A-Bear's Cafe

My An Arkie's Faith column from the May 4, 2022, issue of The Polk County Pulse.

After a long day's drive to Houma, Louisiana, our GPS took us to the corner of Bayou Black Drive and Barrow Street, where we spotted the quaint old building that housed A-Bear's Cafe, where we were meeting my brother-in-law and sister-in-law from Washington state. They were in Houma to attend the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Terrebonne Parish as members of Team Relay Nation. We pulled into the crowded parking lot, and I finally found a place to park behind the old building. 

As we walked into the old house converted into a restaurant, we told the hostess that we were here to meet the group from Relay For Life, and they pointed toward the back room of the crowded restaurant. The room was packed, barely leaving room for the waitresses to serve. We were cramped as people made room for us at the long table. The restaurant was alive, with a down-home, country, family vibe.  

Live music filled the restaurant with the sounds of oldies. The vocalist began singing Neil Diamond's, Sweet Caroline. "Where it began, I can't begin to knowing. But then I know it's growing strong." It seemed like the conversations at our table stopped as everyone listened to the music. There's something about the way the song's bridge builds to a soaring chorus that seemed to grab everyone's attention. "Hands, touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you. Sweet Caroline," Then, as if by magic, the group spontaneously filled the musical fill with, "ba, ba, ba," and the vocalist continued. "Good times never seemed so good." And it did seem like good times. The next time the chorus came around, the entire restaurant chimed in with, "ba, ba, ba." 

A-Bear's Cafe has been owned and operated by the Hebert family since 1963. In the 2014 article in the digital magazine Country Roads, Alex V. Cook writes, "Jane Hebert and her husband bought the place that had been the family home of Judge Edward "Jimmy" Gaidry. "I think there were eight or nine kids raised in here," said Hebert. And with a modicum of changes, it remains. A bustling lunch crowd trod the same hardwood floors as have countless hungry Houmans at ABear's for a half a century.

"Fifty-one years, actually," Hebert said. "My husband did all the cooking until about five years back." Hebert is a common enough name in the area that I wondered about the outsider-friendly spelling. "That's what it sounds like," she flatly replied." When Alex asked her how she and her husband got in the business she responded, "My husband was born legally blind, and he was cooking on the quarter boats up in Cameron, around there, and in the early '60s they started enforcing the insurance, and he couldn't pass the regulations. His dad was working at the water plant just around back and saw this for rent, so we took it over. I mean, he could have chosen to settle on disability, but we've always worked."

Albert Hebert cooked in A-Bear's kitchen from the day the cafe opened its doors in 1963 until he was no longer able to in 2010. However, Albert Hebert loved the restaurant so much he continued to visit until 2014 to continue his tradition of sneaking away to talk and joke with the customers.

What is unique about A-Bear's Restaurant is the family-like environment and its relaxed atmosphere. As we were eating, a man in a white shirt walked through the restaurant. He was stopping at tables to visit with people. When he came to our table, I could see that his shirt read, "Mayor of ABears Cafe." As the mayor made his way to our end of the table, he stopped to visit with each person. He asked where I was from, and when I replied, "Mena, Arkansas," he told me of the time he visited Mena and Queen Wilhelmina State Park almost forty years ago. 

As the mayor recounted the story of his visit to the Queen Wilhelmina lodge to attend a truck show, he talked about his wife's fear as they drove up the mountain. The Houma, Louisiana area is very flat, you must drive one hundred miles north to reach an elevation of 100 feet, and she had never experienced a road like the Talimena Drive. As he talked, it was easy to see that he loved his hometown and the surrounding area. His historical knowledge of the area is impressive and he always has an anecdote for any situation. He is proud of his son, Travis, a boat captain who charters fishing expeditions. His clients have included Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, and country music singers Chris Young and Jimmy Allen. 

Along with probably everyone else at our table, I invited the mayor to attend the Relay For Life the following afternoon. When we were ready to leave, I told him that we were now friends since he had visited Mena and I was visiting Houma. He told me, "No, we are more than friends; we are brothers." The next afternoon the mayor, Nat, messaged me, "we will try to head that way in a little while." Nat is the kind of friendly guy to whom it is easy to talk. He is a true ambassador for South Louisiana. He and his wife stopped by the Team Relay Nation booth, and I had another chance to visit and learn more about the area. 

