www.kevintharpe.com (770) 503-1022 A Tribute to My Mom on Mother’s Day All Superheroes Have Super Moms Kevin’s Peace of Mind May 2019
A few years ago, I gave my mom a card for Mother’s Day that featured a little boy dressed up in a homemade superhero costume. The inside of the card read, “Superheroes have Super Moms.” Mom smiled when she read it, saying that the little boy on the card reminded her of me when I was small. I loved to dress up like all the superheroes, but my favorite was Superman. With a bath towel draped around my neck, goggles on my head, rubber boots on my feet, and Superman pajamas — or just Superman underwear on those sweltering Georgia summer days — I was ready to leap over the tallest buildings in a single bound. My mother’s battle with Parkinson’s ended on February 17, 2019. This year will be the first Mother’s Day without my mom here in person. But when I look back on her 82 years of life, I know what I had expressed to her on the day I gave her that card is true: My mom, Shirley Tharpe, was a Super Mom. Super Moms always want to make sure their little superheroes are safe. They make sure little superheroes don’t catch a cold because they forgot to wear a jacket in cold
weather, won’t drown because they ate lunch 30 minutes before swimming, and wear clean underwear in case they get into an accident. My mom accomplished all of these feats by using her own superpowers. She had “super Mom radar” for the constant detection of misbehaving children, especially her middle son. I can still hear Mom saying, “Joel Kevin Tharpe, what did you do this time?” I always knew I was in big trouble when she called me by my full name. She also had X-ray vision. With a second set of eyes on the back of her head, Mom could see right through even the best of tales. Super Moms are also loyal, and they believe in their little superheroes. When I was 5, I had a small growth in my neck. The doctors didn’t know if it was cancerous or benign, but they decided I needed surgery to remove it. My dad told me later that Mom never stopped pacing the floor in the waiting room, never stopped praying for me, and throughout the many hours in recovery following the surgery, never left my bedside — not even for a single moment. Super Moms believe in a power greater than them. I’ve always said that you have to actually know someone to be able to adequately introduce them to someone else. Because of her personal relationship with Jesus, Mom was able to introduce me to the Jesus she knew. She taught me that God was always with me and that He loved me no matter what happens. Mom also fully understood and harnessed the power of prayer. Even before I was born, Mom prayed that God would help her protect me,
take care of me, and show me the right path to take at all times in my life. I am the son, the brother, the husband, the father, the lawyer, and the man that I am today because Mom prayed for me and over me for my entire life. Because of Mom’s faith in a power greater than her Super Mom powers, there has not been, nor will there be, any season of my life when God is not with me, even now that Mom is no longer with me in person. Whenever Mom and I would have to part ways, she’d always say “Do you have to go so soon?” Knowing I would see her again, I would always reply, “I’ll see you soon Mom, so soon you won’t even have time to miss me.”
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COVER STORY, CONTINUED...
Super Moms have their kryptonite. Mom was not perfect. Even she would admit that she was doing the best she could with what the good Lord blessed her with. Like all of us, Mom had some physical imperfections. For the last three years of her life, she battled Parkinson’s. This form of dementia caused her to lose her ability to do many of the activities she enjoyed. But Mom never let Parkinson’s define her. She never let it take the smile from her eyes. My entire life, I always knew where I stood with Mom from one simple look. For the duration of this devastating illness that took much of the life from her body, even with her last breath, Mom still had a smile in her eyes when she looked at me. When I told her I loved her for the last time on the day that she died, Mom flashed me that same smile in her eyes that said what I needed to hear: She loved me too. Mom, thanks for protecting me, providing for me, and taking care of me. Thanks for praying for me, believing in me, and loving me. I am truly a better person because of you, Mom. I’ll continue to don my superhero cape and continue the adventures of this life. It will be a little harder, though, as this is one I won’t be able to experience with you. But because of what you taught me and especially because of your faith in God and in me, I know I am not
alone. I know that I will see you again soon. So soon that you won’t even have time to miss me.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. I love you.
-Kevin Tharpe
Leaving a Legacy of Giving MAKING CHARITY A PART OF YOUR ESTATE PLAN
Your estate plan is far more than just a set of documents. It’s a declaration of what you find most important and a roadmap of the legacy you’d like to leave. Not only does a proper estate plan ensure that your loved ones will be taken care of when you’re gone, but it also allows you to make an impact on the wider world through charitable giving. Many avenues exist for making planned gifts to nonprofits, but here are some of the basics on how to make giving a part of your plan.
notify an organization about what you are planning to give. Smaller philanthropies may not accept complex assets, such as stocks or real estate. On the other hand, some charities may specialize in specific assets. For example, if your home is considered a historic site within your town, you may want to gift it to a preservation society so that it stays properly maintained.
DECIDE HOW TO GIVE
NAME A CHARITY IN YOURWILL
There are different ways to structure a charitable bequest, giving you the flexibility to make sure your estate planning goals are met. If you have a set sum of money or a particular asset you wish to leave to a charity, you can make a specific bequest in your will. However, if you want to ensure your loved one’s needs are met before giving a portion of your estate to charity, you can make what’s known as a residuary gift. With a residuary gift, once debts have been paid off and your other beneficiaries have received their bequests, a specified percentage of your remaining estate will go to a charity of your choice.
