All Roads Lead Home by Kim McCully-Mobley

This week has been a heavy week in our community.

I needed a little levity today and have decided to further my career options as a country western singer/tambourine player/table dancer upon retirement...which is part of my five-year plan.

We have all kinds of boutique popups these days for special events. We even have food truck popups. So, consider these 72 seconds of wailing sort of a little podcast popup in tribute to my boss's impending retirement.

He picks on me. A lot. My dad picked on me growing up...so did my brother. So, I sort of equate harassment with love. I am going to flat out pretend he really loves me and hope that I can keep my job until I can swing a contract with the music industry for spoofing songs or writing heartfelt parodies.

Don't try this at home. My apologies go out to Hee Haw fans worldwide who enjoyed 26 seasons of real comedy and real music.

tOur community, as well as several other towns around us, suffered what has been described as a "tremendous tragedy" in recent days. Some of our friends are planning four funerals in the wake of what was supposed to be a benefit fundraiser.

It was a beautiful day as the unthinkable happened at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, June 3rd. Hundreds of lives will never be the same. We don't understand it.

I hope we learn from this awful event. I hope we become better people. I hope we do some soul searching to make sure we make better decisions. I hope, as Christians, we pray for all of those involved---even the driver of the car who caused this grief and trauma. I do understand the anger and the pain. I just don't think it's good to stay there. 

Hug your people.
Make a difference.
Do the right things.
Make good decisions.
Life is too short.

Several of us joined together last week to help Chris Ackley place flags on the graves of some 1,100 veterans in Aurora's Maple Park Cemetery. This annual project is a nice backdrop for a Sense of Place Award we received last week from two national groups.

This Signature Award will help us pay tribute to our own veterans in a variety of platforms that are getting a jumpstart this summer. I will also benefit with some more professional development in the fall in Tennessee. I can't wait.

Among those set to be honored are our own Medal of Honor Recipient Harold Leo Turner and yet another World War I Veteran who made a mark on our town---Howard Whitsett Kelley. 

My longtime boss/colleague/friend and mentor Billy A. Redus is retiring this summer. This is a small tribute to him that reveals my song-writing talents and my unwillingness to tell him goodbye...ever.

I am quite sure the admiration I have for him is probably one-sided. I am okay with that. I know I am...a lot. I would apologize, but my intentions are good, I swear.  All joking aside, Billy is a man who makes everybody a little bit better with his sheer presence in a room.

He is a little bit Marionville Comet, Crane Pirate and Aurora Houn' Dawg all rolled into into one.

(I apologize for the heavy breathing. The pollen count in Barry County seemed really high this morning.)

-----
Here are my lyrics to the song spoof...50 Ways To Leave Aurora.
Eddie Valen added a little bit of creative license to them, too.


The problem is all 

Inside central office they said to me…

The answers are camouflaged if you take it personally…

I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free.

There must be—50 ways to leave Aurora.

She said it’s really not my routine to rebel.

I really hope you know you can’t really be expelled.

But I’ll repeat myself…at the risk of causing hell.

There must be 50 ways to leave Aurora.

You just jump out the door, Billy.

Get a little silly with Willie!

You don’t need to be witty…sh…bitty.

Just set yourself free.

Hop in the jeep, creep.

You don’t need to really weep.

Just drop off the keys, Redus.

And get yourself free.

You just jump out the door, Sqwilly.

Get a little silly with Willie!

You don’t need to be witty…sh…bitty.

Just set yourself free.

Hop in the jeep, creep.

You don’t need to really weep.

Just drop off the keys, Billy.

And get yourself free.

She said, “It pains me so

 To see you in such grief.

 I wish there was something I could do

 To make you really leaf.

 I said, “I appreciate that

 And would you please explain

 About the fifty ways?”

Mobley said, “Why don’t we both

 Just sleep on this thing so dire.

 And I believe in the morning

 I’ll probably get fired.

 And then she hugged me

 And I realized she probably was right

 There must be fifty ways

 To leave Aurora.

 Fifty ways to leave Aurora.

You just jump out the door, Billy.

Get a little silly with Willie!

You don’t  need to be witty…sh…bitty.

Just set yourself free.

Hop in the jeep, creep.

You don’t need to really weep.

Just drop off the keys, Billy.

And get yourself free.

You just jump out the door, Bill.

Get a little silly with Will!

