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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL Why be serious when you can laugh? When Ferroll Sams, one of the most beloved writ ers of Southern litera ture, was inducted into his native Georgia’s Writers of Hall of Fame, • U ni Ronda Rich Dixie Divas podium to accept the honor not in the slow gait of a man well into his eighties but in a humble stride, the kind of reluctant steps that if a walk could shrug, surely would. This isn’t to say that he’s not appreciative of honor that comes with the words he pens to authen tically reflect rural Southerners. Tennessee beats Bulldogs solely because of my choice of pants Kickoff, 3:34 p.m. My attire includes a black and red golf shirt with a Georgia emblem, a tattered Georgia visor, and khaki shorts. I’m not wearing shoes and I’m lying on my bed, chan nel turned to the Georgia/ Tennessee football game. First play from scrim mage, 14:10 left in the first quarter. I have the TV sound muted and the Georgia Bulldog radio network blaring from a nearby radio. On the kick off and first play (a dismal 2- yard run), I notice the sound is ahead of the action on the TV screen. This is usu ally the case when I take this approach, but it’s only maybe a second or so off. Today, it’s about 40 seconds ahead. That much delay is com pletely distracting, so I turn up the TV sound and turn off the radio. The Bulldogs, for some "... I remember that I always wear this same shirt te the Georga/Horida game, and we always lose. It's bad luck. I take it off and watch the extra-point shirtless.” HICKS From page 4A affair. That person is human too and can’t help but feel used when it all falls apart. And it always falls apart. It breaks my heart that people may be lured into thinking that an affair would be no big deal, just a little fun. This website is play ing with fire through family and friends. It may shatter children’s understanding of trust, family, fatherhood, motherhood, safety. I had to look my husband in the face as he wept over my betrayal. I had to stand in our driveway for the last time and say goodbye to someone I had at one time pledged my forever to. I had to hear him say goodbye to the dreams and the children we would never realize. I had to mourn the loss of family I would never see again. And I have had to live with the harsh reality of the volumes of pain EVANS From page 4A like Canada or Great Britain. Time is of the essence in many cases where surgery is needed. In those countries you wait, sometimes months, for surgery that should be done immediately. Here, you get immediate attention. The prospect of socialized medicine in this country, as some presidential candidates are proposing, is frighten ing. It could have one ben efit, though. By making patients wait a long time for treatment that is urgent the population could be reduced and cost to the government could go down. Always look at the bright side. he did not let the moment pass without taking the opportunity to underscore one of life’s most enduring truths. Sams, author of classics like Run With The Horsemen, sauntered to the unfath oma b 1 e reason, try two bombs on their next two snaps - very unsuc cessfully. I turn back on the radio and fc*y to withstand the annoyance. Tennessee gets the ball, 13:53 left in the first quarter. The Volunteers methodi cally roll down the field effortlessly, scoring with 8:44 left in the opening peri od. I immediately turn the TV volume back up and turn off the radio. Trick play to wide-open Volunteer receiver, 14:50 left in the second quar ter. Sitting on my bed in Homerville, I was actu ally closer to this receiver and loss I have caused. Maybe you can’t seem to care enough about your spouse to guard against an affair. But at least care enough about yourself not to become somebody you are ashamed of, disgusted by. Don’t be someone who hurts people on purpose. p-f) CROSS POINT Ctfj V!/BAPTIST CHURCH V!/ Join us for worship services and small group Bible Studies at 9:15 and 10:45 645 Perry Parkway Perry, GA 31069 For more information contact us at: (478) 987-1116 or email us at: info@discovercrosspoint.net Come Meet June Jackson Author of October 20 th 11 am - 1 pm Cookbook will be for sale. Purchase the book and register to win a gift basket valued at sso^ Part memoir/ part health manual and part history lesson, this book contains more than 100 sumptuous recipes, all using PECANS. Preferably pronounced "pih-KAHN"! Lane r SOUTHERN ORCHARDS ) He seems simply bemused that what comes so naturally to him - Southern storytelling - should be recognized, as it has time and time again, as extraordinary. I, for one, cannot read Ferroll Sams. Not because he isn’t good but because he is too good. His words - especially character dia logue - are so strong, so enormous ly powerful that his voice - the literary referral to a writer’s deliv ery - rings in my head for days. It takes over and pushes away my own weaker voice. During that time when my own literary voice retreats, I hear only his. No other writer has ever done that to me. But with him, I will find myself demanding of myself to write in Sams’ voice. So, I am resigned, albeit unhap pily, to the fact that I will never have my world enriched by the stories of the recently retired phy sician from Fayetteville. Len Robbins Columnist airpub@planttel.net .. w- ..y n Lac:: f N PRAISE Of PECANS •V • < i .•- r >9 t ■ :t. :rr < ; J -> , )A»CKCO K JL3. \ But back to the ancient truth he underscored in his acceptance speech. “Well,” he drawled in that deli cious Southern cadence before launching into a good-natured jab but one deemed appropriate by the invitation-only audience of a prior speaker who had taken too long to say too little. