Imagine running the historic streets of downtown Jackson on a perfectly chilly morning, driven by the beat of Mississippi’s blues.  This Saturday, January 9, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi hosts the annual Mississippi Blues Marathon! 

This beautiful race honors the great musicians of the past, and supports the talented men and women who carry on the tradition of the blues.  The Mississippi Blues Marathon states, “People say the blues was born in Mississippi, traveled to Memphis in its youth and grew up in Chicago, but the truth is – the blues never left home.  If you’ve never heard the Mississippi blues, you’ve never heard the real thing.”

Outstanding blues musicians will treat runners and spectators to live music before, during and after the marathon.  A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Blues Foundation, supporting local blues musicians throughout the state of Mississippi. 

After the race, join the annual Blues Crawl and fill your soul with more incredible blues inside Jackson’s favorite musical haunts!  If you are running in the race, you will receive a wristband good for admission to all stops on the Blues Crawl.  If not, a wristband is simply $10, and will be available for purchase at the Expo tent at the entrance to the race, as well as all participating vendors.  For more information on the Blues Crawl, please click here.

Whether you enjoy running, listening to live music, or simply taking in the breathtaking sites of downtown Jackson, we hope to celebrate Mississippi’s blues with all of you this Saturday!  Click here to learn more about Jackson’s beloved Mississippi Blues Marathon.

{Blog by Mitchell Walters}

Fresh Cut Catering & Floral is known for their exquisite floral arrangements, dreamy tablescapes and mouthwatering fare.  Owner Wendy Putt is equally impressive.  As a young woman, Wendy’s parents always encouraged their creative daughter to pursue her dreams.  Wendy reflects, “With the support of my family, I started Fresh Cut Flowers.  Catering weaved its way in 1995, and we changed our name to Fresh Cut Catering & Floral.  Our single employee business has ‘blossomed’ to thirty-five full-time staff and over 150 part-time staff that help during events!”

Wendy and her team have created stunning arrangements for George Bush’s inauguration in Washington, DC, have decorated the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion during the holidays, and support many philanthropies throughout the state. 

Wendy says, “My most precious accomplishments are here at home, such as giving to my church, First Baptist Church of Jackson, helping numerous homeless organizations, catering Jackson’s very own Mistletoe Marketplace, and partnering with the Wingard Home in staffing some residents.”  She smiles, “Above all, of course, is my immediate loving family; my husband Bruce Putt and two children, Harrison and Julia.  Our hours are sometimes spent together working, but I guess that’s where it all started!” 

Wendy’s warm and wildly talented team at Fresh Cut Catering & Floral has become a close-knit family.  Clients rave about their friendly staff and their incredible work.  We sat down with Wendy to learn a little more about the Fresh Cut team, and how she seamlessly pulls together countless weddings and events.

The Fresh Cut Team is truly a family that works together.  Tell us about your team and how everyone works together so beautifully!
“We have just all grown up together.  The boys I work with are like my children.  They each bring a different quality and personality to the business, whether it be an organic approach to a more mainstream demeanor.  We all look out for one another!”

We have heard that you share meals together on a regular basis.  How does having this "family" enhance your jobs?
“We have lunch for everyone on a daily basis, and on occasion the whole crew will have dinner together.  Not just for holidays, but just because.”

What is your favorite part of planning a wedding or event?
“The creative styling and the setup.  ‘It’s all about the picture.’”

Walk us through the process of working with a bride or groom.  How do you come up with your incredible florals and yummy catering menu?
“It usually takes a long while and sometimes several sessions.  We start with the apparel as inspiration for color and then go from there.  The personal flowers are the start of the process and then we elaborate on the bride’s taste after that…the ceremony site usually drives the inspiration for the florals and props. For receptions, we usually start with linen selection and then we segway to the food selection.  We love to include the groom on that.  I show them a menagerie of pictures and we pick and choose some elements that the bride loves…there is always a LOT of sketching!”

All of their hard work pays off beautifully every single time.  Thank you, Wendy, for sharing your talents with all of us!  For more information on Fresh Cut Catering & Floral, please visit their website here.  You can also view their Facebook page here!  All photos courtesy of Fresh Cut Catering & Floral. 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Romans 12:12

How do we approach 2016?  I think it would be safe to say that we are hopeful.  Some of us look back on 2015 and hope that we can have another good year just like it.  Some of us have had awful years that we really don’t want to repeat.  No matter what 2015 has been like for us, we all look toward the coming year with hope. 

For us as Christians, we have fixed our hope in and through Christ.  Prayerfully, we give over our futures in His love, His grace, and His mercy.  This is not easy.  In our human frailty, we hesitate and hold back our trust as fear and anxiety force themselves into our consciousness. 

The question is, as we begin the New Year, how do we resolve the struggle of our free wills as we search to connect to His divine will?  The answer to the question is hope.  Hope is the bridge across all of the mysteries concerning our connection to our Creator.  We find ourselves in Him as we hope for Him.  We believe in His promises when, by hope, we faithfully trust that He loves us.  Hope for our future is bound up in our worship of, praise of, and prayer to Him.

May we begin the New Year fixed on God, the Father.  May we trust in His love, Christ Jesus.  And may we discover that our place with Him is the deliverance our heart cries out for.

2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  Romans 5:2-5

Thank you to Mary Moment Photography for the beautiful photographs!

{Blog by Mitchell Walters}