The pace of modern life is so packed and structured, sometimes it’s great to have an open afternoon with nothing planned.
That’s how it was last Friday when, out of the blue, I got a text from my long-time friend Scott Coopwood from Cleveland.
“Headed to Jackson for Morgan Freeman’s Blues symphonic deal tonight. Do you have any interest in joining us? I’ve got two extra VIP tickets.” A quick call to Ginny and we were in.
We have known Scott and his wife Cindy for decades. He publishes the Bolivar Bullet in Cleveland, which my company prints on a contract basis, and Delta Magazine, Delta Business Journal, Delta Ag Journal and the Mississippi Business Journal. Their three grown children, Thomas, Jordan and Travis, all grew up in Cleveland. Jordan is a Northsider and a political lobbyist. Thomas lives in Oxford and has his own business. And Travis works in Nashville.
Between their friends, our friends, their children, and our children, we probably have thousands of interconnecting friends and family. This is the wonderful thing about Mississippi. It’s close-knit and personal.
Scott and I were friends and business colleagues in the 90s when the local news business was booming. My father would use Scott as an example to inspire me, noting that he had gone out and bought and started various publications and was growing a business. He’s a true entrepreneur.
Ah, those were the glory days before the monopolistic platforms crushed independent journalism. I’m reminded of the old Russian song “Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end . . .”
Scott and I have made this difficult 35-year journey together, often sharing insights and information or simply commiserating about the relentless struggle to survive in a new age.
On top of all that, Scott has battled heart disease and cancer. To see him fit and energetic filled me with joy and admiration for our amazing medical system.
Yet we live! Despite it all, there we were sitting at Estelle’s, the swanky restaurant at Jackson’s downtown Westin hotel, grabbing a bite before going to “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra” at the revived Thalia Mara.
The restaurant’s elegant, hip decor is about as sophisticated as it gets and the place was packed with a fascinating mix of people. The show was sold out. For a moment, I could forget about all the challenges that Jackson faces and really feel a sense of urban vibrancy in my hometown.
And then lo and behold, Morgan Freeman himself joined our table. Scott is ever the quintessential mover and shaker so of course they’re friends. Also, joining us was Eric Meier, who with Freeman and Howard Stovall are the executive producers of the symphonic blues show.
A few minutes later, the whole blues band joined us, just before heading to Thalia Mara to take the stage. It was quite a pre-show private party.
Interestingly, many of the band members actually got their start in a special program in the Delta to teach young people the blues. In a presentation during the show, there was a photo of one of the band members at age nine or so, learning to play blues guitar, while in the program. This is why we need to support the arts. It is crucial to our culture.
The symphonic blues experience has been a sellout in over 20 cities including Chicago, San Francisco and St. Petersburg. Their partners include Visit Mississippi, Visit Clarksdale, Memphis Tourism and Crossroads Economic Partnership.
The Jackson show was special, billed as the homecoming event. After all, the blues originated here. The entire event was mainly a Mississippi creation employing Mississippi artists.
It was a great show with a big screen displaying historical and contemporary photos and videos while Morgan Freeman narrates the history of the blues interspersed with over a dozen blues classics played by the blues band and backed by the symphony. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a symphony play the blues. The crowd loved it.
I saw so many friends and acquaintances at the show. The VIP after-party was a real treat. Mayor Horhn was there and my friend Councilman Ashby Foote and his wife Suzie and many other familiar friends and faces. The whole affair had such a great vibe and made me grateful and upbeat about living in Mississippi and Jackson.
There’s another huge joy to being from Mississippi and Jackson and it’s crystallized during the Easter weekend: Mississippi is one of the most spiritual places in the world.
Pew Research says Mississippi holds the number one spot nationally across several individual measures of faith:
— Importance of Religion: 61% say religion is "very important" in their lives.
— Daily Prayer: 62% report praying every day.
— Belief in God: 74% believe in God with "absolute certainty."
— Attendance: 54% attend religious services at least monthly.
In contrast, the least religious states are consistently found in New England, with Vermont (13%), New Hampshire (15%), and Maine (17%) reporting the lowest shares of highly religious adults.
I can’t imagine life without faith. It is fundamental to every breath I take. Faith is a gift from God worth more than all the money in the world. And God will give it to you if you pray sincerely and ask.
It’s hard to believe that the thousands of churches in our metro area sprang from the life of an itinerant carpenter shamefully crucified over 2,000 years ago. That in itself is the greatest miracle of all.
All of the struggles of life make perfect sense viewed through the prism of faith and Christ’s resurrection. We are moving on to glory. Christ suffered so we who are in Christ must suffer as well. But the struggles are nothing compared to the glory to come.
The Gospel says thousands saw and heard the resurrected Jesus. It was an unparalleled joyous miracle arising from the horrible crucifixion. The greatest evil transformed into the greatest good: the redemption of humanity. Happy Easter! He is risen!
