Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2008 BARROW JOURNAL PAGE 5A Christmas tradition It’s Christmas Eve and the world once again is almost giddy with anticipation over what is to come next. Children the world over will go to bed tonight positively a twitter as they dream of finding an empty milk glass next to a plate of cookie crumbs in the morning. Oh, what wonders the Christmas tree holds for those who believe! In the Arnold family, Christmas Eve was greeted with wide-eyed excitement as three big brothers kept their little sister busy while our mother and grandmother baked delicacies that would be devoured in about one-tenth the time it took to create them. The memory of my mother’s Japanese Fruit Cake or my grandmother’s pound cake live on in the Winder Woman’s Club cookbooks my mother has on her shelf. She has offered those well- worn treasures to my daughter who says four years of culinary school still did not teach her how to bake love into her creations. The family traditions are the stuff of holi days and are what help to make certain days special. The aroma of fresh-baked bread, your grandmother’s iced Christmas cookies or your mother’s Red Velvet Cake flood your senses with thoughts of Christmases past and the fun you had with your relatives now gone. What is it about those scents that unlock a cache of memories of family, home and the traditions of the Christmas holidays igniting both celebra tion and melancholy within a millisecond? The Christian faith as practiced in the Methodist tradition has been a part of my family for as far back as anyone knows. After moving to Winder from the family home stead in Statham, my grandparents joined the Winder First Methodist Church with their two young sons in 1922 - my father was two years old - and Daddy has been a member there ever since. The church has been the foundation of our family and remains so today. So it is only fitting that the Advent services at Winder First United Methodist Church are such an integral component of the season for us. When I was growing up, Daddy owned City Pharmacy in downtown Winder. Christmas Eve at the drug store was a flurry of activity and I remember him bringing home a big box of film, flashbulbs, and other strategic supplies that a customer may have forgotten to get in time for recording their family’s Christmas festivities. In fact, while not uncommon for Daddy to receive a phone call on Christmas Day to return to the drug store to fill a prescription for a sick patron, it was more often a distress call for fdm or flashbulbs that caused our phone to ring on this day of tradi tion. Our church has had Christmas Eve Candlelight services for more years than I can remember and though we were busy little elves as we helped last-minute shoppers, the drug store always closed in time for us to get to the church. Our Christmas was incomplete without attending this ser vice. Back in the days of my childhood and young adult years, we closed the store at 5 o’clock just giving me time to robe up and process with the Chancel Choir down the cen ter aisle as the community came together to celebrate Christmas in one of the more memo rable services of the church year. While I do not recall a time in my life when I did not know that celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ is the reason we have Christmas, much less Christmas Eve, it was not until this past weekend as I sang in our Christmas cantata that the lyrics of Michael W. Smith’s Agnus Dei truly touched my soul. There are some certainties that cannot be denied. As our choir sang “Alleluia! Alleluia! For the Lord God Almighty reigns”, I felt myself at the foot of the throne giving thanks that He loved us so much that He gave of Himself to save me from myself. And the tears flowed. This is powerful stuff. The stuff of wars. The stuff that fdls newspaper editor’s boxes with mail questioning the wisdom of printing the work of a columnist who unashamedly uses newsprint and ink to speak of things spiritual. The stuff that has spurred conversation and controversies for centuries. And this is the stuff on which the foundations of many fami lies — not just the Arnolds — have been built for generations. Wishing you and yours the blessings of Christmas and the knowledge that the birth of the Christ Child is alive in the traditions you love and celebrate today, tomorrow and for the rest of your life. Merry Christmas! Helen Person is a product of Winder hav ing been born and raised here. She did a 21-year exile in Gwinnett County from which she and her family returned in 2006. She loves being back home and can be reached at HelenPerson @ wind stream, net. helen person letter to the editor Leash laws not being followed Dear Editor: Although there are many problems going on in the world today, I cannot get past the one I have to see everyday in my own neighborhood. There are at least 10 dogs roaming free doing whate ver they please, eating gar bage, attacking walkers, bar king all hours of the night and pooping wherever