“America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.”
-Paul Tsongas

For some, Memorial Day is simply an extra day off from work or a long weekend at the beach. Some get so enthralled in the festivities, they forget to acknowledge the meaning behind this special day. Previously known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated in 1968 and was created to be a day when the United States of America joined together to decorate the graves of those who were killed in battle. Although I never served in the military, I have great respect for those who sacrificed everything so that I may live in freedom.

As Memorial Day nears, my hope is that we will make a concerted effort to remember and appreciate those who have given up their time, health and, in many cases, their lives not only on the last Monday in May, but every day!

To those reading this KellyGram who have served or continue to serve, THANK YOU! Thank you for having the courage and bravery to wake up each morning and serve our country!

To those reading this, who have a family member in the military, THANK YOU! Thank you for sacrificing time with your loved ones so that they may protect our freedom! And to those of you with loved ones who sacrificed their lives defending our liberty, you will stay in our hearts and prayers as this day comes and goes.

I have written before that I am blessed to love the job that I have had for the past 39 years – that is being a personal injury, worker’s compensation, disability, and insurance litigator. The Social Security Disability program is backlogged badly (second only to the Veteran’s Disability program, which has an even greater backlog). Recently, the Social Security Disability administration has made a bold effort to reduce the congestion. This means that two attorneys in my Columbia office, Lisa Cotten and myself, have lots of hearings in 2016.

For example, I had three Social Security Disability hearings this week, at least two of which were successful. Contrary to popular belief, there are many more deserving people that do not receive Social Security Disability than there are people who do receive these benefits that should not. We carefully screen our Social Security Disability clients to make sure that we only represent those individuals that have a deserving claim and that are unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity. For example, one of the hearings today concerned a client who had an excellent work record until she became stricken with cervical disc disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Suddenly, after working hard all of her life, she could barely perform the basic activities of daily living. She lost her job and faced severe financial hardship. My client very much deserved to receive the government support that she had paid through decades of hard work, and it is extremely satisfying to be able to help deserving women like this.

Thank you to everyone who has referred clients to me over the years. I am very humbled when a former client, friend or neighbor refers someone to me, and I take the trust they have placed in me extremely seriously. I am also proud to have one of the best legal teams that I have ever been affiliated with, working each and every day for the Mike Kelly Law Group and its clients. Thank you for allowing me to serve!

Please do not ever say to yours truly “there is nothing to do in Columbia!” There is something fun, interesting and entertaining to do every single day in the Columbia Metropolitan area. This week we have numerous opportunities to enjoy, educate and enrich our lives. Those of us who sit at home and complain have no reason to do so. One example of some fun to check out is the Forest Acres Festival this weekend. The City of Forest Acres does an excellent job of Community activities. Some other events going on this week are the Palmetto Mastersingers Spring Concert (05/13), I Love the 90’s Tour (05/13), Art and Draughts at the Columbia Museum of Art (05/13), Relay for Life – Lexington County (05/13), the Pirates of Penzance Jr. children’s comedy (05/14), and SO MUCH MORE! Check out these links (http://www.free-times.com/ and http://www.thestate.com/entertainment/local-events/) to find more activities that are going “down” in a “City Apart”!

Several years ago, I had the privilege of serving on the Board of the Central Carolina Community Foundation. I served on the Board for six years, two of those as Board Chair. I got to see what a dynamic and marvelous organization Central Carolina Community Foundation is from an inside perspective! Not to take too much credit, but I chaired the search committee that selected JoAnn Turnquist to be our new President and CEO. She has brought an amazing set of skills and talents to CCCF, and has taken it to the next level. For its size, CCCF is one of the most well-performing community foundations in the nation. JoAnn has assembled a top notch team to help her primary goal of making the Midlands “philanthropy pie” bigger.

One of the things I am most proud about in regard to the Mike Kelly Law Group is that we are active in our communities. We all feel blessed to have our health, our families and our careers, and our mindset is such that because we have been given much, we must give much! I must confess that, as the founder of the law firm, I push giving back to our communities, but I have also assembled a group of people with like minds that appreciate their many blessings from the Almighty Above.

It’s baseball time in Columbia, South Carolina, and you have three options for collegiate and professional baseball – the Lexington Blowfish, the Gamecocks, and the Columbia Fireflies, who have just started their season at Spirit Communications Park. Today, I’m going to focus on my experience at Spirit Communications Park. I had the opportunity to attend opening night at the park, courtesy of Ron and Pam Smith, good friends of mine from Winnsboro. Last Tuesday I visited as a guest of my buddies Jack Wolfe, Dana Wolfe, Taylor Wolfe, and Stephen Taylor of Wolfe & Taylor Realtors. They brought 20 of their best guy friends out to the park in a reserved seating area with great views.

One of my first mentors, outside of my dad, was Eugene C. “Jeep Deal”. He worked in the paper mill across the state line in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Jeep Deal was good at everything and I was lucky enough to have him as my Scoutmaster! Troup 10 met at Main Street Methodist Church and during my 4 ½ years as a Scout, I made it to Life Plus (but discovered girls and did not make it to Eagle). Oh, how I wish that someone would have pushed me to Eagle! It is a lifetime achievement I wish I would have accomplished.

I went camping many times to Camporee, as well as summer camp at Champ Chanco on the shores of the historic James River. It’s on the Surry, VA side of the river looking over the Jamestown Monument.

Becoming a Boy Scout taught me about leadership, responsibility, character, and values. I also learned a lot about myself and things that interest me, such as American culture, aviation, and serving others.

My Boy Scout experience has had a lasting impact on me and made me into the man I am today! I will cherish those experiences until the day I die and I would encourage everyone to recognize the immense value of scouting to young men and women!

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.