Little Big Town Girls

Sometimes it occurs to me how lucky I feel to have grown up in a small town and how lucky i am to live there and raise my children there. There are, of course, times it occurs to me that it might not be such a great thing, but those usually involve being seen doing something I shouldn't or looking really bad doing something that I should. All in all, I count my blessings that I was born and raised in a place that is not so small town anymore, but still not a big town!

I love the fact that my children will walk down the hill and across the same football field to graduate. I hope they love every minute of it as much as I did and I hope they carry as many great memories and lessons through life that I hold so dear in my heart. I love that my kids really can't get away with much, because "Mama knows everybody and they tell her everything!"

I love having a radio show talking about hometown things and people and that people love listening to it. This week we were on the historic square in Charlotte Tennessee for the Charlotte Festival and we had a blast. Next week we are at the Fair to kick off the 86th Dickson County Fair. How fun is that?

There are so many fun, fun memories in my mind that involve the fair. When I was growing up, we got out of school on Friday of Fair Week for Fair Day. You could ride the bus to the fair and the bus driver would wait all day, while all the kids rode rides and ate food and then at 3:00 you loaded the buses and went home, no parents involved and everyone was safe, no one was murdered or raped or kidnapped. The worst thing that happened was that you rode rides till you puked, which I did EVERY year. My mother always joked that she had no worries about finding me at all, she knew I would be slung over a fence at one of the rides throwing my guts up. I seriously believed every year that THIS was the year that I would not get sick...never worked out. I still love the fair, but I pass on the rides. I can't even stand to watch the rides!

Nothing smells better than all the smells of the food at the fair, bar b que, cotton candy (like real cotton candy made on the spot), candied apples, lemonade, frito pie, fresh corn on the cobb, yummmmmmmmm. Oh and the barns, I LOVE the exhibits. I grew up on a farm and I guess the truth is you can take the girl out of the farm but you can never take the farm out of the girl. There is such a sense of home to me about all the cows and other animals and the vegetables and fruits. And, of course, the socializing.

Now I have to say that on some level, attending the fair is a good reminder not to get too uppity in how you view yourself. Many a comedian has made a good routine about the quality of people you can run into at the fair and they are all pretty much dead on in their descriptions. Jeff Foxworthy has a routine that I have heard so many times I could do it on a stage myself and it still brings me to tears to hear him do it, because I relate so well to it! At some point you just have to smile and realize that these are your people...it can be quite humbling!

So I'm smiling as I head into the week looking forward to "goin to the Fair". I can't wait! Maybe I could ride the round-up...

What's Next on the Show?!

Wow, I got a personal message from Jill Conner Browne asking for the number to call in the show! How cool is that. I have to admit, I'm not a very starstruck kind of gal, unless you are, like, Elvis or maybe Mick Jagger. But I think it would be very cool to speak with Jill. Jill Conner Browne is the NY Times Best Selling Author of The Sweet Potato Queen books. I love them all, specifically, The Sweet Potato Queen's Book Of Love. I laughed so hard I cried reading that book and when I finished it, I read it all over again, just to be sure that I loved it as much as I thought. I have recommended it to every friend I have and loaned my copy to a friend, just to pass it on.

I quote Jill often. The Prissy Hen's SO relate to so many of the experiences that she writes about that it just personalizes the read. And, of course, we grew up blessed to be Southern, so we not only relate to the experiences but the way she expresses them. We also are very colorful talkers, we love to be extreme sometimes to the point of tacky and we have learned hard lessons by not being "particular", a subject on which there is an entire chapter.

I sure do hope she calls us. I think it would be some interesting conversation!

Time To Dance

I can't believe how long since my last post. It brought me to tears when I logged on and read my last post. What a happy post it was. Made the pain of Joshua's death more sharp when I saw it this morning.

Joshua died last Thursday morning, July 1st. The joy of finding a donor was matched by the devastation when the donor backed out and Joshua continued down a path that in his own words, didn't have any time-outs. I have struggled a lot over the past weeks with my faith. But in my heart, I know that Joshua did not lose his battle. He won the battle. He is free. His faith insprired me, his love of life made me re-focus and re-prioritize. Time to live each moment, savor every little thing, don't leave any "what-ifs."

Time to dance...

A Miracle!

*****UPDATE FROM JOSHUA***** Prayer works!!! My perfect matched donor just agreed to donate his stem cells the 2nd week of June!!! Thank God!!! I can't stop crying!!!!!!!

I can't think of anything to add to that beautiful statement! Beth

The Flood of 2010!

I can't believe that Middle Tennessee could be so ignored by the national media. Basically no one outside of Middle Tennessee is aware that we had a flood of epic proportions over the weekend. We sustained 20" of rain in some areas, massive flooding. Loss of lives, loss of businesses, many areas do not have clean drinking water, nor electricity. Roads are damaged and unpassable in some areas, bridges are compromised, many, many have lost their homes and cars.

