Hello and welcome to the AJ Captain Barnett Show! Haha! Just kidding. This is my youngest son, and once upon a time, he got it into his head that he wanted me to help him film a tutorial about a few different ways you can color/dye Easter eggs at home.
Well, it’s almost here — Easter 2020. It comes as no surprise to me that this virus has, for the United States, peaked during this all-important season.
For Christians, Easter is not merely about the rabbit, the eggs, the new clothes, the baskets filled with treats, or the noontime feast; it’s about Jesus rising from the tomb.
It’s a joyous celebration for Easter people. One that holds meaning beyond meaning, and one that, literally, gives us new life. So, why wouldn’t Satan pick this time to rear his ugly head on a grand scale?
You see, Satan wants us to give up. He wants us to experience fear and doubt. He enjoys seeing us boarded up in our homes, isolated from our churches and from those people we love so dearly.
He revels in testing us, and he relishes the fact that most of us are experiencing a little fear of the unknown right now.
Think about it. Fear takes us away from where we truly should be; kneeling down at the feet of Jesus, communing with Him, praising Him, and thanking Him. Our grief, suffering, and pain makes Satan joyous.
I don’t know about you, but as for me, I flatly refuse to let the ole Devil take away my Easter joy!
I won’t let him diminish my spirit, and I absolutely will NOT let him take away from me the fact that I am one of the Easter people — those who have hope because of Jesus Christ.
Nope. Not going to let it happen. I will do my best not to hang my head in despair, especially when Jesus loved me enough to hang on the cross.
No, Easter 2020 will not be the same without the grand kids waking up early to see what the Easter bunny brought them.
No, I won’t have the delight of seeing them all dressed up in their spring outfits.
No, I won’t have the pleasure of walking inside our church with them, listening to our magnificent choir, shaking our preacher’s hand, sharing smiles and hugs, or giving thanks for His sacrifice surrounded by my friends.
No, this year it will just be the Two Old Crows and Zoe the Wonder Dog.
It will be quite a change from the past 60 years. But you know what? Though we won’t be going to God’s house on Easter morning, I know for certain that He will be in mine. In fact, He will be in everyone’s house.
I take comfort in that — and you should too.
No matter if you have an ‘Old Crow’ living with you like I do, or if you live alone, the Lord is going to be present IN YOUR HOUSE — whether you are watching church services on television or the Internet, listening to your preacher on the radio, or reading the Easter message from your Bible. He will be there with you!
If you are under the weather and are not able to worship in any of those ways, guess what? You will have the absolute Greatest Physician sitting right beside you.
One of the best things about being one of the Easter People is knowing I will never EVER be alone, no matter what my circumstances may be, and no matter where I am! And all the people said,” AMEN!”
Even though it won’t be the same as in years past, there are a few things I plan to do to make this Easter a joyous one. The first thing I will do, as I do every morning, before I even put my feet on the floor, is thank God for letting me see another of His glorious days. Saying those words aloud gives God the gratitude He deserves, and it makes me a more grateful person. I love knowing that my mission here is not yet finished; that I have been given another opportunity to help someone, one more chance to tell my family I love them, and a moment or two to just ‘be’.
If the morning is sunny, I will have my coffee on the back porch. If it’s raining, I will have coffee under the cover of the front porch. I will watch the birds frolic. I will watch the sky. I will take in all the sounds. I will wave at those who pass by on the street. I will look at the budding trees and my neighbor’s beautiful azaleas. I will talk to God and thank Him for this day. And I will be joyous.
Now, I don’t know about you, but during this quarantine, I have been quite the free spirit as far as my appearance goes. I have not worn makeup. I have a LOT of gray and unmanageable shaggy hair. I have been wearing my most casual clothes; the ones, once upon a time, I would have been mortified if anyone saw me wearing! Only tennis shoes or house shoes have donned my feet. Of course, it goes without saying, but I will say it anyway as I am certain some of you may be questioning it: I DO still practice good daily hygiene! EVERY day!
