might be baloney

Once a month, on a Wednesday morning, my car still smells like pizza.

That’s because on Sunday or Monday, I place an on-line order for pizzas.

Then on Tuesday afternoon, I drive over to Sparrow’s Pizza to pick them up. Sparrow’s Pizza is about the size of a matchbox.

Mr. Sparrow greets me as I walk in the door, and the pizzas are always ready. One of his friendly employees, usually a student from Virginia Commonwealth University, will carry the six boxes of pizza out to my car.

Once a month at WayGone Brewery, our church offers Pub Theology. The pizzas are a part of that gathering.

In 2016, we started this beyond the walls of the church offering at Ardent Craft Ales in Scotts Addition in Richmond.

At some point, COVID shut us down.

When COVID retreated, we brought Pub Theology back.

This time we met at Kindred Spirit Brewery in Goochland County. We met there for a year.

And when we learned that WayGone was going to open on Patterson Avenue in Henrico County, we reached out to the owners to see if they might be willing to let Pub Theology meet there. Fortunately for us, the owners were willing.

The idea for Pub Theology was stolen.

My family and I were in Snow Camp, North Carolina for Easter. We were staying at the home of my sister and her husband. On Friday and Saturday, we had been prepping for our traditional Pike family lunch gathering on Easter Sunday.

That Sunday morning, some of us were able to attend worship services at Haw River United Methodist Church.

In their packed sanctuary, the church’s minister welcomed everyone. She quickly talked about upcoming activities at the church. One program caught my ears. She invited the congregation to join her for Pints With The Pastor.

Pints With The Pastor took place at the Eddy Pub just across the Haw River from the church. The pastor billed the gathering as an opportunity to talk.

Intrigued, I brought the idea back to our church. Our senior pastor at the time, Larry Lenow, did his homework. He discovered that a pastor from the Midwest had authored a book, Pub Theology. The book was an accounting of conversations he had with people in assorted watering holes over the years.

When we launched Pub Theology at Ardent Craft Ales, our game plan was simple. Even today, we use the same template: the program is open to our congregation and anyone curious at the brewery, we offer pizza, ask for a five dollar donation toward offsetting the cost of the pizza, attendees are responsible for their beverage purchase, we eat and converse, and at the appropriate time, a staff member presents a topic for discussion.

In working with the brewery, they reserve us a meeting spot in the taproom. We always aim for Tuesday evenings. Tuesdays are usually a lighter day at craft breweries. Additionally, the brewery charges us no fee for the reserved space, and we promise not to strong-arm anyone about our church.

Because people have packed calendars, our attendance is a roller coaster. Some Tuesdays, we are below ten in attendance. Other times, we run out of pizza.

In our post-COVID revival of Pub Theology, our programs have been diverse. We’ve screened an episode of the Andy Griffith Show, discussed Bible verses with today’s headlines, pondered the lyrics of popular songs, discussed books, and interviewed special guests from our community.

Back on August 13, we had a special guest for our Community Conversation interview at Pub Theology. Our Bishop for the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, Sue Haupert Johnson, joined us.

Over thirty people from our church attended. Bishop Sue was delightful. She even allowed me to buy her a beer. Who knows that might become a good working title for a country song— “Hey Preacher Let Me Buy You A Beer.”

One of the key pieces of our Pub Theology program has been the hospitality of the personnel at the brewery. No matter where we have met, the staff of each brewery has been outstanding. They have been accommodating and flexible.

And, I can say the same for our regulars who attend Pub Theology. If we’ve had some curious onlookers join us, our regulars have been quick to make them feel welcome.

I don’t know how much longer we will continue to offer Pub Theology.

And in truth, I’m not real clear on what keeps people coming back—maybe, its the scrumptious Sparrow’s pizza.

Perhaps, it is our program content. We work hard to present something different each month.

And yet, the more I ponder Pub Theology, I keep coming back to a couple of observations.

I sense people are drawn to the setting. At a craft brewery, they aren’t confined by the formality of church walls.

That informality allows our pub theologers to more deeply share in the conversations and discussions we have during the evening.

Ultimately, that sharing gives our hearts the opportunity to grow and learn.

And on those Wednesday mornings when the aroma of pizza lingers in my car, I travel back to Tuesday evening.

I think to myself— that was fun.

I probe further—why was it enjoyable?

