Roy Exum
This is, by far, my favorite day of the year because every year it renews my hope that everything is going to turn out okay. As I have enjoyed Easter Week more and more every year, here are some of the things I am hopeful that will happen:
I HOPE the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church choir knows how absolutely splendid they were at this year’s Good Friday service but the best part was listening to the Rev. Ann Weeks read the Easter Story from the Bible (John 18:1 through 19:42) in such a flawless way it, too, could have been a song.
I HOPE there will never be a day when I don’t laugh a lot. The latest funny? A sign that reads, “Senators should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we can identify their corporate sponsors.” Another one that brought a hoot was, “You have not had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it is running.”
I HOPE John Tugman’s cancer doesn’t come back and that the nurses at Memorial Hospital’s Rees Skillern Cancer Institute know how highly he is singing their praises.
I HOPE there is some way for people to know what a prize Dr. Tom Devlin and his stroke team are at Erlanger Medical Center. You combine them with Siskin Hospital’s rehab team and we’ve all got a good chance.
I HOPE my mom’s first Easter in heaven will include Mahalia Jackson singing “Up From The Grave He Arose,” a meditation by Norman Vincent Peale (There ain’t no sermons in heaven, Einstein, just praise, adoration and joy), that St. Francis of Assisi will bang out a tune on a harp, and that she’ll walk in the garden with her Jesus and my late dog “The Scooter” as they delight in the flowers and songbirds.
I HOPE they get Moses to hide the Easter Eggs in heaven … the 40 years it will take to find them is nothing compared to a life of eternity with so many people you love.
I HOPE our drug czars will take a harder look at the pain killer Fentanyl. Apparently, heroin users are mixing Fentanyl with heroin for a faster “rush” and the combination can be lethal. Overdoses including Fentanyl are sky-rocketing in the U.S. but when Fentanyl is used properly, it is a proven pain solution. My advice? Avoid heroin like you would the Ebola virus and stay away from Fentanyl without a doctor’s supervision.
I HOPE the Tennessee fans who claim new basketball coach Rick Barnes is “too old” at age 61 don’t put age limit on writers. To call a great coach like Barnes “too old” is about the most ridiculous statement to come out of Knoxville since Bruce Pearl said, “What barbecue?” Really, what’s “too old?” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who I think is the best out there, is 68 years old, UTC women’s coach Jim Foster is still taking teams to the NCAA at age 67, and Adolph Rupp was forced to retire at 70 because of a now-extinct mandatory retirement policy for state employees in Kentucky.
I HOPE 13-year-old Adam LaRoche – whose dad is the first baseman for the Chicago White Sox – could realize how much fun it was to watch Bo Jackson, one of the most incredible athletes of all time, as the great Auburn athlete tries to gently tell him about his sports background. The two ran into each other at spring training, where Bo is a special instructor for the Chicago club. “You ever heard of the Heisman Trophy? Well, I won it.” Bo said in a matter-of-fact way, adding, “I’m the only guy to play in (football’s) Pro Bowl and (baseball’s) All-Star Game and I was the MVP in that …. so, yeah, I guess you could say I’ve been there.”
I HOPE the South Carolina man who was just rescued after spending 66 days at sea, living off rain water and raw fish, will take a look at why his life was so miraculously spared and will then figure out a way to do something noble in this world of ours.
I HOPE my “Uncle Tat,” who Chattanoogans will remember as the greatest editorial writer and Sunday School teacher in the city’s history, is now completely recovered from a tough bout with pneumonia and, after dedicating his page to the Easter Story every year, realizes he knows it by heart. What a God-given gift he had.
I HOPE Chattanooga police chief Fred Fletcher will re-think his stance on not selling firearms that have been confiscated by the department. Sell them the right way and there is little chance they’ll return to the streets. Then give the cash to the city’s badly-strapped recreation department in a way that would give at-risk kids a better option than joining gangs. Honestly, keeping the guns locked up just takes up space and creates another headache as “evidence” still disappears.
I HOPE people will realize how lucky we are with TDOT’s fabulous improvements north of the Olgiati Bridge on Highway 27 and that TDOT will understand we must keep improving – there is a pothole near the Main Street exit that is big enough to hide a small child. (Did you know the bridge, named for former Mayor Rudy Olgiati, just celebrated its 56th birthday … and I remember when it was built!)
I HOPE when you learned that one bozo kid hung a noose outside of the Duke University student center, you also noticed that literally hundreds of other Duke students gathered to protest the guy’s stupid decision. Young America is smarter than you think.
I HOPE my pal Steve Spurrier will never stop delivering his delightful zingers. Somebody asked the South Carolina football wizard about last season’s 7-6 record and he shrugged, “It’s decent … but, hey, in Knoxville they’re still doing cartwheels because they went 7-6 and won a bowl game.” OUCH-standing.
I HOPE people will recognize this is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and that if any among us even suspects a child is being mistreated, they will immediately dial 9-1-1. Any person who can prevent a child from emotional or physical pain is my hero.
I HOPE drug dealers will take note that drug kingpin and rapper Ronald (Ra Diggs) Herron was sentenced Thursday to three life sentences plus 105 years for his reign of terror in Brooklyn. Herron, 33, was convicted last year of racketeering, including three murders and a long list of drug and weapons charges. The thug blamed the whole mess on the fact he couldn’t help that he was raised in a “criminal hotbed” and then told the judge, “You can give me 10 life sentences but I’m only going to die one time.” The judge was not amused.
I HOPE the adult children of famous people will follow Tina Sinatra’s lead. She was asked about the edgy and scandalous stories that are popping up about her dad as we prepare to celebrate “Ol’ Blue Eyes” 100th birthday. “I don’t care,” the 66-year-old said easily. “You have to look at the whole picture, the whole man. I often say he was a force of nature.”
I HOPE it isn’t lost on our younger generation how terrible drug addiction really is. Angels’ baseball superstar Josh Hamilton is guaranteed a salary this season of $25 million but after his latest relapse his entire career – and maybe his life -- remains in jeopardy. Major League Baseball just gave him a reprieve and I’m still pulling for him in his battle against addiction. I just love to watch him play.
I HOPE Christie Beach, as she attends church with her beautiful family this morning, can still feel the gentle winds that accompanied the thousands of prayers that have helped her to be declared cancer free. Glory!
I HOPE you know why I’m pulling for Rory McIlroy to win this year’s Masters golf tournament when it begins Thursday. In 2011 he was leading by four strokes heading into the final round and, after he carded an 80 on Sunday, I’ve never felt as sorry for any athlete in my life. I promise. My outside favorites to wear the green jacket? Jordan Spieth after last year’s runner-up finish and Rickie Fowler, whose time has come.
I HOPE those who have given up on Jesus, for whatever reason, will never forget Jesus hasn’t given up on them. He is risen, risen indeed!
royexum@aol.com