Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

♦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2007 6A Daniel F. Evans President Editor and Publisher Julie B. Evans Vice President Proud of Panthers How about those Perry Panthers! You know when Perry Head Football Coach/ Athletic Director Andy Scott first took this job, two things come to mind. One was the fact there was one other candi date that stood out for the job, one whose quali fications had already included a head coaching position/experience, one who was also from this area - coaching in another town at the time - and wanted to return to his roots. That person seemed like a shoe in. Yet the Houston County Board of Education saw something special in Scott and went in that direction (part of what people have said make, and continue to make, him so special is the fact he really believes and cares for the kids; a belief that extends far beyond the gridiron). Today, as much a credit to his ability/hard work as their decision, he is making those at the HCBOE look like geniuses. And two is probably a big factor in why the HCBOE went in the direction they did: Scott beams with confidence. From day one until now he never doubted his ability to build a champion. If you’ve ever talked to him on the sidelines at practice or in his office, you can’t help but know this. And with good cause. Look at what he’s done in just two short years. In 2006 the team finished 7-4 overall and made it to the state playoffs. This year they are 8-3 and just beat one of the most tradition-rich teams in the state in LaGrange (not to mention forever-nemesis Peach County) in the state playoffs. No doubt Scott would say he couldn’t have done it without the support of both his staff and play ers. To that end, we also need to take a moment to salute at least the first (lacking sufficent space to salute the second): Offensive Coordinator Chad Alligood, a story in itself as he was one of the masterminds who helped Northside build the program it is today, Defensive Coordinator Randy Roland, Coaches Kelvin McDavis, Shawn Masters, Carl Dixon, Rod Harris, Torrey Howard, Chris Brown and Sam Said. We salute you one and all. You know, Scott was once seen at the Georgia Dome - last year or the year before - watching teams play in the state semifinals. “We’re going to be here,” he said definitively at the time. True enough it’s starting to look like they will. Letters to the editor Perdue’s rain dance a PR stunt When a person is elected to a public office, such as governor, his constituents expect to be represented in an honest and truthful manner. These traits are, per ceived by many, not to be our governor’s strong points; thus, he must rely on his evangelical support base to con jure up this illusion. Perdue’s rain prayer was nothing other than a grand standing PR stunt unworthy of serious concern. I can only assume he hoped this would strengthen his entrenchment in the religious community. Or, he takes his constituents as a bunch of fools. If it is going to rain, it will. If not all the prayers in the world can’t change a thing. Many years in the past, Indians did rain dances and hoped they would bring rain. Even before that, the See LETTER i, page yA WR Animal Control Shelter has problems The Animal Control Shelter in Warner Robins has some serious problems. It needs a newer, larger, more modern facility. It needs to solely concentrate on col lecting and dealing with, too often, unwanted strays. Their job is to follow the law, do the best that they can and not get bogged down in tasks that are outside the purview of animal control. See LETTER 1, page 8A HOW TO SUBMIT: There are three ways to submit a letter to the editor: E mail it to hhj@evansnewspapers.com, mail it to Houston Home Journal at 1210 Washington St., Perry, GA 31069, or drop it off at the same location between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Letters should not exceed 350 words and must include the writer’s name, address and telephone number (the last two not printed). The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject letters for reasons of grammar, punctuation, taste and brevity. Foy S. Evans Editor Emeritus Don Moncrief Managing Editor BELIEF Being thankful even in adversity Considering the way things have gone the past few weeks one might assume that there was very little to be thankful for. Far from it. Even in the face of a questionable future, I have trouble counting all my blessings and the things that I am thankful for this year. I have trouble understanding how anyone with a happy and fruitful pqst can overlook the many good things just because of an uncertain future. My blessings have been many. As the saying goes, my cup runneth over. It was sheer luck that brought me to Warner Robins, where I shared in decisions that resulted in what we have today as editor and publisher of The Warner Robins Sun (The Daily Sun). Giving thanks at Thanksgiving I have five children and frequently struggle with how to teach them about gratitude and contentment. Frankly, it’s something I struggle with myself. So the Thanksgiving week car ries with it that annual opportunity to teach them (and remind myself) about the things for which to be grateful. I don’t want the week to pass with out having communicated with my kids that Thanksgiving is much, much more than days off of school, lots of good food and a few football games on television. It’s helpful to remember the origins of the holiday, so here’s a brief refresh er course on Thanksgiving. On Sept. 6, 1620, a