I went up to my cabin in Blairsville, Georgia, for a few days during spring break. The mountains were beautiful as always. Because spring break was later this year, I was hoping I would get to see the wild dogwoods on my property in bloom, but they were only beginning to blossom. However, there were many other spring flowers and trees in bloom across the mountains.
The 2008 Mulberry, Florida, Relay for Life began Friday evening April 25, and continued through the night until Saturday morning when the announcement was made that they had raised $75,000 (currently $76,000) for the American Cancer Society. This was about $30,000 more than the previous record. They also had the best crowd turnout ever in their relay history.
The event was held at the Mulberry High School football stadium AKA "The Phosphate Bowl."
U.S. Congressman Adam Putnam sent an American flag and letter in honor of the event.
Due to technical difficulties, American Cancer Society representative Colleen Mangan stepped in on the spur of the moment to sing the National Anthem and did a beautiful job.
Colleen sings the National Anthem.
My good friend Jerry Woods is a Mulberry city commissioner and the chairman of the Mulberry Relay for Life. Jerry and his daughter Brandy lost their wife and mother, Judy, to breast cancer in 2006.
Purple-shirted cancer survivors take the first lap.
Five faithful community supporters and courageous fighters carried the Relay for Life banner. Luminarias memorializing victims and honoring survivors were placed at intervals around the track. Although there were dozens of luminarias remembering people I did not know, I located the luminarias for Judy Woods and Megan Carpenter, a young lady who attended sixth grade at Tomlin Middle School where I teach.
Luminarias encircle the track.
Judy Woods' luminaria
Megan Carpenter's luminaria
The survivors tent.
Jerry's parents are both cancer survivors.
While raising funds to fight cancer, Relay for Life maintains a fine balance between memory, honor, entertainment, and fun. Each relay team has a tent and campsite where they host games and prizes, sell food and other items, and stay the night. Continuous entertainment is provided and contests are held at the main stage throughout the event. Jerry's team, the Couch Potatoes, sold sloppy joes and drinks for their fundraiser.
Brandy and Jerry try out the Couch Potatoes' couch.
Perry puts his costume together.
Jerry's younger brother Perry, who is stationed in Charleston, South Carolina, was down visiting the family during Relay. He is a man of many talents, including magic illusions and comedy. Before the night was over he would steal the show.
My turn on the couch.
Cloggers
Sikes Elementary Chorus
Mulberry PD and "Sylva" give a demonstration.
Volleyball bumpers (I have never seen so many orbs in one picture before.)
The 2008 Couch Potatoes
The field right before the Luminaria ceremony.
HOPE became . . .
. . . a CURE!
Jerry hosts the 2008 Miss Relay Pageant. Creepy! (Note: Jerry was the 2007 first runner-up.)
Next up was the best mullet contest. Perry took the stage sporting sunglasses, a cut-off shirt, and the coolest mullet you've ever seen. Hilarious!
Perry struts his stuff!
The Pose-Down
As if that wasn't enough, Perry challenged "Tina Turner" to a booty dancing pose-down. But it was all over when she snatched him bald-headed. Literally!
Tony's masterpiece
One of the highlights of the evening was when Tony Trotti painted a canvas to the tune of Every Time I Breathe by Big Daddy Weave. When the song ended, he flipped the canvas over to reveal that he had done a painting of Jesus upside-down. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Tony donated the painting, and later there was a drawing to raise money for ACS. I bet you would love to see it live, and now you can!
It's not too late to contribute. If you would like to make a donation and read Jerry's story, click here. To read more about my family's involvement with Relay for Life, click here. Congratulations to Mulberry Relay Committee and the people of Mulberry! Your hard work and dedication have paid off. Here's to finding the cure in the not too distant future . . . .
For Mothers Day, April, Doyle, and I took our mothers to brunch at the Ramada Red Rose Ballroom in Plant City. We were sad Carla, Todd, and Nathan couldn't be there!
