ATLANTA (AP) — A lawyer involved in the dispute over Martin Luther King Jr.‘s Bible and Nobel Peace Prize says few words were exchanged as King’s daughter Bernice quietly surrendered the items so they could be placed in a safe deposit box.
A judge had ordered the items be kept there, with the keys held by the court, until the dispute can be settled.
Lawyer William Hill, who represents two other King children, tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Bernice King turned over the possessions to Martin Luther King III so they could be placed in the safe deposit box during a Monday meeting that was over in five minutes.
A judge is considering whether King III and his brother, Dexter Scott King, can sell the Bible and 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.

What’s In Your Closet?

Last Saturday I did my usual desperate mad dash to my bedroom closet to find something to wear for church on Sunday. It was late in the evening and I was exhausted. I had had a full day and was in no mood to argue, agonize, wrestle or have a knock-down, drag out fight with my clothes and the mirror (ladies, I am sure you know what I mean). At that point I wasn’t at all certain who would win. Nevertheless I grabbed the door knob, briskly pulled the door open, turned on the light and I could barely get one toe in before I realized that my closet was the poster child for clutter. Let me assure you, it’s not because I am a shopper and have a “Ka-billion” (is that a real word or did I make it up?) outfits and pairs of shoes. Yes, I am a self professed “girly-girl”, yet somehow God decided not to give me what all girls seem to be born with – the shopping gene, but we’ll chat about that at another time and another article.
Now then, back to my closet…My clothes seemed to have become animated overnight; shoving one another back and forth on their hangers; my shoes appeared to be playing an aggressive game of hopscotch, stepping on one another as they raced to jump into the space that was vacated by the pair I had removed to wear that day. My books and journals were gasping for air, stacked so tightly that their little page filled jackets were smashed against the back and side walls of my seemingly pint-sized closet. Okay, so maybe I am exaggerating just a bit about my clothes and shoes taking on a life of their own, but my point is that I was unable to get into my closet because of the “my self” induced clutter.
Unfortunately, the clutter allowed me to overlook garments that had not been worn in quite a while and I had to push hangers, move books and kick shoes to make a space to get inside. My search for a Sunday outfit became frustrating and almost overwhelming. My closet wasn’t dirty; there was just so much “stuff” that I was unable to clearly see the contents. Needless to say, space for anything new was completely out of the question. In my exasperation I plopped down on the closet floor with my legs in a crossed pretzel fashion; I took a deep breath, exhaled and immediately thought of you. Yes you. What lesson could I share with you about my cluttered closet other than the truth – organizing my closet does not make my top 10 list of things to do, but something had to give.
None of us really want to take the time to clean or de-clutter our closets simply because not only is it time consuming but it is no fun. I don’t know about you, but I can always find more exciting, better and more productive things to do like watching Lifetime TV Network if I had cable, or the latest Red-Box movie, curled up under a blanket on the couch, munching on warm, buttery microwave popcorn and sipping on a fruit smoothie – well, maybe that’s just what I’d prefer to do. I realized after a few minutes of sitting and sulking in my closet that my lesson wasn’t really about my closet at all….
De-cluttering a closet or any room At Home involves decision making. Nothing else goes in until things which no longer fit or have a place have been removed. Let’s give some practicality to this and then I’ll share my personal life lesson:

Quick At Home Tips on De-cluttering your closet:
1.       Make the decision that there is a problem and de-cluttering is
the solution.
2.       Find music that will motivate and make you move or music
that will keep you relaxed and peaceful while you tackle your
chore. The TV might distract you from your task.
3.       Take inventory of what you have.
4.       Use trash bags to sort: 1 bag for the thrift store, one for
people you can give your gently worn items and a third for
trash (don’t be afraid to throw things out!).
5.       Organize your task by categories: Shoes, Clothes, Books, Misc
and only do one category at a time so as not to be
disorganized and overwhelmed.
6.       If it has not been worn in the last 6 months – let it go!
7.       If you are hoping to get back into a smaller size when you
shed a few pounds, give those items away to someone who
can wear them now. Save money to get new clothes when
you ACTUALLY START losing the weight (Don’t worry or give
up, it will happen).
8.       Use inexpensive plastic bins and shelving to utilize space.
9.       Attempt to complete the task in one day – the longer it drags
on, the less attention it will receive.

Once removing the items that I didn’t need I was astonished to see there was more room than I imagined. My pint-sized space was actually a walk-in closet. Cleaning my closet was a chore, but as I marveled at the open spaces where clutter used to live, I was elated and relieved. I could fill those vacant spaces with items from other areas to reorganize and create a better environment in At Home.