Well, my takeaway is grounded in this: our shared fellowship, opens our hearts a bit, and when our hearts open, we learn about ourselves, but more importantly, our hearts learn from each other.

Those moments when our hearts share and learn are priceless in the chaos of today’s world.

I am no expert at running.

A long time ago, I subscribed to Runner’s World magazine. I never read the magazine in great detail. What I learned about running came from experiences and the wisdom of friends.

My friend, Bruce Bowen, a former successful Cross Country coach at Hermitage High School put together my training for the Richmond Marathon. It was a good plan. While I barely made it to the finish line, I would have never crossed that finish line without Bruce’s help.

I’m dreading the day when what’s left of my old body conveys to me, “Sorry, Bill, but the working parts of your body have decided that we can’t take you out for a run any more.”

When that day happens, my cherished early morning runs will end, and I expect I will cry.

Over the last few years, I’ve stopped running long distances. I keep enough of a base so that I could sign up and run a 5K, a mere 3.1 miles.

I look for 5Ks that support a good cause.

On the afternoon of Thursday, September 26, my Commander Supreme drove us out to the Hardywood Brewery in Goochland County. The Dominion Energy Charity Classic had a 6 p.m. start time.

With this 5K, individuals could sign up to run/walk for a favorite local nonprofit. I signed up to represent Home Again. I’m proud to say that Home Again finished third in the number of participants who signed up for the 5K. Home Again does good work in helping individuals overcome homelessness.

I rarely go for an afternoon run. I can only think of one other time when I ran in a 5K with a late afternoon start. But here I was in the starting area, awaiting instructions for the beginning of the race.

The Hardywood Brewery is a pretty site for the 5K. My architect friend, Rohn Price, and his team really did a nice job designing the facility and its grounds. The entire place is very user friendly.

I timed my entry into the start area so that I would not be waiting a long time for the beginning of the race. I was ready to go.

I had no concerns about what appeared to be a gently rolling course. No, my concern was the heavy air.

Just as the 5K was about to start, the dew point was 72 and the humidity 85%. That was some heavy, damp air for a run.

Right on time, we moved across the start line. The beginning is always sluggish as walkers and runners are maneuvering finding their space, stride, and pace.

Eventually, the course opens up, and I’m slogging along.

The course is a loop on the main road into the West Creek Business Park. Numerous Richmond based corporations have their headquarters on these pretty parcels of land. Well landscaped and maintained, the route has a natural flow to it.

With officers from the Goochland Sheriff’s department at key points on the route, participants don’t need to worry about a clueless driver intruding.

It doesn’t take long for my old body to respond to the heavy air. Within the first mile, I’m sweating. The further I go, the more I drip.

Some runners adjusted to this smothering air by doing a combination of running and walking. I’m managing my pace and trying not to let this wet blanket of air wear me down.

At the water stop, I do my usual routine: grab a cup, rinse out my dry mouth, and then I take a swallow of the water before tossing the cup into the trash can.

I keep pushing.

I pass the two mile sign.

It seems like I will never reach the three mile sign, but I do.

Seeing that sign, my old sack of bones silently cheers, and my legs push me up the hill toward the finish line.

After crossing the finish line, with hesitancy, I took the medal I was offered. All finishers received one.

I worked my way to a patio where the Commander was sitting at a table enjoying a glass of wine. I grabbed a cup and filled it up with water. She snapped a photo of me, and I sat down for a few minutes.

At the bottom of my bib number was a tear off strip. This strip entitled me to a free beer. So, I gingerly removed the strip and ordered a Farmhouse Pumpkin Ale.

Before leaving, we saw our church friend, Ashley Marshall. She talked about the challenges from the heavy water laden air too.

Then, the Commander and I started our walk back to the car.

There I covered my seat with a towel. Next, I peeled off my wet shirt and put on a dry one.

And, I thought to myself, “thanks old bones for getting me across the finish line.”

But, I also thought, thanks to Dominion Energy for putting together the 5K, and for the staff at Home Again, and all of their work with the homeless.

And I looked at me, and thought how lucky I am, we’re driving home to our house, and I’ve never been homeless.

Part II: More Water

Little did I know that another encounter with water would greet me on Friday morning at Trinity.

At 8:15, on Friday, September 27, I had to meet installers to finish window treatments for the nearly completed renovation project.

As I was walking down the brick sidewalk from the church office, I heard water, lots of water.

