Opinion

There are many ways to express one’s feelings and tie into the meaning of Christmas, but none better than a column that appeared in a Chicago newspaper many years ago. The simple words, if taken seriously today, could go a long way toward solving problems both domestic and abroad.

As I approach my 60th birthday, I get that question off and on. My answer is: “I’m not.” I have no plans to retire.

It was about this time nine years ago I first drove through the city of Cassville. On my way to Monett to meet my old boss, who was trying to sweet talk me up here from Searcy, Ark., I came up 86 through some of the windiest roads I had ever driven, then took 76 over to hilltop.

This is a repeat of a column published in 2013 that depicts a special time in our lives. Reading it this time of the year has become a habit for me and I think if she could see, Anita Sue would also like the memory.

It is a wonderful time to talk about some of the moments that brought me and my family where they are today. To tell this story, I need to start in the summer of 2018.

It’s that time of year. It’s getting colder, the sales have started and there’s a sea of red and green in store windows, cloying at passersby to purchase the latest fashion trend or electronic.

Tuesday, Dec. 7, will long live in memory, especially for those who were around that Sunday 71 years ago when news reached the mainland that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor and virtually destroyed this country’s Pacific Fleet.

The first 14 weeks of the school year have gone by quickly, and it has been both exciting and productive thus far. We have already completed the first quarter and are well into our second.

Whether or not the Christmas Nativity Scene will appear atop the Oak Hill Cemetery hill this year reminds me of a situation that was prompted by telephone conversations several years ago that were completely uncalled for had adequate preparations been in place.

While it is difficult for me to believe, there are still people that have a disconnect about where their food comes from. Even in today’s world where information is constantly at their fingertips, many young people don’t know that milk comes from cows or don’t understand how tomatoes are grown.