By Bob Garver Quite understandably, major studios didn’t want to schedule any new releases for the weekend between “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” I had to go down past fifth place at the domestic box office to find some also-rans that I hadn’t reviewed yet. “Evil Dead Burn” Poster credit IMDB “Evil Dead” is a horror franchise that started out low-budget and shlocky in the 80’s, and has grown to be trusted with more resources as its films take themselves more seriously. It sounds like a welcome form of maturity, but it isn’t. The films aren’t fun anymore, and “Evil Dead Burn,” which insists on wedging a domestic violence storyline into its gross-out horror narrative, is the least fun yet. Alice (Souheila Yacoub) was married to the abusive William Price (George Pullar) until he was killed by a Deadite, an evil entity that sometimes kills people, and sometimes turns them into zombies. Now she has to survive William’s funeral and a dinner with the dysfunctional Price family at their dilapidated lake house. The definition of “survive” goes from figurative to literal when the Deadite starts infecting various family members, forcing Alice to turn violent against the people that arguably made William violent long before the Deadite. “Evil Dead Burn” is just ugly, with washed-out browns and grays everywhere. The special effects are shoddy, but not in an endearing practical way like the “Evil Dead” of the 80’s. The violence is occasionally inventive, but more often just pointlessly excessive. And the domestic violence angle just comes off as an attempt to give the film substance as a requirement, as opposed to a necessary part of the creative vision. At this point, I’m ready to just let “Evil Dead” as a franchise burn. Grade: C- “Evil Dead Burn” is rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and language. Its running time is 110 minutes. “The Invite” Poster credit IMDB “The Invite” is one of those movies that is basically just a filmed stage play. An unnecessary prologue aside, the whole thing takes place in a single apartment with four actors doing things that don’t require movie magic. For a movie like this to work, it needs to be really funny or powerful. It… comes close. Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde, also the film’s director) are an unhappily-married couple. Their interactions with one another range from “snippy” to “hostile.” They don’t get a divorce ostensibly for the sake of their daughter, but it’s really more about complacency and laziness. And their sex life has been nonexistant for years. They invite their upstairs neighbors, Piña (Penelope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) over for dinner to thank them for putting up with some recent renovations, and to maybe have a word with them about the noise from their very active sex life. The new friends are willing to keep the noise down, but also willing to let Joe and Angela get in on the fun. The titular invite is to swing. Shenanigans, arguments, and all manner of awkwardness ensue. Almost all of the pieces are in place for “The Invite” to work as a viewing experience. The cast is certainly funny, talented, and most of all, game. But there’s one hurdle that the movie can never quite overcome, and that’s that it isn’t very cinematic. It’s not that I’m incapable of recommending a movie like this, but I need everything verbal to practically set my soul on fire. Sadly, like Joe and Angela, this movie is missing a certain spark. Grade: C “The Invite” is rated R for sexual material, language throughout, and drug use. Its running time is 107 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Special to Wesson News With the start of a new school year just around the corner, excitement is building as Wesson Attendance Center prepares to kick off another fall sports season. Student-athletes, coaches and fans are looking forward to months of competition as the Wesson Cobras and Lady Cobras return to the field, court and course. The football team will once again take center stage on Friday nights, as the Cobras look to build on last season's successes and compete for a strong finish in district play. Players have spent the summer participating in strength and conditioning workouts, team camps and practices to prepare for the demanding schedule ahead. Head coach and team leaders have emphasized the importance of discipline, teamwork and effort as the program welcomes returning veterans while integrating younger players into key roles. The Lady Cobras volleyball team also enters the season with optimism. Returning players and newcomers have been working throughout the offseason to improve their skills and chemistry. Coaches are expecting a competitive season as the team strives to contend for postseason play. Cross country runners have also begun preparing for the fall campaign. The sport continues to grow in popularity at Wesson, with athletes training throughout the summer despite the Mississippi heat. Coaches expect runners to improve their times while competing against schools from across the region. Cheerleaders, band members and student organizations are also preparing for another busy fall. Friday night football games remain one of the community's biggest traditions, bringing together students, families, alumni and residents to support the Cobras. School officials encourage community members to attend athletic events throughout the season and show their support for Wesson's student-athletes. Attendance at games not only boosts school spirit but also provides valuable support for athletic programs. In addition to varsity competition, junior high teams will begin their seasons, giving younger athletes opportunities to develop their skills and gain valuable game experience. The start of the fall sports season also marks the return of longstanding traditions, including homecoming festivities, pep rallies and community events that unite Wesson residents around their local schools. Schedules for football, volleyball and cross country are expected to be available through Wesson Attendance Center and the school's athletic department. As practices continue and opening contests approach, anticipation continues to grow for another season of Cobra athletics, with players and coaches eager to represent Wesson both on and off the field.

