Jackson, Mississippi, November 14

First stop in Jackson was the historic Greenwood Cemetery.  It's still in use and was established by a federal land grant in 1821.  It was originally known as "The Graveyard" and then as "City Cemetery" before being given the name of Greenwood in 1899.  Buried on these grounds are several Confederate generals, former governors of Mississippi and mayors of Jackson, as well as the author Eudora Welty.  The graves of more than 100 unknown Confederate soldiers are also located here.

I've always loved old cemeteries, probably because my grandfather used to take us to see them when we were kids visiting in New Jersey. Some dated back to Revolutionary War days and were very spooky as well as fascinating.  :)

We went to the State Capitol but there was a lot of construction going on and we ended up not going inside because the front entrance was blocked off.  For my friend Suzassippi, I did a little research and learned that the building is constructed in the Beaux-Arts architectural style.  :)   Out front is a memorial to the mothers, sisters, wives and daughters of Confederate soldiers.  From waymarking.com: "Nashville artist Belle Kinney created the sculpture, which was cast by the Tiffany Studio and dated 1917. The monument, one-and-one-half times life size, is the oldest public bronze sculpture in Jackson and the only one memorializing women. The sculpture features three figures: a central female representing Fame, to her left a dying Confederate soldier, and to her right a Confederate woman on whose head Fame is placing a laurel wreath, the symbolic gesture of victory, giving the monument its meaning as a memorial to women."

Across the street from the Capitol is the Gothic style First Baptist Church, which was built in 1927 and houses the largest Baptist congregation in the state.  It has connections to the Mt. Helm Baptist Church, below.

This is the historic Mt. Helm Baptist Church.  One of my favorite quotes is used in the description of the congregation:  "A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm (Henrik Ibsen).  From  the church website: "Founded in 1835, Mt. Helm is the oldest Black church in Jackson.  It began with several enslaved Blacks worshipping in the basement of First Baptist Church--Jackson, and became a separate body in 1867, the year the 13th amendment was ratified. A number of prominent Baptist churches were generated from the Mt. Helm congregation. Also Jackson State University, formerly Jackson College, was for a time housed at Mt. Helm."

 We passed this building while driving in the historic Farish District.

The Greyhound Bus Station where Freedom Riders were arrested in 1961.  From the website Civil Rights Movement Veterans:"On Wednesday morning, May 24, a dozen Freedom Riders boarded a Trailways bus for the 250 mile journey to Jackson MS. Surrounded by Highway Patrol and National Guard, the bus heads west on Highway 80 in a caravan of more than 40 vehicles. They pass through Selma at top speed without stopping--there will be no bus depot rest stops until Jackson seven hours from Montgomery. Meanwhile, back in Montgomery, 14 more riders board the mid day Greyhound for Jackson. When the weary riders arrive in Jackson and attempt to use "white only" restrooms and lunch counters they are immediately arrested for Breach of Peace and Refusal to Obey an Officer.  From lockup, the riders announce "Jail No Bail"--they will not pay fines for unconstitutional arrests and illegal convictions--and by staying in jain, they keep the issue alive." 

Eventually, there were so many Freedom Riders in jail that they were transferred to the notorious Parchman Prison where they continued their vow for "Jail No Bail."  Read more about the Freedom Riders here..  Imagine taking this ride knowing you could have been arrested, beaten, or even killed for your actions. I hope I would have been willing.

It's now an architect's office.

Medgar Evers was shot and killed outside his home, pictured above.  From the Evers Institute website:  "Medgar Evers was a pioneering visionary for civil rights in the 1950s and early 1960s in Mississippi. As the state's first field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he was one of the most visible leaders in the civil rights movement in America. His assassination on June 12, 1963, galvanized President John F. Kennedy to ask Congress for a comprehensive civil rights bill, which was signed into law the following year by President Lyndon Johnson."  Medgar Evers' wife Myrlie said, "You can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea."  She went on to establish the Evers Institute to continue work on social justice issues. It took almost 31 years for Evers' killer, Byron De La Beckwith, to be brought to justice.  Read more about Medgar Evers here.

