Thankful Thursday – Jane Scarpa Ezell Hamrick

            On this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful for the gifts that Jane Hamrick brings to my life. Jane is the mother of Carol Ezell Gilson, and Mary Nance McDonough .She grew up in Charleston and graduated from Ashley Hall and the College of Charleston. She married Kay Ezell from Woodruff, South Carolina and they moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee where he was a scientist at the Oak Ridge Atomic Research Labs.  He died from a brain tumor when Carol was 5 years old. Jane returned to Charleston and taught at First Baptist School. She and Dr. John married several years after his wife Margaret died. My daughter-in-law, Nancy, took French with Jane and then went with her and the class to France. The stories from that trip are marvelous. Dr. John died on October 24, 2004.

            Jane is a member of the Hamrick Lectureship Committee and one of the most delightful people I know. She has a wonderful sense of humor and at the same time has a razor sharp mind for business. She sings in the choir and teaches Sunday school at First Baptist. She has probably served on every committee at the church and probably in Charleston as well. She and Dr. John were great travelers. They enjoyed several of the Elderhostel programs and Jane still likes to attend those.  She recently adopted a rescue dog and he has taken over her life. On this Thankful Thursday I am very glad that Jane Hamrick is a part of my life. Dr. Arthur Caliandro is pictured along with Jane and me.

            Thankful Thursday is a day set aside to recognize the importance of someone to our lives and to let her or him know of our gratitude. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. You will be glad that you did.

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168 Ways To Communicate Better Now Plus Two – 10 – 11 – 12

10. Be appropriate.

Stay informed.

Stay current.

Do your homework. 

11. Be available.

Don’t play hide and seek.

Don’t sidestep.

Don’t erect barriers.  

12. Be candid.

Don’t circumnavigate.

Don’t shade the truth.

Get to the point.

 

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Thankful Thursday – The Rev. Phillip Bryant

            On this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for the gifts The Rev. Phil Bryant brings to my life. I first met Phil years ago through Tita and Charlie Heins. They thought that he hung the moon and I felt the same way about them. Phil is the senior pastor of the French Protestant Huguenot Church in Charleston. He is a graduate of Charleston Southern University when it was still the Baptist College. He is a native of Lyman, South Carolina and is an ordained Baptist minister. He gives much of the credit for his success to the encouragement he received from the late Dr. John A. Hamrick. Phil is a member of the Hamrick Lectureship Committee and one of the Lunch Bunch that meets on Mondays. He knows practically everyone and is a fantastic story teller. He has a creative mind that absorbs the meaning of every encounter. He is a genius at putting the right people together. He and Margaret were married several years after the death of his first wife from cancer. Before accepting his current position, he was a member of the staff at CSU. Phil is an ardent reader and a fantastic conversationalist. He is a great encourager. Phil Bryant brings so many gifts to my life and on this Thankful Thursday I want him to know how grateful I am.

            Thankful Thursday is a day set aside to recognize the importance of someone to our lives and to let her or him know of our gratitude. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. You will be glad that you did.

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Thankful Thursday – Suzie Redd

On this Thankful Thursday, I am blessed by the gifts that Suzie Redd brings to my life. Suzie is a native of Picayune, Mississippi and a graduate of Mississippi State College for Women; however, she is an ardent LSU fan. She moved to Charleston with her late husband David from Orangeburg, SC. She and David met in New Orleans where she was in nursing school at the Baptist Hospital and he was studying at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Suzie sings in the choir at First Baptist Church of Charleston where David was organist and Minister of Worship for more than 30 years. David and the late Dr. John Hamrick taught me how to worship. Suzie has so many talents that it is difficult to know where to start. She was a great nurse for years for her mother and David’s mother. She keeps all the music organized for the choir. She is an outstanding hostess and a wonderful cook. Of course, she loves Louisiana Cajun food. She brightens any occasion by just being there. On this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful that Suzie Redd is part of my life. Anne Cheek pictured along with Suzie has also been featured on this Thankful Thursday blog.

            Thankful Thursday is a day set aside to recognize the importance of someone to our lives and to let her or him know of our gratitude. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. You will be glad that you did.

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168 Ways To Communicate Better Now Plus Two – 7 – 8 – 9

7.  Be accurate.

Check your facts.

Avoid rumors.

Don’t jump to conclusions.

Evaluate your sources.  

7. Be accountable.

Take responsibility for your actions.

Stand up and be counted.

Stay involved.

Don’t blame others. 

8. Be alert.

Stay tuned in.

Be fully present.

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