Richard H. Parker on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations and leaders who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations and leaders embody "Be the change you want to see in the world".

Throughout 2013, listeners have heard from presidents of organizations who are global change agents. We will also hear from CEOs of social enterprise businesses who are changing communities and college educators who are taking their students out of the classroom and into surrounding neighborhoods to learn and serve others.

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On Saturday, December 28, 2013, join us to hear Richard H. Parker, a foster grandparent to students at Napier Elementary School. Mr. Parker was featured on the front page of the Tennessean on Christmas Day. Mr. Parker and several other volunteers were profiled for being volunteers, in the most unlikely place.  Mr. Parker shared how the lives of the children were enhanced because of his volunteer work but how much his life has changed since he started volunteering at Napier Elementary.

In 2011, Mr. Parker became a foster grandparent with the organization Fifty Forward and has served as a tutor and mentor. He works with children regularly on their reading and comprehension, but the the hugs he received when he walks the hallway tells us that he helps so many more. When he isn’t tutoring kids in reading, he is helping with an in-school program called Men of Distinction, aimed at teaching Napier’s third- and fourth-grade boys with table manners, how to tie ties, how to respect girls and other life skills.

Mr. Parker will help us usher in 2014 with hearts ready to give more of time, talent, and treasure to our communities. He will also discuss with us why we were created to serve our neighbors and the importance of giving back to our communities.

 Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires, and motivates us to live our BEST life, is heard on 760AM The Gospel in the Middle-TN area, Tune In, Inspirational Networks, military bases and on Ustream.TV worldwide from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More About Richard  H. Parker

Richard Parker is an associate pastor/liturgist at Priestlake Christian FellowshipChurch in Antioch, TN. When he is not preaching/teaching you will find him volunteering as a foster grandparent for Fifty-Forward at Napier Elementary school in South Nashville, TN. 

Mr. Parker has a great deal of experience in a variety of ministry settings including planting churches. In addition to his pastoral duties, he is an event planner, a fund raiser, proposal/grant writer, board adviser, and public speaker. Mr. Parker has also worked in corporate America.

More about Fifty Forward Foster Grandparents 

Each year, approximately 80 low-income adults (age 60+) volunteer for one-on-one mentoring and tutoring of 1,000 or more young children who are at risk. These volunteers are paid a tax-free stipend and work in learning centers four hours a day, Monday-Friday. FiftyForward Foster Grandparents play an important role in the growth and development of the young children with whom they work. Current FiftyForward Foster Grandparent sites are:

• 15th Avenue Baptist Learning Center
• 18th Avenue Family Enrichment Child Care
• Bethlehem Center North
• Bordeaux Enhanced Option School
• Cora Howe Exceptional School
• Edgehill Center
• Fannie Battle Day Home
• The King’s Daughters Child Development Center
• Maddox YMCA
• McNeilly Center for Children
• McNeilly Toddler Center
• Napier Enhanced Option School
• Nashville Child Center
• Northwest YMCA
• Smithson Craighead Academy
• Temple Academy
• Tom Joy Head Start

This program is funded primarily through the Corporation for National and Community Service, the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, the State of Tennessee and FiftyForward. For more information about the FiftyForward Foster Grandparent program, please call (615) 743-3420. Program offices are in the Patricia Hart Building, at 174 Rains Avenue, Nashville.

  

Story from Tennessean by Heidi Hall and Terrance Dean
Photos by John Partpilo and WKRN

Home...Where Your Story Begins

For nearly a year, I worked tirelessly to finish a book trilogy. Along the way, I lost stem several times. In January, I was inspired to finish because of an interview with a respected surgeon turned author, Dr. Paul D. Parson. Paul D.Parson has written a series of books base on the Zulu beads given by Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boys Scouts, to the original Scout Masters. With historical events as the back drop, Parson  takes readers on a fictional journey to locate the Baden-Powell's beads. Paul shared with me he wrote the entire series before he released the first book. I was inspired after hearing his story and marketing strategies. So inspired, that I decided I would follow in his footsteps.

