» Your hometown newspaper since 1861
The Eatonton Alessenger
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025 | C5
For Heaven Ssake Mike Morgan
5
C
2
,
a
la
WHY DO
YOU ASK
%THAT?
IS YOUR TWIN SISTER
PLAYING HANDBELLS
.IN HEAVEN NOW,
JMS. LYDIA?
I HEAR SHE'S
A "DEAD .
RINGER."
God bless our military
Our friend, Levi
Bowman, is a scion of the
multi-awarded Isaacs who
are famous for their blood
harmony in their bluegrass
gospel group. His mother
is Becky Isaacs Bowman.
The Isaacs are the
ONLY gospel group to be
members of the respected
Grand Ole Opry. Recently,
Tink and I stood back-
stage and watched Becky,
sister Sonya, brother
Ben, and Mama Lily sing
a cappella. I stood with
Ben’s wife, Mindy, and
Gunnar Nelson, also a
scion of family harmony.
Tink was over to the side,
standing by Opry legend
Ricky Skaggs and his
talented wife, Sharon.
Though we were only steps
away from them on stage,
we watched them on a
large monitor.
No one moved. Breath
came quietly. When they
finished, they brought
the house down. Skaggs
shook his head and said to
Sharon, “Remarkable.”
About a month ago, Levi
joined the group on stage.
He is a towering presence
- he wears a size 13 shoe
- but he is kind, amiable,
talented, and God-loving.
Above all, this young man,
in his early 20s, is patriotic
with a capital “P.” That
night, he introduced the
song that he would sing
with a pleasant, smooth
voice by saying, “Merle
Haggard wasn’t a member
of the Grand Ole Opry but
I’m gonna sing a song he
wrote in the 1960s." Then
he dedicated it to all the
service folks serving now
or who had served.
Haggard wrote the song
during the civil uprisings
over the Vietnam war. He
stood up for the military,
saying “they’re walkin’ on
Dixie Divas
Ronda Rich
the fighting side of me.
Running down a way of
life our fighting men have
fought and died to keep.”
Though I had heard
that song hundreds of
times, Levi’s version made
me stop and seriously
consider how mighty our
military is and the sad
shape we’d be in without
our soldiers, sailors, and
pilots. From a book called
The Splendid and the Vile,
by Erik Larson, I gained
tremendous admiration
for how the small island
of England fought back
the Germans for two years
during World War II until
America joined the war.
Germany had been
training pilots for 20 years
since the end of World War
I. England’s pilots aver
aged 21 years old, yet they
won almost every battle
they fought.
Levi’s singing probably
hit me harder because
Tink and I had just been
to Bay Minette, Alabama,
for the 100th year cele
bration of the birth of Mr.
Berlin Sims. He died five
years ago and I went to
the funeral. In this little
South Alabama town, I
discovered that this man -
a World War II hero - was
the most admired person
in town. People stood in
line for over an hour to pay
their respects. Mr. Sims,
whose son Terry is our
friend because he worked
with Mary Tyler Moore for
almost 30 years, served in
the South Pacific with the
Navy. When the war was
over, he joined the Army as
a very effective recruiter.
The Sims family gath
ered to celebrate the
beloved man with his
widowed wife, Linda,
hosting us at her house.
Through the kitchen door
came every kind of casse
role, pie, or cake possible.
After many had left,
Terry’s cousin, Robert, and
his wife lingered.
Robert told of Mr. Sims’
brother, Curtis, a soldier
who had landed on the
beaches of Normandy.
He was badly wounded
almost immediately. He
died three days later.
Robert found a faded
photo of the hero encased
in an ornate, oval frame.
Imagine what their
mother lived through
during those years.
Theodore Roosevelt,
Jr., an old man at 56 years
because of injuries from
World War I, insisted on
leading troops that landed
on Utah Beach. Roosevelt,
using a walking cane,
carried a pistol and stood
bravely on the beach.
One month later, he
was promoted to two-star
Major General. He died of
a heart attack a few hours
afterwards.
To all our military, we
patriots thank you.
Ronda Rich is the best-
selling author of A Merry
Chatty Christmas. Please
visit www.rondarich.
com to sign up for her free
newsletter and purchase
personalized copies.
