We have begun the New Year—2024! I hope you didn’t celebrate too much on New Year’s Eve ending Year 2023! Now it is time for resolutions once again. We just got rid of the October 15 to Dec. 7 Medicare changes and now that time is going into politics and weight loss programs. Evidently the weight loss programs think that people have really gained weight during the holidays or else they know people will have some kind of resolution for the new year. Usually these only stay active for a couple of weeks or so and people are back to their old ways!
We had our family gathering on Christmas Eve following the Christmas Eve church service. We had the pews lit up with pew candles. This brought back many memories. I remembered one member that had fallen asleep and just as he was leaning toward the end of the pew (where the candle pew marker was) that would have caused the candle to fall over, he woke up—and stayed awake for the rest of the service!
After the service, I was told there was a surprise waiting for me in the overflow. Arriving, I found Rodney and Sarah! They had planned on going to daughter Jackie’s and family in SD but the weather forecast made them change their minds and came to Marcus instead. We were missing Jesse and Jennifer, but maybe next year they will be able to make it. Other than our families, Pastor Cummings and family joined us. My three daughters-in-laws helped in the kitchen as well as the guys. We had turkey (and actually there wasn’t much left of this) and a ham. There is always more food than needed, but what’s wrong about this! (You get more choices!) After eating, most of the family gathered around a table for a good time of sharing.
Rodney has a birthday December 30. The morning he arrived, Floyd was supposed to have taken a cow in to town to be butchered—however Rodney changed his plans! Colonel Marquis was called to go get the cow and we were on our way to Le Mars. That is when a few days later, the Sister at the hospital came in to my room and said Rodney had caused some problem! She had mistakenly taken a baby card up to John Rassel on another floor. When he opened up the card he said, “Good God, Sister, I didn’t know I was a father!” She had to explain to him that she had taken the card to the wrong Rassel!
Did you get your Around Siouxland calendar yet? It has no more of monthly pictures sent in but rather all about Channel 4. At least we will know more about this television station!
Christmas Day, Bernie Dixon was called Home by the Lord. This was a lady that would talk to anyone, no matter who they were! I became acquainted with her when her grandson Justin Dixon went to school with Bethany. After we had our fire, I was in the Cherokee hospital. One night I could smell “exhaust fumes” and so could a nurse. She was going to move me to another room but all the rooms had this smell. The next morning, Bernie and Justin came to visit when Jake had an appointment at the hospital. Coming into my room Justin said, “Grandma, I can smell my Dad’s tractor!” There was a trailer that was outside the hospital that was an Ex-ray mobile of some type. This was where the smell was coming from. Then he was walking along the wall where the bathroom was. Bernie asked him what he was doing. He said, “I’m scoping out this place!” Justin was born very prematurely and is legally blind. His grandparents, Jake and Bernie have always been there for him. May their memories be of comfort to him and the rest of Bernie’s family at this time. And, may she rest in peace until we meet again.
I did go to Bernie’s funeral on Friday morning at the Methodist church. We sang 4 songs that were very appropriate at this time: The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace, Here I Am Lord, and How Great Thou Art. If you look at the words, you will see where these songs were appropriate. There were many people that were in attendance. I did get to see Jo Anne and Janet (Dixon) and Marsha Harmon that I used to work with and Bethany and I saw Justin. I reminded him of our birthdays in February—we share Feb. 10.
I have to get my articles in by Friday night because of New Years Day being printing day. This week is a week when nothing seems to be happening. That is when I go to my file to find something interesting.
Can you imagine hating someone or something so much that hatred has taken over your life? Our world of today is experiencing this every day. The following was found in 2011. The article is labeled “Coming to Terms with Hatred”. I hope there is room for this to be printed.
How about “Wrongfully Charged and Served Thirty Years”? back in 2015. How would you have handled this if you had been the person charged? This story comes from Montgomery, Alabama concerning an Alabama inmate who spent nearly 30 years on death row. Prosecutors now told a judge that there wasn’t enough evidence to link him to the 1985 murders he was convicted of committing and he will now go free.
Judge Laura Petro dismissed the case against Anthony Ray Hinton at the request of the District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said forensic experts couldn’t determine whether six crime scene bullets—which were the crux of the evidence against Hinton—came from a gun investigators took from his home.
Hinton, now 58, was convicted of two 1985 murders that occurred during separate robberies of fast-food restaurants in Birmingham. Prosecutors liked Hinton to the killings through a 38-caliber revolver found at his house.
The U.S. Supreme Court last year sent Hinton’s case back for a new trial, which prompted a re-examination of the evidence.
Bryan Stevenson, Hinton’s attorney, has been arguing for 16 years that Hinton is innocent. He said that Hinton cried after hearing the news that he would finally go free after spending more than half his life in prison.
Stevenson stated, “Every day, every month, every year that the state took from him, they took something that they don’t have the power to give back. While this moment is quite joyous and is quite wonderful, this case is quite tragic.”
Six bullets were what prosecutors used in the 1980’s to connect Hinton to the slayings. A modern analysis on the bullets is what led prosecutors to drop the case against him.
The Supreme Court last year ruled that Hinton had “constitutionally deficient” representation at his initial trial. Hinton’s defense lawyer (at that time) wrongly thought he had only $1,000 to hire a ballistics expert to try to rebut the prosecution testimony about the bullets. The lawyer hired the only person willing to take the job at that price, even though he had concerns about the expert’s credentials. At the time, jurors chuckled as the defense expert struggled to answer questions on cross-examination.
Stevenson says, “He was a poor person who was convicted because he didn’t have the money to prove his innocence at trial. He was unable to get the legal help he needed for years. He was convicted based on bad science.”
John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason were killed during robberies at Mrs. Winner’s and Captain D’s restaurants in Birmingham in 1985.
Investigators focused on Hinton after a person who was shot, but survived, at a third robbery at a Quincy’s restaurant, identified Hinton as the person who shot him. However, Hinton was at work when the Quincy’s robbery was committed.
(How would you feel if you were the person who spent half of your life in prison for something you didn’t do and was finally freed?)
May you all find the New Year 2024 to be the best yet!
Remember in your thoughts and prayers whose who have lost loved ones to death, have had their lives changed, have health problems some of which are terminal, are struggling to make ends meet even though they have a job; help those who desire “wants” are more important than “needs” that prestige isn’t everything and be with those who are still struggling to shorten the distance between family/friends to build a bridge instead of a wall. Count your blessings! I will leave you with this quote: “If you cannot say anything nice about someone or something, then don’t say it at all.”