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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. Grrrreat Deals j De ycu have scmetiiins Dres ses tc sell and it’s under , 0 s w —r SSCJ If, sc, call cur > Wc classified dept + we'll IlipOL run it for 5 days MjH limit 2 pwculttmer per Meek . must nin tn 3 lines 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