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2C
♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2006
Mama’s good life is full of love
Mama said the most
wonderful thing
recently. What she
said is something I wish I
could hear from the mouths
of everyone I care about.
“I’ve had the best life,”
she commented in an out
of-the-blue statement. She
smiled sweetly. “I know my
time on earth is dwindling
down but I wouldn’t change
one iota about my life. It’s
exactly what I wanted.”
Now Mama’s life, on any
scale of measurement, has
not been grand.
It has been as a simple
as a cotton gingham dress.
There have been few vaca
tions, store-bought clothes
or new cars.
Her memories, unlike
mine, don’t include any his
torical moments or out-of
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Contributed
Six boys from Cub Scout Pack 419 received the highest achievement in Cub Scouting, the Arrow of Light. Their cere
mony took place at Crossroads United Methodist Church in November. From left, Luke Rabon, Russell Bugg, Brandon
Webb, Josh Plested, Zachary Holton and Austin Woody. Their den leaders are Jimmy and Jann Rabon.
New eagle scout
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Contributed
Christian Riddiemoser, a home-schooled sophomore,
received the Boy Scout’s highest award, the rank of Eagle
Scout, at a ceremony at Christ United Methodist Church
on Nov. 12. The son of Patricia and Tom Riddiemoser of
Warner Robins, Christian is a member of Troop 550, spon
sored by Christ United Methodist Church. Riddiemoser
earned 31 merit badges and served as patrol leader of
Troop 55. He planned and executed a service project at
the Ga. Academy for the Blind in Macon, leading about
20 scouts and friends in improving the rounds, plant
ing new shrubs and rose bushes and installing tree and
ground bird feeders. Riddiemoser and his parents are
members of Central Georgia Christian Home Educators
and is a volunteer at the Academy for the Blind, at the
Trinity UMC food bank and at Heroes and Villains Comic
Book Store.
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the-ordinary adventures. It
has been as mundane of an
existence as any woman of
the rural South could ever
know.
Still, she has loved it and
prized it mightily. What
more can you ask?
She’s had abundance of
what everyone who lives the
happiest lives have - she has
known love as mighty as the
Mississippi and as strong as
the four winds that blow in
unison.
“I married the love of
my life and had him for 56
years. No woman has ever
been loved more than me,”
she continued. “I know I
ain’t had no fancy life but
I’ve had exactly all I wanted.
I just wanted to be a wife
and a mama and that’s what
the Good Lord allowed me to
Top honors
be. I’ve been blessed.”
It brought me up short
and reminded me that con
tentment lies in the heart
and can
be found
in the
simplest
of lives.
1 m
proud for
the life
you have
and proud
of my lit
tle girl’s
success,”
P
she said. “But you couldn’t
be one bit happier than I’ve
been all these years. And
you know me. Basically, I
just stayed at home and
took care of things around
there except for church on
Sunday.”
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c jYzma/s
Noah Crawford
Holcomb
Chuck and Zandra
Crawford Holcomb of Perry
announce the birth of a son,
Noah Crawford Holcomb,
at Houston Medical Center
Nov. 20. Grandparents of
the baby are Noah Holcomb
of Centerville, and Pat
and Clifford Crawford of
Marshallville.
Jon Wesley Culver
Monty and Heather
Hanebuth Culver of Warner
Robins announce the birth
of a son, Jon Wesley Culver,
at Houston Medical Center
Nov. 20. Grandparents
of the baby are Harvey
Hanebuth of Warner
Robins, John and Gloria
Culver of Killeen, TX, and
Susan Hill of Roscoe, IL.
Liliana Marie Fowler
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Thank You for a Wonderful Year!
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—w. j
LIFESTYLE
A while back, a long-time
friend passed away. I had
visited with him on his ter
race shortly before death
had plucked at his ear and
summoned him.
By accounts of earth
ly measurement, he was
impeccably successful. His
career had been stellar and
he had shared generously
with those around him.
But as death eased with
certainty toward him, he
had regrets.
“I’ve made a lot of money,”
he said with a shrug. “Now,
I’m leaving it for the vul
tures to fight over. All
that money can’t heal my
body or bring forth the
peace of a satisfied man.”
My eyes watered as I studied
the regret and disappoint
ment in his faded eyes. I
Ronda Rich
Columnist
William, 111 and Kathleen
Erb Fowler of Kathleen
announce the birth of a
daughter, Elliana Marie
Fowler, at Houston
Medical Center Nov. 19.
