Aged to Perfection

 

Aged to perfection. That's me

Turning 70, the completion of 69 years, is more than a number. It represents a significant milestone, an achievement, a marker, that many people have not reached. Grace and mercy got me this far. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, empowered me to see and realize how important it is for me to endeavor to please God and do His will.

The launch of my 7^th decade is a significant point of personal development in my life. The years leading up to this point in the life of Walter Pritchard, Jr. are stunning. I’m seeing a new perspective on life - a refreshing way of observing conditions, situations and topics.

I have a satchel full of wisdom, insight, and knowledge that can be applied toward the betterment of people around me; I’m an influencer, or at least should be.

What am I to do with it? That is the question. The answer is in God’s Word. “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.” -Psalm 12:6

What does Psalm 12:6 mean?

A theme of David's writing is full confidence in God's goodness, His wisdom, and His Word (Psalm 18:30; 33:4; 40:8). Here, David uses the example of refining precious metals to explain the perfection and purity of God's Word.

Metals such as silver and gold are separated from impurities by melting; these burn away most of the worthless material. Repeating this process, using different techniques or by adding other chemicals, can further separate out undesirable substances. 

Here, David refers to the number of perfections, seven, applying it to the refinement of God's Word. The Lord's statements are perfect and complete. In His prayer for His followers, Jesus asks the Father to sanctify them by His Word. He adds, "Your word is truth" (John 17:17). 

Rocky: A Friend of a Lifetime

Some people come into your life that you can’t explain why. You don’t have anything in common with that person. It is often strange as to why friendships are made.

I had a friend like that once. His name was Robert Hughes Jr. He was known as “Rocky.”

He and I connected just after we both graduated from Southside High School in my hometown, Muncie, Indiana. I was in the 1972 graduating class; he was in the ’73 class. We were a year apart and I just knew of Rocky during our school days.

The name fit Rocky. He was unorthodox, different, likable, loud (the life of the party) and extremely popular. In contrast, I was laid back, quiet and unassuming. There’s the odd couple. A friendship?

We did things together such as socializing, although I wasn’t big at that, but I had my moments. But, again, he was the life of the party. People loved him.

I remember he had a Chevy Monte Carlo. Rocky drove the you-know-what out of that car. He was wild. We had our arguments, too. Rocky would do whatever that would make me so angry that wanted to throw him off the planet. But at the end of the day, he would be over at my house, sitting at the table as my mother served up one of her meals, probably some good old fried chicken.

Another time I remember my grandmother “Granny” got sick. She had to go to the hospital. Rocky and I went to visit her. Granny was dying. I began to cry as she lay in the hospital bed. I looked over at Rocky…and he was crying, too. That was 1975, the year Granny died.

About this same time, Rocky’s health began to fail. He had Lupus, a blood disorder that is often fatal. He lost weight, his hair started coming out. His skin peeled off. Through it all, he was still Rocky, - very personable. But he was hurting, from the illness and the idea of being sick. There were days he didn’t have the energy to do anything. We would be in my apartment and just sit, listening to record albums.

We shared. He shared his pain; I shared mine.

My best friend Rocky died in 1976 at age 21.

The Men of The Empowerment Network: Simply Awesome

Simply Awesome

The Prayer Team of The Empowerment Network, Inc., a prostate cancer awareness, education and advocacy nonprofit organization in St. Louis was featured in the February 22, 2024 edition of the St. Louis American Newspaper. 

The focus was on the importance of testing and follow-up support. The story included a photo and comments from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who recently made public his prostate cancer journey after keeping it a secret from President Joe Biden and others in the Defense Department.

Members of The Empowerment Network Prayer Team made up of all prostate cancer survivors, gather at the hospital in the early morning hour in support of a prostate cancer patient having surgery. The Prayer Team regularly visits hospitalized prostate cancer patients to help them deal with the emotional aspects during the beginning of the recovery journey.

READ STORY BELOW

https://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/health_news/empowerment-network-presses-need-for-prostate-cancer-screening/article_1cb493f6-d318-11ee-8afe-5bccf6c29ebd.html

Visionary traveler: Nothing can hold Angela Jones from seeing the world

Personal trauma and her love of planning travel cruise packages for family and friends lead to her launching her agency TROI-CO Travels

Travel Agent/Personal Vacation
Planner, Angela Jones

By Walter Pritchard

World travelers have a genuine interest in understanding and appreciating diversity. They are open-minded, adaptable, and willing to step outside their comfort zones to fully embrace the rewards that come with travel.

Travel Agent Angela Jones fits that mold. She wants others to experience the thrill of going here, there, and everywhere.

Jones has always loved to travel abroad, having visited many destinations in the Caribbean Islands like Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Aubra, Curacao, and Honduras. Angela has been on 31 cruises, her mom Irma Smith 27, and her god-sister Belinda Washington 24 – those counts are still adding up. She planned and executed all aspects of the trips herself.

Enter life. Jones’ nursing job as a registered nurse for 23 years, and a December 2021 stage 4 bone and liver cancer didn’t mix, she couldn’t do both. Something had to give way. Her job as a nurse was no more.

In October 2022, the cancer was much better, and Jones organized a celebration cruise for a large group of her friends and family. She planned and booked everything, including bus transportation, hotel accommodations, and the destination, the Caribbean Islands as well as other needed details.

The cruise also featured an uplifting tribute, a celebration of her ongoing cancer journey. Jones had on a hot pink t-shirt that said, “I am the fighter.” And the other 91 cruisegoers’ t-shirts read, “Her fight in our fight.”