I looked to my right, and in the corner of the Bicentennial Garden, water was pouring out of a sprinkler system pipe.

I met the installers, got them into the building.

Then I hustled back to the gushing water. The water was a couple of inches deep in the rock boarder next to the foundation.

I learned a long time ago that water has a mind of its own. At this very moment, the water was gushing into two crawl space wells.

None of the shutoffs at the disconnected pipe were responding. I drenched myself thinking I could reconnect the pipe. I made a decision to shutdown the water from the street connection until I could get to the shutoff valve for the sprinkler system.

It took me a few tries, but I finally was able to shutdown the water. The flow at the dislodged pipe connection stopped.

With some help from Chris Howell, a project manager from Century Construction, I was redirected to a new interior water shutoff valve. We put this valve into the off position, and I went back to the street connection and turned the water back on.

The new turnoff valve worked. No water flowed out of the disconnected sprinkler system pipe.

Next, I made preparations to enter the crawl space via the Trinity Hall mechanical room. I needed to locate the shutoff valve for the sprinkler system.

I took our building caretaker, Ronnie Johnson, with me to be my contact person in case the monsters from the crawl space abducted me.

Armed with a flashlight and pliers, I took the step up into the crawl space.

Of course, as I was inside the crawl, Ronnie reminded me that years ago, a raccoon was found in there. That was just the encouragement I needed.

For a while, I could stand with a slight crouch. Gradually, I had to switch to a crawl.

Soon, I came across an area where the water had cut an interior gulley into the orange, red clay. This was beneath the plastic vapor barrier. I kept going, and I had to scrunch lower to crawl under pipes.

With the help of the flashlight, I located the valve. I could also see the water’s entry points. The force of the water had cut another ravine parallel to the foundation wall. I pushed the valve’s lever into the off position.

Then, I headed back to my entry point. By the time I reached Ronnie, I was covered in orange mud and grit.

Out of the crawl space, we walked back to the new shutoff valve, and turned it back to the on position, I could hear the pressure of the water return.

With that on, we rechecked the dislodged pipe in the Bicentennial Garden, and there was good news—no water was flowing. The shutoff valve held.

Not wanting to make another mess, I opted to walk home to change out of the muddy and wet clothes.

I was aggravated at the pipe that had mysteriously come lose. I’m certain the county was going to enjoy this water billing. No telling how many hours the water had gushed unencumbered.

My whining continued as I considered how my plans for today had been derailed by a disconnected sprinkler pipe.

As I restarted my day, I learned that my water encounter was nothing compared to Americans who had been in the direct path of Hurricane Helene.

My family sent me a photo of homes in the mountains of North Carolina. All that could be seen were the rooftops of these homes. Muddy orange water was seen in every direction around them.

No matter where Helene touched, the storm created problems. Unfortunately, the problems created by Helene will take a long, long time to correct.

In times like this, I ask myself how can America be better prepared to work through these natural disasters? No matter how accurate our weather forecasting, it is the aftermath of the storm that makes life very, very difficult.

We invest billions and billions in the space program, and just as ridiculous we spend billions, billions, and billions trying to elect people into office who truly aren’t qualified to hold office.
And consequently, we continue to struggle improving the basics of our infrastructure when natural disasters smack us.

Years ago, when a hurricane impacted our Richmond neighborhood, I stumbled upon this Bible verse from 1 Kings 18:44: “At the seventh time he said, ‘Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person’s hand is rising out of the sea.’ Then he said, ‘Go and say to Ahab, “Harness your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.”’

Way out in the ocean, Helene started as a little cloud. All the right atmospheric conditions conspired to build a catastrophic storm. Its winds, storm surge, and buckets of rain stopped the daily routines of people from every walk of life.

Now, some are dead, some missing, some traumatized from the experience, and some no matter the support given will never recover from this hurricane.

My heavy air slog on Thursday evening, and my soaking on Friday morning from the disconnected sprinkler pipe are nothing in comparison to the hurricane experiences from Helene.

In the days ahead of us, we must nudge our hearts to be a part of this long term recovery.

We can’t let our fellow Americans down.

In his book, October 1964, David Halberstam references former Negro League baseball star, Buck O’Neil. Halberstam writes about O’Neil’s code of life: “He believed that there was almost nothing in life that could not be solved by hard work.” (October 64 pages 147-148)

Our fellow Americans need the hard work of our hearts.

