Cloud Nine Higher

The mainstream media has done it usual job of emphasizing the doom and gloom of the past year - and capitalizing on the misfortune of society. Upbeat stories about COVID-19 have been few and far between. We have to depend on leaders such as Governor Bill Lee of our state to keep us upbeat and moving forward. Also, I don't mean to jinx the YMCA of Middle Tennessee and especially the locations in downtown Nashville and East Nashville where I work out regularly. But they deserve credit for getting back off of the ground after being forced to close last spring, getting their employees back to work, and getting clients like me back to healthy habits - like spending time in their facility exercising. Gyms, like bars and restaurants, have suffered in reputation and perceived importance during the pandemic. But how about the ability to socialize and exercise safely? To take care of one's body and to prioritize one's mental and physical health in a time of a major health threat? The...

Well, so much for my prediction of "October surprise" published in the month of October 2020 about the election of electors that took place the following month. And so the White House has shifted Presidents and parties, too. Democrats are happy. Republicans are disgusted. My Republican friends on social media now slam President Joe Biden regularly. Talk show hosts who detest Donald Trump now must find other topics to talk about. While my prediction of "victory formation" for Trump & Co. did not come to pass, my call on carrying Southern states did have some substance. President Biden captured Virginia, as did Hillary Clinton in 2016. But he also colored Georgia blue for the first time since Bill Clinton in 1992. So my position as to Democrats being required to at least carry a Southern state or three to win remains. Even though it seems that the party blows off the South at times. I know it seems like they blow off Tennessee other than Davidson and Shelby counti...

In the gospel of John chapter 8, Jesus encounters a woman caught in the act of adultery. She is brought to him by teachers of the law and Pharisees, who accurately state the Law of Moses commanding that such a woman be stoned. The whole approach, however, is an academic trap. The religious leaders are trying to form a basis to accuse Jesus. Jesus proceeds to write on the ground with his finger. The questions persist. Finally, Jesus straightens up and says, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." He then returns to writing on the ground. The leaders step away one at a time, the older ones first. I was challenged by my friend and Cloud Nine Higher theme model Blonde Goddess to consider this passage of scripture in light of my pulling her Morgan Wallen CMA awards night video from my Facebook page and website. This past week, following the published video of expletives and racial slurs, Wallen's career sank almost overnight in a sense...