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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Beauty, the beholder
Sophie Rose was not, in
the assessment of other
women, what you would call
“pretty.” She was not even,
as Southern women are fond
of saying when the words
“pretty” or “beautiful” sim
ply cannot be used, attrac
tive. That is our trademark
description when another
is not blessed with natural
beauty but spiffs herself up
with make-up, clothes and
perfect hair to look the best
she can possibly look.
“Is she pretty?” one will
ask another.
“Well, she’s,” and here
there will be a dramatic pause
for effect, followed slowly by,
“attractive.” Attractive will
always be spoken in italics
for it is our secret code for,
“you know what I mean.”
So, in the assessment of her
female counterparts, Sophie
Rose was neither pretty,
beautiful or even attractive.
She was, as one of the others
said, rather plain. Her nose
was too big, her eyebrows
too thick and she had an
ever so slightly overbite that
wasn’t unseemly but it did
have the effect of making
her mouth seem as though it
was always full of food. But
she was always real sweet.
There was no denying that.
Though she wasn’t ravish
ing in the eyes of most, she
was beautiful in the eyes of
Billy Ray, who, by the way,
was one of the handsomest
guys you could imagine.
“From the moment he seen
her at the Diary Barn, he
was a goner,” one of his bud-
MONCRIEF
From page 6A
the birds peck him to
death.”
If I were to draw conclu
sions, which I will - it’d be no
fun if I didn’t - where First
Samuel, Chapter 17, verse
49 reads: “And David put his
hand in his bag, and took
thence a stone, and slang it,
and smote the Philistine in
his forehead, that the stone
sunk into his forehead; and
he fell upon his face to the
earth.”
Verse 50 of the Promise
Sunday School version would
read: “And then David’s
mother showed up, grabbed
him by the ear and drug him
home saying: ‘I thought I
told you I never wanted to
see you playing with that
slingshot anymore.’”
In the book of Jonah, they
would add a verse some
where right after Jonah, who
is miserable - covered in fish
guts from head to toe - after
spending the past three days
and three nights in the belly
of a whale meets up with
his wife for the first time. It
would go something like this:
“And ‘Pam’ (I don’t know
if he was married so I just
substituted a name near and
dear to me) patted her foot on
the ground and with hands
on her hip said: ‘So, you’ve
been out fishing again.’”
In the book of John,
Chapter 11, verse 43, Jesus
says: “Lazarus come forth
(from the dead).” Verse 44
would have a quote from
Mrs. Lazarus: “Oh no. You’re
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dies would often say over the
years. “Never seen a man go
so crazy over a woman in my
life. Just one of them things
you can’t explain.”
“Now, that’s something
you don’t see much of,” one
of the women down at the
beauty shop commented as
the shampoo-and-set women
huddled to discuss the
upcoming nuptials of Sophie
and Billy Ray.
“What’s that?” asked one.
“A good-looking man with
a plain-looking woman. Now,
from time to time, you’ll see
a pretty woman with an ugly
man. But you don’t ever see
it the other way around.”
The other ladies solemnly
took in her comments then
slowly, they all nodded in
agreement.
So, Sophie and Billy Ray
married, settled down on a
small farm and raised three
kids, corn, tomatoes and
beans.
For over 45 years, it was
a loving, lovely marriage.
Time would reveal that Billy
Ray had seen Sophie with
his heart and loved her for
what she was, not how she
looked. She was a good,
not going anywhere until you
take out the trash.”
I could go on but I think
you see what I mean. (PS.
I hope nobody thinks I’m
making fun of the scriptures.
That’s truly not my intent.
I’m just trying to have a little
fun.)
They are loving and lovely
as I said in my first column,
but a few of them have got
a little bit of that Walker,
Texas Ranger justice about
them. In fact, even though
I begged for forgiveness in
my first column, there were
some who still wanted my
head on a platter (like John
the Baptist’s).
One of them, I won’t
mention any names (Carol
Daniels) went so far this past
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For serving The
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decent woman with a solid
heart who loved her husband
and children unconditional
ly. She ruled the family with
an iron fist, too, because her
husband trusted completely
her unerring instincts.