Special to Wesson News One person was killed and two others were injured in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 55 in Copiah County, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The crash occurred at approximately 1:39 p.m. July 29 near mile marker 70. Authorities said a 2018 Kenworth dump truck was traveling south on Interstate 55 when it crossed the median into the northbound lanes and collided head-on with a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox. The driver of the dump truck, 26-year-old Lataria Wilson of Crystal Springs, was transported by private vehicle to Copiah Medical Center. The extent of Wilson's injuries was not immediately available. The driver of the Chevrolet Equinox, 81-year-old Josephine Cowart of Tickfaw, Louisiana, was transported by ambulance to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Her condition has not been released. A passenger in the Equinox, 82-year-old Sidney Cowart Jr., also of Tickfaw, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Little Judy was full to the brim with questions for her daddy. She was watching the city’s annual July 4th parade for the very first time, and the marching bands, the prancing horses, the enormous floats and the gaily decorated convertibles carrying the town dignitaries were absolutely fascinating. She wanted to know everything. Not content to just watch the colorful and noisy displays that passed endlessly before her seat on the sidewalk, she wanted to know, “Where are the clowns? Who are those people waving from the back seat of those cars? Where’s the float dwivers, I can’t see them? And how can they see to dwive? And Daddy, who owns all those horses? Hey, Daddy, what’s coming after this big float, I can’t see behind it. Daddy, I’m getting awfully tired, is the pawade about over? Daddy, I’m getting kinda hungwy, can we go now and get sumpin’ to eat?” Judy was about to drive her daddy to distraction, He was trying to watch the parade, and at the same time attempting to answer her running list of questions of “whys, whens, and hows.” Plus keeping a close watch on eight-year-old Wade, who had a tendency to squirm away. So Daddy finally started to run low on tolerance, energy and enthusiasm. His patient and gentle answers were taking on a definite negative slope, leaning more to “No, Judy, I don’t know and don’t really care how the float drivers see where they’re going. Those men riding in the cars? Don’t know who they are, and also don’t care.” Huge sigh, “The horses, Judy? Oh, I’m sure they were flown in here from Mars just for this parade. No, I don’t have any idea what is coming behind that big ugly float. I guess you’ll find out in a little bit. Oh, honey, I know you’re tired and hungry, me too. But I don’t have a clue how long this will last. Just please, be a little more patient.” And then under his breath, “And less talkative, you are driving me bananas.” This ‘family day enjoyment’ went on for another twenty minutes, before the parade finally wound down to the end. Daddy, Wade and a cranky and tired little Judy trudged wearily to their car parked blocks away, and drove home. Sometimes the parade goes on endlessly and the average daddy on the sidewalk has no clue when it will end. Or what is coming next after the band. After the horses. After the cars, and the ugly floats. And the average little Judys of this world have unanswerable questions. Leaving Dad to wish he knew more than he knew. Folks, Dads can’t see parades from beginning to the end all at the same time. And sometimes they don’t have real answers to hard questions. But the Almighty Father up in heaven does. He sees our lives from beginning to the end, all at once. He was the one who created the very beginning of your parade here on earth, and He knows the exact millisecond when your parade will end. Trust Him.