But on Easter, the day will be different. I will dress in my Sunday best. I will style my hair and attempt to tame all of those crazy, solid white strands. I will wear lipstick. I will daub on my favorite perfume. I will squeeze into my cute, but uncomfortable church shoes. And then, I will watch our church’s service on television. I will listen. I will pray. I will sing. I will give thanks. And I will be joyous.
After services, I will call my mama. Who knows? We may even sing a few songs — aka make a joyful noise.
I will text and/or call and talk to each of my siblings, check in on a few of my neighbors and friends, from a distance, of course, and then Facetime my precious grandchildren.
After lunch, the other Old Crow and I will probably take a short drive through town and look at some of the many perfectly manicured lawns and admire the beautiful spring flowers. They are in abundance this year as people have actually had time to spend working in their yards!
After our drive, I will more than likely hide a few plastic Easter eggs. Yes. You read that correctly. I will hide my own eggs. Chances are, I won’t remember where I put half of them in the first place, so the hunt will more than likely take the better part of the afternoon. I will find a few brightly colored eggs on this day, and the remainder will be found during the heat of summer, or, perhaps next Easter. I will laugh at my forgetfulness. I will scratch my head in wonder. And I will be joyous.
The point in this? Well, there are a few.
First, remember that no matter where you are, you are NEVER alone.
Second, give thanks in ALL things; yes, even in a quarantine situation! Think of it like this: You aren’t STUCK at home; you are SAFE at home!
And most importantly, no matter what the weather is like outdoors on Easter, the SON is going to shine!
Take that, Devil!
Six feet back! BOOM!
I love y’all!
Be safe!
Wash your hands and wear your masks!
Give thanks!
Be joyous!
This short video currently going viral is a perfect metaphor for what happens when just one person interacts with another in close proximity. In the case of a lethal virus — the consequences are devastating and unstoppable. The visualization at the end of the video shows what distance between people can do to help slow the spread.
The video is full of rows of mousetraps, each holding a single ping pong ball precariously balanced on top. When a random ping pong ball drops and begins to bounce, it sets off a chain reaction, causing the balls to fly in all directions. One small ball caused a ripple effect of chaos and destruction. You can see the immediate impact one explosion makes on those near it. And so on and so on.
The second half shows that with a little distance, the ball has room to move more freely without disturbing any of the traps. It’s a powerful reminder as to why everyone needs to just stay home.
The video comes from the Ohio State Department of Health. “Social distancing works,” the state’s health agency posted on Facebook, along with the video which has now been shared more than 400,000 times.
Even with all the precautions and necessary social distancing efforts, some feel that people will get too comfortable too early, and this will cause/allow the spread of the virus to continue.
“The fear I have is when we have these silent victories, people say COVID-19 was never there to begin with and there never was a threat,” Dr. Acton with the Ohio Department of Health said. “Please know, this battle is still ongoing.”
*Warning: Explicit language and content*
In episode 20, (PART ONE) I discuss the history of Witchcraft with my special guest host, Nancy (my niece). Be sure to tune in Easter Sunday for part two!
Host: April Simmons
Co-Host: FOR THIS EPISODE- NANCY
Theme + Editing by April Simmons
http://anchor.fm/april-simmons to donate to our fried chicken fund
Contact us at allcatspod@gmail.com
Call us at 662-200-1909
https://linktr.ee/allcats for all our social media links
Shoutout podcasts this week: Pharaoh Wizards & Leave the Lights On
Credits:
https://www.learnreligions.com/wicca-witchcraft-or-paganism-2562823
https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-witches
https://allthatsinteresting.com/history-of-witches
https://www.historicmysteries.com/pagan-easter/
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This episode is sponsored by
· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
*Warning: Explicit language and content*
In episode 20, (PART ONE) I discuss the history of Witchcraft with my special guest host, Nancy (my niece). Be sure to tune in Easter Sunday for part two!
