Friday, July 17, 2015

Glasses of Kindness, Compassion, and Hope


        Twenty-five years ago I was the new kid on the block.  Moving to Lexington from a smaller town, I wasn’t exactly sure how I should go about becoming a part of the community.  Every community has its own culture, its own personality and I needed a mentor, an established citizen who would be a good example to follow.  That’s when I met Lee Jessup. 

        I first met Lee at the Kiwanis Club.  I was already a Kiwanis member, so I joined the Lexington Club and quickly discovered that Lee personified the spirit of the club.  He was engaging and affirming, full of life and energy.  It was evident that he was respected by the entire club, young and old.  The first thing I admired about Lee was that he was his own person.  We were both ministers, but Lee wasn’t your stereotypical, stodgy, and secluded First church preacher.  He didn’t follow the unwritten minister’s manual like I often did, Lee was writing his own manual and I liked his a lot better.  He was authentic, he was real and he was a vital force in our community. 

        Lee wrote a weekly religion column for The Dispatch.  He was the spiritual voice of the community.  Witty and entertaining, inspiring and grace-filled, his columns were about real life.  I couldn’t wait for the Saturday paper to come to read what Lee had to say. 

        I had only been in Lexington a couple of years when I heard that Lee was leaving.  My first thought was that Lexington would never be the same.  There would be a huge gap that no one else could fill.   Chad Killebrew, at The Dispatch, spoke to me one Sunday about becoming a religion writer for The Dispatch.  I would be joining three other writers to write a column once a month, rather than every week.  In my first column I paid a tribute to Lee and told the readers that there was no way I could take his place. 

        Then the big news came in 2001 that Lee was moving back to Lexington to become the president of the United Way.  It was a brilliant move by the United Way Directors.  They could not have selected a better person to inspire and motivate this community to compassionate giving and service.  Over the past 14 years Lee has become a good friend.  We attend a men’s Bible Study every Thursday morning.  We serve together in Kiwanis.  We cross paths at many community events. 

        A few years ago, Lee went with us to Belize as we were preparing for a medical mission trip.  He solicited hundreds of reading glasses that we later distributed across the country.  I had written the mayor of one Belizean city to inquire about using the community center for our medical clinic.  There is normally a rental fee that we were prepared to pay.  I mentioned in the letter that I would be visiting his town in advance of the medical team and that Dr. Jessup would be joining me.  I didn’t bother to explain what type of doctor he was.

        When we arrived we went to city hall to see the mayor.  It looked like we were getting the run around when I casually mentioned to the receptionist that Dr. Jessup was waiting with us and had glasses with him.  The next thing I knew people were rushing around, doors were opened and we were treated like VIPs.  The mayor, his brother, his wife, and all his cousins soon had new glasses and the community center was being offered free of charge.  The great Dr. Jessup had come to town and hearts were opened.

        For the past 14 years the great Dr. Jessup has helped us to see our community through glasses of compassion, kindness and hope. Davidson County has been blessed through his inspiring leadership.  The good news is that Lee will not be leaving town.  He will continue to be a vital force for good in our community.  And I know he will always be engaging and affirming, full of life and energy. 

        Lexington is a better city because of Lee’s presence and leadership.  We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude.  Thank you, Lee.  I am grateful to call you my friend.