I started playing golf as a teenager in my hometown of Emporia, VA and began watching the Masters several years later. I have been fortunate enough to go to the Masters many times, and it is a very special occasion. While it has a very different feel, I’ve also attended The British Open (or as the British call it, “The Open”) – an equally historic and majestic tournament.

The Masters is not only unique and beneficial to Augusta, it creates many benefits for the city of Columbia. If you visit our very rapid restaurant scene here in town, you will see people from all over who have made the Midlands their home for the week. Local hotels are jam-packed, as well as our area golf courses. All of this is a very good thing for our local economy and tourism industry!

I may be going down to the Masters and, whether I decide to make the trip or not, I will be glued to the television both Saturday and Sunday. Who is my favorite? Well Dustin Johnson, of course! DJ is a product of South Carolina Junior Golf and one of my hometown heroes! Go DJ!

I don’t have any grandkids yet, but I have two wonderful sons and a daughter-in-law. I am very proud of them, and I wake up every day in part because of them!

Nothing warms my heart more than the wonder of little children. Two little children in Mike Kelly’s world are Sage Whittaker and Liam Smith. Sage is the daughter of Chef Ryan Whittaker and his lovely wife Cheryl, who I consider a part of my family. Chef Ryan just happens to run one of the best little bistros on the planet. @116 Wine and Espresso is a unique and special place. Sage is pictured below as his sous chef in training. She is absolutely adorable and those big blue eyes of hers can steal the heart of anyone!

The second child in my life, Liam, is the grandchild of my very good friends, Pam and Ron Smith of Winnsboro, South Carolina. He is their only grandchild, and he is one awesome little dude.

Liam came up here for a week from Tampa to be with his grandparents, and they travelled everywhere. He even went to Bishopville in search of the Lizard Man. He has become one of my new best friends and if I could get away with it, I would like a haircut like his. (LOL!) He is extremely smart and is definitely going places in this world! He is pictured below, visiting me in my Columbia office.

The world may seem to be in turmoil, but as long we are nurturing the children around us, like these two precious ones, the future remains bright for them to take over our generation and make the world a better place!

 

I have friends and readers of many faiths, but in light of the upcoming Easter holiday I want to focus on my own Christian faith for this week’s Kelly Gram.

I am inspired by the Episcopal devotional, Forward Day by Day, as well as a sermon I remember from a long time ago by one of my friends, Dr. Marshall Edwards, who pastored at two churches in the Columbia area, First Baptist Church and St. Andrews Baptist Church. Dr. Edwards’ sermon, which I still have on audiotape, was entitled “It’s Friday but Sunday is Coming”, making reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Friday and his Resurrection on the third day.

To quote the author of Monday’s reading, “The authorities wanted Jesus dead. His teaching was a threat to the establishment. They wanted Lazarus dead, too, but for a different reason. Lazarus’ very life was a testimony on God’s power to raise the dead. His existence was a rebuke to the world of fear, might, and commerce.” He goes on to say, “It’s no different in our time. Someone who wanted to extinguish hope gunned down Martin Luther King Jr.” And this very week, terrorists that wanted to upset the world order struck again in Belgium, killing at least 30 people and wounding about 230 others.

There are many hate crimes against people because of their race, sexual orientation, or religious preference. It is truly a disconcerting time to be here on this earth. I choose to believe, however, because Jesus was resurrected and lives, that there is still a world full of hope. This world of hope will never be extinguished by the force of evil and, therefore, Easter is a time for celebration and joy.

I often get ideas and inspirations for the KellyGram from one of my morning devotional books. I have referred to Tony Dungy’s The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge several times in the past and today, I am referencing the message from March 9th. This passage made me keenly aware that I need to stop focusing on myself and my issues (we all have crosses to bare) and direct my attention to helping those around me and my clients, who are carrying their own burdens. It is dictated by my faith that I help my fellow men and women around me with their problems. Because their issues are not my problems, I can use my legal training, and life experiences – which include many peaks and valleys – to offer a kind and objective word as I assist them in what they are going through.

Aside from the matters of faith, helping others is therapeutic and beneficial to the person giving the help. I am in the business of helping others, so I am at my best when I am caring for someone other than myself. Just something to ponder over this beautiful South Carolina weekend!

I don’t know whether my extreme case of spring fever is emanating from the fact that I am older, still dealing with a personal tragedy, or simply just want to get out and have fun (probably all of the above!), but I am ready for Spring! The Midlands, and indeed all of South Carolina, has lots of festivals throughout the spring, and the ones coming up in March and April are some of my favorites. I so enjoy events like St Patrick’s Day in Winnsboro, Myrtle Beach, and Columbia, the Master’s and Heritage Golf Tournaments, A Taste of Lake Murray, and the Cayce Festival for the Arts. And, of course, Easter comes early this year (March 27th). Spring is a time of new beginnings, optimism, and hope for the future to run rampant.

