walking JoanJett

God is Bigger Than Bullies

loritruth — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:46:17 +0000

JoanJett is long ,tall and weighs about 100 lbs. When people see her initially they are a little surprised but want to pet her. Most of the time when we walk through my neighborhood the people who live here are usually intimidated by her because of her size and she might be viewed as a bully .Deep down inside she really is a sweetheart and wouldn’t hurt a flea. Well… maybe a flea.

The recent attention the media has brought to bullying has stirred some things up in my spirit that I feel I need to address. When I was in grammar school I too was a victim of bullying. I dreaded going to school having to face this one girl everyday . In the morning on the bus , during school, and on the way home on the bus. I think that was the first time in my life I had felt so much anger towards one person.

This particular girl was mean and cruel , She pulled my hair , made fun of me and called me names and I never felt like I wanted to hurt myself as much as I wanted to hurt her. I can honestly say that her cruelty affected me into my adult life. I became withdrawn from females and didn’t have many friends because I didn’t trust anyone. Growing up most of my friends were adults and up until recently all of my friends were over fifty.

I put up walls and set up boundaries and became very controlling because no one would ever control me like that again. I grew a very thick skin and didn’t take crap from anybody and became very good at verbal abuse. My mouth was my weapon of choice and I always knew what to say at just the right time and no one would ever have the last word on me again. I developed a talent for making people feel stupid. Remember that saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”? That is the biggest crock I ever heard , nothing could be further from the truth. Physical pain is there and gone but words always linger.

Fortunately for me God changed all that and taught me how to use my boldness for His purposes and not my own. I still see bullying going on in my adult life. I see young teenagers in my neighborhood pushing around old men and stealing from them. I have friends whose children are being bullied at school and it just breaks my heart on top of making me extremely angry. A month ago a 14-year-old boy in my neighborhood fighting with four or five other boys lost his life over a pair of shoes , a watch , and an Ipod.

Bullying has been around for a long time, over 2000 years. First bully encounter I can recall was David and Goliath and we all know how that ended. Why? Because David knew God had his back. There were plenty of bullies in the bible, the devil being the biggest of them all, but God was always there. Being bullied doesn’t mean you are weak , It means the person who is doing the bullying can’t handle how awesome you are.

Remember that Jesus , the Son of God , was no stranger to being bullied either. When Jesus was captured and brought before the high priest the bible says ” Then some begin to spit on Him, and blindfold Him, and to beat Him,…” (Mark 14:65) In Mark 15:17-20 it talks about how the soldiers made fun of Jesus . Twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They struck his head with a stick, spit on Him and mocked Him. Everytime I read that verse it truly humbles me and allows me to put my experience in perspective.

As a parent God understands our pain and anguish over the hurt of our children . He hurt and anguished over the suffering of His only Son. As a victim of bullying Jesus understands the hurt, the humiliation , and the helplessness. He also understands the importance of forgiveness. Sometimes that’s a hard pill to swallow but forgiveness isn’t for the benefit of the bully as much as it is for us. By forgiving them we release them from what they did so they no longer have a hold on us. Bullies don’t come from a happy functional place. They are not born bullies they are created and being a bully does not make you tough , anybody can kick a puppy.

I have often contemplated on wether or not to confront the girl now woman who bullied me . I pondered on what I would say , How would I act , how would I feel ? But I could only think of two things that really mattered , only two things that would satisfy me and be pleasing to God. 1) I forgive you and 2) I’m praying for you . God is bigger than your enemy and the justice and judgement are His alone. Do you know the one thing that David had that was bigger than Goliath ? His God !