By Jessica Breazeale The Hood Family If you think you’re busy, spend five minutes with Josh Hood. At 35, Hood juggles three jobs, pastors two churches, teaches a Bible college class in India every Thursday morning at 4 a.m., and is raising six children — ranging in age from three weeks to nearly nineteen years old — alongside his wife, Hannah. And, somehow, he still finds time to fix tires. Hood is the pastor of Wesson Baptist Church, located at 2083 Highway 51 in Wesson, where Sunday school begins at 8:45 a.m. and worship service at 9:30 a.m. He also leads Redemption Church, a church plant he helped launch in Hazlehurst in 2021, right in the middle of COVID-19, when most congregations were scaling back. “Everybody else was trying not to go to church,” he said, with a laugh. “We were starting a church!” Hood preaching at Redemption Church Redemption currently holds Sunday morning services at 11:30 a.m.; and, for now, those services are held at Hazlehurst Tire, Hood’s auto repair and tire shop on the edge of town. “We make jokes about it all the time,” he said. “We turn it into a church, flip it into a fellowship hall, then it turns back into a tire shop — three things in one day.” That won’t be the arrangement forever. Redemption Church has big plans: a 14,000-square-foot community center on a four-acre lot in Hazlehurst, currently being cleared of trees. The planned facility will include two basketball courts, a weight room, space for after-school tutoring and a large commercial kitchen to support the church’s feeding ministries. The $900,000 project is underway on Highway 28 next to the railroad tracks. The process has started, Hood says, but completion will be a matter of faith and fundraising. At Hazlehurst Tire, expansion is also in progress. The shop recently began carrying ExMark lawnmowers and servicing outdoor power equipment, including saws, trimmers, blowers and edgers. Three additional service bays are under construction, expected to be complete by late September or October, and utility trailers are anticipated to arrive by late July or early August. “If the community sees a lot of construction coming up in the near future,” Hood said, “they’ll know why.” The Hood family itself is something of a small community. Josh and Hannah have been married twelve years and are parents to six children: Elijah, 18, currently in his second year at Copiah-Lincoln Community College; Harvey, 10; Henley, 9; Hosea, 8; Heights, 4; and their newest arrival, Jerry Hezekiah — “J-Hezzy” — born a little over a month ago. Elijah has also built his own business on the side, cleaning swimming pools and cutting lawns across Copiah County. Josh and Hannah say they have also been obedient to what God called them to in 2020 by being foster parents and jumping whole heartedly into adoption. While Josh serves in his local Hazlehurst community by being on the Cares Board at Copiah County Medical Center, Hannah serves on the Preschool Board at Wesson Baptist Church, where she was board president for the past three years. Perhaps the endeavor closest to Hood’s heart stretches halfway around the world. Since a 2018 trip to India, he has partnered with a discipleship training institution, essentially a tuition-free Bible college, that the churches he pastors help support. He teaches a class every Thursday via video call at 4 a.m. Central time (2:30 p.m. in India). The program has held three graduations in three years and is now entering its fourth year. Each February and March, Hood travels to India, along with other church members, to participate in graduation ceremonies and visit graduates in their communities/mission fields. The longer-term vision for the India Bible College is to purchase property and build a dedicated campus with a training center and dormitory facilities, allowing students to attend four to five days per week. The estimated cost is $100,000, with a five-year fundraising goal currently underway. Hood continues to fundraise here in the U.S. to help make this vision a reality. Josh Hood stays positive at his medical appointments. In February 2024, Hood received a diagnosis that would reshape any man’s perspective: stage four lung cancer with brain metastasis. He has since undergone targeted immunotherapy and one round of radiation. The results have been encouraging: the tumor in his left lung has shrunk and stabilized, and the brain metastases have also decreased in size. He speaks about it the way he speaks about everything else: with clarity, gratitude and faith. “Even though we do all the things — eat right, go to appointments, take supplements, take medication and so on— utilizing both holistic and western medicine practices, we’re still trusting that my life is in God’s hands,” he said. “That’s a reminder for everybody. We are all dealt a different hand of cards, and we have to play our hand; but we must never forget that God is in control.”

