Elvis Found!

Portia, Arkansas is a small town in far northeast Arkansas in Lawrence County. It's one of of places you shouldn't blink while driving through or you'll miss it - and be none the wiser or sadder for it. Situated along Hwy 63, a grand total of 445 souls call it home. It's a clean, quiet, unassuming little place. Even the houses in Portia are little with the median home price being only $51,300. Nope, not much going on in Portia, even on Saturday nights.

So imagine my surprise as I drove through Portia last weekend on my way to see a raven when I found something astounding, something amazing, something some people have been striving to find since  August 16, 1977 - I found Elvis Presley! Elvis, the man, the myth, the legend.


Elvis and Mini-Elvis!





Difference Makers

If you think back on your life, you will see how even the smallest things have affected you. Most of all you remember the people who have made a difference. Sometimes the biggest influence might be somebody who doesn’t remember you or doesn’t  even know you exist, but without that person, you would not be who or where you are today.

Maybe you have made a difference in someones life, a big difference. And you don't even know it. I like to think I have. It doesn't have to be a big thing you had to go out of your way to do. Maybe it's a smile given to a person when nobody but they knew they really needed one.  Maybe it's the quick little phone call to a friend at just the right moment. Maybe it's just the calm way you react to a delay in the checkout line at the grocery store. There's really no telling what could make a positive difference in someones life.

It's so trite to say and we've all heard it so many times, but it doesn't hurt to pay it forward; to live each day like it's your last chance to be a good example. It's a lot harder to do than it sounds, but really, what harm would it do to try?
 

Schools Out

For my youngest daughter, today was the last day of school for the summer. She'll be in 7th grade this fall. I don't seem able to recall grades 3 - 5. She must have completed those grades in about 3 days or most likely jumped from 2nd grade straight to 6th because she's so smart and knows everything - I asked her and that's what she told me.

I used to have a little girl who loved for her daddy to show up at her school to eat lunch with her. All of a sudden there is now a young lady, an almost-a-teenager living in my house and showing up for lunch at school is no longer exactly desirable. I used to be big Daddy-man, knower of all things, able to leap tall buildings, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive. But here in just the last year, my big red S seems to have gotten washed with the bleach laundry and I no longer hold the key to knowledge. As a matter of fact, I seem to now be an Opposite - I somehow say the opposite of the truth. I'm getting used to being wrong about everything, but I still can't recall when I fell on my head or developed a tumor or whatever occurred for me to go so dumb so quick. It's a feeling all parents eventually have in common.

She's a good kid though, a really good kid and I'm proud as can be. It's time to start spreading her wings and figuring things out on her own, but I'm going to ensure she always has a safe place to retreat to, a sanctuary filled with love. My baby girl is growing up fast and I just might be having a bit of difficulty with that, but I'll just have to get over it because for now it's summer time and for her, the living is easy. And that's the way it should be. Wonderful summer-time memories are waiting to be born. Enjoy it while you can, Baby-girl. Daddy will take the pictures.