“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.” Psalm 39:4

Who’s In Charge?

Thanksgiving is gone and Christmas very near.
The holiday season is in full swing.
To end with hopefully a Happy New Year,
Many wonder what the year will bring.

A happy year as predicted
Filled with joy and elations,
Or a dark and dreary year
Filled with trials and tribulations?

Will Far East conflicts be deflected?
Will the recession end or last?
Will we become even more embroiled,
Leaving peace a thing of the past?

Murder, child molestation, and rape
Occupy the daily news
And if there is anything worse
The media immediately spews.

As an anti Christian movement
Spreads all around the world,
It seems that Satan's flag
Surely now has been unfurled.

In all this chaos and turmoil
What is our savior's role?
You can be most assured
God's in charge, He's in control.

I have been trying to think of a Christmas story that I could write about and there is one that I can tell that my children have probably never heard. They will probably love to hear this because it is before their Mama and Daddy were ever married and they were never even thought of. In addition, they will get a good laugh out of it!

It was the Christmas of 1970. Bruce and I had been dating for quite a while and things were starting to get serious...in other words, we were "in love!" In the fall of that year, everything just turned topsy-turvy in our lives, or so it seemed to me! I started my freshman year of college down at Georgia College in Milledgeville, and Bruce left for six months of  National Guard training camp in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The Vietnam War was going full force and the United States initiated the draft. Bruce drew a very low number, so he and a number of other boys around here enlisted in the National Guard. My college started about two weeks before he had to leave for camp.

I remember so well the Sunday that I was to leave to go to Milledgeville to move into the dorm. Rev. Jonathan Wolf was the pastor at Bethany at the time and the topic of his sermon was, "The Summer has ended and the Harvest is past." Bruce and I were sitting together of course and I boo-hooed through the whole service. I'm sure everyone wondered what in the world was going on! It was just too much for me to handle...it was like our lives were coming to an end, because in two weeks he would be gone and I would not see him again until Christmas. I was moving away from home, for the first time (never mind that it was only 35 miles or so down the road). I know this sounds overly dramatic, but for little old naive me, I am sorry to say, it was the way I felt.  

We’ve had much rain and I believe we will have much cold weather coming. It’s all good because the Lord sends us what he knows we need and not our wants. Praise God.

It was cold on Saturday; nevertheless I was on my way to the nursing home around 9:30 a.m. to get set up for our ministry. It was so warm and pleasant on the inside and some of the residents were glad to see me walk in especially Mrs. Hattie Head, one of our patients during Dr. Lewis’ practice; also Mrs. Latimer, Mrs. Lindsey, Mrs. Whitlock and Mrs. Jones. They all still know Willie Ann thank God for them remembering me and my name and I do love all of them. I can’t wait to get to see them if they are not out I go to their rooms. Saturday we were short of some members but we must continue to do the will of God. Mother Elaine Atkinson presiding and yours truly, myself, read scripture from Luke 21. Jesus is born in
Bethlehem. Sis. Sherri Alexander’s words of comfort and encouragement, Sis. Tommie Merritt words of inspiration, Evangelist Lizzie Stokes The Word of God, John 3 – “God’s Love.” After Evangelist Stokes’ powerful message Santa came and gifts were given to all of the patients, how appreciative they were to get them. We thank God for Sis. Sherrie Alexander who goes shopping each year for the residents and to our church family for remembering the residents at this time of year it’s not so much the gifts but the love we have forthem because Jesus is the reason for the season. Praise the Lord. Continue to remember the residents and staff in your prayers, they do a good job with the patients.

In my family the legacy of traditions and the home were more important than money. Perhaps that was because we never had much money. The family home and genealogy were always stressed as the really important things in life, ranking right up there with ethics and morals. This was the legacy handed down to me and I sometimes wonder if I have been successful in passing it on to my children.

Legacy

A teenager couldn't care less,
About the succeeding generation,
And might even be careless,
About his family's veneration.

The young man begins to ponder,
About the meaning of life,
And whether he should wander,
Or settle down with a wife.

The middle aged man wonders,
What the future might bring.
Has he made too many blunders,
Without accomplishing anything?

An old man, his life nearly done,
Wants the legacy of his name,
Continued by at least one son,
To the next generation time frame.

OId age brings the realization,
That only through a son,
Can each succeeding generation,
Believe immortality has been won.

There is nothing that feels better these bad winter days than to have a good fire going. We don't have an open fireplace, but we do have a Mama Bear Fisher wood stove, and it really makes the house feel good and cozy. Of course, when you are burning wood, it makes a mess toting it in, and you have to take the ashes out regularly, but it is worth it to us. You go outside and smell that wonderful wood burning smell, especially if you are burning hickory, and there is nothing that warms my heart more than to see smoke curling out of a chimney. Keeping a fire going is about the only thing  I love about cold weather. We are really going through the wood these raw days, too.

The funeral service for  Gertrude Brown of the Fairview Community was held on last Wednesday afternoon at the Carter Funeral Home. She is survived by her husband, Bobby Brown and two sons, Steve and Randy and their families, children and grandchildren.

Mrs. Brown was a real help-meet to her husband. She always worked quietly behind the scenes to help him in all his business undertakings. They started out with an upholstery business, called Brown's Custom Furniture, and in 1978, they sold this business to their son, Randy, and incorporated a mattress and boxspring manufacturing firm, The Georgia Sleep Shop, Inc.

Gertrude had wrote two books in recent years in which she wanted to record family memories and to tell a special story of a difficult time in her life. The books are "A Winter Without Shoes," and "Miracles and Memories." In these she tells the story of when she found out she had a serious disease and of the miraculous healing she experienced as a result of putting her complete trust in her Lord. Bobby said that he is so glad that she was able to write all of this down and get it put into a book.

The Creek at Hard Labor Ladies Golf Association held their annual Christmas Party on December 8 at the Valley Farms clubhouse. The husbands were invited to the dinner catered by Ricardo and Gloria from Tequila Express. Mary Lawton won the Birdie award and Jeanne Dufort won the Ringer Award. Brenda Hinkle and Evelyn King were in charge of the food. The next event will be a breakfast to open the 2010 season.

Gene Wynn is recuperating at home following several weeks at Morgan Memorial TCU.

The Boxwood Garden Club will meet at 6 p.m. on December 21 at the Southern Cross Guest Ranch for their Christmas Party. The Ranch is located at 1670 Bethany Church Road.

Instead of a gift exchange we will be making a donation for a family in need. All members are urged to attend and enjoy the fellowship and joy of the Christmas season. If you have questions call Janette Saffold at 706-342-1793.

Carol Cross is now recuperating at home following shoulder surgery several weeks ago. She has been a patient at Morgan Memorial TCU for several weeks.

Sympathy is extended to the family of Donald Thurmond who died last week.

Morgan County Citizen staffers Kathryn Schiliro, Becky Snowden, Katie Davis and Angelina Bellebuono made a whirlwind trip to the Big Apple last weekend. They enjoyed seeing Jude Law perform as Hamlet at the Broadhurst Theater, visiting the Monet "Water Lillies" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, traversing the city on the subway and learning all about the rats that dwell there, seeing the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree (complete with Swarovski crystal star), and enjoying a variety of cuisines- including an amazing Turkish meal in Brooklyn. Although they have settled back into their routines here at the newspaper, they all agreed that they are eagerly anticipating their next travel adventure.