By Jessica Breazeale There's something about seeing that covered wagon roll across the screen again that just does my heart good. That nostalgia that is like chicken soup when you’re sick. Netflix brought back Little House on the Prairie this month, and I'll admit, I skipped it a few times before giving it a watch. I was skeptical at first because I thought, “we’re so past that in society.” And reboots don't always get it right. But watching the Ingalls family settle into a new season of storytelling, I found myself thinking about what made the original so special in the first place, and why we've been hungry for it ever since. I think know the answer! We are deficient in family values and starving to see those on television again! It's not that life on the prairie was easy. Pa and Ma faced hardship after hardship like crop failures, sickness, hard winters, harder neighbors. But through it all, they showed up for each other. They worked hard, told the truth, forgave quickly, and put family first, even when it cost them something. That's the part I think we've been missing on our screens lately: not a perfect family, but a faithful one. We live in a season where so much of what's on TV either mocks family life or ignores it altogether. So when a show comes along that takes faith, hard work, and loving your people seriously, even while wrestling honestly with the harder parts of history, it's worth celebrating. I'm looking forward to watching this new generation of the Ingalls family with my own family. Some things really are worth passing down. What’s the bigger picture? The Ingalls had a dream and believed in it so much they were willing to take the risky move to do hard things to get it. Kindness, respect and support is not a thing of the past. You can see it on television, at least, to be reminded of the good ole days - and maybe be inspired that we can see it again one day if we all work together and try for it. Now how long do I have to wait for Season 2?

Special to Wesson News Vanda Brister (center) is pictured (l, to r) with the 2025-26 Cobra yearbook staff, front row: Jaide Shoop, Zoey Ashley, Lexi Prestridge, Blair Mathis, Maria Hall, Vanda Brister, Kate Norwood, Kylie Rorie, Rylan Oswalt, Charley Shelton, Laina Hart and Adelynn Coleman; and back row: Bella Sills, Micqueal Berry, Laney Hewitt, Caylie Britt, Madelynn Brooks, Jayden Allen, Anna Caballero and Shayla Fluentes. The 2026 Cobra yearbook staff of Wesson Attendance Center dedicated the 2026 Cobra yearbook to Mrs. Vanda Brister. Brister is a graduate of Wesson Attendance Center, earned an Associate’s degree from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master’s degree from Mississippi College. She has been a dedicated educator since 2006, working in the Simpson County school district, as well as the Pearl Public School district before coming to Wesson. Vanda Brister At Wesson, she has served as an elementary classroom teacher, elementary principal and is in her first year as high school principal. Brister is married to her husband, Tyler, and is the mom to two boys, Tate and Mason.

By Jessica Breazeale History has a way of repeating itself, and for one local family, it repeated itself in the most remarkable way. Bently Roberson, a Brookhaven resident and student at Parklane Academy in McComb, was elected State Treasurer at American Legion Auxiliary Girls State 2026, the same office her mother, Barbie Roberson, held when she attended Girls State in 1991. Thirty-five years apart, mother and daughter say they now share a bond that goes far beyond family resemblance. Barbie Roberson, a former principal at Wesson Attendance Center, no doubt recognized the moment well. But Bently didn’t just follow in her mother’s footsteps; she ran her own race. Taking her last name as her inspiration, Bently built her entire campaign around the theme of running, not just any race, but the race God assigns his followers to run. Drawing from Hebrews 12:1-2, she challenged her fellow delegates to lay aside every weight and fix their eyes on something greater than victory alone. Her campaign materials reflected that message from the start. Checkered flags appeared on her posters, and she handed them out to delegates as a tangible reminder of her platform. The messages were simple and direct: “Full Speed Ahead” and “Race to the Polls.” “Every race has a finish line,” Bently told delegates, “But success isn’t always about crossing that line first. It’s about how we run the race God assigns to us.” The speech resonated. Delegates responded, and, when the votes were counted, Bently had won. She challenged the young women around her to carry that mindset back home, urging them to be leaders in their schools and to finish their high school years with integrity, not just ambition. The photo circulating among family and friends says it all: a side-by-side of Barbie in 1991 and Bently in 2026, both smiling, both wearing their Girls State credentials, both elected to the same office a generation apart. Some legacies are built over decades. The Robersons say this one was built with checkered flags, a family name and a verse from Hebrews.

