A Southern Missive

Today, Tom and I played our Scots-Irish music at the Military Families Memorial Day Picnic at Kiroli Park in West Monroe, Louisiana. Kay Katz and Mike Walsworth, local politicians, were also there to speak and lend their support. This was a touching event. Families of soldiers from this area who had fallen in combat in Iraq were recognized and honored. As I looked at the soldiers’ photographs and the wreaths that were given to the families, I contemplated the sacrifice they had made–not only the soldiers, but their families.
I had a table and moved some books, but the real joy today was performing for the families of our soldiers. One mother gave me a Marine cap that has the names of three local soldiers who died in duty: Sgt. Arechaga, LCPL Bowman, and PFC Feniello. I will wear it with pride.
May God bless our soldiers and bring them home safely to us soon.

Yesterday, I returned to the Southern Heritage Convention at the Monroe Civic Center in the morning and continued my sales and networking there.  This was such a fantastic event for me. Not only was I able to promote my book, but I made new friends, and learned so much from the speeches.
At about 11:00 a.m., I went home, changed into my Confederate uniform for my reading and presentation at the Ouachita Parish Library. Jennifer Schneider, A fantastic Irish dancer and the children’s librarian who had organized and sponsored the event, was there in a beautiful Antebellum dress and helped us get the program off to a great start.

To our audience, the local SCV’s Color Guard demonstrated the ritual of posting the colors. Members of the color guard then took questions from the audience. I briefly told the story of Jim Limber, read a short excerpt from my children’s book, and played two Civil War songs with my guitar. I had set up a Civil War “Show and Tell” table so that children and adults could see and touch items related to the Civil War while we enjoyed the refreshments the library had supplied.
After my library signing and presentation, I and my friends, Eddy and Melissa, drove to Duty, Louisiana to Jim Bowie Relay Station where my Scots-Irish band was booked to play. We played from about 6:00-9:00 p.m., and I was able to sell several books as well. We finally made it back to Monroe about 10:30 p.m. and Tom and I went to Enoch’s for a couple of pints to celebrate.

Today, only duties (paying bills, etc) await me, though I may try to get out and make a couple of book sales. Tomorrow, I’ll be out at Kiroli Park for the Military Families Memorial Day Picnic to play music and present my book.

During this Memorial Day Weekend, I pray God will bless and protect our troops.

Last night, I sold books at the Civic Center for the Seventh Annual Confederate Heritage Conference.  In addition to having a good night of sales, networking, and exposure, I was able to hear two motivating and information-packed speeches.  For example, David Aiken, an English teacher at the College of Charleston and the Citadel, spoke on the topic of the invasion of  the South during the War Between the States and why the war against the South was the worst crime this country has ever committed. The reasons he listed and expounded in his speech to defend his claim  were:

1. The number of deaths (both black and white) that the North’s invasion caused.

2. The atrocities  committed against the Southern civilian population. (In the news today, these would be “war crime” and the people who committed them–like Sherman–would be war criminals.)

3. The destruction of property and the pillaging of the wealth of the South.

4. The loss of liberty. Aiken pointed out that there was a major shift in government after the war, and that whatever liberty and freedoms we had before it, had shifted and changed along with the government policies. He pointed out that if Thomas Jefferson and George Washington had been alive during the Civil War, they would have sided with the South.

This speech was one of the better ones I’ve heard in my life–full of history and facts. And this was only one of the speakers.  There was so much more I could say about this conference, but I’ll save that for later.

NEWS:

Today, I’ll be back at the Monroe Civic Center at 8:00 a.m., work there till 10:30 or so, then go to the Monroe Library at 2:00 for a signing there, then to Jim Bowie Relay Station where our band will play and I’ll sell more books. I love busy days.