Knee-Jerking My Way Through Georgia
Here are some observations from my first week in Georgia:
- The word “Georgia” has no “r” in it; at least, not if you’re from Georgia.
- If you eat out and you order “iced tea,” they don’t even bat an eye, just bring you sweet tea, as if there were no other kind.
- If you order pancakes and there is no syrup on the table, the sweet tea is a fine substitute.
- There are no one-syllable words in Georgia, and every word has an invisible “ey” or “ay” in it. Georgians have a lovely sing-song cadence to their dialogue.
- The beds in Georgia are the rough equivalent of slabs of concrete in Texas. (Well, I have only slept in two: the first was in a cheap motel on night one, and I was thankful I did not have to shoot my way out the next morning; the second is in this somewhat aged hotel in the small burg of Rockmart, where the manager is a sweet, if slightly off-center, eccentric, old lady who routinely misses her upper lip by a quarter inch when she applies her lipstick.)
- Southern hospitality is alive and well in Georgia.
- Georgia home builders should be flogged for building the houses a mile off the ground and then putting a pitch on the roof that appears to be the most direct line they could draw to God’s heaven.
- I haven’t seen a single peach. If I do, I plan to eat it.
In closing, a general observation about solo travel (especially if it is for work): Adventuring is less adventuresome when you are by your lonesome, but going it alone awhile does, I think, make you more keenly aware of the goings on around you. In other words, it turns you into a snoop when you go out to eat. You quickly tire of the conversations in your own head and begin to “overhear” the conversations of diners nearby…or even across the room.
Back to work.
Where East Meets West
Having lived for seven eventful, fun-filled, wonderful years in California, I have always figured that, where coasts are concerned, West is best and East is least. I have slowly been changing my mind. Well, adjusting it.
I still love the west coast. California is peerless. But the East offers so much in terms of history (which I love) and beauty (of which I am a great admirer.) I am determined to explore this coast as much as time and opportunity allow (which may be plenty and could be little to none.)
Right now, I am in Georgia, not far from a place called Lost Mountain, which seems neither to be lost nor a mountain, but is gorgeous, nonetheless. The Pines and Oaks and whatever other trees these happen to be are magnificent. The ones that have recently fallen onto the roofs of houses and cars may be somewhat less so, but even they know how to throw their weight around.
A couple of years ago, Donya and I spent a few days in Savannah. We were impressed with the city’s sense of history. They cling tenaciously to their rich heritage, marking it with monuments, statues, and perfectly spaced squares for the enjoyment of townsman and tourist alike.
Conversely, Atlanta is modern, sleek, with an eye toward tomorrow. It reminds me of Dallas because of its healthy commerce and rapid growth in recent years. Still, there are museums, curio shops, and national parks to remind one of the darkest days in the region’s history: the Civil War.
The city that burned has that war burned into consciousness. There is a residue of discomfort that seems to grapple with the juxtaposed sentiments associated with happiness that this is still the UNITED States and the bitter sadness that the bloodbath ended with the Sons of the South as losers of the conflict.
I am a product of the wild and woolly West. I have lived my life and formed my opinions, beliefs, and habits west of the Mississippi. But the Deep South portion of the East is growing on me.
I can hardly wait to wander north.
[For your listening pleasure, I am including a video of East (Ray Charles) meets West (Willy Nelson) singing, "Georgia on my Mind.]
Devotional: Change!
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man,
and he will increase in learning.
Prov. 9:9 (KJV)
Few people enjoy change. We get in a comfort zone and tend to want to remain
there. Economist John Galbraith observed, “Faced with the choice between
changing one’s mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, almost
everybody gets busy on the proof.”
Mr. Galbraith was right. Great energy has been expended, impassioned
speeches delivered, and battle lines drawn all in resistance to change. I
recall once narrowly avoiding a church fight over whether to take down
paneling during the remodel of our auditorium. The chief opponent of the
idea argued that “godly men had put that paneling on the wall, some of whom
are deceased.” I thought but never said, “Yes, and godly men will take it
down.”
One humorist said, “Nobody likes change, except a baby with a wet diaper.”
Another good observation.
Certainly, some change ought to be resisted. Change for the sake of change
has no merit. Change in the wrong direction is…well, wrong. For instance,
a change from obedience to God to disobedience or from faith to doubt or
from honesty to dishonesty would be change for the worse. There are
immutable truths and principles set forth in God’s Word which must never be
violated or rendered moot in the name of change.
Conversely, to insist that one will never change on any issue no matter what
is just silly pride, stubbornness and a recipe for spiritual dwarfism. I
recall as a boy hearing preachers thunder about how they had not changed in
twenty or thirty or fifty years…always to a chorus of “Amens.” It made
good preaching…and poor theology and a terrible approach to ministry.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever because He is
perfect. He is ideal. There is no change He could make that would improve
Him in any way. The same can be said for no other human who has ever walked
the planet.
Change can be frightening and foreboding. It is often unsettling because you
don’t know what to expect. It is also essential – if you are going to grow.
Every new thing you learn, every new idea, every new piece of information
changes you in some way.
May we each keep an open mind and teachable spirit and may the things we
learn and experience this day change us…for the better.
A Prayer For Today: Father, I know that I am a work in progress. I am better
than I was before You found me, but not at all what I will be when You have
perfected Your work in me. I pray that I will remain pliable in Your hands.
Change what needs changing, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
A Devotional: “Fizz!”
My darling, you are beautiful!
Oh, you are beautiful,
and your eyes are like doves.
S of S. 1:15 (NCV)
Bruce Barton said, “Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.”
Little things can make a huge difference. Dr. John Pemberton experienced the truth of this concept at Joe Jacobs’ Drug Store in Atlanta, Georgia. The year was 1886, and Dr. Pemberton was excited about a new drink he was planning to produce and market. He took his formula, made primarily ofextracts from coca plants and cola nuts, to Willis Venable, who had leased space in the drug store to run a soda fountain.
Pemberton asked Venable to mix one ounce of his syrup with five ounces of water and tell him what he thought. Venable did, kind of liked it, and suggested they make another. The second time, however, Venable accidentally put soda water in it. Coca Cola was born and the world would never be the same.
Soda water instead of tap water. Just a little thing that made a huge difference. Just so, little things can make a big difference in our relationships. Saying “I love you” to your kids. Holding hands with your spouse. Dropping a note to a friend. Commending your pastor on his sermon. Flowers. Candy. A movie. A reassuring smile. Saying things like, “I am proud of you,” or, “You can do it,” or, “Don’t give up.” An afternoon drive through the country. A trip to the ice cream parlor. A stop at your neighborhood Hallmark store.
Little things, all of them. But a life without them is as flat as Coca-Cola made with tap water. A thoughtful, timely deed or word, however small, is to a relationship as soda water is to a soft drink. It adds fizz.
A Prayer For Today: Father, help me to find small ways to express my love. Please keep me from the trap of taking the people in my life for granted. Help me to love them as vibrantly as You have loved me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Social Follow
Journey With...
-
The JourneyMan by D. Gene Strother is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at genestrother.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at permission@genestrother.com.
Here we go…
-
-
-
