Greetings fellow Memphians!
My how time flies! Seems like just yesterday that Amanda and I brought our tiny beautiful bundle of joy home from the hospital. It’s now a year later and she’s a 21 pound bundle of energy running around the house and into EVERYTHING! She has a smile that will melt the coldest heart and such a personality! How much can change in a year! A year ago our family made a remarkable discovery. You might be familiar with my mother’s book, Secret Holocaust Diaries. Well it just so happened that my nephew Zach, while on a mission of discovery throughout eastern Europe, made contact with a Newspaper publisher named Vladimir Berezin in a tiny Ukrainian village called Konstantinovka. This just happens to be the town my mother and grandmother left when they were taken to German concentration camps and separated for the rest of their lives. Mom endured unspeakable horrors, but survived and found her way to America, assuming that her family was consumed in the Holocaust. Vladimir was intrigued by this story that unfolded in his town so many years ago, and decided to do a story on it complete with a picture of mom as she was when she lived there. When the story ran, my mother’s first cousin Lydia saw the picture and said “Oh my God that’s my cousin!” As a result of this revelation, we have discovered that a few of mom’s relatives indeed did survive what was called there “the great patriotic war”. They raised families and lived parallel lives in the Soviet Union all these years, and now through mom’s book, we have found them and them us. My sister and I are departing for Ukraine for what promises to be an emotional reunion. I’ll be gone for a couple of weeks, so my thanks to Pam Yates, in whose capable hands I leave my show. May God bless you and your family.   Bill

       Al Green is an ambassador.        All Memphis government leaders in all capacities should be required to attend an Al Green concert together before discussing  school funding, consolidation and any other tough issues.    Once you dance, sing along, and shout  “I love YOU!’  for a couple of hours, the world is a better place.      Thousands of people felt that at a sold out show at Memphis Botanic Garden last night.     Yes, it was hot and crowded and most of us had to walk a mile carrying our chairs and coolers.      But  after the sun went down and we enjoyed opening act Robert Randolph and the Family Band we were feeling pretty good.      Then Al Green and his amazing group took the stage and it was  a magical time.    For 2 hours everyone became best friends and just enjoyed themselves.     Animosity and differences just melted away.    Now imagine if  our mayors, council members, school board members and other city and county officials sat down to do business after experiencing a show like that.     Maybe they could  see through their differences and really communicate to come up with compromises on big issues and let the petty stuff go.       

        Big kudos to all the staff and volunteers at Memphis Botanic Garden.    They were all so friendly and helpful, smiling through their sweat.   What a great place to see a concert.    Oh and another pleasant surprise…free parking!   How often does that happen these days?      In case you haven’t experienced a Live at the Garden show yet, you have two more chances this year.   Donna Summer is August 21st and the Blondie & Cheap Trick show is September 3rd. 

    Everyone repeat after Al Green :   “I love you! ”       “I love YOU!”     Thank you Ambassador Green.

Thanks for reading and listening.   God bless ,

Pam

Greetings fellow Memphians!
It’s great to be back in the saddle after vacation! Amanda and I really enjoyed our week off with Savannah. There is so much family fun to be had in our wonderful city! We took in a downtown trolley ride, a trip to The Cheesecake Corner off South Main, The ducks at The Peabody, and The awesome Memphis Zoo among other things. One of the things we enjoyed the most was taking in a movie at The Malco Summer Drive-in. I can remember a time when drive-in theaters were everywhere, and while I guess that kind of dates me a little, I think it’s one of the most fun things a family can do! We put out a couple of folding chairs next to the car and saw “Twilight Eclipse” under the stars. If you haven’t been to the Summer Drive-In lately, or maybe never before, take it from the Bannisters it’s a great thing to do this weekend!

I have a garden idea thats fun with little effort and rewarding with a little spice. And to top it off, you dont need a garden bed. All the space you need to grow your own salsa garden is in a big container. Make sure to poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage, add soil and youre ready to add plants.

I asked for your easiest summer recipes and they are rolling in now. I love it when they are so quick and easy I can share three in one journal entry! Click here look at these yummy creations from my listeners.

Imagine the scene: You are done shopping and headed back to your car in a crowded parking lot. Other cars are circling round and round looking for their What would you do?

If you didnt know already, Im on Facebook. Ive taken a course in technology from my kids (meaning they schooled me on the ins and outs of owning your own Facebook profile) and now Ive got a fan page set up where I post thoughts daily! Ive also learned some basic social networking etiquette, click here to read them.

If youve listened to my show for any length of time, you know I am like the old woman who lives in a shoe with so many kids I dont know what to do. Three of my 10 children came to me thru birth, the rest came to me thru adoption, some when they were very young and some as adults. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt;Three of my adopted kids are siblings that came to me thru foster care and thats why my foundation, Point Hope, is so passionate about foster care and getting kids out of the system and into permanency. My kids wouldve been far better off to have been left with their biological mother, who, though she had issues, loved them dearly. But they werent. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt;They were passed from home to home where they were abused and starved and horrible things happened to them. By the time I got them out of foster care they were so broken that it has taken a whole lot of patience and a whole lot of love for God to put their hearts back together again. But they are healing and doing a lot better. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt;If you have the space in your home and your heart and you desire to adopt a child, look into foster care. Give a child a sense of belonging and love. These kids are our future, dont forget that. They are precious and yet so often they are tossed aside. If you would like to learn more about Point Hope and how we endeavor to be a voice for forgotten children, go to my Web site www.PointHope.org and check us out. Even if you dont have room for a child in your home, you can still help a child.

I have a garden idea that's fun with little effort and rewarding with a little spice. And to top it off, you don't need a garden bed. All the space you need to grow your own salsa garden is in a big container. Make sure to poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage, add soil and you're ready to add plants.

I asked for your easiest summer recipes and they are rolling in now. I love it when they are so quick and easy I can share three in one journal entry! Click here look at these yummy creations from my listeners.