“I did that cruise for 92 people and not being a travel agent,” says Jones, 58. “People would ask me, ‘Can you do that for me, plan my cruise?’ Yes, I said, but not for free.” This is when she decided to become a travel agent.

Click HERE to read more

 Life Beyond Prostate Cancer Series

 “A Valentine Day love affair of marriage, a train and survivorship”

His college sweetheart bride, the roar of the “little engine that could” trekking through a lively animal kingdom and a life sustaining Valentine’s Day celebration.

Dr. Dennis Fuller, PhD., retired as a speech language pathologist in SLUCare's Department of Otolaryngology seven years ago. When he retired, his wife, Helen, his bride of 54 years, ordered him to do something useful.

“I had just retired, and I was getting on my wife’s nerves,” Dennis says, in his always jovial tone. “She wanted me out of the house.”

As a farm boy from rural Iowa, riding a tractor was second nature. So why not enjoy a hobby as the train conductor at the St. Louis Zoo, where he toots the whistle of the train cruising the tracks taking passengers of all ages on an urban safari.

Dennis and Helen met in 1965. Both attended Northeast Missouri State University, now Truman State University. “We met in English 101; she tutored me,” he says.

After graduation in August 1969, and during the height of the Vietnam War,  the Fullers spent the first three years apart as he served a tour of duty in Turkey as an army security agent. The Fullers have two children, son Andrew and daughter Kate, and grandson, Martin.

Dennis says the secret to the 54 years of marriage to Helen is simple—a lot of give and take. “You just have to say yes and your right sweetheart, honey,” he says with a chuckled.

And on this Valentine’s Day, Dennis, 75, will celebrate 16 years as a prostate cancer survivor. Dennis is also a proud member of The Empowerment Network and a personal friend of founder Mellve Shahid. Both survivors each year share their cancer anniversary date together. Dennis and Mellve are prostate cancer survivors from diverse backgrounds have forged an endearing relationship and partnership in fighting the disease.

 

Stop the violence STL rally Saturday June 16 at White Castles

Distinguished Entertainment Group making plea to Stop the Violence STL at rally June 16 at White Castles

by Walter Pritchard, Soaring High Media Group

Duane Tolen is on a mission to give, a seed planted by his mother when he was a boy who told him about the “free heart” that beats inside him.

His heart for giving will be on display from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, June 16 at the corner of Natural Bridge and Kingshighway in north St. Louis. On that day, Tolen is spearheading his effort on the White Castle parking lot to add another voice to the ongoing community cry to end the senseless killings of far too many African-Americans by African-Americans.

Tolen’s charitable organization, Distinguished Entertainment Group (DEG), is inviting the public to come out and take a stand at the “Stop the Violence STL” rally. The event will include live music, speakers and prayer. Tolen is asking anyone who has been touched by violence to be at the rally. DEG’s slogan is “Events with Vision.”

“I just want to impact change in our community,” Tolen said. “If you’ve lost a loved one to violence or if you know someone that has lost a loved one to violence or if you know someone who knows someone, meet me at the rally.”

DEG, of which Tolen founded and is chief operating officer, is about giving back to the community. The organization has provided a free dinner and concert for the homeless; a toy drive; a fundraiser for the Regina Sykes, the mother of Monica Sykes, a 25-year-old Berkeley woman who disappeared in October 2016 and whose body was found four months later. A suspect has been charged with her murder. His organization has also done awareness events for Alzheimer’s, breast cancer and several volunteer efforts with community, non-profit organizations.

Although Tolen started DEG, he allowed someone else to be president of the eight-member group. “I’m a behind the scene type of man,” he said. “I’ve always been like that. As a child I sat at my mother’s feet and she would tell me about my free heart.

“I just care about people. I would sacrifice whatever to lift someone else,” he continued. “It is very fulfilling to put a smile on someone’s face.”

Tolen is calling for a “cease fire” and demanding that those with violent tendencies to “put down your guns and pick up your sons for one day.”

The rally will include live music and a host of singers and speakers. Musical director James OJ Turner of TAS Music will lead the musical charge. Scheduled performers are Adrianne Felton-King, Stephanie Songbird Ivy, Ife Jacobs, Tasha B, Trunessia Combs, Cheron Brash Phillips, Keilah Evans, Samuel “God’s been good to me” Huddleson, Dakota Pagan and others.

On the speaker side, Theda Wilson the mother of Christian Ferguson, who has been missing since June 2003, will speak. Christian was nine years old at the time of his disappearance. The minister of record will be Bishop James Holloway Sr., Senior Pastor of Solomon’s Temple Church, who share the Word of God with the rally participants. Regina Sykes will also be among the speakers.

This will be the second violence awareness event Tolen has presented. “I didn’t know any one who had lost a loved one to gun violence when I started,” he said. “Now I know at least 15 different people who have lost relatives to violent crime.”

For more information, call Duane Tolen at 314.496.6866 or Facebook -  Distinguished Entertainment Group page or Tolen’s page at Dee Tee. 

The Dynasty 4th of July TAKEOVER

Experience television like never before with the all new Dynasty TV

http://www.dynastytelevision.com/d-stream.html

Kid Start With Dre @ 3:00PM
Kid-Start with Dre Hilton premise is to take the audience inside the life of Dre Hilton, showcasing his personal adventure to change the world through children's music. Kid-Start showcases high energy, kid-friendly footage, for a complete fun-filled and educational experience.

Breakout @3:30PM
Breakout is a Christian based series that centers on the town of Release and its residents. A cozy community filled with societal issues that resident's experience.

One Mic @4:00PM
Calling All Artists! Don't miss the all new music showcase - One Mic! Debuting on Dynasty Television hosted by Thurro Rootz!