ship with just over 100 people on board left the shores of England en route to America. On board were Pilgrims - men, women and chil dren in search of freedom from the religious persecution they had endured in Europe. Freedom they were willing to travel a world away to obtain. However, that freedom came at a high price. Their cramped vessel sailed for two months across the Atlantic Ocean before reaching the shore of their new homeland. On their ship, the •Mayflower, passengers had to endure wind-tossed seas and storms, scurvy and even death before sighting land. Once ashore, the passengers and crew, many disease-ridden from the voyage, set about making a new home in a strange and unknown landscape. Having landed at Plymouth Rock (located in what would become known as Massachusetts) in November, it was not long before temperatures began to fall. Imagine facing that cold season having to build a colony and gath er food with limited supplies, while you and/or many of your fellow set tlers battled sickness and disease. By springtime, only half of the colonists had survived. The Pilgrim’s sacrifice was a high price to pay for the freedom they sought": thousands of miles away from civilization, harsh untamed country, “One voice can make a difference Foy Evans Columnist foyevansl9@cox.net The people of Warner Robins honored me by electing me their mayor for eight years. How could anyone not be thankful for that? I am thankful for the many friends who have enriched my life. I have out lived most of them, but I appreciate the living and the dead for many wonder ful reasons. At the top of any reason to be thank- Randy Hicks Columnist Georgia Family Council dozens dying. All in support of a noble dream. And yet the Pilgrims were grateful. As spring and summer rolled on the survivors were able plant crops with the help of local Indians and by fall, they had an abundance of food. They expressed that gratitude as a commu nity and invited the Indians who had helped them to join in their three-day harvest feast and festival. Fast forward to today. I’m betting that if the Pilgrims who celebrated on that first Thanksgiving could see the dissatisfaction and frus tration so often expressed at this time of year, despite the abundance we enjoy, they would truly be perplexed. The Pilgrims had to struggle with how to meet their most basic human needs. They needed food, they needed shelter - they needed to survive the winter. Here’s what I need to remind myself of - at a minimum, our basic human needs are being met. It’s likely that everyone reading this column knows where their next meal is coming from. It’s likely that none of us are particu larly concerned about what the tem perature will be outside when we go to bed tonight. And for most of us, our assets go way beyond food and shelter. For example, we enjoy modern con veniences like dishwashers and micro waves. We drive comfortable cars. We get to choose from among an assort ment of clothing what to wear each day. And many of us will spend the holi day with family and friends gathered mm iiPßpr P HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL "At the top of any reason to be thankful ts family. I treasure them al - immediate famly and extended. All have enriched my life." fill is family. I treasure them all - immediate family and extended. All have enriched my life. Tomorrow we will eat more than is good for us and I, for one, have had more blessings than I can count. I am thankful for every one of them. Now is not too soon to say so. Tomorrow could be too late. Let us give thanks for all we have been given and ask God to continue to bless our families and our Nation." - GEORGE W. BUSH 2007 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation around us. Perhaps some more antici pated than others, but they are with us nonetheless. Think about it. We have so much more than the Pilgrims did in that fall of 1621. Ironically, many of the struggles we face in this modern life are directly related to all that we can enjoy. Our time and money get stretched because of an ever growing number of things to choose from. We often face self imposed stress, particularly related to finances, because we buy bigger and better whether we can afford it or not. Of course, it’s true that many of us face real-life problems like illness, strained relationships and others. And for some this time of year seems to amplify those things even more. But we also have so much for which to be grateful. I hope you’ll pardon the preachiness, but we need to slow down, give thanks, say thanks, and remember what we have - not what we don’t have. I’m not pointing fingers because I’m in no position to do so. I am guilty of the very attitude I’ve described. But all of us - and especially our children - will find life so much more enjoyable and meaningful when we learn the discipline of gratitude. (And it is a discipline, by the way. It does not come naturally.) There’s a story to be told here - to our children and ourselves. The Pilgrims showed us how to be grateful for the simple things in life and to do so in the face of great sacrifice. They had so little, but were grateful in spite of it all. How can we who have so much not also be drawn to gratitude for all that we enjoy? Georgia Family Council is a non-prof it organization that works to strength en and defend the family in Georgia by equipping marriage advocates, shaping laws, preparing the next generation and influencing culture. For more informa tion, go to www.georgiafamily.org, 770- 242-0001, stephen@gafam.org.