You don’t need to be witty…sh…bitty.

Just set yourself free.

Hop in the jeep, creep.

You don’t need to really weep.

J

I have always been a sentimental girl. I cry when Ernest T. Bass throws rocks on Andy Griffith or when I see a sad little puppy photo on Facebook. I cry at the drop of a hat. I cry when I leave on vacation. I cry again when I come home. It usually takes 10 seconds for the first teardrop to fall.

Last week's graduation ceremony was no exception as the first senior traipsed across the stage at Aurora High School.

I'd like to blame it on hormones, men, age or allergies---but the truth is something much different. Go with me on this journey of reflection and sense of place as
All Roads Lead Home.

I had a Friday morning visit to the local radio station to spread cheer, information and random trivia along with the host of Friday's morning show---Bill Lewis. My longtime friend and colleague.

He had another guest with Aurora roots. Brett Heman joined us in behalf of the Monett Chamber of Commerce. Brett had some great ideas about collaborating with area communities to host bigger and better events for the citizens they all serve. We talked about shopping small, shopping local and supporting the ones who support you. 

I serve on the board of directors for the local Chamber of Commerce. I think this is my third stint on the board and I have helped with a variety of committees in the past. My nephew is president. My son has served as treasurer. I do believe a community's Chamber of Commerce is much like the school---it sets the tone and attitude for the entire community when it comes to growth, economic development and quality of life.

I am working on expanding my podcast and collaborating on a variety of projects designed to promote/protect/preserve our stories. My grandpa always told me to watch for signs and to pay attention to my gut instincts. My gut instincts are rarely wrong.

I watch people's eyes. I pay attention to body language. I read and reread emails, letters and texts. Join me on this journey about people, places, stories and truth. Help me encourage others to share their tales, find their collective voices and prioritize what matters in this thing called life--as All Roads Lead Home.

It has been 44 years since I graduated from Aurora High School. How can that be possible? I am still dreaming about Trans Ams, Willie Nelson and John Travolta. I love to disco and I still wear tie dye and feathers. A bonus comes as I realize I am still writing for The Aurora Advertiser and attending classes at good ol' AHS.

Take my words of advice with a grain of salt. I may have a high school diploma and three college degrees, but I have learned the most from the School of Hard Knocks. In fact, I have graduated with high praise from that particular university.

Life is short. Have fun. Keep celebrating. And remember,
at the end of the day---All Roads Lead Home.

We recently took 22 students and six chaperones on a two-day field trip focusing on humanity, resilience, taking a stand, finding your voice and sharing your stories. This particular podcast focuses on the firs day of our journey. It involved a visit Rohwer, a Japanese Internment Camp Site during World War II, and a visit with Richard Yada, who was born there.

One of the things Yada told the students when he shared his story hit home for me. He talked about how remaining silent can send a message of complicity. I realize we can't all fight all the battles.

But speaking up about the things that matter most does send a clear message to the people around us. We need to stand for truth, fairness and doing things the right way for the right reasons. Take a listen. And if you find yourself in McGehee, Arkansas, eat at The Owl's Nest and look up the mayor--Jeff Owyoung. You'll be glad you did.

We are down to one dog at the Mobley Chicken Ranch & Cowgirl Emporium. We lost Polly in October of last year. We said goodbye to Otis on Wednesday.  We don't have any chickens. We are down to one wayward cowgirl who doesn't seem to want to play by the rules. She has a good heart, though. We have one hard-headed hillbilly/biker/cowboy. It is awfully quiet. It seems the longer we live, the more our lives are often defined by the losses we bear.  A good friend told me that tears show us how much we love.  Pockets, our big-eared singer, is left behind to chase squirrels on his own. I poured my heart out with this one. I promise to write a rowdy one sometime soon. Just remember:
---All Dogs Really Do Go To Heaven. And, Goodbyes Aren't Forever.

This week is Homecoming Week at Aurora High School--my alma mater. We are also hosting a Valentine's Day Blood Drive, a Black Light Dance and Houn' Dawg Hall of Fame Induction for two local hometown heroes----Brian Fogle and Walt Pettit. 

I can't remember a time in my 61+ years when the Fogle and Pettit names weren't uttered in my household. Both men have made an impact on thousands of lives in the Ozarks. They are humble, selfless, energetic and charming. 

