Newspaper Page Text
6B
♦ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2006
A love postponed until eternity
I have an aunt whom I
have never seen. Were
she alive today, she would
be 102 years old. Her name
was Mary Elizabeth Powell.
She was the daughter of
my grandparents, William
Thomas and Delia Etheridge
Powell. She was my father’s
older sister. She died in the
process of being born in 1904
in the settlement of Grovania,
Georgia, located between
Perry and Hawkinsville.
Her grave is located in the
200 year old Roberts’ cem
etery plot behind Hayneville
Baptist Church. A small
rectangular concrete mark
er, only 6 by 8 inches, marks
her humble grave. Scribbled
with a nail into the concrete
are these words: “Baby ...
Mr. & Mrs. W.T. Powell ...
1904.”
During his last days, my
granddaddy would ask me
to drive him down to the
Hayneville-Grovania area
where he and grandmother
lived as a young, married
couple. I asked granddad
dy what happened to Mary
Elizabeth. “The doctor
gave your grandmother too
much ergotamine used to
produce contractions,” he
replied. “The drug worked
adversely against the child. '
In those days drug store
owners doubled as com
munity doctors. As I drove
granddaddy through his old
stomping grounds, he remi
nisced about the good times
Lack of support worries mother
QUESTION: My hus
band and I just moved
to Arizona from
Pennsylvania, and I
haven’t established a
network of friends here
yet. My family is back
East, and I have no one
but my husband to talk
to about problems our
kids are having. He is
very busy, so that leaves
it all pretty much to me.
How can I deal with the
feelings of loneliness and
isolation as a mother?
D R .
DOBSON:
You’re
right;
there is
less sup
port avail
able to
families
now than
in the past.
When
a child
was born
Dr. James
Dobson
Focus on the Family
during the 1800 s, the new
mother was assisted by
many friends and relatives
who hovered around her to
offer their advice and help.
These aunts, grandmoth
ers and neighbors hadn’t
read many books on child
rearing, but they didn’t need
them. They had picked up
a certain folk wisdom that
gave them confidence in han
dling babies and children.
They had answers for every
question, whether right or
wrong, and they were will
ing to share what they knew
with those they loved. So
a new mother was taught
how to raise her children by
older women who had many
years’ experience in caring
for little people.
That support for new par
ents is now largely nonex
istent. With the disappear
ance of the “extended fami
ly,” many moms feel isolated
and alone. They live in a
mobile society where neigh
bors are often strangers.
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he and grandmother shared
together as well as the sor
rowful death of their infant
daughter.
Several miles down the
road stand the remains of an
old country store, a hub of
activity on Saturdays, when
everyone came to town to
pick up groceries and sup
plies for the week ahead. A
native of
Grovania,
Mrs
Ellis, told
Dwayne
and me
that as
a young
teenager
she often
saw my
grandpar
ents walk
ing to town.
Billy Powell
Columnist
My grandparents were
in their 20s when Mary
Elizabeth was conceived.
Delia carried her for nine
months. She and William
Thomas were anxiously
awaiting the arrival of their
first child.
The day came when Mary
Elizabeth was scheduled to
enter this world. She was
struggling to be born when
a doctor apparently adminis
tered too much ergotamine.
Fighting with all her might
Mary Elizabeth just couldn’t
make it, so she had to let
go. Death came with finality
and denied her debut into
this world.
Their own mothers, aunts
and sisters have moved far
away to Detroit or Dallas or
Portland - and they might
not be trusted even if they
were available to help. This
isolation has shaken the
confidence of new moms,
especially, who are aware
that there is too much they
don’t know about kids.
Dr. Benjamin Spock, the
author of “Baby and Child
Care,” observed this anxiety
in hospital maternity wards.
He wrote: “I can remember
mothers who cried on the
morning they were to take
their baby home. ‘I won’t
know what to do,’ they
wailed.”
What can you do to build
a network of friends in a
similar situation? I strongly
recommend that you seek
out groups that are designed
to meet this need. Many
churches run classes called
Mothers of Preschoolers
(MOPS), which is an out
standing program that puts
women in touch with one
another. Other possibilities
are out there, such as Mom’s
Day Out, Mothers on the
Move, etc.
You are not alone, even in
a new city. There are other
women out there who need
you as much as you need
them. You can find each
other with a little effort.
QUESTION: I was
taught in my psychology
class that babies come
into the world devoid of
personality, and the envi
ronment then stamps its
image. Do you disagree?
DR. DOBSON: Yes,
although that understanding
has been accepted for hun
dreds of years. Philosophers
Locke and Rousseau told us
in the 17th and 18th centu
ries that babies come into the
world as “tabula rasas,” or
“blank slates,” upon which
society and the environment
wrote the fundamentals of
personality. But they were
Where is Mary Elizabeth
Powell? That is the ques
tion of the ages. From God’s
word, I sought the answer.
