What do you plan to do after graduation? (The question was asked to Madison County High School seniors earlier this month.)

Welcome class of 2009, teachers, administrators, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. I think that I can say for the most of us seniors that today is certainly a day of celebration and we thank you for sharing it with us. Over the last four years, we have all had our share of high school drama, tardies, and, of course, the inevitable arguments with “the parentals.”

A roving vessel is making its rounds on a mission to help make at least a small corner of the world a better place. Misbehaving “pirates” improperly board it, halting it from making any further progress. A stand-off of sorts ensues and the vessel remains out of service. This sounds something like last month’s Maersk Alabama drama in which pirates operating on the high seas off the coast of Somalia boarded the large container ship as it was en route to delivering, among other things, relief supplies. But we’re actually talking here about Madison County’s mobile recycling trailer and events that took place in Banco, not Mogadishu.

I am writing this letter to voice my disappointment and the disappointment of Board of Directors of the Madison Chamber of Commerce on the “non vote” on April 2, 2009, by the Town Council for the proposed zoning text amendment dealing with mixed use zoning in the Town of Madison.

With the downturn in the economy causing workplaces to cut back and cut corners, resulting in more and more people losing jobs, many people – particularly people in their middle or late middle age – have been forced to rethink their entire job history and to re-inventory what gifts and graces they bring to the next place where they will work.

April is National Poetry Month. The inspiration came from the successful 1956 celebration of Black History Month (February), Women’s History Month (March) and based on studies of booksellers, teachers and Liberians, April seems to be the appropriate time during the year to give attention toward the art of poetry and encourage poetry readers.

We have crossed over that secular “holiday” of Tax Day. We may have even seen or participated in a TEA party recently. Money has been on our minds this week, even this week after the great celebration of Easter. It certainly has been on our minds this year as we have seen great sums lost by just about everyone, and we have had great sums proposed and passed as stimulation to our economy and for our governments upcoming budget.