We need to be like that “little cloud rising out of the sea.”

Our collective hard work must rise together to make a difference in the lives of every person in every state that was impacted by Helene.

They need us.

Now.

My wife, the Commander Supreme, used her best logistical skills to plan our Sunday afternoon on September 15, 2024. This was for our trip to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts just outside of Vienna, Virginia.

She navigated purchasing the tickets on the lawn.

Researched the protocols for parking, seating, picnicking, lodging, and navigating the local streets to the Wolf Trap grounds.

Her timing for checking us into the hotel, departure time to the venue, and following the rules as we entered the amphitheater were impeccable. A naval admiral or army general would have been envious.

We even avoided the notoriously, naughty I-95 in our ride from Richmond to Vienna. Steadily, we traveled Virginia’s back highways and the historic U.S. 1. On a couple of occasions, we saw at overpasses the stalled traffic on I-95.

With the help of U.S. National Park rangers, we entered the proper line for lawn ticket holders like ourselves.

While waiting for the gates to open at 6:30 p.m. We were fortunate to have in front and behind us experienced Wolf Trap lawn ticket holders. No matter our question, their wisdom made our experience better. We both were impressed with their kindness and patience.

Their best advice was for us to split before entering the steeply grassed amphitheater. I was to secure a spot for us to sit, and the Commander was to rent two of the padded chairs with adjustable backs for our seating.

Our pre-entry coaching payed off. I found a suitable spot and quickly spread our picnic blanket. In a matter of minutes, I was directing the commander to my location. She found me, and with some teamwork, we conquered our chairs.

Settled into our seats, we people watched, and studied the venue. The stage appeared to be a million miles away. But in front of us, we had a supersized TV monitor for easy viewing of the stage.

Gradually, we started paying attention to the delights of our picnic.

While we ate, we watched the staging of the entry of the ticket holders who would be sitting in the reserved seats under the covered pavilion.

About ten minutes to the eight o’clock start time, what sounded like a large bell was rung. This was a final nudge to everyone— find your seats. And while the perfection of starting exactly at eight was missed, when the lights dimmed, the crowd was largely seated.

My introduction to James Taylor was in 1968. I remember hearing the first single from his initial album on The Beatles’Apple Records. That song “Carolina In My Mind” launched Mr. Taylor’s successful career. I still remember the disc jockey stating that Mr. Taylor was from Chapel Hill.

The concert this evening started with a series of linked together video clips featuring Mr. Taylor performing the song “Something In The Way She Moves.” At some point, Mr. Taylor and his All Star Band took the stage, and the song transitions into a real time performance.

After completing this song, Mr. Taylor, who is an engaging storyteller, shared how he auditioned “Something In The Way She Moves” for George Harrison and Paul McCartney at the Apple Records headquarters. To this day, Mr. Taylor marvels at how he accomplished auditioning that song with two Beatles listening to him.

Mr. Taylor turned 76 in March. This was the final night of his summer tour. He and his band played three nights on the Wolf Trap stage. His voice was a bit hoarse at times. Yet, he still possess a powerful voice with the ability to carry lead vocals and blend nicely with three gifted backup singers.

Speaking of gifted, the musicians in the band are extraordinary masters in their own right. Each has a fascinating legacy and story in the music industry. Near the end of the second set, Mr. Taylor’s wife, Kim came out and joined the backup singers.

At some point during the show, Mr. Taylor spoke about the challenges of putting together the set list of songs for each concert. As a gifted songwriter, making the selections is a difficult task for him.

Making those choices is even more demanding because of his ability to create hit records by covering songs written by other songwriters like Carole King, Buddy Holly, and the exceptional Motown team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.

This concert featured songs for every fan of James Taylor.

Early in the first set, during a pause between songs, a lady in the reserved seats yelled out, “I love you James.”

Now, I’m not quoting Mr. Taylor’s follow-up verbatim, but he responded with something like this, “Well, thank you, I love you too.” But then he continued, “In this public setting, I also think that we should see other people.”

Mr. Taylor’s easy patter to his admiring fan made everyone in the audience affectionately chuckle.

At the close of the encore, Mr. Taylor thanked everyone again, and stated he hoped to come back next year, and then he and his band bowed and walked off stage.

Even if you are a mild follower of James Taylor, if you have the opportunity to hear him in concert, I would tell you don’t miss him.