In Ephesians 5:1,2 (AMP), Paul writes: "Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance." It is possible for us to imitate Christ, to represent and communicate His desires and will while we are here on earth. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ." 2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV)

Gentle Reader, as a Christian, you are an ambassador for Christ. You represent Christ in your sphere of influence. Your actions speak volumes more to people around you than what you say. We can think that we represent Christ if we often speak of Him to others. But our lives, decisions, what we do, and what we don't do in daily situations speak to others the most. Be an ambassador like Nat, the mayor of A-Bear's Cafe. Be an ambassador for Christ.

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Photos taken at A-Bear's Cafe are used courtesy of Steve Dutcher

Sawbones

Every day as I take my morning walk I listen to podcasts.  My interests range from history to folk music, from religion to geocaching.  Some of my favorite podacasts are, Stuff You Missed in History Class, A Way With Words, Voice of Prophecy, Fresh Folk, Podcacher: Geocaching Goodness, and Sawbones.  The most entertaining of all of the podcasts I listen to is Sawbones.

Sawbones is Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin.  The show is, according to them, a marital tour of misguided medicine.  On the show they dig through the annals of medical history to uncover odd, weird, wrong, dumb and just plain gross ways we've tried to fix people over the years.

Some of my favorite topics in the last few months have been, Warts, Tuberculosis, Pregnancy Tests, Leprosy, Royal Rife, Teething, and Headaches.

The shows are very entertaining and keep me laughing as I listen to them. I love history and Sawbones is full of history but it is presented in a way that is anything but dry and boring.  Justin and Sydnee have fantastic chemistry, (you really get a sense of their relationship), and are a lot of fun to listen to.  I'm not sure how they do it but they can even make Cholera and the Black Plague funny.

If you are in the medical profession or are just interested in medicine or history I highly recommend that you give Sawbones a listen.  You will never view medicine quite the same way ever again.

Valentine

V is for Valentine.  I love history and learning.  Many things we learn about history are a bit uncertain, but it is always a little frustrating when you can't find out with any certainty the history of someone or something. The origin of St. Valentine and Valentine's Day is one of those topics.

Who was Saint Valentine?  According to the website Catholics Online, The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

It is unclear how the modern idea of celebrating Valentine's Day by giving gifts to your romantic partner started and evolved into the commercialized holiday that it is today.  According to market research, Valentine's Day sales reached $17.6 billion last year; this year's sales are expected to total $18.6 billion.

The first time Valentine's Day is associated with romantic love is in the poem titled Parlement of Foules, written in 1382 by Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer wrote: "For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird comes there to choose his mate."  This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. When they were married they were each only 15 years old.

Valentine's Day is mentioned by William Shakespeare in the play, Hamlet:
To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.

It became very popular for young men to write verses of poetry on a card and give them to their lovers.  As early as 1800, companies began mass-producing cards for those who had poor poetry skills.  In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced in 1847.  The U.S. Greeting Card Association says that 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. When you include the valentine cards exchanged by school children, the figure goes up to 1 billion.

Will you be my valentine?

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Tulip Mania

T is for Tulip Mania.  Originally cultivated in the Ottoman Empire, tulips were imported into Holland in the sixteenth century. As the Dutch Golden Age grew, so did this colorful flower. Tulips became popular in paintings and festivals. In the mid-seventeenth century, tulips were so popular that they created the first economic bubble, known as "Tulip Mania".

Everyone began to deal in bulbs, essentially speculating on the tulip market, which was believed to have no limits. The true bulb buyers began to fill up inventories for the growing season, depleting the supply further and increasing scarcity and demand. Soon, prices were rising so fast and high that people were trading their land, life savings, and anything else they could liquidate to get more tulip bulbs. Somehow, the tulips enjoyed a twenty-fold increase in value - in one month!

Needless to say, the prices were not an accurate reflection of the value of a tulip bulb. As it happens in many speculative bubbles, some prudent people decided to sell and reap their profits. A domino effect of progressively lower and lower prices took place as everyone tried to sell while not many were buying. The price began to dive, causing people to panic and sell regardless of losses.

Dealers refused to honor contracts and people began to realize they traded their homes for a tulip bulb; panic was prevalent throughout the land. The government attempted to step in and halt the crash by offering to honor contracts at 10% of the face value, but then the market plunged even lower.  No one emerged unscathed from the crash. Even the people who had locked in their profit by getting out early suffered under the depression that followed.

From 1634 to 1637, an index of Dutch tulip prices soared from approximately one guilder per bulb to a lofty sixty guilders per bulb. By the peak of tulip mania in February of 1637, a single tulip bulb was worth about ten times a craftsman’s annual income. 

