Opinion

We witness the last Halloween Jack-o’-lanterns flicker out and it’s as though a switch flips and suddenly the holiday season is upon us. It’s the time of year when stores transform overnight.

I love the Fall season in so many ways and for so many reasons. This has been a consistent theme for me.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” That it what we read in James 1:27 in the New Testament. This text is a great reminder to us of an important biblical truth: healthy faith results in actions that reflect the character of God.

I have never personally been affected by a breast cancer diagnosis; not my mother, grandmothers, or my aunts. Something I had always heard was that breast cancer is genetic, but according to the National Breast Cancer Society, only about 10 percent of breast cancer diagnosis come with a family history.

Prep sports teams have an ebb and flow, and dynasties are exceedingly rare — unless you live in Lamar. Each sports season, schools typically see varying degrees of success.

Hunting season was open on Friday against the Cubs of Monett, and the Cassville High School student section was taking no prisoners at Friday’s Barry County Brawl. From start to finish, these rabid fans sang, danced, cheered and chanted. They broke out all the classic chants, like “You can’t do that” and “Na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye.” A new one has snuck in this year about playing good “D” — makes me chuckle but is absolutely borderline out of line. I think we need a fishthemed chant for the playoffs; something like, “We will, we will, flop you!” That may need some work. Can someone get Danny Roper on the job?

As the holidays are approaching, we go from the spooky fun of “what will I be?” To the fast movement to the Christmas spirit of, “I wonder what will be under the Christmas tree?” What happened to Thanksgiving, a thankful heart, a faithful heart? Today’s society has us fueling our trains on our feelings or false facts, leaving out what truly fuels the train and that is faith. Without my faith through all the obstacles I have faced, I wouldn’t have a thankful heart.

Journalism in a small community frequently flies from one event to another, each with their own emotions and presenting their own challenges for coverage. Such was the case over the last few days, shifting coverage from Saturday’s somber memorial of Eric Hahn, the diver who died while working in the Roaring River Spring, to Monday’s elation of winning the first ever district softball championship.

The first author I ever met was David L. Harrison, the author of “Wake Up, Sun.” I was mesmerized with the idea of meeting an author and was instantly starstruck.