As much as my old heart and ears enjoyed Mr. Taylor’s skills tonight, none of this would have been possible without the heart and vision of Catherine Filene Shouse.

In 1966, she donated the land and the funds to the United States government to build this stunning facility. This led Congress to declare the Wolf Trap Farm as the Wolf Trap National Park for the performing arts. For over fifty years, this stage has left audiences appreciative of the artistry of performers from all over the world. (Wolf Trap website)

I’m not sure I could tell you my favorite James Taylor song.

I’ve always loved this line of lyrics from his song “Fire and Rain”:
Won’t you look down upon me, Jesus,
You’ve got to help me make a stand,
You’ve just got to see me through another day.
My body’s aching and my time is at hand,
And I won’t make it any other way.

Some days, I look around and wonder who is going to help people make a stand and get them through another day?

Who gets to the people Jesus can’t get to?

I think the answer to that question is you, me, we, and us.

When the adoring fan shouted out “I love you James,” truth be told there are lots of people who love Mr. Taylor’s music. Clearly, his work has touched many hearts.

But the real challenge that lies in front of me, the real hard work is becoming better at trying to love and understand the people who I’m incapable of loving.

In Mr. Taylor’s song, “Shower The People,” he reminds us:

                Just shower the people you love with love
                Show them the way that you feel
                Things are gonna work out fine
                If you only will
                Do as I say

Seems I recall that Jesus was very capable of stating to us “do as I say.”

Doesn’t he want us to find a way to shower people with love who need help making a stand and getting through another day?

Just like Catherine Filene Shouse had a vision for her cherished Wolf Trap Farm, haven’t God and Jesus had a vision for us?

John 13:34 states it best: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

Clearly, my heart and I have lots of work to do.

How about you?

I read with interest the Times-Dispatch’s reporting of market share for grocery stores in Richmond. Within easy driving distance to our home are six grocery stores. When I think about those stores and their offerings, I say to myself—I still miss Ukrops.

Amazing to me that Ukrops for many years was the leading grocer in Richmond. While not perfect, I always felt like the heart and soul of their company was customer service. I wonder which grocery store in Richmond would claim the best customer service market share now?

As much as I am curious about the Food World report and its findings, I find fault with it.

I think there should be separate categories for drugstores, convenience stores, big box stores, and membership clubs. Because I have the privilege of living near six grocery stores, I don’t go into CVS, Walgreens, 7-11, or Wawa to grocery shop.

How different would the top twenty list of grocery stores look without pharmacies, convenience and big box stores taking up space? Might Tom Leonard, Libbie Market, Elwood Thompson, and the Market At 25th have a presence with this realignment?

Every Friday our church collects groceries for three food pantries in local Methodist churches. I know Food World looks strictly at retailers, but how much market share might these food pantries and Feed More have in our Richmond neighborhoods? These outlets distribute hundreds of pounds of food each week to families who are unable to shop at a grocery store.

Feed More and neighborhood food pantries also receive from grocery stores a wide variety of donated food. These donations consist of fresh fruit, meats, and vegetables. I’d be interested to learn which grocery retailer in Richmond would be the market share leader in food donations.

Another interesting point in reporter, Eric Kolenich’s, story is his reference to the fast growth in Richmond’s Manchester district. But, despite this growth “no major grocery chain has opened there.”

Why is that?

What do planners for grocery store chains not see in Manchester that keeps them from investing? Kolenich’s states grocery store analysts consider Richmond to be “overstored.” That might hold true for certain zip codes in Richmond, but many neighborhoods remain as “food deserts” with no grocery store present.

Speaking of “food deserts” how is the Market at 25th doing? This bold community investment resulted in the store opening in April of 2019 in Church Hill. Has this “food desert” been transformed by the opening of the store? Its been five years since its opening, how is the store doing financially? If the store is in good financial shape, why hasn’t this model been applied to other Richmond neighborhoods?

While their strength might be strictly seasonal, where are our local farmers markets in the Food World reporting? Additionally, how many customers at farmers markets are using SNAP/EBT cards to improve their diets by purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables?

In terms of accessing food, a key point for the consumer is— do they have reliable transportation?

Since transportation can be an issue for obtaining groceries, how might communities work together to form food co-ops to open as pop up grocery stores in ‘food desert” neighborhoods? Could there be tax incentives for property owners in Richmond who own storefronts that could be transformed into small neighborhood grocery stores? Might major grocery store chains be interested in partnering with a community grocery co-op?