In 2 Corinthians 15, Paul
addresses the resurrection
of the dead: “What is sown
does not come to life until
it first dies, that each kind
of seed has its own kind
of body, that what is sown
is perishable and that what
is raised is imperishable.”
Paul added, “It is sown in
weakness. It is raised in
power. It is sown a physical
body, it is raised a spiritual
body."
That was the key I
was seeking. Little Mary
Elizabeth now has a spiri
tual body. At conception,
God breathed into Mary
Elizabeth the breath of life
and gave her a soul. She
came from God and she went
back to God. The amount of
time one survives is relative.
Mary Elizabeth’s body sur
vived only moments where
as some survive 100 years.
Her soul, at death, separated
from her infant body and
united with her new, strong
spiritual body.
So Mary Elizabeth is with
God in his eternal kingdom.
Grandmother, grancfdaddy,
and her little brother, Lee
Powell, my father, have now
been reunited with her.
What a glorious reunion it
must have been! It was a
love postponed until eter
nity.
wrong. We now know that
every newborn is unique
from every other baby, even
from the first moments out
side the womh. Except for
identical twins, triplets, etc.,
no two are alike in tem
perament, biochemistry or
genetics.
How foolish of philoso
phers and behavioral scien
tists to have thought other
wise. If every grain of sand is
unique and every snowflake
is like no other, how sim
plistic to have believed that
human beings are mass-pro
duced like little robots. That
is nonsense.
Just ask the real experts -
the mothers who understand
their babies better than any
one. They’ll tell you that
each of their infants had a
different “feel” - a different
personality - from the first
moment they were held. If
these mothers are eventu
ally blessed with six or eight
or even 20 children, they will
continue to say emphatically
that every one of them was
unique and distinct from the
others when only 1 hour old.
They are right - and their
perceptions are being con
firmed by scientific inquiry.
Dr. Dobson is founder and
chairman of the board of
the nonprofit organization
Focus on the Family, P.O.
Box 444, Colorado Springs,
CO. 80903; or www.family.
org. Questions and answers
are excerpted from “The
Complete Marriage and
Family Home Reference
Guide” and “Bringing Up
Boys,” both published by
Tyndale House.
Old or New? Come Take a Look!
I Ij I
Ira
926 Carrol Street. • Perry, GA 3 1069
478-224-8888
T-F 9am-spm SAT l()am-2pm
RELIGION
Church Briefs
Home Buyers’
Seminar
There will be a seminar
for home buyers from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 14,
at New Hope International
Church, 2440 Highway 127,
Kathleen. Experienced rep
resentatives will be on hand
to discuss and answer your
questions on buying your
home, mortgage, insur
ance, inspection and credit
checks. For more informa
tion, call Love Burnsed at
987-7893.
Pumpkin Patch
Time
The 11th Annual
Pumpkin Patch of Christ
United Methodist Church
returns to Warner Robins
today.
CUMC is celebrating 11
years of this popular com
munity outreach.
The Patch is an attrac
tion for kids of all ages,
offering face painting, a
beanbag toss, a tic-tac-toe
board, and a maze. Story
time with preschoolers and
elementary age children
is also very popular. Last
year over 900 children vis
ited the patch as part of
pre-school or elementary
groups, as well as hundreds
of families who visit during
the month. The
The Pumpkin Patch can
be found at Christ United
Methodist Church Pumpkin
Patch, on 511 Russell
Parkway on the front lawn
of the church from October
6 - 31. The Patch is open
from 9 a.m. until dark,
Monday through Saturday,
and on Sundays from 1-6
p.m.
Call the church office at
922-0211 to make a reser
vation for preschool, ele
mentary school, or daycare
The ingredients for a good life
Decoupaging was a
phase of the early
80’s. It captured
my interest and I became
engulfed in my newfound
hobby.
M y
hubby
cut
boards
of all
shapes
and
sizes.
I made
gifts
for
others
that I
just knew would be trea
sured for a lifetime. Well,
after all, it is the thought
that counts.
The decoupage proj
ects required painstaking
steps to achieve satisfac
tory results. Following
directions, glossy fin
ish was applied, speci :
fied drying time allowed,
object sanded and process
repeated continuously.
However, each time the
procedure was complet
ed, the product seemed to
remain unchanged
Studying the situation,
I realized my failure to
stir the finish solution
Earline Cole
Reflections
groups.
Annual Health
Day
The Union Grove
Missionary Baptist Church
will host their Sixth annual
Health Day and Brunch
at the Vision Center, 1231
South Davis Drive, Warner
Robins, Oct. 15. Physicians
will speak on good health
practices and on HIV-AIDS.
