About StarNews. (Carrollton, GA) 20??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2024)
Page 18 January 14, 2024 StarNews www.starnewsgaonline.com Commentary You live in the woods - trees fall on you Sybil ROSEN THOMAS River Rambles syllabil17@aol.com At first, I think the tree is imploding. The snag stood in the floodplain about 50 feet from the cabin. I’d been watching it for a very long time: extremely tall with a straight thick trunk topped by a candelabra of bare branches. A tree so long dead there were no leaves to identify it, and all its bark lay on the ground in a puddle of melted cellulose. For years I had begged it, “Please, when you fall, could you fall towards the river away from the house?” Apparently, it had other plans. At my desk by the window facing the water, I hear a sharp crack that seems to come from right outside the glass. Those of you who live beside trees - that’s most of us in Carroll County - know that snap, the ominous foretell that precedes treetall. Instinctively, with a con cerning lack of self-preservation, I turn toward the sound. The trunk has broken off about three feet from the ground and what I originally thought was implosion is actually the huge bole bouncing several times before heading toward the house - and me. The rest is literally a blur. Shearing off sev eral limbs of a slim hornbeam, the dead tree A new year, a new you slams into the fiberglass porch-awning. Fortunately, it’s so dead, the trunk breaks instead of the house. The branches fall onto the roof where they remain to this day, while the falling trunk tears off edges of fiberglass and porch floor before hitting the ground with a ferocious kaboom! The end of the shattered tree lies under the house as the ripped-off branches of that innocent hornbeam sweep up against the porch railing and stay there, con ceivably as dazed as myself. And then it is over. Quiet descends. It hap pened so fast I can hardly breathe. In the living room, the dog prances with jitters expressed for us both. Not until the next day did I realize that my desk was covered in what I can only call tree detritus: tiny particles of trunk propelled through cracks in the walls and gaps around the window, the only barriers separating us from catastrophe. Despite this bizarre phenomenon, the cabin sustained relatively little damage. I guess the saying “The deader the better” is as apt for fal ling trees as it is for vultures’ diets. “You live in the woods, trees fall on you.” My late husband Glyn was fond of quoting that comforting little homily, especially when sur veying the trees in the floodplain. To which I would predictably reply, “Could you please stop saying that?” As a writer, I can’t be blamed for believing that words have power, and intention. But, of course, he was right. I want to know what happens in that moment when a tree can no longer stand up on its own. What’s the tip Millennials Christian Ministry (MCM) Out with the old and in with the new. 2024 is a new year... a new you. Give your every burden to Jesus Christ. He loves you. He bled and died for you to live a stress-free life. So, put your past behind you. You can move forward by looking back. You have a bright future if you hearken Tracey PITTS to God. He will surely keep you on track. Just keep going, and don’t look back. Don’t look back. Forgive those who have offended and betrayed you. Remember that this is a new year... a new you. Watch the words that proceed out of your mouth both night and day. The adversary of your soul wants you to use negative, harsh, and heartless words. So be very careful of what you say. There will be things that transpire and things that will get on your nerves. Pray, fast, and study God’s precious word. Love God, love others, and for Him will you faithfully serve. A new year... a new you. January is “Sanctity of Life” month Diane hack West Georgia Right to Life PRESIDENT “The Heartbeat of Georgia” Duanehack46@gmail.com 470-370-2452 Sanctity: “the state of quality of being holy, sacred and pure.” January has been designated as “Sanctity of Life” month throughout the nation and Sunday January 21st, 2024, is “Sanctity of Life Sunday”, where numerous churches across the country use this day to deliver prolife mes sages. and sermons to their respective congre gations. West Georgia Right to Life still has dates open in January, to be a resource and assist in delivering an educational, enlightening and engaging Life message to your congrega tions, either through a Sunday school lesson, morning or evening service, or a mid-week service. Feel free to reach out and let us know how we can be of further assistance to you and your church! What’s the definition of the sanctity of life? The Sanctity of Life is a belief that human life carries intrinsic value, from conception to that of natural death. Sanctity of Life is a principle of implied protection regarding aspects of life that are said to be Holy, Sacred and of value. This belief stems from the very beginning of creation when we see how God created Adam and Eve, the first man and woman: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female created he them.” Gen 1:27 KJV “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou earnest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 KJV As humans made in the image of God, we are imprinted with the sanctity of life simply by the Creator of Life creating us in His image. We see in other areas of the Bible, God’s Word to us, how the image of God in our lives as ping point (pun intended)? It mystifies me every time. What makes the trunk hold up in one moment and in the next collapse? Is it a small shift of earth or wind, the pull of gravity, or some othger nameless thing - a letting go, a giving up, the