Today, Holland is still known for its tulips and other flowers, often being affectionately called the "flower shop of the world." Tulips are cultivated in great fields of beautiful color, and tulip festivals abound throughout the country in the spring.  The Dutch people took their love of tulips abroad when they settled, and tulips and tulip festivals are now found in New York and Holland, Michigan, where the connection to their Dutch roots is very strong.

The photos in this blog were taken at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  Each spring when the tulips are in bloom, the gardens are covered with over 150,000 tulips that  line the walkways of Arkansas' premier botanical garden.

The peak tulip viewing times at the gardens are March 15 through April 1. Garvan Woodland Gardens are beautiful any time of the year, but I think that the tulip season is the best.  We make sure to visit the gardens during tulip time each year.

To read many other great blogs or to become part of the ABC Wednesday family click here.

Let Them Eat Cake - The Mena Star

This is my article as published in the October 24, 2013 issue of The Mena Star

My favorite podcast is called Stuff You Missed in History Class.  I have always loved history and this podcast brings so many things to my attention that I never knew before.  Recently I listen to a podcast on the life of Marie Antoinette.  I learned something new about those famous words of hers, "let them eat cake".

Even if you know very little about Marie Antoinette, you have probably heard that when the peasants of France were starving from lack of bread she proclaimed, "let them eat cake".

Actually, Marie Antoinette never said it.  She was known to be concerned for the peasants.  There are records of her taking care of a peasant who'd been gored by a wild animal as well as taking in an orphaned boy.  Besides written accounts of her kind and generous nature, there are undisputed facts that prove she never spoke those famous words.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote "let them eat cake" in his book, Confessions, that was first published in 1782. Marie Antoinette was 10 years old under her mother's care in Austria when the book was published.  

The expression isn't as harsh as it sounds. What Rousseau actually wrote is "qu'ils mangent de la brioche." This doesn't mean "let them eat cake," it means "let them eat egg based bread". Brioche, egg based bread, was a more expensive bread than the typical flour and water bread of the French peasants. A French law required bakers to sell their brioche at the same price as their inexpensive bread if they ran out. What has been translated as "let them eat cake" actually meant, "if they have no inexpensive bread, let them eat the more expensive brioche.

In the late 18th century, much of the French population was living in desperate poverty, while the upper classes were living a life of decadence. As a result, dissatisfaction quickly spread throughout the city of Paris. Why should people go hungry when the King and Queen had enough to feed everyone? Why should people live in abject poverty, when those inside the palace had more than they could possibly consume in a thousand lifetimes? Why should people be content with poverty when there were people who lived a life of luxury on the back of their tax dollars?

In 18th century France, the contrasts between the palace and the streets were so strong that it led to widespread anger. The people knew from experience that the current government was not a solution to their problems. In fact, the royal family seemed to be making life harder with each passing day.  The person who drew the most criticism was Marie Antoinette, whose foreign birth and extravagant lifestyle made her an easy target for public anger.  It was easy to fabricate stories about the queen's spendthrift habits. Very likely, someone attributed the words to her, and the story seemed true enough.  

Here in the 21st century we still see these same feelings.  Frustrated people through the centuries have felt there has got to be better government.  Is there any hope for something better, or do we just have to learn to live with imperfect human government?

There is something in the human heart that longs for honest government. Maybe if we just had new leadership things would be better.  There is a longing for a system we can trust. 

The good news is that there is something better.  There really is a kingdom coming that is entirely free from corruption.  We can't expect honest human government, but God gives us this promise in the Bible, "During the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or given to another group of people. This kingdom will crush all the other kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will continue forever". Daniel 2:44

Jesus said in John 18:36, “My kingdom does not belong to this world".  "God's blessings, which cannot be destroyed or be spoiled or lose their beauty, are kept in heaven for you".  1 Peter 1:4

"So let us be thankful, because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We should worship God in a way that pleases him with reverence and respect".  Hebrews 12:28

I'm ready for a change in government.   I'm ready for a kingdom that can't be shaken.  

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I come quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.  Revelation 22:20

Independence

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

These words begin one of the most famous documents in the history of the world.  The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.  They are some of the most recognized words anywhere.

Unfortunately, most Americans are not well versed in their history.  I love history and am always interested in learning more.  It seems to me that when Americans talk about history it is only in how it relates to their viewpoints today.  There is little study and discussion of history for history's sake.

Maybe it is because our country is such melting pot that so many of us are not well versed in this countries beginnings.  My ancestors in this country predate the Declaration of Independence.   My great great great great grandfather, James Vowels, fought in the Revolutionary War.