The most basic way to give to a charity is by naming it in your will. Simply name the charitable organization you wish to support among your beneficiaries, and specify the assets you wish to give. If estate or income taxes are a concern, ensure your chosen organization is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit. These are the charities the IRS deems tax-exempt.
MATCH THE ASSETS TO THE CHARITY Almost all charities will accept cash bequests, though
OTHER AVENUES
Depending on your income level and the kinds of assets in your estate, more complex means of making a planned gift may be available to you. Talk to your estate planner to see if creating a charitable trust or establishing a foundation is the right move for you.
it is always a good idea to
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TAKE A BREAK
How to Cultivate Valuable Customer Reviews THE GOOD KIND OF GOSSIP When you’re thinking about buying a new product or service, what’s the first step you take? If you turn to the world wide web in search of reviews, then you’re in good company. According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 85 percent of consumers regard the customer review to be the single most credible and trustworthy source of advertising. That same survey found that 68 percent of customers surveyed were willing to provide feedback for a company. So, how do you get your customers to write the glowing reviews that help close deals? Don’t rely on customers to go to your website to leave reviews. There are numerous websites you can utilize that make leaving feedback more convenient for your clients. What’s more is that these other platforms are highly trafficked. BrightLocal found that Facebook and Yelp were consumers’ most trusted source of user reviews in the U.S., but you can also use Google My Business or the Better Business Bureau. Most importantly, be sure you are active on all the platforms you use. DIVERSIFY YOUR PLATFORMS
SHRIMP SAUSAGE SKEWERS
Ingredients
OFFER INCENTIVES
CREOLE SEASONING
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1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 pound cooked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
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2 tablespoons paprika
Give your clients a reason to write reviews. Consider offering incentives like a discount or coupon code, coffee gift card, or an entry to win a contest for an even bigger prize.
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1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
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1/2 tablespoon onion powder
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2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
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1/2 tablespoon cayenne or chili powder
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Think of the review process as a conversation rather than a request to be met, and use open-ended questions to start. Before you even request a review, you can ask customers questions like “How was your recent experience with us?” or “How are you liking your product?”That way, you can gauge their satisfaction before they leave any feedback.
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1/4 tablespoon dried oregano
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1/4 tablespoon dried thyme
Directions
1. Heat your grill to medium-high. 2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for creole seasoning. 3. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, zucchini pieces, and sausage pieces, and cover them with the olive oil. 4. Add creole seasoning and mix well until all ingredients are covered. 5. Load up skewers with alternating pieces of shrimp, sausage, and zucchini until they’re full. 6. Grill skewers until shrimp are well-cooked (6–8 minutes). Inspired by Food Network
RESPOND, RESPOND, RESPOND
The last thing you want to see is a scathing one-star review. But no matter how hard you work, they are still bound to happen. When you receive one, take the time to respond thoughtfully —without being defensive — and try to come up with a possible solution to the complaint. And be sure to respond to your positive reviews as well. When you show that you engage with all of your customers, prospective ones will be more likely to give you a shot.
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(770) 503-1022 www.KevinTharpe.com 405 Broad St Gainesville, GA 30501 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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A Tribute to My Mom on Mother’s Day
Making Charity a Part of Your Estate Plan Shrimp Sausage Skewers The Value of User Reviews
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Genealogy Sites Provide Breakthroughs in Cold Cases
GENEALOGY SITES AND THE WARMING OF COLD CASES The Revolution in Forensic Science Continues to Captivate the Masses
We’ve come a long way in the field of forensic science since 1986, when DNA was first used to convict someone in court. In 2019, criminals who would have gotten away with their crimes in the past are now put behind bars where they belong. The advent of genealogy testing has been thrust into the spotlight with high- profile cases that were solved by sequestering information from sites like 23andMe and Ancestry.com. With this revolution in DNA testing on the rise, there’s really no end to the impossible-to-solve cold cases that can finally be put to rest. Whatever the motivation was behind genealogy sites in the beginning, they’re now some of the most sought-after databases in the world and are worth billions for their collection of the most personal consumer data in existence. Using these websites’ data, investigators can make DNA matches with potential offenders. The most famous recent case is the successful apprehension of Joseph James DeAngelo, otherwise known as the Golden State Killer.
After 13 murders and dozens of assaults, he was finally brought to justice after investigators matched his DNA to the evidence found at the crime scenes. They gained access to his DNA from the personal genomics site GEDmatch.
to its customers, law enforcement agencies successfully subpoenaed the companies to hand over the requested data. With the ability to theoretically solve any crime with preserved DNA, law enforcement and websleuths alike are foaming at the mouth at the possibilities genealogy testing has to offer. If only we’d preserved some of Jack the Ripper’s DNA!
Although access to the data of popular sites like 23andMe and Ancestry.com is restricted
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