” But I say to you , love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ” - Matthew 5: 44,45

Pants on the Ground

loritruth — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:56:52 +0000

When Joan and I walk around the neighborhood wether around the block or downtown I can probably count on hands and feet how many young men we see with their pants below their backside. I do not pretend to understand this style of dress if that’s in fact what it is and I will be the first one to admit I DO NOT like it. My son happens to be one of the only caucasian teenagers in the neighborhood , if there are others I have never seen them or they don’t come out at night. He to feels it necessary to wear his pants below his butt. Shocking as it may seem , I don’t say a word about it and hears why. First , I myself remember what its like to be a teenager and the more my parents complained or told me not to do something the more I did it. Don’t get me wrong if he goes anywhere with me the pants go up. I think it’s also a matter of perspective , I pick and choose my battles. Now I know many of you will disagree with me but hear me out. Recently my son walked into a room and bent over for a second and his pants were sagging. Someone tried to call his attention to it by making certain comments to make him aware of there dissproval. What he heard was “blah,blah,blah judgement. ” He completely tuned them out and ignored every word they said. Now that particular night within a four-hour period my son answered a call for help from a friend that needed him at a very crucial time. Not an hour or so later my neighbor had called him to help him carry his roommate up the stairs who had just fallen from the top of a staircase and stayed with them until the ambulance arrived. I could tell you countless stories of his compassion and selflessness that’s not to say he’s perfect because he’s not . He is an 18-year-old teenager with saggy pants. My point is that I choose to look at the bigger picture. I care about whats in his heart and what kind of human being he is and how he treat others. I used to feel differently. I too was quick to judge and pull the parent card and push what I say goes but it’s only a temporary fix and it doesn’t solve the root of the problem. I know probably most won’t agree but this is what works with my child. He wears earrings , listens to music I can’t understand , and wears his pants on the ground. But his heart is bigger than most Christians I know who wear their pants above their waist that do more talkin than walkin. God loves us unconditionally and will take us as we are , so what makes us think we have the right to set the standards for someone else based on our opinion or personal taste ? Is it arrogance or ignorance ? I tend to believe its a little bit of both. I’m as guilty as the next guy but what I do know is that I’m teachable. Shouldn’t we all be ? Because if anyone of these baggy pants teenagers wanted to give their life to the Lord and spend their life serving Him I don’t think His response would be ”Ok but pull your pants up first!”