Despite selling their stores in 2010, Ukrops still touches grocery stores. Their prepared foods are sold to some of their former competitors. In 2020, Ukrops opened Market Hall by renovating a church building. This retail space offers Ukrops prepared foods and baked goods. Could this conversion of space be a template to follow in our “food deserts”?

To me, these examples are an indication that Ukrops hasn’t lost its touch. It remains capable of producing quality products and consistent customer service. But on a broader scale, it also says to me— might Ukrops be the perfect partner to make significant improvements in decreasing the number of “food deserts” in Richmond.

No doubt, the Times-Dispatch will report Food World’s annual findings about market share for our grocery stores. Those findings will continue to be very predictable with the bigger grocery chains slugging each other for percentage points.

A better outcome for Richmond would be to use the Food World findings as the pivot point to significantly reduce our “food deserts.”

In The Boys In The Boat, author Daniel James Brown, makes this observation about the collegiate rowers who would compete in the 1936 Olympics: “They looked at impediments and saw opportunity.”

Richmond’s “food deserts” are an impediment to our community.

We need to look at them as an opportunity to solve a problem.

Scripture: “For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.” Mark 14:7

Jesus was wise.

In Mark 14:7, he stated: “For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.”

Despite our efforts, he knew the poor would be present.

Regardless, he encouraged us to show kindness to them.

Surprisingly, Jesus tells us, you will not always have me.

I interpret not having him as a challenge, a lifelong reminder—that we need to be the feeders of his sheep— we must respond.

On Fridays at our church, we work to respond. Our congregation is encouraged to deliver food for three church based food pantries.

Through a weekly video announcement, we inform our congregational disciples how much we collected, communicate any changes in food requests, and thank their kind hearts.

The following week, we deliver the food to the pantries. I’m always inspired by the volunteers on the distribution end. These distribution disciples work diligently to meet the nutritional needs of the people in their communities.

Each food pantry is a different setting, the communities unique, and undeniably, the success in meeting the community’s needs is grounded in the nudge from Jesus—feed my sheep.

Without question, the nutritional benefit for the recipients is undisputed. Yet, a gentle spiritual feeding of the sheep can be found from the distributing disciples—an encouraging smile, patient ears, and neighborly love make an impact too.

Prayer: Father of us all, always guide us to feed your sheep. Amen

Bill Pike
Richmond, Virginia

From the author: I was honored to have this piece published in the Hunger Action Month devotional book for the Society of St. Andrews on Saturday, September 14, 2024.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Richmond Times-Dispatch September 14, 2024
School shootings an unacceptable ‘fact of life’

From kindergarten until I graduated from high school in 1971, I don’t recall a firearm disrupting those education environments. The same can be said for my college and graduate school experiences.

However, that wasn’t the case in the 31 years I worked in public education. As an assistant principal and principal, during the late 1980s until I retired in 2006, students for whatever reason brought firearms to school.

In all my dealings with students in possession of a firearm, I was lucky. My guess is that every school superintendent in America wonders when will their luck run out with a school shooting occurring in one of their schools.

After the recent school shooting in Georgia, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance stated, “I don’t like that this is a fact of life.”

As an American, I’m embarrassed and disgusted with this “fact of life” — we appear to be unwilling to stop our reliance upon firearms to solve our personal problems.

No matter our attempts to educate students and their families that firearms have no place on school grounds, these intrusions continue.

Despite special training for faculty and staff , technology-assisted screening for weapons and the presence of security personnel in school buildings, students and teachers are still being shot.

Why is this? Perhaps the answer can be found from the script of the movie “A Few Good Men.”

During a heated courtroom exchange, a witness shouts at the prosecutor: “You can’t handle the truth!”

Is this America’s problem, that we can’t handle the truth of our inability to stop school shootings?

An even more unacceptable truth is how quickly this senseless Georgia school shooting will become a speck in our rearview mirrors.

Failure to find a solution guarantees that America will continue its dismal decline.

Bill Pike. Henrico.

The worst day of my in-law’s lives was the day they received notification that their oldest daughter, Susan, had died from death by suicide. Their hearts were crushed. I’m certain their hearts never recovered.

As my wife’s family attempted to work through this tragedy, they learned very quickly—they were not alone. Longtime friends, neighbors, and strangers shared their stories about losing loved ones to death by suicide.