Tools For Life…
Through my closet cleaning adventure I likened my bedroom closet to my mind. It houses my most intimate garments. It is a “secret place” that few have the opportunity to enter. Thoughts, emotions and dreams sit on the shelves until they are ready to be worn. Shoes make the path for my destiny; clothes dress those areas that are exposed; my hats demonstrate that I need to have a covering from the elements of life and my books and journals symbolize wisdom, knowledge and life experiences. The items crowded and crammed needed space to expand and my thoughts about me and sometimes others also need room to breathe. Our thoughts are limited simply because we don’t take the time to clean the clutter and think beyond what’s in front of us; we can only see the now. We refuse to give others stretching room, and we won’t dream the impossible dream for ourselves. We don’t have the courage to take on the challenges and pursue things that will bring us the most satisfaction and greatest joy. Cleaning and reorganizing mind clutter isn’t easy but neither was completing the daunting task of cleaning and reorganizing a closet. It can, however, be just as rewarding and much more fun!
I am certain there are thoughts, worries, fears and dreams sitting on the floor of your closet, stacked against the walls and in unreachable piles on your closet shelves just waiting for you to clean the clutter and make space so that you can walk in and wear what fits and looks good on you.
“I don’t have all the answers, but I know the One who does.”

Email me with topic suggestions or find me on my website at www.athomewithshellie.com.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Carlton Hicks, a senior at Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Ensley, likes to work on cars.
But he envisions himself as more than just a mechanic: he wants to design cars and other moving vehicles as a mechanical engineer.
Thanks to a 3.7 GPA, acceptance letters from 16 colleges and over $250,000 in scholarship offers, Carlton is on his way to fulfilling his dream. He has just been selected as co-Salutatorian of Holy Family Cristo Rey, joining Valedictorian Khayla Jones and fellow Salutatorian Elijah Brown.
As top students of the Class of 2014, the trio will address fellow seniors at Holy Family Cristo Rey’s graduation on Saturday, May 24, at St. Paul’s Cathedral downtown.
Carlton, whose scholarship offers include Alabama A&M, Talladega College and Miles College, said Holy Family Cristo Rey is opening doors he never imagined.
“I want to be able to go to school with it already paid for so I won’t have to stress my parents out,” he said. “Holy Family  has provided a better opportunity for me to pursue my dream. Because it is a smaller school, I get more hands-on learning from teachers who are willing to help me.”
School officials said Carlton’s commitment to academics and strong work ethic led them to make an exception from past years and add him as co-Salutatorian.
“One of the greatest assets for our school is to have students like Carlton who are great ambassadors for us in corporate Birmingham,” said Father Alex Steinmiller, president of Holy Family Cristo Rey.
Carlton’s parents, Hershell and Patricia Hicks, said they are proud of how he has consistently made honor roll throughout his four years at Holy Family. Their older son, Clifton, also got good grades and is a student at Lawson State Community College.
“We thank God for giving us a good son who hasn’t given us any problems,” Hicks said. “It is a blessing to have a rooted child doing well in school and active in the church usher board.”
Since affiliating with Cristo Rey Network in 2007, 100 percent of the school’s seniors have graduated and been accepted into college. As of Feb. 6, the 41 seniors in the Class of 2014 have received $2.37 million in scholarship offers from over 45 colleges across the nation.
Holy Family Cristo Rey’s unique work-study program allows students aged 14 and up to offset much of their tuition by working in more than 85 businesses across metro Birmingham one day a week. The high school’s college preparatory curriculum, small class sizes, and safe learning environment allow students like Carlton, Khayla and Elijah to thrive.

Holy Family Cristo Rey is currently enrolling students for the 2014-15 school year. For details, call Director of Admissions Beverly Dixon at (205) 263-0133, email bdixon@hfcristorey.org, or go to www.hfcristorey.org. Follow the school on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

By Jessica Jones
Robert Crenshaw, a native of Atmore, Alabama, is a long standing supporter of local communities in and around Birmingham. From his company that provides computer services, to the time he dedicates to those with mental health issues, Crenshaw has and continues to serve those who are in need.
Crenshaw serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Birmingham Crisis Center, a community organization that provides sexual assault, mental health and counseling services.
“It serves a large constituency,” Crenshaw said. “There is a large number of African-Americans that are served who live in group homes. A lot of those group homes don’t give you sufficient food and some of [the people they serve] are in various stages of their recovery and need help with basic physical hygiene. Instead of rape victims going to the emergency room where they are triaged and somewhat embarrassed, law enforcement officers can bring them to the center and the center will give them a change of clothes and there are qualified nurses to collect the evidence.”
Crenshaw graduated from Alabama A&M with a degree in electronic engineering technology. He has worked for Aerospace and various other companies and, is an Air Force veteran. Crenshaw came to Birmingham when he applied for a job with Bell South where he worked information systems and various technical support areas.
It was his first-hand experience in the area of technology that gave him the skills and the desire to establish his company, Creative Technology Solutions, LLC.
“I started my company because I’ve had a lot of experience with technology from designing circuits, to building stuff,” Crenshaw said. “So I’ve had a lot of community experience.”
His experience combined with leisure time as a retiree gave him the ability to become the solution to a problem he’d been troubled by.
“I’ve always been concerned with the technology gap between the minority community and I wanted to do something to narrow that gap and I could possibly make some money at,” he said.
To bridge the gap, Crenshaw does consulting and advises companies on the type of networking that should be purchased and the best equipment that will fit in their business so his clients are able to see a return on their technological investment.
Creative Technology Solutions also supports several churches and nonprofit organizations.
In addition to his company, Crenshaw is the immediate past president for Alabama A&M University National Alumni Association. He is a member of Sixth Avenue Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon and is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. He is a board member at the McCoy Center and a member of the Irondale Zoning Abatement  Board. His favorite hobby is Golf.