Not Mr Rogers Neighborhood

loritruth — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 07:40:02 +0000

When you think about where you grew up you think about the house ,the backyard, and the nice quiet neighborhood you lived in . When my children get older they will think about where they grew up and will remember that a few homeless men slept on the couch in their living room and another man slept in their pawpaws truck in the side yard . When they think about the backyard they will remember how many lawnmowers were stolen out of it.When they think about their neighborhood they will remember their neighbors were drug dealers, crack addicts and alcoholics oh my! Some might say we live in the hood ,I just say we live on the North side and that in itself is pretty self-explanatory. I have been in New Orleans for the last few weeks and my first weekend back my mother comes for a visit.She doesn’t come up often and after today it will probably be awhile before she comes back.The following chain of events happened upon her arrival. We go to Wal-Mart than to Freds to look for a fruit bowl and some fake flowers to put on my porch .When we arrive home plans are made for my younger brother and his family to come and eat. My brother calls me to tell me he needs me to go to our friends house around the corner because our friend just sent my brother’s wife a text saying he wanted to kill himself. My son and I go over there and he is not there. We head downtown towards the fountain where my son finds him unharmed and begins to talk to him . I see there ok so I head back to my house where my son’s girlfriend and another friend tell me the police are looking for him with an ambulance on stand by. My brother meets me at the house and my son and our friend pull up in the yard. My brother goes with our friend around the corner to his house . A few minutes later I meet them in front. Long story short, we ministered to our friend and he asked us to pray with him. We prayed for him and the first time for my brother , we led our friend to Jesus. What made it even more special was sharing that moment with my brother and it was awesome. After ,we went home to watch the LSU game. Towards the end of the fourth quarter my brother and his family went home. While watching the last couple of minutes of the game Gators are up 29-26 and my son calls. He proceeds to tell me that my neighbor next door has fallen down a flight of steps . Naturally, I watch that last 11 seconds of the game and manage to text my older brother something about Les Miles having a horseshoe up his butt as I’m walking out the door. I walk up the steps to the upstairs apartment and find my son and his girlfriend tending to my neighbor whose face on the left side looks like the size of a baseball. Now, she’s had a few drinks and isn’t too much worried about her face as she is about the blood on her sofa as I’m watching my son spray the stains with Resolve. When the ambulance arrives they persuade her to go to the hospital and believe me she definitely needed to go. Meanwhile my poor mother is outside wondering what the hell is going on and we go home. I tell her I’m going to walk Joanjett so Big Joan (as my nephews call her) and I head out for our walk. I start off around the corner and then the next corner trying to avoid drawing any attention to Joan from the plethora of dogs they have along the way. Ah but to no avail begins the very soooo annoying LOUD barking, which will alert the drug dealers sitting on the porch at the abandoned house on the next corner that I’m headed towards them. I round the corner and there they are . Three sitting on the porch and one sitting on the curb across the street. As always I say hello, they nod and stare at Big Joan and she stares back. I walk a little further down the street and the cool night breeze blows the lovely aroma of marijuana coming from underneath the car port of the house on Madison and Olivier St. We continue on to Simcoe which usually has a lot of traffic.We turn to back track a little and I run into the homeless guy sleeping in my dads old truck in my side yard. I can tell he’s been hittin the Hooch and he tells me he’s been drinking and I tell him “Uh yeah dude I can smell it ,you had me at hello.” Recently he purchased a bicycle from some white guy for 10 bucks. There is way more to that then you need to know about so I’ll just leave that alone. He is scared to death of JoanJett and she ALWAYS barks at him . Did I tell you she is a great judge of character? Anyway I say “Be careful and goodnight” ,he says “Love y’all” and I say “Me Too bye” and we part ways. I head home because walking Joan is exhausting and she is wearing me out. Man when she gets a whiff of something she just pulls and pulls and by the time I go home I’m pooped. I get home and my mom is passed out on the couch. All and all it was a good day because in spite of everything that happened at least there where no gunshots. I don’t regret where I live in fact I’m grateful. I’m grateful because my children aren’t sheltered and they see first hand what life without God is like. They can relate to hurting people and they have compassion for those in need and are willing to help their neighbors. This is real life and God didn’t put us here to be comfortable and safe. God put us here to be affected by what we see and willing to be used to make a difference and trust Him.We DO NOT walk in a spirit of fear. I don’t walk around this neighborhood afraid of anything or anyone because I know who walks with me. This day has ended and I look forward to what tomorrow brings. By the way , how was your day?

Grandma went to Heaven …and I’m soooo jealous!!!!

