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Dickey Betts used to sing, “I was born a traveling man.” My mama used to say the same about me. She used to tell me that my middle name was “Go.” She also liked to tell me that I kept the roads hot. I can’t deny any of those things. This past week, I have definitely been burning up the roads. I have also been burning the proverbial candle at both ends.

The week started for Jean and me with a trip to the Gulf Coast…well, almost to the Coast. We spent the first part of the week attending the annual Alabama Baptist Convention, in Daphne. It has nothing to do with the seafood, but I do love it when we meet at the Coast! I’m afraid I did some damage to the shrimp population! We made it back home Wednesday just in time to leave again to go teach Bible study at our church in Lanett.

We stayed home Thursday and Friday. Well, I stayed in the woodshop most of that time. Saturday morning, we headed out again. This time it was to Marietta, Georgia. I spoke at a dear friend’s funeral there. God blessed Marcella Singletary with 93 years in this world, and now she has gone to her eternal home. God blessed Jean and me with knowing Marcella for almost 40 of those 93 years. She and her late husband, Buddy, and actually their entire family, were like family to us. Back in 1985, I became their pastor, but that evolved into so much more. I have eaten smoked pork and fried chicken at her house more times than I can count. The Colonel and Mr. Cathy should have been glad that Granny Marcella never opened a chicken restaurant! I ate her fried okra too, and I don’t even like okra! 

Our Ashley was born while we lived in Marietta. We lived a couple of hours from her real grandparents, but Marcella lovingly filled in for them. She often said, “Bring that baby out here and you and Jean go out and do something.” For our first night out as new parents, we went to see the movie, “Three Men and a Baby.” We were two greenhorn rookie parents watching Three Men and a Baby. I’m not sure which one of us knew the least about a baby, but Granny Marcella knew more about them than any of us! She had raised three of her own and half of the community to boot, not to mention a house full of grandkids. She was indeed a jewel that will be greatly missed!

My final road trip for the week carried over into the new week. Right after church on Sunday, I headed in the direction of the coast again. This time my traveling partner was my grandson, Drew. We went to Plum-nearly. That’s plum to the bottom of the great state of Alabama and nearly in Florida. Ole Billy Bob was the special guest at Maple Avenue Baptist Church, in Geneva. This was my second time to do a program for that church, but my third time for that pastor. Since it was late when we finished, and since Drew has gotten old, we stayed over. Okay, maybe I’m the one who has gotten old. Staying over had nothing to do with one of the few remaining Shoney’s breakfast buffets being in Dothan. We did, somehow, manage to go home that way. I think it was because Drew was driving and he didn’t know the way. For the rest of the week, well, I think I’m just going to rest and go nowhere…for a couple of days!