River City Rising Blog

Author and mother, CJ Kirkland, writes of her observations of people, events and experiences that have had an impact on her life in and around Memphis. Born in New York, raised in the Bahamas, and now a Memphian by choice, she truly has a multi-cultural perspective.

Service and Sacrifice | River City Rising

Thursday, March 24, 2016

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A Spotlight on Alzheimer's Association Mid-South Chapter

Monday, March 21, 2016

The most meaningful gifts sometimes come in the smallest of packages. This was my sentiment when I entered the quaint offices of the Alzheimer’s Association in Memphis and was most certainly so after I left. It didn’t take long to register that those who work here do so with hearts and purpose so big their impact extends far beyond the office’s walls, into much of our community. And the reasons behind their drive to find a cure for Alzheimer’s are not simply rooted in the job descriptions given them. They go much deeper, having grown from personal experiences with a disease that many still do not understand though most know someone affected by it.

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A Son’s Leadership, A Father’s Love: Part 2 | River City Rising by CJ Kirkland

Monday, March 14, 2016

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A Son’s Leadership, A Father’s Love: Part 1 | River City Rising by CJ Kirkland

Friday, March 04, 2016

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Sam | River City Rising by CJ Kirkland

Friday, February 19, 2016

I share these words with you because here in Memphis we need bright, beautiful stars like you who will break barriers, pierce hearts, love bravely and live boldly. Though many may stare there are many who are suffering and it is the unrestrained love you pour out that will cause a frown to turn upside down.

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Inspiring Art at Kroc | River City Rising by CJ Kirkland

Wednesday, February 03, 2016

The benches placed throughout The Kroc from which I’ve often drawn motivation to stay and inspiration to come back were artistic creations birthed by a young lady whom until now I’d known only as a member of the Child Watch team. We immediately began conversing about art; I told her how much I loved the pieces displayed on the wall in the main corridor this month, especially one entitled Creation.

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A New Years Resolution | River City Rising

Friday, January 15, 2016

Filled with excitement and joy about what lie ahead, I hit the ground running into 2016- literally, as I participated in New York City’s Midnight Run. While I ran through one of the most beautiful spaces in New York I began making plans, reciting resolutions and considering the different stories I hoped to share.

As soon as I got back to Memphis.

Yet when I returned home following the holiday break, I was stopped in my tracks. A friend (and really, really great person) was going through a not-so-great situation. I realized that even though we were in a new year some of the “old” stuff still lingered. Some families were still in a season of fragility, some lives still fragmented. I was eager to get on with my new year’s resolutions but suddenly found myself wanting to just be- with my friend.

The To Do List was shoved to the side while she and I met up for mochas at Café Eclectic (the Star & Micey ordered, of course!) The list sat on my desk while we ran errands and grabbed lunch. It sat through phone conversations. It sat and sat, with not a single checkmark indicating “task completed.” One minute I’m running, full of adrenaline, towards my Goals For 2016.

Then I’m walking in Memphis.

Walking along the Mississippi River on Mud Island, which has now risen to within feet of the sidewalk, realizing that we are still in the first week of January and I’ve already fallen short on my new year’s resolutions. I began to feel defeated but as I looked out over the Mississippi I saw the lesson unfolding right in front of me. We make plans with the best of intentions yet, just as John Lennon said, “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”

For now the Mississippi River has covered most (if not all) of the green space on Mud Island. When it recedes it will leave behind debris that will need to be cleaned up. Some of us will separate from scheduled plans and become part of the restoration process and in time this space will return to its original beauty. I saw the analogy between this sequence of events and my aforementioned first week of January. A friend’s life had been unexpectedly flooded, with things that were once beautiful and functional now murky and muddy and a bit messy. But I believe that she will see restoration and in that belief lies for me a new New Year’s resolution: to understand the importance of sometimes setting aside scheduled plans and making room for the unscheduled happenings that bring the most meaning to my life.

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