They were engaged at some point (I think more than once through the years), but the wedding never actually took place. They just couldn’t get it together as a couple. Still, many times when they went out, I got to go along! (I like to think I prepared the way for the children he would have later — since I came first.)

My first memories of him were at his parents house on Lock 4 road in Gallatin, Tenn. His mom, a retired school teacher, used to babysit me when I was little. In second grade, he listened to me go on and on about my teacher, Miss Mary Harper.

I was amazed that this Black woman who had polio and walked with crutches could drive a car — needless to say, she was instrumental in showing me what was possible for people with disabilities like me.

She was also the only teacher that ever paddled me! When I complained about that, John simply reminded me how much “stuff” I got away with, and said I probably did something to

deserve it, and he was probably right.

In third grade, I found my true voice when I discovered chorus.

Our first big performance included a couple of Barry Manilow songs. “Can’t Smile Without You” and “I Write The Songs.” Just how many times can you listen to those songs without losing your mind? I’m sure I tested the limit! Of course every time I hit a sour note, I had to start over from the beginning.

After that, chorus tryouts and talent show performances became a regular part of my life, and he heard me practice for each and every one of them over and over again year after year, often providing transportation to and from the shows and yet, he never complained!

Fourth grade was the beginning of my fascination with the spelling bee.

Again, he patiently listened and occasionally corrected me when I made a mistake. Sometimes I’d misspell a word on purpose just to make sure he was paying attention.

Fifth grade brought about yet another unwanted move, still I knew it was bound to happen — I mean, it did pretty much every year I was in school. It was hard, but he made it easier by coming for a visit whenever he could.

When my dad died, I was 15, and John was there for me. He said he wasn’t sure if he belonged there, but I sure was glad he came. It made it

easier somehow having him to lean on. He even took me to Stratton’s Dairy Dip (a ‘50s style diner and favorite hang-out in Ashland City until it closed) for a banana split. Sweet!

After my dad died, my tumultuous relationship with my mother became even more strained — and yet somehow John could always calm things down, often playing the part of devil’s advocate/mediator/referee whatever was necessary to settle things down. Unfortunately, that’s a skill I never acquired when it came to my mother.

He was there to help me “celebrate” when I got out of the girls home, TRAC house (Temporary Residence for Adolescents in Crisis), at 17.

At age 18, on the very rainy Wednesday evening of March 12, 1986, he and his two biological children Sara and Jay were some of only a handful of people at my wedding in the banquet hall of Cherokee Resort & Steak House in Lebanon, Tenn. (But that’s a story for another day.)

He was there when both my children Laura and Russell were born — even offering us a ride home to Cottontown if needed.

Like I said, events big or small, he was there for them all!

As is the case with all parental figures, there were times he embarrassed me — still I always secretly wondered/wished he was my dad. I even talked about it with my aunt Betty (my mom’s oldest sister), telling her all the things we had in common: the brown eyes, the bad vision, the fact that we were both loud and obnoxious, etc.

But she assured me that it was not possible since they didn’t know each other when I was born in 1968. She said it was just wishful thinking on my part because he’d been such a big part of my life.

I guess that makes sense.

Visit SalvationArmyNashville.org to find the hope.

September 1 - 15, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 19

Sadly, he died on Oct. 19, 2000, at the age of 46, on his beloved farm in Alexandria, Tenn., and like my biological dad, he too left a void that will never be filled.

At the funeral home, his family pulled me aside and showed me all the pictures he had of me in his wallet. He was a true redneck with a really long wallet on a chain with multiple compartments. They ranged in age from grade school to adulthood right alongside pictures of his own kids and a few other family members, and of course, my mom, proving at least in my mind that I mattered to him as much as they did even though I wasn’t technically “family.” His favorite, a glamour shot of me ‘all grown up’ as he said, was placed in his casket along with other significant photos of family and friends.

It’s funny, my family always said that he had money, (as a pipefitter and proud union member for 26 years that may well have been true), but it was clear to me that that’s NOT what was most important to him, although I’m sure I could’ve asked him for anything and he would’ve gotten it for me if at all possible.

The most important thing about John was that he was a true friend to anyone who needed one, and would help out any way he could, something hard to come by these days. Perhaps even more rare is that he was someone who stepped up to be, “the dad they didn’t have to be.” Brad Paisley has a song about that, and in my case, that was John, even though he and my mom never married.

This is a BIG salute to ALL those who are dads (or moms who serve in any capacity to benefit others — especially children in ways they don’t have to). Thank you SO much for ALL you do!