Grandparents of the baby
are Art and Rita Fowler of
Cashiers, NC, and Ronald
and Janet Erb of Bart, PA.
Charlton Kori Gordon
Kimberly Whitehead
and Charles Gordon of
Centerville announce the
birth of a son, Charlton
Kori Gordon, at Houston
Medical Center Nov. 19.
Grandparents of the baby
are Corinithia Rawls
of Perry, and Dorothy
Whitehead of Macon.
knew he had spent years
chasing success as a way of
covering up for the personal
happiness he neglected.
“What’s your biggest
regret?” I asked because
we were close enough that
I knew he’d tell me. In fact,
I felt he needed to get it off
his chest.
He swallowed hard and
looked away, focusing on
a hawk that coasted lazily
through the blue sky.
He sighed and I could hear
the heartbreak in that deep
breath. “I let the woman I
love get away. Pretended it
didn’t matter.
That as long as I could
make money, I could have
anything I wanted on earth
and be happy.” He shook his
head. “What a fool was I.”
I wanted to cry but for
The kids and the tree
We have a new game
at our house. It’s
called pull an orna
ment off the Christmas tree
and throw it back into the
middle of the green branch
es to see if it sticks.
This game was invented
by my 21-month old son,
and is played with much
gusto by
h i m
despite
m y
attempts
to con
vince
him that
it is a
“no-no.”
In fact,
he has
heard
IBir la. • Igraf
Sherri Martin
The Front Porch
that phrase so much that
he thinks the name of the
Christmas tree is “No-No-
No!” much like the cartoon
dog who told his canine pal,
“My name is ‘No, No, Bad
Dog.’ What’s yours?”
The glee with which my
son plays this game is in
direct correlation to how
many ornaments are on
the floor. Because despite
his many attempts, the
ornaments just won’t stick
in the bushy branches and
instead obey the laws of
gravity all the way down
to the floor. This leaves
the top two-thirds of our
tree decorated - with the
breakable ornaments of
course - and the bottom
third with plenty of gaps
where ornaments used to
be. Martha Stewart would
not approve. My older son
and I periodically pick up
the ornaments that litter
the floor and hang them
back in the empty spots.
This just provides more
bait for the master redeco
rator. However he is rather
innovative in finding other
ways to use the ornaments
besides for developing his
pitching arm.
He loves anything with
wheels, as most boys do,
and is very adept at making
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
his down trodden sake, I
didn’t. He turned his eyes to
me. “Now you listen to me:
don’t let that happen to you.
Nothing’s more important
than love. No amount of
money or success can equal
it.”
Funny, but that’s exactly
what Mama, in her own way,
said, too.
While my friend couldn’t
take his money to the grave,
Mama will take that love
with her.
And, she’ll find more of it
waiting for her on the other
side.
Good choice, Mama.
Ronda Rich is the best
selling author of What
Southern Woman Know
(That Every Woman Should)
and The Town That Came
A-Courtin ’.
the “vroom-vroom” sound
most boys seem instinctive
ly to know. Several of the
ornaments at the bottom
of the tree have wheels -
Santa on a bike, a choo-choo
train, a little tractor. So
what that they’re attached
to a branch? He just pulls
the ornament to the floor,
bending the branch down,
and “vrooms” away.
He also recently discov
ered that there is actually
water in that big green
thing at the bottom of the
tree. I sometimes wonder
what he’s thinking. “Mom
and Dad have already lost
it by bringing a tree inside
the house, and now they’ve
put a bunch of water right
at floor level where I can
reach it? This is too cool!”
So far, things are actually
going better than I expect
ed. The tree is still upright,
no ornaments have been
broken, and a few of them
sprinkled around on the
floor is no big deal to me.
Of course I have yet to
put any presents under the
tree. I think I’m subcon
sciously avoiding wrapping
them because I have a feel
ing he will quickly develop
the game of “how fast can
this paper be torn off this
big box?”
I’ve considered just
wrapping the presents and
leaving the bows off until
the very last minute. I
well remember how his big
brother, at nearly the same
age, developed an interest
in one bow on one certain
present. I had to tell my
brother-in-law that his gift
was unadorned thanks to
his nephew. Perhaps little
brother would stick to just
one present as well.
Or maybe I should wrap a
present and put wheels on
it. Then he could “vroom”
it around the tree, leaving
the other presents and the
ornaments alone for the
rest of the season.
Now that would be a
Christmas miracle.
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