Edd’s MANtra: Favorite Ky. Moments

We’re only a few days out before we say goodbye to Louisville and although the wifey has given her farewell address I figured I’d share a few of my favorite memories as well.

Many of you know that I’ve spent the past eight years working with a collection of kids at Centennial Olivet Baptist Church. It’s been a great honor and privilege to watch them grow but don’t get it twisted – those kids drove me crazy.

During the latter years of my Kentucky tenure, I accompanied the children on mission trips around the state, working at Salvation Army sites, feeding the homeless and ministering to those in need. Although I always came away proud of their work, it wouldn’t be a mission trip without some type of drama. Like a couple of years back when a group of kids snuck outside to play basketball when they were supposed to be serving food. During their haphazard game, one of the knuckleheads broke a finger. He came to me saying “Bro. Eddie, look!” and showed me his z-shaped ring finger.

My reply? “Eh. Shouldn’t have been playing.”

I’m such a compassionate soul.

I nearly lost my cool last year during a mission trip picnic. A group of kids kept throwing around a football extremely close to the craft table, which I was overseeing. I warned them to move before someone got hit. Well, you know kids, they didn’t listen. One unlucky young lady hurled the football for her friend to catch but the guy missed it, and the ball smacked me RIGHT IN THE HEAD. The poor girl looked like she saw a ghost and fearing her life RAN DOWN THE STREET! Keep in mind that we’re in an unfamiliar neighborhood and a 12-year-old just ran off. Her friends chased her down and brought her back but she was terrified that I’d rip her ponytails out.

Ooh lord, I thought about it.

Anyway, she apologized profusely and I accepted. Later, some of the boys said that if I sought revenge they’d fill her sleeping bag with shaving cream. I declined.

I would have been cool with them using itching powder, though.

Still, I absolutely adore those kids. To those that are reading, Bro. Eddie loves ya.

Duh.

I’ve been told by nearly everyone who attended our ceremony April 8, 2006, that it was the greatest wedding they’ve ever witnessed.

I would agree, of course.

But what many people don’t know is the absolute disarray that preceded it. My uncle passed away very unexpectedly literally days before the ceremony. Nearly everyone on my mom’s side of the family, excluding my mom herself and a cousin, had to stay behind in Virginia. That included my grandfather, who was supposed to have a hand in officiating the wedding. When my family arrived after the 12 hour drive for the rehearsal they were extremely ornery. Both bridesmaids and groomsmen were dropping out of the wedding left and right at the last moment too late to replace them; a tornado hit on the eve of the wedding, stranding a handful of out-of-town friends at a local mall; my future mother-in-law drove off and wound up in another city; and as you can guess, the bride-to-be was completely stressed out with the preparations.

I’ll never forget the icy Medusa glare she shot me when I arrived to the rehearsal. One of the kids in my youth group said, “wow, you might need to rethink this.”

No matter how bad things looked during the rehearsal the big day itself was magical. We lost an even number of bridal party members so to the untrained eye no one could tell that people were missing. My pastor stepped in and officiated the entire ceremony, duties he had planned to share with my absent grandfather.

And oh lord, the after party.

Nothing I can say can accurately describe the scene – you just had to be there. Just know that there are pictures floating around of me dancing with seniors from church. That says it all.

It was such a great time and without a doubt, the memory from Louisville that I’ll hold most dear.