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Page 4 - Friday, April 28, 2023
The Jenkins County Times
thej enkinsc ountytimes. com
JCTimes 4-28-23.indd 4
4/27/2023 10:22:43 AM
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By Joe Brady, Editor
for
The Times
How a community of one
grows to include more
-Pass it on®
Richard is a quiet man
with a gentleness that
belies his height. He stands
a good four inches over
six feet but has a friendly-
giant smile that embraces
everyone around him. He
makes a modest living
that allows him time for
a hobby he is passionate
about—raising pigeons.
On Saturday mornings,
you’ll see his small flock
rise out of his backyard and
circle the neighborhood. It
isn’t long before a group of
boys gather on Richard’s
front lawn. You see,
Richard raises rollers, a
breed of pigeon that flutters
mid-flight and tumbles
downward as if pelted by
some unseen projectile.
After dropping 10 or so
feet, the pigeon regains its
bearings, rights its wings,
and pulls out of the dive.
The acrobatics draw gasps
and cheers. Repeatedly
the pigeons tumble out of
control and then, at the last
minute, save themselves.
Sometimes a red-tailed
hawk will drift in on the
summer currents, adding to
the drama. The hawk flies
in among the pigeons, who
daringly escape by keeling
over and tumbling toward
the ground before flying off
to safety.
Richard helps some of
the boys build their own
pigeon coops and shows
them how to raise rollers
and homing pigeons.
Along the way, two boys
named Dee and Miles
become fast friends. Some
days Richard, a group of
boys, and a few dads load
up the old station wagon
with cages and drive out
across the desert to release
their pigeons. Richard and
the group stop for burgers
and then drive home to
see whose pigeons made
it back first. There’s lots
of time for conversation,
mostly the boys asking
Richard questions. But he
doesn’t miss the moment
to teach them. “There is
always a way home,” he
says. “You just have to look
for it.”
Miles listens intently. He
struggles in school, hiding
his learning disability
behind a smirk. But he is
the most willing to help
Richard clean out the coop
and lend a hand to the
others as they build their
own coops. As the years
go by, the other boys go
off to college, and Miles
takes up a shovel to make a
living. He saves his money
and buys a backhoe, then a
dump tmck, and another,
and another.
He works h ard, but also
drinks hard. His marriage
falls apart, even though his
business grows. He resists
any call to come back to his
childhood friends. More
years pass. He is lost on
a cloudless horizon. The
image of pigeons tumbling
out of the sky becomes
his life. He is in freefall.
Hawks circle, waiting for
him to hit the ground.
But he doesn’t. One
friend never gives up. His
old friend Dee reaches out
over and over until Miles
has the strength to right
himself. They talk about
their love for Richard, who
brought them together—
the quiet, simple man who
made time to teach boys a
little something about life.
And they talk about how
each of them has taken their
turn freefalling for a time,
tumbling until they could
get their bearings. There is
always a way home again.
I have a confession. I
haven’t been to church in
the past two weeks. I have
taken Holy Comforter
Days instead. Sometimes
you just need a break from
everything. Correction,
I can’t speak for y’all,
sometimes I just need a
break from everything.
Why do we mn around
like chickens with our
necks broken, as Granny
used to say.
I asked my sweet
daughter that just the
other day when she said,
“you know I enjoy having
Sunday dinner but that
place just takes so long. I
have kids, I need a nap.”
My question was, why
can’t we just slow down?
Stop the madness? Let’s
all take some time to enjoy
this thing called life. Wow,
Letters To The
EDITOR
I think I might break into a
Prince song. How many of
y’all just went back sang
those last four words?
In a conversation with
Charlie Rossman the other
day he asked me why I
was always so busy. My
response, “I don’t know,
I had to have two heart
attacks to really get busy,
maybe I’m working on my
legacy.” Are we building
our legacies? What is more
important, enjoying life
or working to accomplish
something? Nanny always
said, “I’ll sleep when I’m
dead.”
Our preachers will tell
us to take time to smell
the roses, to concentrate
on inner peace and joy. All
that sounds good, until you
put it into practice. I can
almost promise you that
Letters to the editor of The Jenkins County Times are welcomed and encour
aged. These are pages of opinion, yours and ours. Letters to the editor voice
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to the Editor to: thejenkinscountytimes@gmail.com
you get a better sleep from
being bone tired than you
do from sniffing roses and
chanting.
Oh, which reminds me,
guys, I have discovered
Gregorian chants! Oh
my, I play it all day on
my computer while I’m
working on the paper and
I must admit, it is relaxing
until Snoop Dogg comes
on with a commercial. My
concentration is totally
interrupted. Wait, maybe
I just made an argument
for the rose sniffing and
chanting after all? You
know, do what works for
you. Who cares? That’s all
for now, take care!
Kemp signs legislation to
support veterans
Special
to
The Times
Governor Brian P. Kemp
today signed HB 414, SB
21, and HB 175 into law,
accompanied by First Lady
Marty Kemp, Commissioner
of the Georgia Department
of Veterans Service (GDVS)
Colonel Patricia Ross, Major
General Tom Carden of the
Georgia National Guard,
representatives from major
veterans’ organizations in
the state, and members of the
General Assembly.
"I am deeply grateful to
the Georgia Department
of Veterans Service
and the members of the
General Assembly for their
unwavering commitment
to those who have served
in the Armed Forces,” said
Governor Brian Kemp.
“This important legislation
provides support and
resources for the brave men
and women who have worn
a unifomi for our country,
and Georgia is proud to be a
state that honors and values
its veterans."
HB 414, establishes
a mental health support
program grant for veterans
and their families.
The GDVS will administer
the Veterans Mental Services
grant program.
“We are thankful for
Governor Kemp’s support
for our military and veteran
communities. Ensuring
access to high-quality mental
and behavioral healthcare is
vital for the continued well
being of our military service
members, veterans, and their
families,” said Patricia Ross,
Commissioner of Georgia
Department of Veterans
Service. “The GDVS is
committed to building a
strong network of support for
our state’s selfless heroes.”
Subject to the availability
of funding, competitive
matching grants will be
awarded to nonprofit
community behavioral
health programs that meet
eligibility criteria.
To be considered for
funding, programs must:
• Provide behavioral
health services;
• Utilize evidence
based practices;
• Integrate military
cultural competency training
for staff members;
• Connect clients
with appropriate community
based behavioral health
services upon discharge in a
timely manner.
The application for
consideration for grant
funds will be available soon
and nonprofit community
behavioral healthcare
providers with experience
in treating military service
members and veterans are
encouraged to apply.
SB 21, makes needed
changes to the Georgia
Veterans Service Foundation
to better mobilize its
resources for the benefit of
those it serves.
HB 175 includes
provisions championed by
the Georgia Department of
Veterans Service removing
burdensome requirements to
our state’s disabled veterans
and creating a specialty
license plate for Retired
Georgia National Guard
and Retired Active-Duty
Reserve members.
.Jenkins County Times
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Sarah Saxon Admin/Legals/AP Correspondent
Brad Asbury Sports Editor
Jake Gay Reporter
Tyler Busch Podcast Director/Reporter
THE JENKINS COUNTY TIMES
issue 8 April 2023 is published weekly by on Friday
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