After I had  moved to Jackson about three years ago, I noticed that my fiancé got kind of excited about the local news. He said, “Let’s see what Barbie has to say about the weather!” And he would comment if Maggie (or Howard or Roslyn) was on that night. I thought how silly. Who’s Maggie and Barbie? And who cares about their local news team? Well, it didn’t take very long before I started caring because I realized that WLBT is a hometown team. They’re more like family for Jackson and I imagine this is also true for many across the entire state of Mississippi. So when I saw that Barbie had written a book, I grabbed the first copy that I could get my hands on and started reading.

When Barbie was at Lemuria yesterday I shared this thought with her as it related to her book: “I don’t know how to put this, but I think we are two very different women,  although we are nearly the same age . . . ”

Barbie has spent most of her life in Mississippi; I landed in Mississippi not long ago and have lived in some rather different places. She has been married for a good while and has three kids; I am just getting to the married part and have no children yet. Barbie is very active in her church; I am not-so-much these days.

Forecasts and Faith is a book about how one person has dealt with the challenges of life. Certainly, we all have tough times in life and we all spend a good deal of time listening to how others deal with their own tough times, whether it be amongst friends, through television shows, coworkers or faith groups.  Barbie is just somebody who is a very familiar face to us and has taken the time to not just tell her story to her community but to also share her heart and the different ways her faith has helped her get along in life. As Barbie hopes, I believe her book does inspire and reach out to a broad audience of readers.

Barbie expressed some amazement that so many people would want to read her book. I am not surprised at all because most of us hunger for connection with others. I think stories have the power to connect so many different people, and soon the world becomes less isolating and bewildering. Individuals become community when their stories are told, and Barbie has sincerely shared hers with us.

Me and Barbie!

See Barbie’s website and blog for more information about her life and work and upcoming events.

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