LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I only saw my father cry once in my life and that was when my mother died. He never made a lot of money but we always had food on the table and a roof over our heads. One of my fondest memories of him occurred when I was about 12 years old. I loved playing baseball but he was always working when I played. At this one night game, I looked in the stands and there he was. It was my last at bat. I said a prayer before going to the plate that God would let me get a hit. Instead, I struck out. I was so let down. I was afraid he wouldn’t be proud of me anymore. When I finally got the courage to look up, I’ll never forget what happened. He was standing near the back stop. He didn’t say anything. He just smiled. That smile told me that everything was all right. He was still proud of me. As a father, you give your children what they need from you at the time. Sometimes, it’s discipline, sometimes it’s a hug, and sometimes, all that’s needed ... is a smile.

Steven Howell, Memphis

Congress should not take off

I am in total agreement with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. There is no reason that the U.S. Senate should vacate the Capitol in August and take a month off from work when our country faces so many pressing issues.

Unfortunately, we have to endure the tired Republican drumbeat of how the Democrats are gumming up the works. It seems that their short-term memory is failing. By all accounts, Republicans spent 8 years doing with President Obama just what they accuse Democrats of with the current resident of the Oval Office. My great-grandmother taught me long ago that when you point your finger in accusation, you should recognize that there are three pointing back at you. In reality, Republicans have accomplished so little under this current administration because they continue to run against the former president and the current president’s opponent in the last election. Why is that?

We citizens should face a harsh reality. The contenders in the 2016 presidential election and their families were and are trailing more baggage than Jacob Marley’s ghost. In a country of more than 320 million people, how did we end up with those two for our choices? How? Maybe “We the People” should be pointing a finger at ourselves.

H S Holt, Covington, Tennessee