(pictured: Amelia Livsey Scales)

by Tom Livsey,

For the first time in over one hundred fifty years, the "Big House" in the Promised Land is now empty. No more daycare, before there was a daycare industry in existance. No more jelly biscuits before school.

Moreover, no more Sunday dinners after church before New Bethel A.M.E. had a kitchen....In short, there are no more eggs to fry at the "Big House".

Thomas Maguire's Promised Land Plantation sits void of sound today, after Aunt Melly passed her communication torch to the ages.

One of a few standing plantations in Georgia, that survived the burning of Atlanta, and General Sherman's, "March to the Sea", at the end of the Civil War, stands silent for the first time.

She was Aunt Snoot's second captain in command, after Ma Penny left us. Moreover Aunt Mellie, as kin folk affectionately called her, was Aunt Snoot's legs and voice. Aunt Melly made sure that all the family members in the community was always on the same page.

Understand, before cell phones and the internet for communication, like Comcast, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, my aunt Melly was the the voice of the whole Promised Land. Without the aid of a cell tower, she would simply open the front door to the big house and yell !

Her voice could be heard within a mile radius of the Promised Land.

Coming from Chicago at an early age, one of her quotes that will stay with me forever is," If you don't... you better".

It took me years to understand it. What she meant was, if you don't do what you suppose to be doing...you better before she or aunt Snoot put a switch to your behind. Lord knows, you didn't want either one of them to get close to you with a switch.

We must come together and erect a christmas tree with ornaments that will reflect the lives of our family members who are now gone on , but will never be forgotten.

God Bless You Aunt Melly. We will miss how you communicated your love to our families. We  love you!

Tell ma Penny and papa Bob that their son Thomas, got the first county school in the community renamed in their honor.

The 12 million +  dollar school is a little bit bigger than the one that you all first built down from the big house....I am sure that all of you in heaven can tell.

Services werel be held at New Bethel A.M.E. Church in Lithonia off Highway 124 on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. Rev, Owens did an outstanding job.. Aunt Melly looked so beautiful and at peace. She will be missed immensely.

I want to thank everyone from around the world who sent their condolences to our family.

Happy Holidays !!!

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