We drove through the historic Farish District which was once a thriving area containing businesses such as the Alamo Theater, Trumpet Records, the NAACP field office where Medgar Evers worked, and the Big Apple Inn.  We were told they serve a great pig ear sandwich at the Big Apple Inn, but we didn't make it for lunch.  :)

We passed "Freedom Corner" while looking for Medgar Evers' home.  This caused me to reflect that many are still searching for true freedom, which only comes when there is equal opportunity and social justice for all.  I hope that the sacrifices of Medgar Evers, freedom riders, and civil rights activists will not have been in vain.

Dallas to Shreveport to Vicksburg November 12 and 13

We left Dallas mid-afternoon so decided to go only as far as Shreveport the first night of our road trip. We got a room at a hotel/casino and managed to lose a few bucks before calling it quits.  Thankfully we are not big gamblers and don't have any trouble walking away.  It's always fun to *TRY* for the big win, though.  :)  We had dinner at the hotel and on the way out, the cashier asked Rich for his ID to go with his credit card.  She about freaked out when she saw his driver's license was from Alaska!  She was really cute and was so excited to meet people from AK that we couldn't help but get a little excited, too. Well, I did. Rich was more embarrassed by all the attention than he was excited. She asked us if we would wait while she called her coworker over to meet us, saying that she also loves meeting people from out of state. The coworker came by and gave us a cursory "hello" and kept going, so I don't think she was all that thrilled.  The cashier then gave me a hug, told me she had tears in her eyes, and she was about to call her mama next.  I suppose if you have never been anywhere outside your home town, meeting people from Alaska seems pretty exotic.  :)

We drove around Shreveport a little the next morning but couldn't seem to find anything we were looking for, so we set out for Vicksburg to begin our Civil Rights Tour.  As an Air Force brat, I lived in Georgia in the early 1960s when segregation of the races was still the norm.  Even as a child, I knew that there was something wrong with "whites only" bathrooms and water fountains at the local drug store, just for an example.  As I grew older, I realized the larger evil and implications of oppression of an entire people. Although I was too young to participate in freedom rides or protests in the 1960s, I've always been interested in the history of the movement and desired to visit some of the important sites of that time, to bear witness to those who sacrificed so much and to acknowledge that the work is still not done.

Most of our scheduled places to visit were further down the road but we decided we would stop in Vicksburg for the night and while there we could see the Civil War national park--a fitting start to the tour in many ways. After a lunch break, we didn't arrive in Vicksburg till late afternoon when the sun was about to set and the park was about to close. We watched a short video about the Battle of Vicksburg in the visitor's center of the Vicksburg National Military Park and then proceeded on a driving tour through the grounds.

Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the Civil War battle, which lasted 47 days and ended in the surrender of the city of Vicksburg to Union troops. I did not realize till we toured the park that it is basically a monument to the Union.  In the late 1950s, a portion of the park was transferred to the city, containing most of the Confederate landmarks and sites. This was done in exchange for closing local roads running through the remainder of the park and also allowed for the construction of Interstate 20.

According to Wikipedia, "The park includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles (32 km) of historic trenches and earthworks, a 16-mile (26 km) tour road, a 12.5-mile (20.1 km) walking trail, two antebellum homes, 144 emplaced cannons, restored gunboat  USS Cairo (sunk on December 12, 1862, on the  Yazoo River, recovered successfully in 1964), and the Grant's Canal site, where the Union army attempted to build a canal to let their ships bypass Confederate artillery fire. The Cairo, also known as the "Hardluck Ironclad," was the first U.S. ship in history to be sunk by a torpedo/mine. It was raised in 1964. The Illinois State Memorial has 47 steps, one for every day Vicksburg was besieged."

The park was quite beautiful at sunset, adding to its sad and haunting mood.  It was hard to imagine what troops on both sides endured at this place, most of them far from home and loved ones, battling day after day in terrible conditions.  We saw markers for troops from Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and more.   I'm sure many were young farm boys who had no real idea what they were going to face.  (Some day, will we learn to solve our problems without war?)

I read that somewhere around 17,000 Union troops are buried in the cemetery and about 13,000 of them are unknown soldiers.  As a mother, I imagine the anguish of those moms who never knew exactly what happened to their sons, where they fell, if they suffered, where their remains might be.