2
3
5
6
8
9
10
13
16
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
46
44
45
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
CLUES ACROSS
1. Difficult
5. Coarsely ground corn
9. There's one for
the "world"
11. Loved Romeo
13. Sticky situation
15. Pelvic areas
16. An informal debt
instrument
17. Cannot be repaired
surgically
19. A device attached
to a workbench
21. Related on the
mother's side
22. Sound unit
23. Sagan,
astronomer
25. Utah city
26. A disappointing
effort
27. Steal goods
during a riot
29. Wakes up
31. Hair salon service
33. Serenaded
34. Looked intensely
36. U.S. Air Force
expert Robert F.
38. A type of cast
39. One's duty
41. Where golfers begin
43. Make a mistake
44. Semitic sun god
46. Ancient Greek City
48. Having had the
head cut off
52. A place to stay
53. Unwise
54. Most unnatural
56. Dennis is a
notable one
57. Ointments
58. Students' exam
59. Leaked blood
CLUES DOWN
1. Brave
2. Act of awakening
3. Jest at
4. Sandwich store
5. Chapter of the Koran
6. Dismounted
7. Small vehicle
8. Irked
9. One who earns by
disreputable dealings
10. Monetary unit
of Samoa
11. Long, mournful
lamentation
12. Weight unit
14. Alone, single
15. Decreases
18. Indicates beside
20. Worn by exposure
to the weather
24. A body of traditions
26. College students'
ultimate goal
28. Amino acid
30. Nasal mucus
32. US government
entity
34. Swinish
35. Legislative
body in Russia
37. Grant an
exemption to
38. Put in advance
40. Satisfy
42. Felt
43. Mild yellow Dutch
cheese made in balls
45. Witnesses
47. Picnic invaders
49. Gasteyer and de
Armas are two
50. Ancient person
of Scotland
51. Cheerless
55. Unwell
SEE PUZZLE ANSWERS » PAGE B2
The ^Eatonton essenger
Support local journalism
msgrnews.com — 706-485-3501
READ BREAKING NEWS ONLINE
AND SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR
HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER AT
LAKEOCONEENEWS.US
LOCAL
MATTERS
ill 706.485.3501 and ask to advertise on the Worship Page, today!
BYTERI
7
Q
X
GREENSBORO, GEORGIA
We are a Christ-centered, mission minded church with
traditional worship eager to include you in our church family.
Pastor Meg Jackson Clark
Website - fpog.org
Phone: 706-453-4956
a PC(USA) Church
Sunday Scripture Study - 9:45 a.m.
Sunday Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.
First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro
117 South Main Street, Greensboro, Georgia
(next to the Post Office in downtown Greensboro)
Lake Oconee Lutheran Church
A Stephen Ministry Congregation
All Are Welcome 2
Sunday Bible Study e
9:00 a.m.
Sunday Worship
10:30 a.m.
Pastor Steven Hayden ============
J 1 AL T3hT C
706-485-4600 Office LAKE OCONE
L .. LUTHERAN CHURCH
officelolc@gmail.com
|www.lakeoconeelutheran.orgl
CHURCH
Wednesdays
Sundays:
5:15 p.m. - Family Night Supper 9:45 a.m. - Sunday School
Children & Adult Bible Study 10:50 a.m. - Worship
Dr. Craig Williamson, Pastor
First Baptist Church
115 Madison Avenue • Eatonton, Ga
706.485.3331
www.FirstBaptistfEatonton.orgl
Episcopal Church
1089 Lake Oconee Parkway (Hwy 44)
Located behind the Lake Oconee Lutheran Community Center
Look for Christ and you will find him -
and with Him, everything else.
C.S. Lewis
GLOBAL
METHODIST CHURCH
Eatonton First Methodist Church
103 West Magnolia Street, Eatonton, GA 31024
706-485-5871 |www.eatontpnfmc.cnm1
Pastor David Wofford
405 North Jefferson Avenue
Eatonton, Georgia
Holy Communion at ten on Sunday
morning
Wednesday Night Activities
Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m.
with bible study at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday
8:45 a.m. Traditional Worship in Historic Sanctuary
10.00 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Casual Worship in Historic Sanctuary