loritruth — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 04:22:45 +0000

In my last post “Gone Fishing” I explained I needed to take time out to take care of some personal matters. Well I’m back home in Lafayette and I must admit it feels like I’m visiting. The last month was very rough . See , I wasn’t the one who had “gone fishing” my grandma was, and she’s never coming back. I’ve been in New Orleans for almost a month and it was a very heart breaking,uplifting, sorrowful wonderful, experience. Joan and I went on our first walk together tonight in a month . I have to say I missed her more than I thought which is more than I can say for my teenagers. I didn’t seek to meet anyone on this journey I am to busy trying to recover from the last one. Instead I just thought about the last few weeks and the time I spent with my Grandmother . Death is a part of life that fascinates me and haunts me at the same time. I have no fear of death, I’m not afraid to die partly because I know where I’m going and to be honest I’m kind of looking forward to it. I mean to be free of this mean, wicked, wretched , cruel world and go to a place where I’ll be able to wrap my arms around Jesus and hug Him tight ,to never hurt in any way, to be happy forever,to see all the people you love and to stand in the very presence of God, I mean really who wouldn’t look forward to that. The purpose of walking JoanJett was to connect with people and talk to people I normally wouldn’t talk to but while I was in new Orleans I had the opportunity to reconnect and connect with people I have known my whole life. I come from a very large family . My Grandma had 8 brothers and sisters , 8 children, 17 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. When she came home from the hospital she went under Hospice care. During the day she had visitors and her children who had to work stayed with her n the evening and we all rotated staying with her at night by her bedside. What touched me but didn’t surprise me was that she was never alone. Someone was always at her bedside. So with a big family coming in and out for 8 days was hectic and testy at times but for the most part never boring, highly entertaining , and even touching. I learned some things about my mother and her siblings. They are catty and bossy, some are invisible, some in a world all their own and I mean that in a very endearing way. I mean how many people do you know can say their are people in their lives that they want to strangle and hug all at the same time. It was a very trying time for everyone. It’s not easy letting go of a person who has been there your whole life and been nothing but wonderful . As the days went on Grandma was getting weaker and weaker. I could see life slowly creeping away from her. We fed her and when we couldn’t feed her we tried giving her something to drink and when she could no longer drink from a cup we gave her some coke in a syringe to wash down her medicine.We turned her from one side to the other periodically so she would be comfortable until it came to a point that turning her didn’t matter anymore. As far as I was concerned she had been gone long before her body found out she left. Her little lungs where struggling to catch up with her very strong heart and she was only taking shallow breaths. Wednesday night no one wanted to go home but as it got later everyone begin to kiss her goodbye and leave. It was Uncle Dan , Aunt Ann ,my mom and myself left. My mom and Aunt Ann went to bed and Uncle Dan was on one side of her holding her hand and I was on the other side laying in her recliner with my hand rubbing her back. We woke up twice to give her some medicine and then around 4:30 her breathing was getting more and more shallow. It was a familiar sight because Ann, Dan And myself stayed up with my Grandpa the night before he died. There we were again the three of us watching and waiting. we prayed that Jesus would take her and end her suffering. We woke up my mom and called everyone. Than we waited and watched as she took her last breath and it was the most peaceful feeling I ever felt. What power there is in peace that it even comes in death, not only to the recipient but to all who loved her. That is the mercy and grace of God, that peace was a gift. I said in my Eulogy that “To be there at the end of ones life who has been there since the beginning of yours is an honor”. I also feel it was a gift from God that He loved me so much that He allowed me to share this moment with her children. All her children where sad but peaceful. They all know what a blessing it is to have had your mother for so long. Not too many grandchildren can say they had their grandmother for 40 years either. I will have good memories of this last month with my family cousins ,aunts and great aunts ,uncles and great uncles ,first and second cousins etc. My Grandma was all about family we meant everything to her and she was everything to us. Once again she brought people together reminding us of the importance of keeping our relationships. I pray we honor her legacy by keeping her traditions maybe even starting some new ones of our own.What she wanted most of all was for us to love one another and follow the example she worked so diligently to set for us. Its funny how when someone dies all their insignificant stuff suddenly becomes very significant. Their toothbrush, pillow, hairbrush, things that we see everyday. We miss them because we can no longer see them and touch them. We hold on to there stuff because we can touch it, smell it, hold it in our hands.But one day it will be ok to let go of her “things” and just keep our beautiful memories that will never fade or go away. I am jealous though, when I get sad I think about all the things she is seeing and hearing and smelling and tasting and doing. I picture my Grandpa sitting on a bench waiting for her arrival seeing her and saying “Wee you ok “. Except this time he isn’t asking her, he’s telling her.

Gone Fishing!

loritruth — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:28:25 +0000

I am in New Orleans helping my mother and her family take care of my Grandmother. JoanJett is a tool that God has used to help connect with people I don’t know but while I am here in New Orleans I will be writing about reconnecting with people I already know. WhenI return to Lafayette Joan and I will resume our regular walking routine. I will be doing some fishing but not for fish.