By Misty Strieff Prine “Someone in your life needs to hear that they matter. That they are loved. That they have a future. Be the one to tell them.” - Unknown. Be that person! I’m telling you today that YOU matter, YOU are loved and YOU, my friend, have an incredible purpose and future in Christ. Know that He gave His life for YOU. Everyone has messed up in their lives. There is not one person that He cannot save and He cannot use! Don’t ever think that you are beyond the point of saving. If you believe that Jesus died on that cross for your sins and you want to accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life, all you must do is this. Pray the sinner’s prayer and admit that you are sinner and have you a talk with Jesus and ask Him to forgive you. Ask Him to come into your heart and save you. He will forgive you and God’s word says your sins will be forgiven and removed as far as the east is from the west. You will become new. Remember, in that newness, you need to live a new life. A change must be seen. You are no longer the same person. Your past is gone! Now, you need to tell someone about your decision. Let others know you’ve accepted Him as Lord and Savior. That’s a life-changing decision. You never know how Jesus WILL use you and your life as a mighty testimony to help others who have been through similar things in life. People are struggling out there. We are called to be the light in this world. If God’s children don’t tell them, then who will? People will be watching you and the enemy will attack you at every corner. Being a follower of Christ is not easy, but it’s worth it. He will never leave you! We also have a 24/7 open prayer line to talk to Him anytime we need to. That’s a blessing in and of itself. I hope this message finds its way to someone today that may need it. Maybe even to someone who already has been saved and has strayed away a little. I think we all have been guilty of that at times for sure. People need to know that someone loves them and cares about them. Be the person who tells them!

Several members of the Wesson Cobra All-Superior band have signed scholarships to further their band careers at the next level. Alana Hux signed a scholarship with Mississippi College to play the flute. Pictured with Alana are front (left to right): mom Stephanie Hux, Alana Hux and Daniel Hux; and back row: Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman, and Mississippi College Band Director Duvy Salvant. Brooke Coleman signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to play the trumpet. Pictured (l to r), are, front row: mom Shae Coleman, Brooke Coleman and dad Travis Coleman; and back row: Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Caeden Williams signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to play percussion. Pictured with Caeden are front (left to right): mom Anna Williams, Caeden Williams and dad Blake Williams; and back row: Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Madison Morris signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to participate in color guard. Pictured with Madison are front (left to right): mom Melissa Morris, Madison Morris and dad Jeremy Morris; and back row: Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Sullivan Roberts signed a scholarship with The University of Southern Mississippi to play the baritone. Pictured with Sullivan are front (left to right): mom Angela Shannon, Sullivan Roberts and dad Michael Roberts; and back row: Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman, and USM Alumni Hank Jordan. Tate Brister signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to play the trombone. Pictured (l to r), are, front row: mom Vanda Brister, Tate Brister and dad Tyler Brister; and back row: Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Willow Love signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to play the saxophone. Pictured with Willow are front (left to right): mom Jennifer Love, Willow Love and dad David Love; and back row: Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin.

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB Few film adaptations require more ambition than Homer’s “The Odyssey,” the quintessential epic. And perhaps no filmmaker has been more ambitious this millennium than Christopher Nolan, the man who told an entire story backward with “Memento,” conquered the superhero genre with his “Dark Knight” trilogy, and dominated the Oscars three years ago with “Oppenheimer.” If anyone can handle a challenge as vast as “The Odyssey,” it’s Nolan. I can report that he indeed succeeds in the challenge… to a degree. This being a Nolan movie, it should come as no surprise that the movie plays around a lot with chronology and time progression (see also: the competing one-hour/one-day/one-week/one-month storylines in “Dunkirk”). Basically, the movie splits its time between King Odysseus (Matt Damon) of Ithica taking 20 years to fight and then return from the Trojan War, and his family toward the end of that 20 years needing to do something about vacant throne and the glut of scheming suitors squatting in the castle hoping to wed the possibly-widowed Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) so they can become king as the expense of rightful heir Prince Telemachus (Tom Holland), Odysseus’s son. Odysseus wins the war with the help of some underhanded tactics that displease the gods. His trip home is then cursed with a series of winds and storms that blow his ships off course, plus deadly detours involving a Cyclops, giant Laestrygonian warriors, soul-piercing Siren songs, a witch (Samantha Morton) that turns his crew into pigs, and other nasty surprises. Less nasty is the several amnesia-ridden years he spends