God has given us much to be thankful for here in South Carolina, and I strongly urge each and every one of you to get out there, to enjoy our beautiful state, and to have fun!

The Mike Kelly Law Group has a very close working relationship with the Beasley Allen Law Firm out of Montgomery, AL. They are national leaders in pursuing high-end plaintiff’s litigation of all types, and when we at the MKLG come across an injured victim that requires exceptional fire power in order to effectuate a just result, we associate the Beasley Allen firm.

Beasley Allen has made me aware of a new cause of action they are pursuing – talcum powder litigation.

Studies are showing a link between the use of talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Talcum powder has be used since the 1890s, and today about 40% of women still use talcum powder. Sadly, each year 25,000-30,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and scientists believe that approximately 10% of these cases (2,500 to 3,000) are related to the use of talcum powder.

Last week a jury in the state of Missouri awarded a 72 million dollar verdict to the family of Jackie Fox against Johnson and Johnson, producer of baby powder. Fox died of ovarian cancer in October 2015 and evidence showed a link between her cancer and her long term use of Johnson and Johnson’s talc product. If you or your loved one have experienced something similar, please contact the Mike Kelly Law Group for assistance in investigating and handling your claim.

Columbia is home to the Hamilton Owens Field, which is a state of the art facility located in the heart of Rosewood. After my wife’s death last year, I was appointed by the Richland County Council to be on the commission that oversees this airport. In this position, I have learned so much about how well Hamilton Owens Field operates and benefits our economy in ways we take for granted.

During my years as USC’s School of Law Building Fund Chairman, I had the privilege of flying on both of the University’s planes, which are housed out at Hamilton Owens Field. I witnessed firsthand just what a well-oiled machine Hamilton Owens Field really is. Our director is Chris Eversmann, a veteran public servant who runs a very efficient operation – the citizens of Richland County are lucky to have him at the helm of this important facility.

In addition to the state of the art terminal and numerous hangars for aircraft, Hamilton Owens Field is the home to the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame and at the end of the runway is a historic Curtiss-Wright hangar. After many years of neglect, it finally will be developed and restored as a facility of the Hunter Gatherer microbrewery, which has its initial location downtown on Main Street, adjacent to the University. In the next 18 months the Curtiss-Wright hangar will be a showplace. I have attached important links to the Mike Kelly Law Group Facebook page.

As I have said before I love, love, love my job almost every single day, and I have been in love with it for the past 38 years. Each year our three locations take in about 600 cases, and I do my best to get to know each client personally. One of our dearest and sweetest clients is a 78-year-old woman from Orangeburg, SC named Annie Mae Corley. I have represented her family on multiple occasions and in late 2014 she was in an automobile accident and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. At her age, any injury can be very difficult to recuperate from and this required her to receive medical treatment, including a lengthy round of physical therapy for problems in her back and ankle.

Annie Mae Corley is the proud mother of five sons and two daughters, and as of today has forty, I repeat forty, grandchildren! (She is forty grandchildren ahead of me – LOL!) She still drives a car, cooks her meals and is very active. I am happy to report that in mediation this week, I was able to get her claim successfully resolved with a good result. Mrs. Corley is a woman of God and an awesome person, and I have the honor of representing many others like her.

I read a recent devotional from one of my favorite heroes, Tony Dungy, former coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Super Bowl Championship coach of the Indianapolis Colts, entitled “When Expectations Derail Your Dreams”. I have known more than a few people who grew up to be what their parents or teachers wanted them to be, as opposed to being what they WANTED to be. Being in a career or situation that is not following your dreams is a bad place to be in my opinion. Although I have never learned this lesson personally, I know this from seeing other people that are stuck in the wrong place. I have always been in the job that I am crazy about, getting paid to help people…it can’t get any better!

If you or someone you know is stuck in a rut that you shouldn’t be in, it is never too late! If at all possible, people should follow their passions and pursue their dreams. You owe it to yourself and to God, who gave you your individual talents, to do nothing less.

This week will bring another set of milestones for me. This Friday would have been my 11th wedding anniversary, so as you can imagine it is most likely going to be a pretty tough day. Fortunately, I have many friends, and staff members who are keenly aware of what is coming up and they will be there for me.

On an extremely positive note, Sunday is my baby boy’s 29th birthday! I am so proud of him! He has walked through many challenges and has made major progress in becoming a full-fledged adult. He is clearly dedicated to bettering himself. I also appreciate him agreeing to move in with me one year ago, to give me some much needed comfort and support. As I continue to experience God’s hourly and daily blessings, birthdays now mean a lot to me. Whereas I used to minimize birthdays, my whole perspective, in light of the loss of my wife, has changed. We need to be ever so thankful when another birthday comes around that we have another year to experience life and all of its blessings. That is my two cents worth.