As I write this on the morning of Martin Luther King Jr day, the Falcons have already returned to their familiar ways, having been trounced at home by the wild card Green Bay Packers, so I do feel some sense of normalcy returning. But I am also deeply saddened by another 2 untimely deaths before we could even comfortably settle into 2011. The first was the incomparable Tina Marie. While I never heard her perform live, my wife did on several occasions and said she was one of those rare artists who is just as good on stage as she is on a CD or in the studio. At 54 years of age, her death was an absolute shock to me and I would presume many others.
The second celebrity death I speak of is a local Atlanta radio personality who passed away Saturday morning at the mere age of 43. Royal Marshall was an Atlanta fixture for many years, but some of you may also know him on the national scene as the sidekick and producer of the Neal Boortz radio show. Royal served as the voice of reason for Neal's politically-charged rants and also anchored his own local night time show for many years called The Royal Treatment. I met this man on more than one occasion and spoke to him over the phone on several other occasions. He was a first rate human being all around. The rare celebrity who went out of his way to treat everyone he encountered with respect and decency. While I know that most of you did not know this man, if you did, you would understand the sadness his death casts over the ATL.
For 2011, I have some decisions to make. After about a year and a half of motorcycle riding bliss, I suffered my first major accident just a couple of weeks ago. While I was not hurt, I could have been seriously injured or even killed had God not chosen to spare me. With that in mind, I have had to reevaluate whether or not I should continue in this inherently risky behavior. Part of me says "leave it alone," while another part says "face your fears." As I always try to do when I am in need of direction, I turned to both prayer, and the counsel of others. I still do not know what my ultimate decision will be, but I can tell you that it was a harrowing experience that has reminded me of just how fleeting life can be. These things happen in instants and we are rarely prepared for them. Regardless of what I decide concerning my future with riding, I know that I need to live my life as if it will end today, because one day that will indeed be the case and I don't want to have a list full of regrets.
In closing, I hope we can all share in a collective prayer concerning the fate of our nation and indeed our world as we bravely step into 2011, and as always, it is my privilege to have this time to share my thoughts with you. Though you rarely comment, I know your are reading. Yes I do!
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