Host: April Simmons
Co-Host: FOR THIS EPISODE- NANCY
Theme + Editing by April Simmons
http://anchor.fm/april-simmons to donate to our fried chicken fund
Contact us at allcatspod@gmail.com
Call us at 662-200-1909
https://linktr.ee/allcats for all our social media links
Shoutout podcasts this week: Pharaoh Wizards & Leave the Lights On
Credits:
https://www.learnreligions.com/wicca-witchcraft-or-paganism-2562823
https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-witches
https://allthatsinteresting.com/history-of-witches
https://www.historicmysteries.com/pagan-easter/
—
This episode is sponsored by
· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
March 13, 2020
Over the last few days, a growing number of organizations have shut down their offices and told employees to work from home in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here at Creative Commons (CC), we’ve also taken necessary precautions such as postponing all work-related travel and canceling the in-person component of the annual CC Global Summit in May.
Fortunately, however, our daily operations haven’t been disrupted to the same extent as other organizations because CC has been a global, fully remote nonprofit since 2015. Our staff is spread across Europe, North America, and South America; and although this working environment presents incredible benefits, like flexibility and rich cultural exchanges, it also presents unique challenges. For example, staff on the west coast of North America are often just waking up as staff in Europe are signing off!
In the spirit of open access and promoting good health, we’d like to share some tips for both organizations and individuals on the subject of remote work.
Here’s the gist: On an individual level, try to create a routine that makes you feel productive, included, and motivated. On an organizational level, actively listen to and check in with staff to ensure everyone feels supported and included. Most importantly, as the World Health Organization (WHO) says, “Be safe. Be smart. Be kind.”
For more insights on remote working that our staff has found helpful, check out this article from Deekit, this guide from Trello, this guide from GitLab, and this podcast from Remoter. Also, this post is licensed CC BY, so please remix and reshare it!
Reposted under Creative Commons; Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
*Warning: Explicit language and content*
In episode 20, (PART ONE) I discuss the history of Witchcraft with my special guest host, Nancy (my niece). Be sure to tune in Easter Sunday for part two!
Host: April Simmons
Co-Host: FOR THIS EPISODE- NANCY
Theme + Editing by April Simmons
http://anchor.fm/april-simmons to donate to our fried chicken fund
Contact us at allcatspod@gmail.com
Call us at 662-200-1909
https://linktr.ee/allcats for all our social media links
Shoutout podcasts this week: Pharaoh Wizards & Leave the Lights On
Credits:
https://www.learnreligions.com/wicca-witchcraft-or-paganism-2562823
https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-witches
https://allthatsinteresting.com/history-of-witches
https://www.historicmysteries.com/pagan-easter/
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This episode is sponsored by
· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
by Alex Rozier, Mississippi Today
April 10, 2020
Seven months ago, Rita Brent, Jackson native and comedienne, signed to an entertainment agency and left Mississippi to pursue her comedy career in New York. From acting gigs to comedy shows — performing with the likes of Rickey Smiley and Cedric The Entertainer — Brent secured “plentiful opportunities,” in Harlem and New Jersey.
“I was performing in Jackson maybe a couple of times a week and New York, it’s just been amplified, (it is) unbelievable how much work I’m getting. I feel like I’m becoming a better comedian,” Brent said in a phone call with Mississippi Today.
But on one early March night, everything hit pause. Brent noticed the confirmed cases of COVID-19 spreading across the country, specifically in her new New York home, and soon all her scheduled appearances and shows were cancelled. Hearing concerns from her family, Brent and her partner, Freda Clark, packed up and headed back to the South.
For Brent and other artists, the fear around the novel coronavirus has separated them from their audiences for the foreseeable future and no one knows when live, in-person performances will resume. In Mississippi, the result is the loss of costly, revenue-driving events, and performers unsure of their next paycheck, left “twiddling our thumbs,” one bluesmen said.
“There is no life, life is music. That’s non-existent right now,” said Sean “Bad” Apple of Clarksdale. Apple, a one-man band with 30 years of playing experience, was set to open his Bad Apple Blues Club last month. “Not only can I not open my club, I can’t perform, I can’t do anything. So we’re just stuck at a standstill here.”
Over it’s 16-year lifespan, Clarksdale’s Juke Joint Festival prevailed through excessive rain storms and power outages – 2020 is the first year its organizers cancelled the event. Co-organizer Roger Stolle called the decision “heartbreaking.”
“It’s pretty crippling for anyone who has a business,” Stolle said. “(For) musicians, it’s like you’re kind-of out of luck. You just can’t get a gig.”