A healthful meal will be
served, and there will be
free testing for glucose,
blood pressure, HIV and
cholesterol. Flu shots will
be available for $25 with
Medicaid, S4O without.
Hospice volunteers will be
on hand, and there will be
vendors with giveaways.
For more information on
this free program, call 922-
5514.
Divorce
Recovery
A divorce recovery work
shop is being held at First
Christian Church, U.S.
41 N. and Perry Parkway.
Meetings will be held every
Thursday for 10 weeks,
starting at 7 p.m. The work
shop and childcare are free.
Call 956-4800 to sign up.
Celebrate recovery at
Unity Baptist
Need help for a hurt,
hang-up or habit?
Celebrate Recovery meet
ing are at Unity Baptist
Church of Bonaire every
Wednesday night at 6:30
p.m. Children’s program
is available. Unity Baptist
is located at 79 Highway
96, between Houston Lake
Road and Moody Road. For
information call 922-0063.
Ladies Night
Out
Bonaire First Baptist
before applying. Directions
did not state, “Mix well
before applying,” so the
necessity for mixing was
disregarded. Stirring the
solution, I soon discovered
the reason for not get
ting recognizable results.
Active ingredients needed
to create the desired finish
remained in the bottom of
the can.
As I continued work on
my decoupage projects,
I became aware of how
the same thing is sub
ject to happening in lives
of individuals. Until the
ingredients are mixed well
CALL STATE FARM*
DURING ABNORMAL
BUSINESS HOURS.
We’re available even after 5 pm. Get your free car insurance
quote, find out what discounts you qualify' for and purchase a
policy any time of the day or night from a State Farm agent.
Get a free car insurance quote-save up to 40%
Call a State Farm agent’s office 24/7.
FOR MORE; INFORMATION ABOUT CAR INSURANCE.
CAU ONE. OF THESE AGENTS BFI OW:
Hawy Hopson Jr
104 A Gunn Road
Centerville GA 31028
Bus 478-953 9272
tori Johnson
624 S Hanlon l ake Road
Warner Robots GA 31088
Bus 4/6963-1133
Andy Thomas
755 Cad Vinson Parkway
Warner Rofwts. GA 31 ORB
Bus: 4789760069
Jimmy Spinks
1410 Russell Parkway
Warner Robins, GA 31068
Bus: 478 923-5579
Nancy Deighan
324 Butters Drive
Bonane. GA 31005
Bus: 478-96/8336
sun itn
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR STATE FAKM IS THEM.*
Providing insurance and Financial Services
State Farm Mutual Autmobie Insurance Company (not m NJI Stata Fan hdemmty Company INJ)
POSJO47 01/05 Bl® n! ' n 9 ,on . H • insurant* and dacoans subsect to qualifications
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Church will host a Ladies
Night Out on Saturday
at 6:30 p.m. The speaker
will be Bobbie McCoy with
music by Deborah Waters
Stevens. Dinner choices are
grilled grouper or smoked
chicken. Tickets are $lO.
For tickets or more infor
mation, call 922-1924, or
visit the church’s Web site
at www.bonairefbc.com.
Sacred Heart
Fall Festival
Sacred Heart Catholic
Church, 250 South Davis
Drive, Warner Robins is
planning its annual fall fes
tival on Oct. 21 from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m., with free
concerts, Radio Disney live
on stage all day, a hot air
balloon, rides, games and a
flea market.
Premium auction and lot
tery raffle with raffles of
SIOOO, vacation trips, enter
tainment packages, outdoor
life extravaganza, and much
more Free concerts will
include country music star,
T. Graham Brown, Josh
Graf and Company and the
Buttercats. There will be
an arts and crafts show and
sale. Carnival food as well
as food by local restaurants
will be available.
First Baptist
Kathleen
fall festival
First Baptist Church
Kathleen, 101 Bear Branch
Rd., will hold a Fall Festival
Oct. 28 from 6 p.m. - 9
p.m. There will be hotdogs,
chili, marshmallow roast
and hayrides. Also, there
will be booths for all ages
and plenty of candy. Bring
your children and have a
Christian alternative to
Halloween.
and become we remain
unchanged. Our hearts con
tain ingredients needed to
bring out the desired finish
such as love and kindness.
The finish will be complete
only when these and other
compulsory ingredients
surface from within the
heart.
“Dear friends, let us prac
tice loving each other, for
love comes from God and
those who are loving and
kind show that they are
children of God and that
they are getting to know
Him better.” - I John 4:7,
Living Bible.
Jake Goddard
1774 Washington Street
Perry. GA 31069
Bus 478 987 3500
M. 0., Wrlh, I.
1530 Watson Bto)
Wamm Robins.
Bus: 47892?-8638
Eddie Causey
2036 Watson Bbd
Warner flo(*ts,GA 31093
Bus: 4/8 9?? 3533