Where did it go?

It's been eleven days since I last posted, so I thought I should update.

Let's see, what has happened?

Thanksgiving has come and gone. This year has flown by. I think the move really knocked the whole time thing out of whack. We basically have a month and 2005 will be over. I will save my reflections on the year till that time. However, I will comment on Thanksgiving.

It was yet another Burdette Thanksgiving hosted by my dad. It has become a tradition. (Maybe not a Clemson tradition, but close). This year the crowd was a little smaller. One of dad's older brothers had to work and his younger sister went to Florida. Even without all the usual rebel rousers, we had a fun, unique evening. It seems that the past few years my sisters and I have learned more about our family and background. The aunts and uncles have opened up with more stories about their childhood. Maybe we are just getting older and appreciating it more. Either way, it's good to know where you come from and how you got there.

After much eating, a little drinking, and many stories, we all ended up in the sunroom for some pickin' and grinnin' (dad and Turkey Tom were pickin', we were grinnin'). My dad has a knack for getting into the music and really making it his own. We all had a lot of fun watching him. To top the evening off, my youngest sister performed several pieces on the cello. Kudoo's to you, sissypoo.

The next few weeks will be spent with family, working and just trying to get through the year. Then ..... off to Belize!!!!

WOW

I just had the most amazing two hours.

We went to a Mountain Heart concert at the Imperial Theatre in downtown Augusta. These guys have such energy and talent that I have never experienced. Now, I like bluegrass of all kinds. From the backyard pickin to the "commercial". However, none of those sounds begin to match what I heard tonight. I don't even think I will be able to put it into words. It was inspiring. It was energizing. To see these guys play - and they played fast! - got the toes tapping, the hands clapping and the adrenalin pumping. I love music, but when you hear really good stuff, it is incomparable.

It blows my mind to see musicians not only be able to play notes, but to put life into sound. I cannot fathom the thought process that goes into that. I'm sure some may think it's amazing to be able to design a space from nothing, but to me it's easy. Maybe it's the same for these guys. It's just how they think. I am just glad that they can share that talent with the rest of us poor souls.

I also appreciate that they are a bluegrass band. I haven't done much research into the history of bluegrass, so if anyone has any reading material they can point me to, that would be great. It seems to me that it derives from the Celtic/ Scottish sound. And seeing that those were the primary settlers in the Appalachian mountains, it makes since. But the thing that I have noticed with bluegrass, more than any other type of music, is its ability to bring people from all facets of society together. I saw well coiffed, cashmere clad men and women, ten gallon hats and boots, children, elderly, hippy and suburbanites. And we were all brought together by the love of good, downhome pickin' and grinnin'. You just can't beat that.

Purity.

Ah! Beach Time

So, I have discovered another plus to moving back to the East Coast ... the beach.

Wednesday through Friday Christian had a conference at St. Simons Island. I had to go with him (per his bosses suggestion). It was tough.

We get down Wednesday, check in and go to the opening reception. After a couple of free drinks we are taken out to dinner at a local crabshack. I had cheese grits and grilled mahi mahi. Yummmmmmmm. The next day Christian has sessions all day, so I head out to the pool which has chairs set up on a boardwalk overlooking the beach. Excellent. It was warm with a light sea breeze blowing in. Not bad for NOVEMBER. That evening we go out to the childhood home of one of Christian's co-workers. It is on the inlet between Jekyll and St. Simons Islands with views of the ocean, marshlands and inner channels. We saw a beautiful sunset. Afterwards, we headed to the Lodge (where the G8 Summit was held a couple of years ago). While at dinner Tom Watson comes in with a group. For those of you who are as ignorant as I am, he has won most of the major golf tournaments (Masters, US and British Open). Pretty impressive. One thing I will say about the experience - the rich don't have anything THAT special. Sure, they probably have less stress when it comes to money issues, but the food, etc isn't better. Although, I could be rich. I think I would be quite good at it. Ha! Ha!

This weekend we are back to reality. Football, movies, house cleaning and grocery shopping. There is something to be said for a simple life.

What's going on

A simple act of defiance by one person changed the country.

That is quite an accomplishment. Don't we all want to be that person that goes down in history as having made a difference? The tricky part is, you can never know which act will be the noble one. We can't go through life trying to make a difference to change history. We have to try to make a difference to make not our lives, but our children's lives, our grandchildren's lives, better. I don't think those who are truly great set out trying to be great. Those who are great are humble. They are giving. They are serving. They are stewards.

Since moving to Augusta and becoming a minority in the city, I have had a lot of opportunity to view African American men and women in leadership positions. There is a pride that they carry. A strength. A knowledge that they have had a lot to overcome in history, and in some areas still have a long way to go.

It amazes me, coming back to the South, how far behind we are. How archaic many attitudes are. We have great people in this country, of all colors and nationalities. Instead of focusing on race, it is time that we focused on greatness. We need to teach our children not only about the great people in history, but those traits that make those few people great. I believe they are the same traits that promote strong communities and strong families. They are traits that are disappearing to mega this and mega that society.

If you have them - hold on to them for yourself and pass them on for your future.