The annual “half blues festival, half small-town fair and all about the Delta” event serves as an economic staple in the community, bringing in people from over 46 states and 28 countries at one time. The three-day fest requires extensive planning, Stolle said, adding they have to coordinate over 100 street vendors, music venues, workshops and panel discussions, student writing competitions, and contests like the monkey-riding-dogs.
“People who drive in and pump gas before they leave to people buying bottled water in Walmart to shop in our stores downtown to eat in our restaurants,” he said. “When you really look at the spending of a tourist who comes into town, even if they’re not affluent, even if they’re thrifty, you still gotta eat.”
World-renowned blues musician and Pontotoc native Terry “Harmonica” Bean said he had to cut his international tour short back in January.
“The world’s got the blues right now,” he said. Bean, who grew up with 18 brothers and six sisters, comes from a family of bluesmen who’ve played with the likes of B.B. King and other Mississippi icons. With no shows, and no computer to livestream, he said he plans to mow yards and pick up cans to make some extra money.
“Everybody will be fine for another week or so, but after that we’ll desperately need to be earning money and working,” said Will Griffith, frontman for the Oxford-based group The Great Dying. Like many artists, Griffith doubles as restaurant staff, another source of income that’s dried up. “It’s pretty scary.”
Vicksburg-based mixed-media artist H.C. Porter said spring and summer shows like the now cancelled Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival are crucial for selling paintings, photographs, sculptures and other visual art.
“The way that I’ve built my work through the years has been events and outdoor festivals,” she said. Porter estimates those shows generate about 80 percent of her income.
Music streaming dropped about 8 percent in the week of March 13 to March 19, according to a recent article from Rolling Stone, around when self-quarantining began around the country.
“Many people listen to music on their transit to and from work,” Bay St. Louis rapper MGM Mike Mike said. Mike was on the verge of dropping his new album, “Stupid Genius,” this month, but put the release on hold after cancelling his promotional trips to Houston and New York.
“Since the coronavirus, a lot of people are at home,” he said. “It’s just not working out for the streaming part.”
Singer-songwriter Hadley Hill of Pass Christian is a 24-year-old mother who was preparing to get married this summer. Hill, who relies on the checks from her three weekly concerts, said it’s scary not being able to plan long term.
In between her now online college classes and homeschooling her 7-year-old, Hill began live-streaming herself performing on Facebook, using apps like Venmo as her virtual tip jar.
“People need the art in the world right now,” she said. “People are turning to movies and Netflix for their entertainment, but we can provide that as well. People are looking for it.”
Like Hill, Brent has found creative ways to pay her bills. Leveraging her social media presence, she released a new song, “Quarantine Shuffle,” announced bookings for virtual comedy shows, and started “The Rita and Freda Show,” a donation-based talk show about love, relationships, and wellness.
“It’s really challenging me creatively,” Brent said. “What can I do from home? What is something I haven’t done that I’ve been sitting on? Now is the time we can manifest those things.
“You don’t have to panic if you’re an artist, a singer, a poet. You are the gift. So all you have to do is release your gift and trust that it will be fruitful for you. It doesn’t matter what it is, release it on all platforms, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, you have to have a presence so people know you’re there.”
Other artists echoed Brent’s optimism.
“It’s going to be alright,” Bean said. “If it wasn’t for any music or entertainment, the world would be in bad shape. Us musicians will be out and ready to go when they call us.”
“I think that the minute we get a green light to play music again, I think it’s going to be very welcomed,” Griffith added. “People are going to want to listen to live music so bad. There might be a little light at the end of this.”
Local and national organizations have set up relief funds for artists, while other groups have started live-streaming shows and digitizing artwork:
A list of some of the cancelled or postponed art and music festivals:
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Is it just me or have we traded corona news for reality shows like Tiger King? Maybe not you – but I have. I’m no better for it either! Do you ever just think about the wisdom of your granddad? Mine was a self proclaimed genius and by the way folks have been acting – his generation would be rolling their eyes at us. Did you hear about the burn ban in Miss? Folks took the news about that the same as when they were told to stay home. This should be FUN!
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