Visiting this somber place seemed an appropriate start to our Civil Rights tour as the issues of the Civil Rights movement were directly related to our country's history of enslaving human beings. When I look at the news today, I can see that there are still correlations that continue to plague us and I wish we were further advanced down the path to equality and equal justice for all.

Where, oh where, have we been?!

Life keeps happening at a breakneck speed, it seems.  After my quick visit in Dallas, I went back home and had a busy couple of weeks, mostly at work, before getting back on track with my original schedule of going to Dallas to help Sarah and Miles.  And I've been gone ever since!

In Dallas, I

*did lots of baby holding--is there anything sweeter?  Jack is doing great, gaining weight and growing well, though he's still a little guy and looks pretty much like a newborn at this point.  He's a cutie and a calm baby except for a period each night where no one but his mama will do.  So happy I had this time with him--even though I know he will not remember it, I will.  :)

*played with Elle and Beck, including running the full length of their block, "duck, duck, goose," tag, freeze tag, racing up the stairs and back again while Miles timed us (hey, I wasn't too bad at it!), hide and seek, play-doh, artwork, went to the pumpkin patch, watched Elle do lots of cartwheels, read books, went to the park, took walks, helped with homework, learned my way to Elle's school as I picked her up a few times, volunteered to work at the book fair, and went to have lunch with her.  Sarah also gave in to the "American Girl" doll phenomenon and we had a girls' day where we took Elle to choose a doll and ate lunch at the American Girl bistro.  Can I just say that the food was fabulous?? We were expecting some run of the mill kids' food but we joked that it could be our new favorite lunch place. 

*watched Beck and Elle play soccer -- Beck is a hoot and you can never be sure whether he is up for soccer or not.  Some days he couldn't care less and does not pay attention and other days he is super focused and makes four goals. But hey, he's not even 4 yet!  Elle, on the other hand, is a power house and a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field.  That girl can run, and often scores for her team. It was great fun to watch her!

*got to hang out with my girl and her hubs, talk, laugh, run errands, tell stories, meet friends, fold laundry, load and unload the dishwasher, shop, watch a movie or two, feed and bathe kids, go out to eat, attend the State Fair of Texas for the first time ever, and once in awhile sit and relax.  :)  They are a busy little family of five.

*had a short visit with Bonnie and Ada, who flew in for a few days. Great to see them and Ada is as cute as can be, developing a little personality, and growing so fast.  While Bonnie was there, Sarah's friends gave her a shower so we all got to go to that together.

*dressed up as a witch for Halloween at the kids' request, went trick or treating with them and attended a block party in their neighborhood.  Big fun!

*managed to get another kidney stone, had a few really bad days, got misdiagnosed at a walk in clinic, finally had a CT scan, saw a urologist (good ole boy who had actually been out to Unalaska fishing a few times..imagine that!), and ended up having to have a day surgery to have it removed. I am happy to report I am stone-free and hope to remain that way.  NO FUN.

*picked Rich up at the airport on Nov. 1, enjoyed a few more days with the kids, had dinner with our NJ high school friend Anna, Rich cooked and did card tricks, I had my kidney stone procedure, and then we left for a few days in Clyde with Susan and Corey and kids.

In Clyde, we:

*watched Ally practice cheerleading and attended her cheerleading exhibition at the high school gym. She's taking gymnastics and is quite good--can do a cartwheel into a round-off already!  The cheerleading exhibition was really cute with several teams of little girls showing off their skills.  

*watched Aidan practice riding his motorcycle at the motocross track--he's very good at this and consistently wins a trophy in his races!

*took the kids to see "Big Hero Six," went to the park, went out to eat with family and friends, got to hang out with my girl and her hubs, went shopping, ran errands, Rich cooked, we talked, laughed, told stories, looked at photos from our summer trip, played card games with the kids, read books, helped with homework, Rich did card tricks, we had lunch with Aidan at school, then back to Dallas for one night before heading out on a road trip.

Now we are traveling through the southern states on a civil rights tour--combining our social justice leanings with a desire to stay in warmer weather.  Well, that has not quite panned out as it is in the 30s right now.  Hopefully this will end soon.  I did not plan to wear a hoodie in Mississippi.  