willingness to get on with the inevitable transformation into soil? This wasn’t the first tree-induced terror I’d experienced here. Once, during a fierce thun derstorm, we heard that heart-stopping crack and knew immediately it was the enormous pin oak leaning over the kitchen where we were eating. There followed that horrifying whirring noise that usually comes in cartoons before the cry “Timber!” We were certain the oak was going to fall on us. Crouching together for impact, we stared into each other’s eyes for what might be the last time. And then - nothing. Naturally, we were grateful, but perplexed. After the storm, we went out to look. A tremendous branch had broken off and would have smashed through the roof except that it was miraculously caught and held by lower branches, dangling helplessly about three feet above the shingles - like an arrow frozen in mid-air mere inches from its bullseye. The floodplain is a dynamic, changeable place, littered with fallen trees. Legally, a floodplain cannot be logged-out, so the trees that grow there can get to be very old and large. Awed by the height and girth of the giant syca mores (known as widowmakers for obvious reasons) and the sweetgums in our surrounding swampland, I worry about them, too. Subjected Give to the less-fortunate and make sure that every endeavor is done in love in all that you do. Prophecies are being fulfilled each and every day. Develop a deeper relationship with Jesus that’s all that this Christian poet is trying to convey. A new year.. .a new you, put ALL of your trust in the Savior, the only one that is pure, faithful and true. Many lost a lot in 2023. Some lost family members, jobs, homes, sleep, and so much more. Put all of your cares to Jesus, and watch your faith in Him grow in 2024. Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over humans shows our innate worth to our Creator. King David wrote: “I praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonder fully made. Marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” Psalms 139:14 KJV The incredible miracles of life from concep tion to a baby’s birth to the body’s ability to heal after injury or surgery, and even the fragile parting of death show there is a sacredness in living this life. Life is tmly a gift, so then what is our responsibility as we consider this issue? How does the sanctity of life ethic speak to the issue of abortion? The sanctity of life ethic tells us that no one has the right to take an inno cent human life - including that of a prebom child. The writer of Proverbs encourages the reader to: “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction” Prov. 31:8 KJV We cannot be silent as abortion has harmful effects on women, men and ends the life of a developing baby. As biblical-based Christian to flood after flood, their roots continually satu rated, their fiber can weaken, affecting the abil ity to stay upright. Yet, I also can’t help wonder if all that root-watering might not be contribut ing to their impressive size? Echoing Glyn’s dire prediction, I did have a tree fall directly on my head a few years ago. Seriously. Rather inconveniently the accident occurred the afternoon of the opening night of “The Belle of Amherst” at the Whitesburg Public Library, the one-woman show by William Luce I was scheduled to perform as a fundraiser for the library. I was walking through the woods with a friend, when he scrambled up a boulder, putting his foot on a leaning tree to give himself some heft. The tree was deader than he knew and fell towards me under his weight. I saw it coming as if in slow-motion, a medium-size brown shaft landing squarely on my skull before bouncing off' to the ground. Again, because the tree was dead, I was not. The brittle trunk was mercifully light. Curious, the things you think about in moments like these. My first observation was that I didn’t see stars, which I took as a positive sign. Secondly, I hoped that whatever brain injury I might sustain, it wouldn’t cause all the lines of the hour-long play to vanish from my memory. Stumbling home, I balanced an ice pack on my head. Then we filled up the car with the costume and set, and took off' for the library. Trees may fall on you but the show must go on. and over and expecting different results.” Come on, people of God, let that not be us. We must leave the bad habits, thoughts, and deeds... We must. We must. We must. A new year... a new you - forgetting those things that are behind and focusing on what’s ahead. Forget the past! Forget the past! Did you hear what I’ve said? A new year... a new you... 2024 will be a great year filled with God’s love, mercy, and great grace. Make your mark for Jesus in the lives of others... ones that can never be erased. Remember- it’s a new year... a new you. prolife individuals and leaders, we must “stand and be a voice for those who have no voice, the prebom and the aged.” 2024 Session: State of Georgia Pro-life Legislation. GRTL and WGRTL will again be presenting two prolife bills in the 2024 Legislative session, which would move to end abortion in Georgia once and for all! HB 496 Georgia Prenatal Protection Act HB 413 Personhood Resolution-Amendment to Georgia Constitution Both of these bills will be going into House committee hearings, where they will be reviewed and discussed with possibilities to move forward to a House legislative vote. The 2024 Georgia Legislation session starts January 9th, so time will be of the essence to present our Prolife convictions and requests to our respective House and Senate representatives. More defined action plans on how we can make Georgia a “true prolife state” will be forthcoming from GRTL and WGRTL! Blessed, safe and prosperous new year to you and yours!