marooned on an island with the nymph Calisto (Charlize Theron), but a delay is a delay. Back on Ithica, suitors are overrunning the palace, and Penelope and Telemachus are at their wits’ end. They can’t just order them to leave, because their royal duties require them to be accommodating to strangers, but those rules were designed to help humble paupers, not these well-off freeloaders. Telemachus could assume the throne, but he’d become a target for assassination, and Holland doesn’t exactly have spider powers in this movie. Penelope could remarry, and suitor Antinous (Robert Pattinson) is at the front of the line if she makes that choice, but she really wants Odysseus to return and set things right. But how long can she be expected to wait? Technically, Nolan is at the top of his game here. The threats are scary, the soundtrack is pulse-pounding (from what I’ve gleamed, this is many viewers’ favorite aspect of the movie), and the scenes on boats do a really good job of putting the viewer right in the middle of the action, which is a nice way of saying they made me seasick. He even provides some insight into Odysseus’s internal struggle that I’ve been told most versions of the story do not. So I’m recommending the movie, there are no worries there. But while I am recommending “The Odyssey,” I can’t help but also relay some disappointment. Granted, there was an enormous amount of pressure on this film given the prominence of both the director and the source material, and any product assembled by a mere mortal – even Christopher Nolan – was bound to be disappointing on some level, but it’s not just that. Namely, did the movie have to be so long and meandering? Some will be quick to jump in and say yes, those qualities are synonymous with “The Odyssey” and it would be weird if Nolan’s version wasn’t like that. But I felt there were stretches – mostly toward the end when a plan by Odysseus needs to be put into action – that could have used some tightening. It’s as if Nolan couldn’t stand to have his film labeled as “efficient.” The result is a film that I can’t label as anything but inefficient. I knew going into “The Odyssey” that a certain inefficiency was to be expected, but I thought Nolan would be able to make me feel that the inefficiency was necessary. Grade: B- “The Odyssey” is rated R for violence and some language. Its running time is 172 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

By Jessica Breazeale I was recently intrigued…and then very inspired by plankton. I know. I know. Of all the things to get a woman fired up, plankton was not on my list either. But here we are, and I’m not even a little bit sorry about it. We’re currently reading Sadie Robertson’s Live Fearless together in my book club at the nursing home where I serve, and there’s a whole chapter titled “The Purpose of Plankton.” She talks about how she used to think of plankton as the lowest of the low. Bottom of the ocean’s pecking order. No shell, no fins, nothing that looks like it matters. If there was a popularity contest under the sea, plankton wouldn’t even get a nomination. Until she found out what they actually do. Plankton rise. Every single day, they travel up toward the surface to reach the light, and then they carry that light back down with them into the deep, dark water where it could never reach on its own. The thing she thought was the lowest of the low turns out to be the one hauling light into the dark, feeding an entire ecosystem that would starve without it. That’s the whole message right there, if you ask me. But here’s the part that got me even more — plankton don’t get to pick their current either. They can’t fight the water. They go wherever it carries them. So the very thing that looks like proof they don’t matter — small, drifting, no say over where they end up — is the same thing God uses to get His light exactly where it needs to go. Their weakness isn’t a flaw in the plan. It’s part of the delivery system. Because I know what it is to feel like the lowest of the low. I imagine some of the sweet folks I sit with in this nursing home ministry know it even better than I do — tucked away in a room, feeling forgotten, carried along by a current they didn’t choose. A diagnosis. A body that won’t cooperate. A season nobody would pick for themselves. It’s easy to believe that if you can’t steer your own life anymore, you must not have much left to offer. But nobody carries light into the dark by staying comfortable in the light. You have to go up and get it first, and then let yourself be carried — wherever that current takes you —straight into somebody else’s darkness. An hour of prayer nobody sees. A kind word to a nurse having a hard shift. A life still reaching for the Light in a body that’s stopped reaching for much else. That’s not a small job. That’s the job. I think about Lazarus coming out of that tomb into the light after four days in the dark. I think about the women who walked into a dark garden at dawn and were the first to carry the news that Light had won. God has never been shy about handing His brightest news to the ones the world assumed were the lowest of the low — or the ones who never got to choose their own current. Head up to get some light to take it to where it’s needed So if you’ve ever felt like plankton — overlooked, unremarkable, swept along by something you didn’t pick — take heart. You may be exactly the one built to go up, get the Light, and let the current carry it straight to somebody sitting in the dark today. Reading this one with my book club last week — if you’ve got Sadie’s book, I’d love to hear what stopped you in your tracks. If you don’t have this book, go get it! I found it for $1 at Milltown Mall in Wesson. Downloadable version