Memphis Shown In A Positive Light to Millions of People

Guidepost Magazine Features Memphian James Lindsey

At this Memphis cemetery, veterans who die alone are not forgotten, thanks to James Lindsey. He was shocked to learn that a dozen veterans a year were buried at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery with no family and no ceremony, so he took it upon himself to make sure they were honored prior to being laid to rest. (Photos by Karen Pulfer Focht ©) OCT/NOV GUIDEPOST MAGAZINE

Guidepost specializes in inspirational content and was founded in 1945 by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

LINK: Story and photos below:

https://www.guideposts.org/inspiration/he-was-inspired-to-conduct-final-salutes-for-recently-departed-veterans

This is not the first time that James’s story has made national news. I’ve told his story once before for the Associated Press and also for The Daily Memphian.

You can read and see those stories and photos here. https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/remeberingtheforgotten

THE REST OF THE STORY……..

Those of you who know me know I play the ukulele. In Jan. 2019 my ukulele group, the Memphis Ukulele Flash Mob, showed up at what we thought would be a sparse funeral for three unclaimed veterans. We planned to play Amazing Grace for them graveside. However, when we showed up, cars were lined up for a mile. Our big-hearted Memphis community came out to give these veterans a proper send-off thanks to James Lindsey. I recognized this as a fantastic news story, put down my ukulele and picked up my pencil and camera. I’m so glad I was able to record this act of kindness and share this wonderful story with the world.

Feeding the Needy Butterflies

Each year I plant milkweed to help host the monarch butterflies on their 3000- mile migration. Today I found three caterpillars munching away. The number of monarchs has decreased significantly over the last 20 years. You can help too by planting milkweed.

On September 27, the caterpillar crawled to the top on the net and spun into a chrysalis or pupa. I have it inside netting to keep it safe from predators. By Oct. 8th, I had butterflies. I let them hatch inside their netting and when their wings were dry I released them.

'Was it worth it?' A fallen Marine and a wars' crushing end

As the American military pulled out of Afghanistan last week reporter Claire Galofaro, Videographer Allen Breed and I set out to tell this family’s incredible story for the Associated Press. Please follow the link below for the story in its entirety.

SUMMARY: Gretchen and Kirk Catherwood's 19-year-old son Alec was killed in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban in 2010. She and her husband are creating a healing retreat space, Darkhorse Lodge, for veterans. She could no longer care for her son, she said, but she to our reporter that she could care for those who made it home. She and her husband moved to the woods in Tennessee and got to work on the Darkhorse Lodge.

https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-4e345f63b70ccd5cecacfd42d7916848

Photojournalist Karen Pulfer Focht Wins First-Place National Award

  Karen Wins First Place in Catholic Press Awards 2021

Memphis Photojournalist Karen Pulfer Focht has won a first-place national award for the heartfelt story she both wrote and photographed on the closing of the Poor Clare Monastery in Frayser. Faith Magazine, published by the Catholic Diocese of West Tennessee, dedicated an entire issue to tell the compelling story in a special edition after the Vatican ordered the closing of some shrinking monasteries worldwide. Focht has covered the Poor Clare sisters throughout her career in Memphis.

Judges Comments: The article and photographs complement each other completely and provide a depth of coverage neither alone could produce. An excellent compilation that draws the reader along on the journey.

Best Story and Photo Package

First Place

Faith Magazine, Karen Pulfer Focht, Saying Goodbye To A House of Prayer

She also won:

Best Photo Story - Feature

Second Place

Faith Magazine, Karen Pulfer Focht, Saying Goodbye To A House of Prayer

Judges comments: The article's photographs paint a picture of the impactful history of the monastery and display the bittersweet emotions of love and loss.

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/poor-clares-leave-memphis

Memorial Day 2021- Remembering Our Veterans

Each year hundreds of volunteers set flags at the graves of veterans to honor the more than 18,000 vets buried at West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in Memphis for Memorial Day.

While I was out there this past memorial day, I was shown the grave of Brent Lee Morel who was killed in action in Fallujah in the second Gulf War. His grave was covered with mementos from people who had visited his grave. A former marine, James Lindsey, explained it to me.

When coins are left on the headstone of a military veteran’s grave it lets the deceased soldier's family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respects. If you leave a penny, it means you visited. A nickel means that you and the deceased soldier trained at boot camp together. If you served with the soldier, you leave a dime. A quarter is the most significant because it means you were with him when he died.

Rare Winter Storm in Memphis

Giovanni Johnson jogs shirtless in frigid temperatures near his Memphis neighborhood on Sunday afternoon Feb. 14, 2021. Rahim Rashada found joy in a quiet walking meditation during the snowfall at Shelby Farms. These are a few scenes from the winter storm in Memphis, Tennessee the week of Feb. 14, 2021. The national weather service warned of a major winter storm that impacted the Mid-South all week as temperatures drop into the single digits. Frigid temperatures and winter precipitation fell across the entire Mid-South. Snow and sleet accumulated up to 4 to 7 inches with a wind chill advisory for temperatures as low as 5 below zero.