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” With that, he held the audience in the palm of his hand. Laughter sprayed across the audience like a garden hose gone bananas. He said - in an enchantingly funny way - that which we all felt. Firmly entrenched in the good graces of the small but apprecia tive audience, he continued. “Now, do y’all want to hear something serious or something ridiculous?” “Ridiculous!” hollered the nor mally sedate, scholarly group. So, he obliged, launching into a few short minutes of riotous, sublime than anybody on Georgia’s defense. ‘ As he catches it and lei surely saunters down the sideline, I remember that I always wear this same shirt to the Georgia/Florida game, and we always lose. It’s bad luck. I take it off and watch the extra-point shirtless. Tennessee blocks a Georgia punt, 13:15 left in the second quarter. The Georgia visor is dis carded, thrown through the bedroom door and into the hall, giving our cat a heart attack. My 5-year-old son wanders in to see what the commotion is about. He’s supposed to be taking a nap. I tell him he can come in and watch the game with me. “Do I have to?” “Yes,” I demand, and he sits next to me on the end of the bed. Next Tennessee drive, 8:13 left in the second quarter. After another unproduc tive series by the Dawgs, Tennessee gets possession at their own 35 and quickly orchestrate a four-play, 65- yard scoring drive. After the extra point, the hosts lead 28-0. I conclude that my shirt Georgia Family Council is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen and defend the family in Georgia by equipping marriage advo cates, shaping laws, prepar ing the next generation and influencing culture. For more information, go to www.geor giafamily.org, 770-242-0001, stephen@gafam.org. Hwy 96 - 3 miles East of Fart Valley I-75 Exit 142 - 5 miles west (478) 825-3362 • www.lanepacking.com OPINION lessness is not helping the Dawgs, and possibly blind ing them with the glare, so I grab a blue T-shirt and place it on my torso. Shoelessness may not be helping as well, so I slip on some flip-flops. I bring in a chair to sit on, and position my face about 11 inches from the screen. Halftime. Georgia has two first downs and 28 yards rushing. I decide a change of venue is in order. I find my daugh ter in the playroom, watch ing Disney channel, and order her into my bedroom to watch her program. She briefly resists. I squeeze myself into a mini-recliner in the playroom to watch the second half. Georgia starts their first drive of the third quarter at their own 26. The new locale seems to be working as the Dawgs drive it down the field and score with 9:39 left in the third period. My son wanders into the playroom to see what the commotion is about. “Leave immediately,” I tell him. “Do I have to?” “Yes,” I demand sternly. He does. Tennessee starts ensu ing drive at their own 35. green derby w eras SEPT. DINNER DINING Monday STEAK & SPUD NIGHT New York Strip or Rib Eye $9.99 Per Person Tuesday PASTA NIGHT Santa’ Fe Pasta or , Shrimp or Chicken Alfredo $8.99 Per Person I 543^(1 Sunday: All You Care To Eat Fried Chicken - $7.99 54636 Tuesday 2 for 1 Wells & 2 for 1 Margaritas 35<t Hot Wings tales of his own Southern life. When he left the podium, he left the crowd wanting more. That’s the gift of a brilliant orator. On rare occasion when someone seeks my advice on speaking, I always say, “Grab 'em with some thing funny first. If an audience will laugh at you, they’ll listen to you.” Too much of the world has lost their sense of humor, that valuable commodity that guides us through times that stink like hair burned up by a bad perm. Dr. Sams gave the audience a choice: humor or drama. A chance to laugh - if just for a moment - won hands down. He reproved an ancient truth - that frivolity is much preferred over somberness. I have a friend who spent years deflecting away any problem in his life with jokes. Admittedly, his quips were quick and hilarious. Then, one day the jokes stopped. SEPT. BAR SPECIALS Monday Domestic Beers $1.75 / Football Wings Drafts SI.OO / Hot Dogs SI.OO Thursday Ladies Choice Night Margaritas SI.OO Wells Rocks $2.00 Draft Mugs SI.OO Wine Glass $2.00 PERRY’S BEST VALUE 1-75 Exit 136 • 478-987-8877 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2007 ♦ Again, the Vols start breez ing down the field. I get des perate. I see an old cowboy hat in my kids’ “play clothes” basket. I put it on. I go find the radio and plug it back in. I beg my son to quit read ing a book to come watch the game with me. Nothing works. They score with 2:29 left in the third quarter to make it 35-7. After my son watched me shout instructions to the Georgia defense during that hope-deflating drive, he ear nestly posed a question to his old man. “Daddy, why are you yell ing at them? They can’t hear FRESH AIR PURIFIERS There’s nothing quite like walking outside and taking a deep breath of fresh, clean air after a thunderstorm. Wouldn’t you like to be able to step back inside and enjoy that same fresh air all the time? We would like to introduce you to Fresh Air by Eco Quest: By duplicating the same processes nature uses to clean the air outside, Fresh Air by Eco Quest™ keeps indoor air fresh and clean smelling day and night. Collectively known as SynAirG™, these processes work together synergistically to eliminate smoke and odors as well as kill bacteria, mold and mildew in unoccupied areas. Call NOW for a FREE trial offer! Independent Distributor Elton & Vemeaze Tucker a. (478) 923-6187 ppp (478)923-4111 T~ Wednesday SHRIMP NIGHT YOUR WAY All You Care To Eat Saut’ed or Fried $9.99 Per Person Thursday RIB & CHICKEN NIGHT All You Care To Eat BBQ Ribs & Chicken $9.99 Per Person Friday $5.00 (Solo) Drafts-Pitchers & With Chicken Tenders & Fries $8.99 His problems had managed to punch his sense of humor to death. When his laughter took its last breath, it extinguished the light in his eyes. Seeing his light melt into darkness is one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. In a world where we are assault ed daily with seriousness in the form of tragedies, problems, heartbreaks and just plain minor aggravations, we need a reprieve where we can laugh and escape the constant pounding that our souls take. 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