My Brothers Keeper?

loritruth — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:19:36 +0000

Last night was the opening game for the regular season Saints v Vikings in New Orleans. They had a lot of pre game festivities planned in the city ,schools were closed early, businesses shutdown, needless to say it was kind of a big deal. My daughter invited me to go with her as she had made plans to go down there. Well I wasn’t really looking forward to the 2 hour drive and all the traffic but I do like the atmosphere around the city come game day. Long story short we did not end up in the city bc traffic was horrific and no place to park it was very crowded. The older of my two brothers, Kenny, lives in Metairie right outside of New Orleans. I called him to see what his plans were and he told me his wife had an oppurtunity to go to the game and he was staying home with his two little girls. Before he was married Kenny always did the “Guy thing” ,Kentucky Derby, ball games , sports bars etc. If you would have told me 10 years ago that Kenny would have been watching the Saints opening season game at home with two very playful little girls in Saints cheerleader outfits,grilling them sausage for dinner , tying bows and wiping snot while his wife went to the actual game, I would have laughed in your face and bet my life savings against it. My daughter wanted to go watch the game in a bar room somewhere downtown but in my heart I wanted to watch the game with my brother. Growing up Kenny and I didn’t really see eye to eye. My dad left when I was 13 and being the oldest put a lot of responsibility on me which I did not take seriously at all. I became very rebellious and Kenny became a grown up. I didn’t always like him even after we all grew up and got married there was just something about him that got under my skin and it was probably his mouth. Kenny never held his tongue he always said what was on his mind and that I could appreciate I just hated it when he was right . I had a lot of anger and animosity towards him for a few reasons mostly having to do with my dad but that’s a whole other issue. I loved Kenny but didn’t really like him that much. Over the years God began to show me that I was judging him and began to encourage me to get to know him better and he would show me how He sees Kenny. Little by little I began to see Kenny in a different light and it began to shine the night my father died. Kenny is good in a crisis situation meaning he doesn’t freak out or fall apart. When I called him to tell him that my dad passed I was hysterical. Kenny remained calm the entire time ,asked all the right questions and when I asked him to call my sister, which I couldn’t bare the thought of that task , without hesitation complied with my request. During the whole process from watching them leave with my father to sliding him into his resting place Kenny was the glue that held us all together. I don’t know how he does it but he has this unique way of finding humor in everything . Don’t get me wrong ,sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s bad but I’m glad God made him that way. Through Gods eyes He sees Kenny finished, He doesn’t see the coal He sees the diamond. I now see him as a good husband , a very loving father , a son to be proud of and a very selfless brother. Kenny has taken a back seat to his other siblings on more than one occasion and I have come to appreciate how his role has played out in our lives . The more time I spend with him I can honestly say the good definitely outweighs the bad. Is he perfect ? Not this guy, but I don’t expect him to be because nobody is and I definitely don’t think he needs to live up to my standards or live the way I think he should live in order for me to have a relationship with him. When my Dad left I didn’t hate him and I didn’t stop wanting to be his daughter because he made mistakes. I had a relationship with my father because I made the effort. I didn’t sit around waiting for him to knock on my door or call me on the phone. When he died I had no regrets because he KNEW how I felt about him and vice versa. Your relationship with people is only as good as the effort you make . The more effort I put into getting to know my brother the more I understand him and appreciate the good things about him . My investment in Kenny is making the four-hour round trip to watch a football game( I could have watched at home) with my brother and two nieces. I highly recommend it because it was worth it, he was worth it. Has the investment paid off? I am closer to his wife whom I have come to love ,Kenny and I talk on the phone 3 or 4 times a week and I now feel comfortable enough I can talk to him about anything, I am closer to his children( they actually know who I am) and I see him every time we come to New Orleans. Am I my brothers keeper? I don’t know maybe maybe not I just know that I am his sister he is my brother and that means something to me so I think I’ll keep him.