Days like today are days when words never seem to suffice. How can you describe someone who is your source of life, who unconditionally loves you like no other, who means the world to you? It is almost impossible because there are not adjectives enough. So in order to honor my mother today, I decided to post a letter I wrote almost ten years ago to nominate her for Oprah's Great Mom's Getaway. She didn't win, I suppose, because my writing was not eloquent enough, but she should have. So here's to the most influential woman in my life, the epitome of godliness and motherhood, a true lady who is as lovely on the inside as she is on the outside, and someone who mothers me as much today as she did almost fifty years ago when God gave me to her. She is, my mother . . . Mrs. Evelyn Blount!
R. Howard Blount, Jr. 603 W. Dixie St. • Plant City, FL 33566 (813) 752-4131
February 2, 1999
The Oprah Winfrey Show Great Moms Getaway P.O. Box 811071 Chicago, IL 60681
Dear Oprah and Panel of Judges:
My mother, Evelyn Blount, is truly a remarkable woman and a Great Mom of America in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Her story, however, is more than just a checklist of the things that all wonderful mothers do. It is the story of a woman whose life has been dedicated to blessing others. Mama was raised the daughter of an alcoholic sharecropper, but she made a decision at an early age to move beyond the strawberry field and make her life count for something good. The sixth of nine children, she was the first in her family to graduate with a high school diploma.
In spite of opposition from family and friends, she fell in love with and married my father, Rev. Roland Blount. Some were afraid that this blind preacher would never be able to provide for his young bride. That was forty-one years ago. My father went on to become the first disabled foreign missionary appointed by his denomination, and my mother eventually became an ordained minister herself. My father has never seen the face of his beautiful wife, but the loveliness of her spirit shines through.
Not only has my mother loved and nurtured her own children, she has been the mother of hundreds as a missionary to Latin America for twenty-eight years. As a child, I remember her bringing passing merchants inside to sit at our table and be served whatever we had to eat. Over the years she has mothered “the least of these” on a personal basis whether it be giving anonymous gifts to those less fortunate, visiting the elderly, encouraging a young person having difficulty in school, giving a ride to someone in need of transportation, or investing time on her knees, lifting up others in prayer.
Within the past year she has faced surgery for cancer twice. When she heard that a relative was questioning how God could allow this to happen to someone who had given her entire life for Him, she responded by saying, “No, He gave His life for me!”
Evelyn Blount has always been a godly example, living before her children and others the things she deeply believes. I love her and thank God for giving me to her. She is the virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31. “Her children rise up and call her blessed.”
Mama’s story is far greater than the limits of a single page allow, but I’m sure you will agree that my mother, Evelyn Blount, is a most deserving candidate for a Great Moms Getaway.
Sincerely,
Howard Blount
To read more about our wonderful mother visit my sister Carla's post entitled My Beautiful Mother.
It was a big eating weekend! Layna's birthday Friday, Kelsey's birthday on Saturday, and on Sunday Mama cooked dinner to thank Jerry for painting her wheel covers and to thank John for the many times he has helped them with their car. Jerry made it, but John had to work, so April willingly took his place. The menu included tater-baked chicken, chicken & dumplings, potato salad, Fordhook limas, sweet potato casserole, and Mama's delicious oil & vinegar salad. For dessert Mama tried out Holli's layered chocolate caramel ice cream sandwich recipe.
Thanks for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoy reading about my life, travels, the people I love, and of course my nephew Nathan. Be sure to check out my other blogs: Eyes Wide Open, Clips, Notes & Quotes, and Mr. Blount's Classroom.
At the end of each post there is a link for comments readers have left on the site. If you click on the links you can read the comments others have left about the post and even leave comments yourself. I have readers who have emailed their comments to me in the past, and I thank you, but I would rather you post your comments to the site. You can leave comments anonymously if you wish.
Thanks in advance! I love to read my readers’ comments!
Howard
Click on Photos
A single click on most pictures will make them expand to ginormous proportions.
Perennial phlox on my bank.
Rosemary in bloom in my back yard.
Rosemary flowers
Wild violets edge my driveway.
Tulips beside my porch.
Naturalized daffodils at the tree line.
My dogwoods just beginning to open.
The back of my property.
Part of the trail at Meeks Park.
Another variety of wild violet at the park.
A macro shot.
Pine needles and cones.
