From the Editor.

The beginning of a new year is always a time for reflection on what has taken place since the beginning of the last year. I don't know about you, but when I think about all that has happened in my life and in the life of my country these last twelve months, I feel a dire need to spend time counting my blessings at the dawn of 2002. Mississippians have always been good at placing emphasis on the important things in life and not dwelling on the trivial. Faith, family, and doing the right thing are central to who we are, and I am so grateful to live in a place where that is true, especially at this point in history. This place I live is among my many blessings, as is the opportunity to bring all of you, my fellow Mississippians, this magazine about our great state every two months.

This issue, we celebrate some of the blessings of our talented people and diverse places. In "Staying Grounded in Mississippi," Lynne Wilbanks Jeter visits with veteran actor Morgan Freeman about his newest contribution to life in Clarksdale, a gourmet restaurant and a happening blues club. Two Mississippi women who have been blessed with the gift of organization share tips from their HomeWorks seminars to help you start the year off by cleaning house. Learn how to be a better manager of your home, your meals, and your time from Cathy Haynie and Lori-Lynne Cooke on page 65. Also learn what fun things await you in the storied city of Vicksburg. Native of the River City P.J. Lee writes about the joy of growing up in a place filled with history, yet so alive with fun things to do and great places to shop that visitors keep coming back. Food Editor Mary Leigh Furrh is beginning this new year with a new department called "Dish It Out." She has answered requests for recipes from Mississippi restaurants and is shari ng her findings in this new column. If you would like to request a recipe, please e-mail her at [e-mail], or you may send your request in writing to Dish It Out, Mississippi Magazine, P.O. Box 16445, Jackson, MS 39236.

Also in this issue, our annual Wedding Register, we celebrate the blessings that come with getting married. Mississippi brides share with you details of their special days beginning after page 130. In many ways, this issue is our most anticipated; it is also the largest one that we put together. I must take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to our intern for the fall semester, Jennifer Stevenson, who worked countless hours processing entries and editing write-ups. Also, this issue would not be possible without the hard work of Assistant Art Director Wanda McCain, who diligently scanned photos and worked on layouts to make this Wedding Register happen. Thank you both.

As for me, my blessings are seemingly endless. I have faith in God that gives my life meaning, a loving and healthy family, a wonderful church, and my newest and greatest blessing of 2001, a new marriage. At the beginning of last year, I was right in the middle of planning my wedding, which took place on March 10 and was the happiest day of my life. Now, nine months later, the blessings of marriage are more than I could have ever imagined. David and I have such wonderful examples of joyful, godly marriages to follow from our parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles that we can hardly wait to grow old together! Waking up every morning, knowing that one person loves me like no one else and has promised to share his whole life with me brings a joy and a peace, second only to that I find in God. I hope the first year of marriage for all of Mississippi's new brides is brimming with these blessings as well, and I wish you a lifetime full of them. And to you, my fellow Mississippians, I wish you a happy and bless ed 2002; may our faith, family, and desire to do the right thing continue to define who we are.

Jennifer Ellis West