Please spread the word, in case everyone doesn't grasp the severity of what's going on in Middle Tennessee. Temporary shelters are at capacity, missing people are unaccounted for, many homes are under water, there is a water conservation emergency in Davidson County and some surrounding counties, much of Nashville's economic base is threatened by flood damage. Flood damage is widespread and of epic proportions. You can text 'REDCROSS' to 90999 to donate $10 to disaster relief.

I am very thankful to have not had to evacuate my family and to not sustain flood damage. But many people have suffered much. The economic impace, truthfully, will far surpass that of Hurricane Katrina. The area impacted and number of people will be much greater. Thankfully there will not be the extreme numbers of loss of life, but any loss is still loss.

It would be very nice if the national media would focus on it just for a minute to let the rest of the world outside our immediate area at least recognize that this has occured.

Joshua

I have a friend, Joshua Ragsdale, who is battling leukemia. Joshua was given very few options to save his life, basically he was told he needed a bone marrow transplant or there was very little hope. Unfortunately none of his family members were a match for him, so he was referred to BE THE MATCH, which is the bone marrow registry and the desperate search began. His family, his friends, people who don’t even know Joshua became involved by submitting kits to register to be a donor.

I have, along with several of Joshua’s friends, worked for years to raise money for Relay For Life. We have a team and have a wonderful time each spring raising money and participating in this very worthwhile cause. We chose this year to make BE THE MATCH our focus for Relay. So, we contacted them and they supplied us with training and all the supplies we need to administer the kits and register people through BE THE MATCH. We have worked very hard to get the word out and sign people up all the while hoping not just to find a match for Joshua but matches for people like Joshua, who were frantically searching for a match.

Miraculously, a match was found through the registry. A one in 12 million chance, according to Joshua’s doctors. The process was started to prepare for the transplant. Joshua has been at NIH in Maryland for months enduring the treatments to prepare him to receive the transplant. On Monday Joshua was told by his doctors that the donor had backed out of the transplant. He is devastated, we are devastated for him. We are back to square one, again trying to get the word out, trying to change the donor’s heart, trying to find another. Joshua’s doctors tell him they can keep the cells from blasting for about 1 month…odds are not on his side.

Joshua Ragsdale is an amazing person. He is a successful songwriter and an incredible spirit. His words through the darkest of moments are a light to those of us dealing with nothing compared to his struggle.

I am attaching links to BE THE MATCH and to several facebook pages to give you a flavor of this story.
http://www.marrow.org/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=143381280558&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=143381280558&ref=ts#!/joshua.ragsdale?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/beth.w.garrett?ref=profile

Please go to the site and register. Please pray for healing, pray for comfort, pray for understanding, pray for a cure. Pray for Joshua.

Moments

I think a lot about living in "the moment", about experiencing life while I am in it. I feel like moments are a bit overwhelming at the moment!

I was definitely in "the moment" when my son woke me in the middle of the night and I opened my eyes to my baby, covered head to toe in blood, saying "Mama, I did something bad and we are hurt." I was in the moment for many hours after that for helicopter rides and ambulances and doctors and emergency rooms, for lots of desperate prayers and for the comfort of great friends and family.

I was in the moment when I had both children's birthdays fall in the same week when I was too broke to buy presents or have parties (see above!).

I was in the moment constantly over these last two weeks as my knee blew up and became the focus of my life, much to my dismay, with no easy option for healing in sight.

I was in the moment on Saturday when I spent a wonderful day on the air and enjoying a great local fundraiser with some of my favorite people in the world, while my sweet Annie was at dance competition with great friends who took care of her while I couldn't. I was definitely in the moment when Annie called to say that she and McKenna had won 1st place for their duo and won a special judges award to boot!

I was in the moment when I spent a few hours on Saturday night relaxing and laughing with Scotty.

And I was in the moment when I woke up worrying once again at 3:00 a.m. worrying about how to make it all work this week, how to pay for everything that needs paying for, be where I'm supposed to be and not let anybody down.

And then I was in the moment when I read my friend Joshua's post on facebook. Joshua is battleing luekemia. His hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant, but there was no match. Miraculously, a match was found, one in 12 million chances, thru Be The Match. Joshua has been thru hell and back to get ready for the transplant and traveled back to NIH yesterday to get ready for the transplant. He got the news today that his donor has backed out and his transplant has been cancelled. Right now I am living in his moment. I can't imagine how he is feeling. I am devastated for him.

I don't really have any eloquent words to express about that moment. I don't understand, there is no one to explain. I don't really know even how to end my post. The moments will continue, time marches on, another moment will come on the heels of every other moment. I pray for Joshua's next moment to be so much better.