Interesting Folks Along the Way

The skies are a beautiful blue; the air feels good; Cades Cove was extremely quiet; and the morning began with a wonderful conversation with Mike Hickman. 

Barry and I met Mike several years ago at ChristyFest in Townsend, Tennessee.  He is a quiet, shy man who appears, at first, to be a man of few words.  We enjoyed getting to know Mike over the next several years, and I finally worked up enough nerve to sit down with him just to get to know him better.

One would think that over the years after teaching for 27 of those years, I could talk to just about anybody.  Normally I could.  This is different.  Mike is an everyday working guy and is very personable, but Mike is also an actor who has been in several movies.  This puts this approach in another perspective. Why?  I didn't want him to think I wanted to talk to him just because he was someone who had been in a television series or in movies, yet I really wanted to know him as the person who is absolutely so different from the memorable character he brought to life on television. The folks we meet along the way and are lucky enough to call a friend, add to the person we become.,
Mike played Birds Eye Taylor, a character from Catherine Marshall's book Christy.  He brought the harshness of Birds Eye to life in the movie, and even though Birds Eye is a rough and scary character, there is a glimpse of  softness that Mike allows the audience to witness.  It is brief and one must be diligently following to see Birds Eye's gentle side that he wants to remain hidden. 

Mike has also been in "The Crazies" (2010) and "Hope and Redemption: The Lena Baker Story" (2008). Two movies I know you will not want to miss.

Mike, the person, is so different from the harsh characters he plays on the screen.  Soft spoken, one finds he is an interesting character himself.  I look forward to getting to know him even better over the coming months as I work on my book.  Mike is the first of the many interesting people with whom I have come in contact, and I appreciate his time with Kathy and me.  Barry and I will be back to Townsend, Tennessee,  and I will bring many more questions and ideas to share with him about my book.

It is me again, Lord, thanking you for interesting folks who enter our lives.

A little Georgia Wisdom:  Friends can enter your life when you least expect them.  Take the time to get to know them and maybe a lifetime of friendship will be the result.