Friday, March 27, 2015

On the BVU ex-employee

I read online that a fellow who used to work for Bristol Virginia Utilities has entered a guilty plea to federal charges involving money. That guy was a good friend of mine back when I was helping out as their junior varsity counsel and the fiber optic network was still in the works. I went with his group to meetings related to municipal broadband in Georgia, Maryland, and Charlottesville. He might have been with us when we went up to hear the argument in the Missouri preemption case before the United States Supreme Court. I sat next to him at most of the board meetings that I attended. As with a few others I have known who broke bad but were good to me, he was wrong to get into such a mess and it is upsetting that he must have caused a terrible hardship to my other friends who worked there, yet if we ever meet again he should not be surprised if I shake his hand and ask him if he has time to sit down and tell a few stories.

At my Grandma Minor's funeral, the story was told about how she would go into the jail and pray with the ladies there and one day she came across a young woman who had been in her group of Baptist girls at the church. 

"It could have been," the minister said, "an awkward moment. But Ms. Minor didn't hesitate. She lifted her up! She told her it was good to see her, and they had a fine time together."

On a good day, I follow her example.