Becoming JoanJett,Becoming Me

loritruth — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:25:59 +0000

I decided not to take JoanJett out tonight as I have been persistent in taking her the last week in spite of having hurt my back. Well tonight by back seems to think enough is enough. So I thought it would be a good time to give you a little background on Miss JoanJett. I have always wanted a Great Dane but didn’t want a puppy because I am just one of those people who cannot house train an animal. I have no patience whatsoever to clean up after my children much less a puppy. I had mentioned to my oldest daughter that I was interested in a Great Dane but not to mention it to my husband until we found one . Well after a few prospects we found Joan in DeRidder,Louisiana which was out in the middle of nowhere. We talked to the owner and assured her that we had no intentions of breeding Joan because apparently the only other person interested in her wanted her strictly for breeding. We asked her to send a picture and I have to say we almost didn’t get her because she didn’t look to healthy . I found out that she was staying outside and the male stayed inside because he was house trained. Joan had dug a hole underneath the doghouse and laid in a pile of fire ants and they tore her up! I felt so sorry for her I didn’t care what she looked like I just wanted to take her home. They had treated her with some medicine and it seemed to be working. When we took her home the first thing we did was change her name. JoanJetts previous name was Dolce and she didn’t look like a “Dolce” to me so after we went through a few suggestions we came up with JoanJett because she was big and beautiful , she looked like a rock star , she was white and jett black. In the 80′s “I Love Rock in Roll” was my favorite song recorded by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts ,my favorite band. Lets just say I was very intrigued By this woman. I loved her hair ,her look, her voice , just everything, not that she would be too flattered that I named my dog after her but it was never meant to be an insult but very much a compliment.So there you have it that’s how my Harlequin Great Dane became JoanJett. Joan and my son Dane,go figure, bonded right away. Everynight since we’ve had her she sleeps in the bed with him and waits for him to come home. Joan also seems to need constant attention. She follows me around the house everywhere except the bathroom because I won’t let her in and she is jealous of other dogs and only growls at people she doesn’t like ,I personally think she has the gift of discernment. Writing this I realize that the whole purpose in doing this blog was to find value in every person and humanize people without labeling them or judging them. I am a believer I do believe in God, I love Jesus,and I depend on the Holy Spirit. I am not ashamed of that. However, I am ashamed that I am a believer who has judged people wrongly, gossiped and ridiculed my fellow brethren. I have been loud and spoke long when I should have shut up and just listened. I have poked my nose where it didn’t belong and been a self-righteous hypocrite. I have voiced my opinion and festered over everything everybody else is doing because I was arrogant enough to believe if they just did things my way they would be better off because I have all the answers. I have come to realize I have a hard enough time trying to fix me and I can’t even do that but I know I have no place trying to tell others their way of believing is wrong and I am done arguing and trying to defend mine. The one thing my Mother prays for more than anything is peace and I always tell her and my kids that its better to have peace than it is to be right and if I am causing other people pain, hurt, or sorrow nothing should cause me to want to be right that bad. I say all that to say this; I am aware that I am imperfect and need to inform myself that neither is anyone else. In order for me to love others I have to make the effort even if it’s just one stranger at a time. What would have become of JoanJett if I didn’t want to take her because she was sick . What if I rejected her because she was different and didn’t look as good as other Danes? Draw whatever parallels you want but I am thankful I chose to look past her appearance because this dog has brought joy to my life,she’s family. In the beginning I may have rescued her from cold winters,hot summers and litter after litter of puppies but in the process of this journey I assure you God is using JoanJett to rescue me from me.

