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The ADVANCE, November 24, 2021 /Page 5A
OPINIONS
“I honor the man who is willing to sink
Half his repute for the freedom to think,
And when he has thought, be his cause strong or weak,
Will risk t’other half for the freedom to speak.”
—James Russell Lowell
editorials
/ I’m thankful that
X ^ I s Thanksgiving
/ again, a time when
we can pause and
By Loran Smith reflect on the good
things in life—the
happy times and
the uplifting moments. I’m thankful for
the many out there who work to make
our communities, schools and neighbor
hoods better for all of us.
I’m thankful for the joy of travel and
becoming immersed in other locales,
communities and landscapes that offer
environments which are illuminating, en
lightening and enriching—all the while
appreciating home and the good feelings
that wash over you when you return.
I’m thankful for fresh cut grass in the
spring, its scent leaving you refreshed and
clear headed. I’m thankful, too, for red,
ripe tomatoes, mayonnaise, white bread
and a Coca-Cola when tomatoes are in
season. It is okay if you know a food ex
pert who recommends against such; you
can remind him/her that many of the
good things in life are emotionally healthy
if not best for your diet—a tomato sand
wich with white bread and mayonnaise is
one of them.
I’m thankful for firewood in winter;
pumpkins, hay bales and harvest scenes in
the fall; air conditioning and crepe myrtle
and the start of football in late summer;
the Masters, dogwoods, azaleas and April
showers in the spring.
I’m thankful for school teachers who
give of themselves for our kids and turn
the other cheek when their patience be
comes threadbare with rude behavior;
they love what they do because they love
kids and love their work.
I’m thankful for little towns like Hel
en and Suches in North Georgia...also
Comer, Bowman, Clarkesville, Homer,
Braselton, Rutledge Ringgold, Summer
ville and Yonah Mountain (I know, it is
not a town, but certainly a place for which
to be thankful).
Then there is Pavo, Meigs, Ochlock-
nee, Leary and Richland in the Southwest
corner of our state; Mt. Vernon, Lumber
City, Cobbtown, Woodbine, Race Pond,
Waverly, Tarrytown and Fargo in the
Southeast; I’m thankful to be an aficiona
do of small towns and small town people,
Thankful
especially those who still value the Gold
en Rule.
I’m thankful for the sweet smell of
honeysuckle on the backyard fence near
my patio where I can sit in the morning
with coffee and watch a cardinal chirp
and dance. He is the prettiest red bird I
have ever seen. I have named him Stan
Musial, for the St. Louis baseball great.
I’m thankful for nurses who work
long hours and provide tender, loving
care to so many. They are unsung heroes
always making somebody’s day with an
encouraging word.
I’m thankful for Jaemor Farms in
Alto. Fresh farm foods that connect you
with the soil and the salt-of-the-earth
folk who enjoy digging in the dirt bring
ing to your table, abundant fruits and
vegetables. You feel good when you walk
through the aisles with so many gleaming
choices and options.
I’m thankful for Little League base
ball, putt-putt golf, YMCA football scrim
mages, 5 K races for charity and house
wives who take their daily walk in my
neighborhood, smiling, chatting and feel
ing good about themselves.
I’m thankful for the Harvest Moon,
corn on the cob, sauteed trout, Musca
dine wine, boiled peanuts, country mu
sic, cheese toast, Chaboni yoghurt, non
fiction books and superstars who don’t
act like it.
I’m thankful for the memories of yes
teryear: my parents and their rigid faith;
the austere life on the farm which makes
me appreciate the good life that followed;
time spent with successful people appre
ciating what a tape recorder and/or a pad
and pen can do to enrich your life—sim
ply learning by asking questions and tak
ing notes.
I’m thankful for time spent in a duck
blind in early morning in Louisiana;
stalking a cock pheasant in a South Da
kota grain field; following a bird dog on
a point on a South Georgia quail planta
tion; catching a redfish off the coast of
Georgia, a bone fish at Islamorada, a rain
bow trout on the Chattahoochee and a
brown trout on the Yampa River in Colo
rado.
I’m most thankful for family and
friends, the No. 1 Bulldogs, good books,
and soft music. Happy Thanksgiving!
LETTER TO THE EDITOR...
Advance Reader
Champions
Yarbrough and
Braves
Letter to Dick Yarbrough:
I am an avid reader of your articles
in the Vidalia Advance (Vidalia Ga).
You tell it like it is and I very much like
that!! I am in total agreement with your
thoughts of the response and total dis
respect by MLB and the national media
of the Atlanta Braves’ 2021 World Series
Championship. This team wasn’t even
above .500 at the All-Star break and
overcame serious injuries to its biggest
player and yet, went on to win it all. The
trades made by Alex Anthopoulos at
the trade deadline paid impressive divi
dends through the rest of the season.