As a writer, my interest in authoring books was encouraged by many but Derrick Miles of Milestone Motivation Group was persistent in reminding to write books. Two years ago, I was a contributing author to Super-Human Performance. Derrick, known as the encourager, would say often, “Genma, you must put your stories in a book." I shared with him on several occasions about my desire to finish a book I had started that could be written as a series. After much encouragement from him (and many others) along with Paul's story, I said, “yes” to making it happen. For inspiration, I began reading through twenty-six years of journals that chronicled my every thought.

As I read my journals, I had forgotten how much they held. I put everything in my journals; the good, the bad, and the ugly. At times, I wondered out loud if my writings were from a woman going mad! Some years, I probably was. Many pages captured cherished moments from the lives of family and friends and my spiritual victories of hard fought battles. I rejoiced at seeing growth from one journal to another, laughed hysterically at trying to balance social commentary with social politics, lamented over the painful years of trying to raise teens, and was reminded how much has been accomplished over the years despite years of struggling. My journals were the perfect antidote to get me going. Along with years of blogging and writing for many publications, I had an abundance of material.

When I embarked on completing the series, I did not realize I would be pitted against will and might. Suddenly, it appeared as if the universe began to work against me all at once. Alex, the grand prince, became ill and spent weeks back and forth to hospitals. After getting him well, I was plagued with health issues from out of nowhere, while business accounts that were once solid were on shaky grounds. With illnesses taking front seat to life, invoicing got behind. Sending invoices is essential to getting paid. Very few folks voluntary pay a company.

What in the world was happening, I wondered often? The more I pushed through the more pressure mounted that sapped my energy daily. Pressure, anxiety, stress, and tension, entered my body, mind, and spirit. Not to mention, I had isolated myself to finish the book. Can wanting to finish a book bring strife in your life? I was seriously beginning to believe some evil force was hounding me. However, in spite of the hellish last several months, the final sentence was written.

How did it happen? My firm belief in praying daily was my foundation for staying strong. Add that to pure determination and inspiration found from a wooden sign also empowered me to complete what I had started. A wooden sign? Yes, prayer, determination, and my beautiful wooden sign!

At Christmastime, I bought a gift for myself from Mom’s Sign Company. Mom’s Sign Company is a Franklin, TN based company owned by Margaret Ziegler that specializes in hand painted wooden signs with heartfelt words for any occasion. I had ordered signs for gifts from Mom’s Sign Company before but never for myself. After browsing the site one night around midnight, I saw a sign that read “Home is where your story begins…” immediately my heart skipped a beat. I felt as if God was giving me the "okay" to share my heart and stories from the place that influenced me the most, home. My home, after years of starts and stops, had become an Oasis in my life.

After I received my sign, I nailed it to my wall above my office desk. This was the first time in a very long time that I actually bought a gift for ME! My office is where I work but it is also where I retreat to write for pleasure. Nailing my sign to the wall felt as if I planted the flag on the moon! I did not realize at the time how my sign would be such a powerful motivator over the next several months

When I entered into my writing zone, my words flowed freely for several weeks. But as weeks turned into months, unforeseen circumstances invaded my life. Illnesses hit my family, from my grandmother to my Grand Prince, like the plague of centuries ago and kept me distracted. There were many days spent wondering if Grand Prince Alex would be okay.  I would glance at my sign as I passed by my office door and read it boldly after praying for his recovery. When I became ill and wondered if I was going to see the next day, I repeated the words from my sign along with every prayer committed to memory. When I was discouraged, depressed, drained, and done, the words on my sign would inspire me to keep going. “Write a few words today,” it seemed to whisper. “Keep at it” it would remind me at times. “Do not give up,” it would yell often. And each day, no matter what, I added words to my story that started at home.

Last week, I met with several editors who looked at me as if they were seeing a ghost. I could read their thoughts, “She has been sick, when did she find time to finish?” I smiled to myself knowing that at home my secret weapon, my sign, helped me accomplish what many would have said was unthinkable. A believer in the power of words, my sign kept me motivated through tough times and was a constant reminder of the beauty of where your story begins.