According to a document that I found, James Vowels was a soldier in the Army of the Revolution.  James was born in Virginia in 1738. He enlisted in 1776 under Captain George Slaughter of the 8th Virginia Regiment.  He fought in the Battles of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, Germantown on October 4, 1777 and several others.  He wintered with his regiment at Valley Forge and served out the time of his enlistment faithfully.

When his enlistment was up, he came home to Virginia and married Anne Fields in April 1781.  After the wedding he again joined the Army and was at the siege of Yorktown.  After the surrender of Cornwallis on October 19 1781, he returned home to Culpepper County Virginia where he lived until his death on April 17, 1815.

My great great great great grandfather was a part of some of the most important events in American history.  He experienced the hardships of Valley Forge.  He was part of the Army that forced the English General Cornwallis to surrender and end the war.  He helped America gain its independence.  He was a true patriot.  I’m proud to be a descendant of James Vowels.

Philadelphia held the first celebration of independence on July 4, 1777, and in 1781, Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday.   After the Revolutionary War, Americans continued to celebrate Independence Day every year, in events that allowed the new nation to create a feeling of unity.  The tradition of Independence Day celebrations became even more widespread after the War of 1812, in which the United States again faced Great Britain. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4th a federal holiday.

Today as we barbecue, picnic, go to the lake, shoot off fireworks, or whatever we do to celebrate the day, let's take time to remember the bravery of the men who risked their lives in a time of war to boldly sign the Declaration of Independence.

Let Them Eat Cake

My favorite podcast is called Stuff You Missed in History Class.  I have always loved history and this podcast brings so many things to my attention that I never knew before.  Recently I listen to a podcast on the life of Marie Antoinette.  I learned something new about those famous words of hers, "let them eat cake".

Even if you know very little about Marie Antoinette, you have probably heard that when the peasants of France were starving from lack of bread she proclaimed, "let them eat cake".

Actually, Marie Antoinette never said it.  She was known to be concerned for the peasants.  There are records of her taking care of a peasant who'd been gored by a wild animal as well as taking in an orphaned boy.  Besides written accounts of her kind and generous nature, there are undisputed facts that prove she never spoke those famous words.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote "let them eat cake" in his book, Confessions, that was first published in 1782. Marie Antoinette was 10 years old under her mother's care in Austria when the book was published.  

The expression isn't as harsh as it sounds. What Rousseau actually wrote is "qu'ils mangent de la brioche." This doesn't mean "let them eat cake," it means "let them eat egg based bread". Brioche, egg based bread, was a more expensive bread than the typical flour and water bread of the French peasants. A French law required bakers to sell their brioche at the same price as their inexpensive bread if they ran out. What has been translated as "let them eat cake" actually meant, "if they have no inexpensive bread, let them eat the more expensive brioche.

In the late 18th century, much of the French population was living in desperate poverty, while the upper classes were living a life of decadence. As a result, dissatisfaction quickly spread throughout the city of Paris. Why should people go hungry when the King and Queen had enough to feed everyone? Why should people live in abject poverty, when those inside the palace had more than they could possibly consume in a thousand lifetimes? Why should people be content with poverty when there were people who lived a life of luxury on the back of their tax dollars?

In 18th century France, the contrasts between the palace and the streets were so strong that it led to widespread anger. The people knew from experience that the current government was not a solution to their problems. In fact, the royal family seemed to be making life harder with each passing day.  The person who drew the most criticism was Marie Antoinette, whose foreign birth and extravagant lifestyle made her an easy target for public anger.  It was easy to fabricate stories about the queen's spendthrift habits. Very likely, someone attributed the words to her, and the story seemed true enough.  

Here in the 21st century we still see these same feelings.  Frustrated people through the centuries have felt there has got to be better government.  Is there any hope for something better, or do we just have to learn to live with imperfect human government?

There is something in the human heart that longs for honest government. Maybe if we just had new leadership things would be better.  There is a longing for a system we can trust. 

The good news is that there is something better.  There really is a kingdom coming that is entirely free from corruption.  We can't expect honest human government, but God gives us this promise in the Bible, "During the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or given to another group of people. This kingdom will crush all the other kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will continue forever". Daniel 2:44

Jesus said in John 18:36, “My kingdom does not belong to this world".  "God's blessings, which cannot be destroyed or be spoiled or lose their beauty, are kept in heaven for you".  1 Peter 1:4

"So let us be thankful, because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We should worship God in a way that pleases him with reverence and respect".  Hebrews 12:28

I'm ready for a change in government.   I'm ready for a kingdom that can't be shaken.  

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I come quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.  Revelation 22:20