A recalcitrant American report

Now in my mind a recalcitrant American is someone who thinks independently without peer pressure. In other minds a recalcitrant American is some old person who just doesn’t care for his own reasons. He has other motivations and has lowered his standards enough to do OK. The term “old fart” may be appropriate.

Now it looks like I could have my 14 year old daughter come up here from Atlanta to live with me at the Hemlocks near Monterey, TN, and even attend the local Burks Middle School this remaining school year. I am becoming to believe she really wants to do it. And she has been up here enough to know the good and bad, I think. It is the hormone thing we have all been through, and she is going through, that keeps all this gooey.

Now I don't attend religious worship places very often, since I think of myself more as a pantheist, which makes me a weirdo at Monterey. So like I do go to Roaring Falls for my Easter Service, as an example. A local friend's hikes and picture shows also are such things, I think again.

Also as a Marine, I know, or at least think, that most of us need some structure and routine, and religions and churches do a good job at that, I think. Here on the Cumberland Plateau, I think I should go with the local choices if I want to introduce my daughter to such local structure and routine provided by churches. Again, maybe I am a weirdo, and being overseas a lot has made me think more about values and Family and less about formal religions, which exist for good reasons all around the world.

Now here is one good response I have heard:

Clay, We have wonderful news, Sue's Sister Frances,(Senior Director) goes to the First Baptist Church, and she was just telling Sue what a great Youth Pastor they have and what a great job he's doing bringing the Monterey Youth to their Youth Group, she said there must be sixty or seventy of them, they have a music group with guitar, drums and three or four instruments, and they sing and play in Church and your Daughter will fit right in.
And who knows, some of this may rub off on ole Clay. Bill and Sue

End of report