When Sophie died, she
looked no different from
those who had judged her as
“plain” in her younger years.
Time had robbed them all of
their youthful beauty so the
passage of years had made
Sophie just as attractive as
any of them.
Funny, but that’s what
Billy Ray had told his boy
many years earlier. “Son,
beauty is fleeting but a good
woman with a good heart is
something that’ll stick with
you until your dying day. If
you have to make a choice,
always choose the heart over
a pretty face. A lucky man
can get both but that don’t
happen all that much.” Then
he had chuckled. “Besides, in
the end, looks even out. The
pretty ones become plainer
and the plainer ones become
pretty.”
Billy Ray was heartbro
ken when his beloved Sophie
departed for her heavenly
reward. “Oh my pretty girl,”
he sighed mournfully as he
said good-bye.
Beauty, you see, lies not
just in the eye of the behold
er, it also lies in his heart.
Ronda Rich is the best
selling author of What
Southern Women Know
(That Every Woman Should)
and The Town That Came
A-Courtin\
Sunday gs to threaten: “I
told your wife I was going to
sit behind you and pull out
three hairs on your head.
‘And then I said: ‘Then he
won’t have but seven.’”
Others have apparently
indeed invited me to be their
guest speaker - actually just
a “guest” - at their next
function. At first the thought
of that - being in the room
with them minus a police
escort - had about as much
appeal as I imagine Jesus’
facing Pontius Pilate did, but
now for some reason I’m no
longer afraid.
“So ladies. As far as being
your guest, count me in. You
bring the Bibles and the
potato salad. I’ll bring the
grill.”
Bonaire Middle
School
Jazz Band
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Contributed Georgia National Guard photo by Spc. Amanda Kenny
From left: Sgt. Robert Freese of Warner Robins and Staff Sgts. Roy Henry of Rome
and James Sherrill of Augusta, members of Atlanta’s 124th Mobile Public Affairs
Detachment work out their attack strategy, on a simulated enemy position during
Infantry Skills Training recently at a site near Andersonville in South Georgia. Where
usually the MPAD goes into battle with still and video equipment to record other
Georgia National Guardsmen, this time unit members picked up rifles and tactical
gear and spent two days sharpening their basic Soldier skills.
FISHING
From page lA
Fisheries Division in particular. They stock
the lake with the catfish.
Group sponsors are to follow these guide
lines: bring a group of at least 10 children,
supervise and assist the group and provide
all fishing gear and bait. Rest room facilities
LETTER
From page 6A
realtors, developers and chamber
of commerce members had an
air of arrogance and righteous
ness and a complete disregard
for the rest of us. No concern for
the public good, civic improve
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Don’t let your ad end up as a bike ramp. Place your business advertisement in
the book found in more local homes and businesses and preferred to all others •
the Windstream Perry Regional Directory * Ad sales for the 2008 edition are now
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* Research conducted by Booth Research, Inc in the Windstream Directory local
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all rights reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited without written permission
from Local Insight Yellow Pages
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008
Freese tag
ment or better city fire services
and public safety came from their
selfish, forced, defensive, utter
ances. Shame on them. Let’s
televise future meetings.
- Frank W. Gadbois,
Warner Robins
"Have Cameras, Will Travel"
Ok x turned
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erial |)httrttraphy
Ny V liritJ I tin if i • 478-177-103 ft 4/S-4W4MI
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Some Veuow Pages are used
TO FIND YOUR BUSINESS.
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windstream, V
all you need.
and picnic tables are located near the lake.
Fishing is available 8-11 a.m. or 1-4 p.m.,
Monday through Saturday during the
month of June.
Contact Teresa Hawk, Communications
Department, at 478-988-6483 or 800-987-
3247 Ext. 483 (Georgia only) or e-mail
thawk@gnfa.com to schedule your group’s
fishing trip or for more information on this
program.
Shrimp-$11"
Catfish-$10"
Friday & Saturday - spm -10 pm
nreen derby
I f. 75 Exit 136 • 987-8877
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