In my career in public education, I experienced those heartbreaking losses. Sometimes, we lost a student, a parent, or a co-worker. Predictably, we never saw this tragedy coming. A person can appear normal. Beyond the appearance is a relentless battle, a battle with a darkness that never stops its pursuit.

Lara Teague Curry was a neighbor. We watched her grow up with our kids—school activities, birthdays, neighborhood celebrations, beach trips, college, career, marriage, and children all the normal steps of life’s journey. Yet, over time, the good of life begins to slip, and the struggle begins.

Hindsight makes us think deeply. We remember, we question, we reflect, and we all have the same thought—if I had only.

September is Suicide Prevention Month. It is an important reminder to all that suicide is preventable.

On Saturday, September 14, the Lara Teague Curry Memorial 5K will be run at Trinity United Methodist Church. A Kids Fun Run starts at 8 a.m. followed by the 5K at 8:30. This year, our team from Trinity, Third Church, St. Stephen’s Episcopal, Douglas Freeman High School, and the Henrico Education Foundation have been working diligently to ensure that we have a safe, enjoyable, and educational event.

The course winds through sections of three Henrico County neighborhoods: Rollingwood, College Hills, and Westham. County police officers will be monitoring traffic. This will be supplemented by volunteers.

We will have activities for kids, and a special guest, Jonathan The Juggler. Jonathan will be in the start area prior to the beginning of the event. He will be entertaining and getting participants excited for the Kids Fun Run and the 5K.

Knowing how important our mental health is for our trek through life, we will have representatives from organizations on site who work to help us with the ups and downs of living. These representatives will provide information about their programs that are designed to help individuals and their families.

This year, our representatives are from Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services, Comfort Zone Camp, Pet Partners of Richmond, Full Circle Grief Center, Renewing RVA, and American Foundation For Suicide Prevention.

Retired Henrico County Public Schools counselor, Shirley Ramsey, is the Education Committee Chair in Virginia for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP.) When asked about the work of AFSP, Mrs. Ramsey told us:

“AFSP is the largest national not-for-profit voluntary health organization dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. We raise funds for research, awareness and suicide prevention programming, advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death, and support for survivors of suicide loss.”  

At various points along the course, the planners will have yard signs posted with quotes of encouragement. These quotes were chosen to make us think about our daily interactions with each other.

Back this year for every participant are the green wristbands with the boldly printed words: “Be Kind.” This is a gentle reminder about the importance to treat people with kindness.

When the 5K is completed, we encourage all participants to stay for the raffle. Local merchants have donated prizes as a way to say thank you for participating. Each participant’s bib number is entered into the raffle drawing. The only requirement is this: if your bib number is selected, you must be present to pickup your prize.

Thanks to those participants, all 5K proceeds support the Lara Teague Curry Memorial Scholarship Fund at Douglas Freeman High School. The Curry and Teague families in working with the Henrico Education Foundation hope this scholarship will help students continue their education experiences.

Mrs. Curry’s mother, Barbara Teague, offered this reflection about the memorial fund: “Our daughter was very passionate about educating young people. When she died, we loved the  suggestion of a memorial fund through the Henrico Education Foundation. This fund will directly benefit Henrico County Public School students for years to come.” 

We hope you will consider coming out on September 14 to walk, run, volunteer, or cheer. Doing so would be a good way to reaffirm and continue what Douglas Freeman Principal, Dr. John Marshall, remembers about Mrs. Curry: “When you ask high school students who their favorite teacher is, it is almost always the teacher with the biggest personality or that teaches a unique elective class.  Neither of those described Lara, yet Mrs. Curry was regularly and remarkably mentioned as so many of our students’ favorite teacher, because she cared so much about every student and her role as their teacher.” 

Back in August on a Sunday morning at Trinity, I heard Matthew Estes, a graduate from the Freeman Class of 2024, and a runner on the cross country team make this comment about the route of the 5K: “It’s a tough course.”

I think Matthew’s assessment was correct. The course has flat straightaways, curves, and hills.

Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, life can be a tough course too. Our day to day living isn’t always a flat, straight stretch free of trouble.

And that is why we need to gently remind ourselves to “be kind and to care.”

Maybe Ted Lasso said it best in the episode where Rebecca offers him an apology: “You know I think that if you care about someone, and you got a little love in your heart, there ain’t nothing you can’t get through together.”