Grandbaby #8 Decides to Arrive a Little Early

I mentioned that Sarah had been having some issues with her pregnancy and I was a little worried about heading home to Alaska.  Sure enough, she continued to have contractions and was in and out of the hospital after I left.  She was put on meds to stop contractions, which helped at first but then not.  She was put on bed rest at home and her doctor hoped she would be able to hold off a little longer. Of course, I was also hoping baby would wait awhile, not only for health reasons, but also since I was not going back to Texas till October 10.  As Sarah continued to have problems, I talked with my boss and we agreed that I either needed to go right away and come back in time for our big pledge drive on Oct. 3, or we would have to reschedule the event.  I decided I would go to Texas and help as much as I could, and come back here at the end of September.  Then I started looking for plane tickets and there were none available till September 22.  I made a reservation for that date and tried to get one sooner, but had no luck. Meanwhile Sarah called to say she was back in the hospital and it might be THE DAY!  Sure enough, little Jack Allen Durham decided to make his appearance on September 20.  Sarah was 35 weeks along, so he was not too terribly early, but had breathing difficulties at birth and had to be intubated and sent to the NICU.  He weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 20 inches long.  Needless to say, everyone was very concerned about his condition and Sarah didn't get to see him for 24 hours, which was so hard on her! After a long night of worry, she got to see him the next day and he was already doing much better!

Mama finally got to hold baby Jack in the NICU

Thankfully, Jack improved by leaps and bounds each day. I left here on the 22nd and arrived the afternoon of the 23rd.  Miles picked me up at the airport and we went right to the hospital to see Sarah and Jack.  I was so happy to see them!  The first day I didn't get to hold him but was just glad to be able to see his sweet little face!  Meanwhile, Sarah and Miles were spending the night in the hospital so I was in charge of taking care of Elle and Beck at home. Elle was so upset that she couldn't even see the baby (kids had to be 12 to go into NICU and she's only 6) and of course both kids missed their parents.  But we still had fun hanging out at home and they were both in school during the day (1st grade for Elle and preschool for Beck) so I got to go up to the hospital when they were gone.

 Ahhh, nothing sweeter than holding a little baby! 

Doing much better!

Sarah was discharged but Jack had to stay at the hospital.  We were told he'd have to stay another week or so, but he actually got to come home a couple of days after Sarah. We spent most of one day sitting with him in NICU so Sarah could feed him and we'd be there to hold him.  It was tough spending the night at home without him.  Next thing we knew, the hospital called and said Sarah could "room in" with him that night and if he passed all requirements for discharge, he could come home the next day.  Miles spent most of the evening with them and then came home to help with the other kids while Sarah spent the rest of the night at the hospital.  Then, finally, baby boy got to come home the next afternoon. What a relief!

In bed at home with Daddy and doggie Beau, who was very interested in this new little guy!

 Elle was super excited to see Jack when she got home from school. She thought he was SO CUTE and couldn't wait to hold him. She's quite the helper and wants to hold him and feed him every chance she gets.

We didn't know how Beck would react but he absolutely adores his baby brother, too. When he walked in after preschool, he immediately said, "I LOVE him!"  So sweet.

I only had a few more days there before I had to return home, but was glad to be able to help with the older kids and the baby as needed.  Elle and Beck are so much fun and Jack is such a darling baby.  He's still pretty sleepy since he should not even be born yet and Sarah is having to wake him up to feed him and try to get some weight on him!  We took him to the pediatrician the day I left and we were all quite excited that he'd gained an ounce since discharge.  He's tiny but has long hands and feet and 20 inches is pretty long for just a 5 pounder so we think he's going to be a tall one.  :)  He has dark hair like Elle and and we can't wait to see how he looks when he plumps up a bit!

Bye, bye, baby Jack!  Luckily, I will still be keeping my plans to return on October 10 so I can help Sarah and Miles and visit some more.

We are very thankful that Jack is doing so well! Sarah and Miles also have many very generous and kind friends who have been picking up the kids before and after school, taking them to soccer, bringing meals, and so on, and Miles' mom spent quite a bit of time with the kids while Sarah was on bed rest at home.  I feel better being far away knowing that they have so many people who love them and want to take care of them!