Porch People

loritruth — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:59:07 +0000

Last night as I turned the corner I could hear laughter coming from across the street. There were two ladies sitting on the porch and Joe who lives across the street. Joan and I walked over and I asked if it wouldn’t be too much trouble if I sat for a bit and of course they didn’t mind. JoanJett ,I have to say, was very well-behaved. The rock star sat very quietly on the porch for quite sometime. If I had to name some of Louisiana’s favorite pastimes I would have to say football,eating,and porch sitting and in that order. Wether you’re sitting on your porch or your neighbors porch you are most likely to be smoking, drinking, or talking and sometimes maybe all three. Last nights sit session involved smoking and talking but I was not involved in lung deterioration. There were three black woman who live there MaMi(mah-me) and her 2 daughters and her grandson Trent. They told me they were from St Martinville and had lived in Lafayette for a year or so. Well what we have in common is that the ladies and I are big Saints fans and we all agree Reggie should not lose the Heisman Trophy. Our other neighborhood dog walker disagrees but we don’t care what he thinks. The street that they live on is always action packed . Up until about three weeks ago drug dealers lived in the house across from theirs and needless to say never a dull moment. Since the dealers left our little community, Mami says its been pretty peaceful. Porch sitting involves a lot of observation. In this neighborhood porch people are the watchmen. They are the eyes and ears of all the goings on in the hood. They keep their eyes and ears open and there mouthes shut and for good reason. They see everything from the husband and wife having a screaming match that has made its way to the front yard to the crackhead sneaking in the backyard looking for something to steal. The porch is an open forum anything goes. I would say the porch is equivalent to the local barbershop. Last night Joan and I stayed on that porch about 2 hours.We talked about boys walking around with the drawers hanging out of their pants,football,Katrina, and spanking your children . If you want to talk about anything at all and hear everyone’s opinion about it, all you have to do is bring it up. I enjoy talking to older women I appreciate their wisdom. I don’t talk to too many young people or people to close to my age because there annoying. Before I over stayed my welcome I exscused myself and thanked them for their hospitality. I hope we do it again real soon I truly enjoyed their company. Joan and I made the block and there was not a soul in sight so we went in for the night.I almost forgot porch etiquette. Always ask permission to sit in a certain chair or rocker because you don’t want to sit in grandpa’s chair after he left to be with Jesus a week ago.Also pick up on the little “its time to go” hints that the porch proprietor often drops such as “Oh well…” or “Wow is it that late already” or “I don’t know why I’m so tired?” If you hear any of these comments you best take your butt home. Oh I almost forgot never pass people sitting on the porch without acknowledging their existance. Say “Hello” or “How are you doing?” something just don’t NOT say anything because then they’ll talk about your mamma and question your upbringing. The world could always use a few good porch people and there is no use having a porch if you’re not going to use it. I encourage you if you have a porch , to sit on it and then maybe graduate to inviting one of your neighbors over for some ice tea or coffee. Step out of your comfort zone live a little . As I’m starting to find out on this little Joan journey ,you can learn a lot from people you don’t know.

Pleasantly Surprised

loritruth — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:14:40 +0000

Forgive the blog interruption as I have missed posting the last 2 days due to my mothers computer that is apparently suffering from bipolar. We returned to Lafayette once again bidding farewell to my beloved New Orleans with its beautiful green covered levees and the smell of Magnolias in the air….ok so it’s really covered with cement walls and smells like piss and puke but I was having a moment don’t judge me! All kidding aside New Orleans is a one of a kind city with one of a kind people and just being born and raised there automatically gives you character. Probably took me all of about an hour to unwind a little, than decided before it got to late to take JoanJett for a walk. The rock star and I headed downtown towards the fountain hoping the lady with the hat would be there. Before I got there I asked God to show me who He wanted me to talk to . We got to the museum and turned towards the fountain. I passed the front of the fountain to sit on one of the benches towards the street and as I sat down I noticed a man sitting by himself two benches down. First thing he said “Thats a big dog how old is she?” I guess tonight God wanted it to be obvious being this man was the only person around. When I looked at him I saw a black man maybe in his 30′s and from the looks of his attire probably homeless but maybe not because he didn’t have any “stuff” with him. If there is one thing I have come to know about the homeless is that they always carry a bag,a knapsack, or maybe just a jacket but something. He was smoking a cigarette and had an empty chip bag. Remember that was my impression of him or rather that’s what I assumed. Come to find out he was 42 years old born at Lafayette Charity but raised in New Orleans in the 3rd ward and said his Aunt was a nurse at Baptist Memorial hospital.He said he had moved to Georgia before the storm and was married and has 3 children ages 9,7, and 3. Separated but not yet divorced he moved back to Lafayette in May and now lives with his mother who resides on Jefferson St.” Looking for steady work is hard” he said but he tries as often as he can to work on the garbage truck to which he replies “Somebody gotta keep the enviroment clean.” Which I guess was his way of letting me know he wasn’t ashamed. We got caught up in conversation failing to introduce ourselves and when he asked me my name he said “I like to remember people’s names.” His name is Irvin . Irvin also likes to read and wanted to become a nurse but wants to go back to school and finish with his 4 year masters. All this information from a man I just met in a 10 minute coversation. I was taking pictures of JoanJett by the fountain and asked Irvin if I could take his picture with Joan but he declined wich I respected but he said it was bc we just met. I stood up shook his hand ,told him it was a pleasure meeting him and hope to see him again. Walking home I thought it was interesting that had I not took the time to speak to this man I wouldn’t have discovered the things we have in common. We both grew up in New Orleans and both had a relative that worked at Baptist Memorial Hospital as a nurse, his Aunt and my mother. Talking to Irvin helped me to discover some things about myself that need to change and I have to say I’m looking forward to the possibilities on this journey with Joan. Last and final thought on my meeting tonight with Irvin? Something about a book and cover. =)