We also had several players (Austin Ri
ley, Freddie Freeman, Max Fried among
others), and even Alex Anthopoulos and
manager Brian Snitker that should have
gotten serious consideration for post
season awards, but that didn’t happen
either. (Surprise surprise) This team will
NEVER get the respect they deserve
from the media, no matter what. If that
were so, they should/would have got
ten it now after having won the World
Series. But Braves Country, this fan in
cluded, knows that and accepts it as it is.
And, yes, if it were any team other than
the Braves, the media would be beside
themselves heaping congratulations and
accolades to the World Series Champs.
Our Tomahawk Chop is NOT racist,
never has been, and has been accepted
by Native Americans for years, (at least
as far as I know). I was at 2 World Se
ries games at Truist Park and fans were
chopping and chanting all game long.
And I even saw lots of red foam Toma
hawks in the stands, too! If the toma
hawk had been an issue, they would
not have been allowed inside the park
to begin with. So... The Atlanta Braves
ARE 2021 World Series Champions and
always will be!! Take that MLB!!! I will
continue to enjoy reading your articles
and hear your take on today’s craziness.
Take care and keep writing!! AncL.Yes...
Re-sign Freddie Freeman!!!!
Jill O’Neal, Lyons GA
Mr. Yarbrough’s Response:
Jill, I am glad to hear from you and
glad you see my column in The Advance.
You said it well. The Braves are now
and always will be World Series champi
ons.
The rest of the world needs to get over
it.
Happy Thanksgiving and stay well.
DY
utv&tf&u-j&fC ys.
For these things I give thanks
I was not
going to write
a
Thanksgiving
column this
week for a
couple of
reasons. First,
that is the
predictable
thing to do
when you
have to churn out a weekly column. I
pride myself on being unpredictable.
Second, my friend, the late
Furman Bisher, long-time legendary
sports editor of the Atlanta Journal-
Constitution set the bar so high with
his annual column on the subject that
the rest of us pale by comparison. But
then I realized that I have a lot for
which to be thankful. So with the
understanding that my Thanksgiving
thoughts compared to his are like
comparing Gomer Pyle to Winston
Churchill, I begin.
I am thankful that I seem to have
made it through another year,
although there is still a month to go.
It has been a challenge, the first one
without the beloved Woman Who
Shares My Name. I am thankful for
our time together, for the memories
we made and for a supportive family
and more friends than I deserve.
I am thankful that God gave me
the ability to paint her portrait which
now hangs at her beloved beach
house at St. Simons Island. I could
not have done it without the help and
encouragement of my instructor,
Kris Meadows, to whom I am
especially thankful.
I am thankful that a lot of my
plans in life didn’t pan out the way I
intended them to. I look back today
and wonder what was I thinking? I
wasn’t as smart as I thought I was. I
am thankful I finally figured that out.
I am thankful that I finally got to
meet Bill Gaither, who is to gospel
music what Einstein is to the theory
of relativity. I am thankful he was as
nice in person as he appears to be on
television. I am thankful to Jane and
Michael Cox for making it happen.
I am thankful for the University
of Georgia and what it has meant to
me. I’m glad I made it out of there
with diploma in hand before it got so
tough to get in. I wouldn’t have a
prayer these days.
I am thankful that I can still find
reruns of Andy Griffith and Carol
Burnett amid all the vampires and
space aliens and potty mouth
language that permeate what passes
for entertainment these days.
I am thankful for apples from
Ellijay, onions from Vidalia, pecans
from Albany, shrimp from St. Simons
Island, wines from Tiger Mountain
and barbecue and sweet tea most
everywhere else in this great state of
ours. No wonder everybody wants to
move here.
I am thankful for the giggle of
little girls who come to my house
looking for their great-grandpa to
magically find cookies behind their
ear. I know they are onto my schtick,
but they don’t want to spoil the
illusion. We are all having too much
By Dick Yarbrough
fun. Besides, they get a lot of cookies
that way.
I am thankful for Vince Dooley.
He is not only a Hall of Fame football
coach but has been a friend to me for
many years. It is only fitting that the
field at Sanford Stadium finally was
named for him. I am thankful that
Gov. Brian Kemp made it happen. It
was long overdue.
I am thankful for law enforcement,
fire fighters, EMTs, nurses and
schoolteachers. None are paid what
they are worth, compared to
professional athletes who aren’t
worth what they are paid.
I am thankful for Galatians 5:22-
23 and the Fruits of the Spirit — nine
behaviors I try to live by. I end each
day checking out how well I did. Five
out of nine is usually my average —
on a good day. As long as patience
and self-control stay on the list, don’t
look for a perfect score.
I am thankful to the editors for
giving me this space to speak my
piece, even though there must be
times when they wish I had said
something other than what I said.
And that brings me to you. Many
of us have been email pen pals for a
long time, even though we have never
met in person. You have applauded
me when you agreed and rapped my
knuckles when you didn’t. This year,
you have helped me get through the
emotional valleys and on with my
life. I consider myself extremely
fortunate that you are there. And that
is as good a way as any to end this
Thanksgiving message. Thank you.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at
dick@dickyarbrough.com; at P.O. Box
725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139 or on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/
dickyarb.
^Aiiuattre
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