Freeing a Jailbird

Here are a couple humorous scenes from a television show most of you will remember:

Barney Fife:

Andy, I have this one dead to rights! Otis was drunk. I even gave him a test. I drew a line on the sidewalk and told him to walk it. You know what he said?

Andy Taylor:

What?

Barney Fife:

He asked what line. I’ve got this one right, Andy. Otis was drunk!

Andy Taylor:

That right, Otis? Did you ask Deputy Fife what line?

Otis Campbell:

Yeah; but I didn’t have my specs on and drunk or sober, I can’t see much without my specs.

Andy Taylor:

Otis, three hours ago when Deputy Fife arrested you, were you drunk?

Otis Campbell:

I don’t know I wasn’t wearing my glasses.

In another scene:

Barney Fife:

Now this is the well-known inkblot test. Now I'm gonna show you this design and I want you to tell me what it looks like...I just want you to tell me the FIRST thing that comes into your mind…just say ANYTHING you think of, okay? Ready?

Otis Campbell:

That's a bat.

Barney Fife:

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!

If you were a child of the 1960’s you probably remembered that these two scenes were from the Andy Griffith Show. Everything that I knew about jail I learned from watching Otis Campbell, the town drunk, get locked up in the Mayberry Jail.

I was reminded there are other types of jails—the ones where people are trapped inside their own bodies. Diseases like Muscular Dystrophy cause people’s muscles to weaken over time until they can no longer control them.

That feeling is being recognized by the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). They are putting citizens in “jail” and raising bail for them to get released by getting donations from their friends and family. The donations will help children and adults with muscle disease in my community who are supported by the vital work of the MDA.

Today’s gift was to give money for Pastor Stuart Bond’s bail to release him from jail. I’m sure if Otis was still alive he’d support the effort of releasing jail birds based on raising money for a good cause.

In Giving,

Robin