they please. I’ve called animal con trol about a dozen times, sent e-mails galore and all I get is the same lame response, “I’ll send an officer out to patrol the area.” This in turn does nothing at all with my current situation but frustrate me a little more Letter policies The Barrow Journal will accept letters to the editor where readers wish to dis cuss current local, state or national events. The deadline for letters to the editor is 5 p.m. Monday for that week’s publication. Letters should be addressed to the editor and not to third parties. Letters should be brief, less than 500 words. All letters must have the name of the person writing it, their address and contact information, such as a phone number and email address. That information will not be published. Crude or vulgar language should not be used in a letter to the editor. Writers should also refrain from making criminal accusations against anyone unless that person has been charged with a crime in the courts. All letters are subject to editing for length and clarity. Letters may be submitted via mail or in person at 77 East May Street, Winder, via fax at 678.425.1435, or via email at editor @barrowjour- nal.com. every day. I’m a simple per son. All I want is a little infor mation passed along to all the people living in The Oaks at Bear Creek Neighborhood in Statham. There is a leash law! It may feel like a coun try atmosphere, but you can not just let your dog roam wherever they please. Somebody is going to get hurt or worse if this problem is not resolved. I know it can be done. There are plenty of good people in this neighborhood who abide by this law, but too many do not. Why, you ask? Because there is no punishment for breaking this law. If only there was a Dark Knight hero that fought for animal control, or masked avenger to save our neighborhood before it turned to the dark side. Hopefully someone will read this and agree and try to help out because I’m at a loss with what to do next that is legal. Sincerely, Anthony Paine Statham Factory Antiques INVENTORY CLEARANCE 5 Days Only! December 27 - December 31 10% - 40% Off FURNITURE & selected items Sale Hours: Sat., Mon. &Tues. 10-5, Sun. 1 - 5 & Wed. (New Year’s Eve) 10-3 Downtown Statham • 770-725-8011 Who do you see when you have FOOT PAIN? A PODIATRIST! When you have a toothache you see a Dentist. \f\A If your child is sick, you see a Pediatrician So why not see a Podiatrist when you have foot pain? Podiatrists are the only specialists exclusively trained to care for foot & ankle problems. So call for an appointment today! WF. SPECIALIZE IN THE CORRECTION OF THESE COMMON PROBLEMS: • Bunions • Corns and Calluses • Heel Pain • Hammer toes • Injuries to Foot & Ankle • Warts • Ingrown Nails • Flat Feet • Office & Hosp. Surgery DR. DREW XENOS Podiatric Surgeon Diplomate, American Board of Podiatric Surgery. Board Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery. Winder, Across from Barrow Medical Center 770-867-4110 WHEN YOUR FEET HURT, YOU HURT ALL OVER. Dr. Xenos has been serving Jackson and Barrow Counties for 31 years. NEW BARROW COUNTY COURTHOUSE Barrow County officials, staff and visitors got a look at the new Barrow County Courthouse facility on Friday. A celebration luncheon was held at the new facility and tours were conducted after lunch. The new facility is located outside Winder ofl Highway 211. Photos by Blair Buffington JUDGES TOUR THEIR NEW FACILITIES Barrow County officials, staff and visitors got a look at the new Barrow County Criminal Justice facility on Friday. Shown (L to R) touring the new courthouse are: Retired Superior Court Judge Penn McWhorter, Barrow County Chief Administrator Keith Lee, newly-elected Superior Court Judge Currie Mingledorf and Juvenile Court Judge Kevin Guidry. CHAIRMAN SPEAKS AT LUNCHEON Barrow County Board of Commission Chairman Doug Garrison (R) welcomed everyone to the celebration luncheon at the new Barrow County Courthouse on Friday. Looking on at left is Keith Lee, Barrow County chief administra tor. Garrison thanked Michael Fischer, Barrow County deputy director of operations, and Capt. Mike Katsegianes, Barrow County Sheriff’s Office chief jailer, for all of their work. you can eai THe HOLIDaYS! Lei US SHOW YOU HOW! it’s not what you eat - it’s HOW MUCH & WHEN * Before a holiday event, eat a snack or light meal. Foods high in protein, like chicken or cottage cheese, help you to eat less later * Fasting before a big meal or extra trips to the buffet may lead you to overeat. * Eat smaller portions of food. A buffet doesn’t mean try everything! Choose the items you want to try the most, and eat a small portion of each. I # After a meal, go for a walk I with your family to see holiday displays in your neighborhood. I * Be realistic. Don't try to diet during the holidays; just aim to maintain your present weight. I * Information courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services 316 N. Broad St Winder www.Darrowregional.com HeaLTHY DUflNG BARROW Regional Medical Center