September is suicide prevention month.

We have work to do together.

We need to stop crushing hearts.

See you September 14.

Friends, thanks for your patience with me in the promotion of the Lara Teague Curry Memorial 5K. On Thursday, September 5, 2024, Barbara Teague and I had the privilege of appearing on Virginia This Morning on WTVR 6 in Richmond, Virginia. I hope you will take a few minutes and watch this heartfelt interview: https://www.wtvr.com/on-air/virginia-this-morning/the-2024-lara-teague-curry-memorial-5k

Real School Supplies By Bill Pike draft started 8/20/24

For many years our church congregation has donated school supplies to the students and staff at Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School in the city of Richmond. That same congregation also participates in the New Shoes For Back To School program coordinated by leaders at Third Street Bethel AME.

As students return to school, numerous houses of worship and non-profit organizations in the Richmond area work independently and collaboratively to meet assorted needs of students in our public schools. Too bad these organizations can’t ensure that all students have access to real life school supplies— like trauma free living, stable home life, no food insecurity, and can attend a school that is safe, properly staffed, and accredited.

My previous life as a public school educator, still nags at me with a reoccurring dream. In the dream, the end of the grading period has arrived. I open my grade book to find it empty. I haven’t assessed, quizzed, or tested my students. I’m in a panic. Then I awake and remember— I’m retired from the school business, no more grading papers and recording grades.

I suspect that teachers today have nightmarish dreams. How will they manage a constantly disruptive student? How to help students master basic skills with very little support from home? How to help a parent understand their student lacks social skills in interacting with classmates.

Despite being retired, I still think a lot about public education. With this start of the new school year, I wonder how many new teachers at the end of the first week think to themselves—“what have I gotten myself into?” I wonder how many of those same teachers will submit letters of resignation prior to December’s winter break?

Some days when I read headlines about book bans, AI, the Ten Commandments, cell phones, and worn out buildings, I wonder why in the world would anyone want to be a school superintendent? Do superintendents have lifelong supplies of Tums, Rolaids, and Prilosec on hand?

Today, everyone has an opinion about public education. Those disgruntled voices can come from politicians, school board members, and parents.

I recently met two friends for lunch. Each spent their careers working with students, parents, and teachers. One friend asked, “what was your greatest challenge working in a school?” Without any hesitation, our friend, a retired principal answered: “working with difficult parents.”

Unlike buying school supplies for students, a school principal at the beginning of the school year can’t order from Acme Education Supplies a box of remedies for working with difficult parents.

But that principal could be guided by these common sense supplies in working through tough situations with challenging parents: know your facts, listen carefully, tell the truth, don’t make excuses, don’t promise what you can’t deliver, and be sure to convey to the parent that you want to work collaboratively with them to solve the problem.

There is a lot of pressure inside a school building. Inside a school can be like being a relief pitcher in a baseball game. The pitcher is called in with his team clinging to a one run lead. It is the bottom of the ninth, the bases are loaded, and only one out is needed to win the game.

Some schools start the new school year with the bases loaded. Their pressure is grounded in the inability to meet the state’s Standards of Learning for accreditation. Being in that setting day after day, wears down the morale of faculty, staff, students, and the community.

And I always ask myself how much of the accreditation failure is grounded in our inability as a society to break malignant generational cycles related to inadequate housing, poor health care, unemployment, failed equality, and the often overlooked— erosion of our families?

With the opening week of school behind us, the fresh hope found in new supplies and shoes will begin to wear off.

And the question becomes, how do public school educators sustain hope for an entire school year?

In my 31 plus years in public education, I think the most important school supply can’t be purchased at a big box store. No, the most important school supply is within us—our hearts.

Something nudged the hearts of the church congregations and the non-profits to provide supplies and shoes for students.

What will pickup the hearts in a school when lousy days wipeout hope?

No doubt that adequate pay and benefits are important to educators.

But, at the end of the day, these women and men can find hope from simply being supported by the people in the communities that surround them.

Perhaps Aristotle said it best: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

Author’s note: If this post resonated with you, I encourage you to share it with anyone who works in a public school.

Please take a look at this video regarding the Lara Teague Curry Memorial 5K:

https://subsplash.com/u/trinityunitedmethod-3dkn/media/d/vpk9cqs-lara-teague-curry-memorial-5k