Didn’t See That Coming

loritruth — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:33:55 +0000

Tonight JoanJett and I are in New Orleans. I love it here, can you imagine being able to call a place like New Orleans “Your old stompin grounds?” We had planned during the week to come visit my brother-in-law on his week off. We also found out that my 87-year-old grandmother had to be admitted to the hospital for congestive heart failure(prayers welcome). Needless to say when we got into town my mother was very distraught and like how most New Orleanians deal with stress we headed out to Cafe Dumonde to get coffee and beignets so we could eat our feelings. When we got back to my mother’s house Joan was ready for her walk. It was late so I didn’t want to venture out to far also it seemed very quiet which usually is not a good sign if you’re looking to connect. I invited my husband to come along ,he usually never does , so we headed towards the corner and would probably walk a few blocks and see whats out there. We start getting closer to a house I am very familiar with . Bet you weren’t going to guess my ex in-laws. As we are getting closer to the house in my mind I am thinking “don’t be outside ,don’t be outside” and as we start to approach the driveway lo and behold wouldn’t you know it ,there he stood my daughters father.Now, don’t get me wrong we are on very good terms and he is crazy about my husband ,go figure , story of my life but again another day. We stand outside chit chattin for a while, he’s Met Joan before and he is a dog lover. He proceeds to take her inside to show his 72-year-old mother who is in bed and who I’m thinking is going to have a stroke when she sees this big @## dog. Long story short Mrs.Francis survived Big Joan ,as my nephew Joel likes to call her, and was happy to see us. While my husband and my baby daddy are hanging out in the livingroom , Mrs Francis and I are in her room catching up on the past. That brought me to ask her if I was correct in remembering a story her late husband told me. So I asked ” Is it true that Fats Domino sang at your wedding?” Her reply? “why sure”.

So the story goes her soon to be husband Charlie Klein owned a bar and after closing time Mr Klein would head out to the French Quarter and go to all these juke joints like “The Dream Room” etc. Mr Klein met Fats through Dave Bartholomew who is the man who discovered Fats Domino. Well one night Mr Klein went to listen to the music and when he saw Dave told him that he was getting married .In disbelief Dave asked “You Charlie Klein , gettin married?’

Charlie said ” Yeah to An Italian girl” Dave asked if he was invited and Charlie said “Invited I was hoping you would play.” At that time Fats didn’t play weddings but when they told Fats Charlie was getting married Dave told him he was going to play at the wedding and would he join them in which Fats replied “only if I can pick the songs.” Mrs Francis recalled that at the time Fats had just recorded “Blueberry Hill” and that’s the song she said Fats played for there first dance. At first Mrs. Francis said she thought that particular song wasn’t really fitting for a first dance but said she has never heard it played at anyone elses. Now of course my next question was “I have to see your wedding pictures.” Mrs Francis went on to explain tha the only wedding picture she has is the one you put in the newspaper for the announcement. Fully paid for , her photographs left town along with her photographer never to be seen or heard from again . I’m sure having pictures of Dave Bartholomew and Fats Domino playing a wedding had noting to do with his mysterious disappearance. I have to say it was quite a story and Joan didn’t let me down. I never know where she is going to lead me. One minute I’m walking IN New Orleans and the next thing I know I’m walking around the corner and find “Blueberry Hill.”