The Aurora Houn' Dawg Alumni & Outreach Center is proud to be a part of this event as we partner with Youth Empowerment Project and AHS Student Council. Advisory board members include: Michele Parbury, Jack Muench, Bob Journagan, Scott Pettit, Marcia Sadler, Jake McCully and Shannon Walker. Brad Boettler and Kim McCully-Mobley serve as co-directors.

As always--Once A Houn' Dawg, Always A Houn'Dawg has never held more true that it does today.

Here is a podcast/newspaper column I put together last month in tribute to Franklin David McCully, the father of my son and an individual I am still grieving. I hesitated to post it here.  It's personal and it's still a little too raw. But I want the words, his story and the message preserved and protected somehow. I spent a year as a girlfriend, 10 years as his wife and a lifetime as his friend. The world has a big hole in it with him gone in the physical sense, but I see his face in the stars, I hear his voice in my songs and I feel his presence when I'm sad.  He didn't like being sad. He didn't like other people being sad either. He loved parties, celebrations, holidays, adventure and fun. He loved old movies, all kinds of music, classic westerns, Andy Griffith and Star Trek. One of my last messages from him when I asked him how he was, said "I'm the handsomest sambitch you know." It still makes me laugh. 

Here in the Ozarks, we have a sense of gratitude and grace on a daily basis. 

Celebrating nature's bounty and the richness we share with relationships and opportunity are second nature to us.

I hope you don't mind humoring me a little as I reminisce about some favorite Thanksgiving memories and a little history lesson, to boot.

Our Leadership Class for the 2022-2023 school year helped decorate a wooden Christmas tree for the downtown square this holiday season. They are resilient students--who have been through a pandemic and some other challenges during their high school careers.

Above all, they are strong, creative, fun and determined. I learn as much from them as they do from me.

Each of them selected a word and a quote to talk about the power of words and self-fulfiling prophecy this holiday season. Please enjoy their Christmas wishes being sent your way---now and always.

Our media writing students created this script after decorating a special tree for our Community Christmas event in downtown Aurora. Each student focused on a character from the movie Up, which focuses on a character named Carl, who is old and cranky and in dire need of a friend.

Through this tale, we learn about wisdom, sacrifice, friendship and love, as well as the significance of a few surprises along life's journey. 

We talked about our feelings for each other, our community and how at the end of the day--All Roads Lead Home. It's a little rough, but I think you'll get the message.

"Touch down. Every morning.
10 times.
Not just now and then."

If you attended Aurora Schools between 1962 and 1986, you were probably exposed to exercising you tail off to the 45 record of CHICKEN FAT as Coach Poss Jackson led the charge.

At 98 years of age, he is showing up to help with the coin toss at Kelley Field at the Bell Bowl.

His legacy continues.

We are all just proud to be a part of it.

...."and don't be chicken again."

The Houn' Dawg mascot has a long and colorful history.

When you see the slogan: Don't Kick Our Dog, just know that it is paying homage to the story's military roots--that predate World War I.

If you see Once A Houn' Dawg--Always A Houn' Dawg, it is picking up on the school's passion for its spotted Houn' Dawg mascot that dates back to about 1925.

All in all, the Dawg/Dog is full of tenacity, spunk, surprises and come from behind determination. If his original name is Winston or Windsor, we just know that he is charming, fun and hard-working. 

Elvis said: You Aint Nothin' But A Hound Dog...and there's just nothin' I'd rather be.

I get asked a lot about the history of Kelley Field.
People want to know who the football field is named after.
They ask about the spelling of it.
They sometimes inadvertently suggest a name change, right before my head
starts spinning and I do a little stomping.

The stories about our past are important.
They help us know who we are, where we've been and where we are headed.

Take a listen to my story about Howard Whitsett Kelley.

I first wrote this as a Facebook post in the spring--when the shutdowns of the virus first started. Now...some eight months later, things still seem to be up in the air. We have hostile discussions on the news regarding politics, we have growing numbers of Corona cases in Missouri.  We have folks who have suffered. We have others who have plunged forward. Regardless of what we are facing or what may come our way next, here is my best advice.

Aurora has been selected as a partner site for a traveling Smithsonian Exhibit called Water/Ways. It is available for viewing now through October 12, 2020, with the price of admission at the Discovery Center in Springfield.

Water is an essential part of our lives for hydration, cooking, gardening, recreation, hygiene and splashing around in the rain. Think about it and take a listen.