Newspaper Page Text
4A Clje 1) eralb <©a?ette Tuesday, May 10,2022
Opinions
Ruffin's Renderings: Retirement Opportunities
I am entering the
fourth month of my
retirement. Let me offer a
status report on how it’s
going.
To put it succinctly:
I’ve been busy.
I have gladly made
one adjustment to my
schedule, which is that
1 don’t set an alarm. 1
get up when 1 wake up.
That’s been nice. By the
time 1 attend to my morn
ing rituals of spiritual
reading (lately I’ve been
reading Henri Nouwen
and Thomas Merton,
both of whom 1 recom
mend), prayer, breakfast,
getting dressed, and feed
ing the dogs, 1 usually get
started on my work at
about ten o’clock. Except
for a short break for a
light lunch, 1 continue
working until around four
or five o’clock. That’s my
schedule from Monday-
Thursday. 1 knock off at
one o’clock on Fridays
and spend the afternoon
running errands.
So, 1 stay pretty busy.
To be fair, though, that’s
how 1 planned for it to
be, because that’s how
1 want it to be. 1 never
viewed retirement as
an opportunity to stop
working. I rather saw
it as a chance to con
centrate on the work
on which I really want
to spend my time. That
work falls into three
related categories: teach
ing, writing, and preach
ing.
1 am blessed to serve
as an Adjunct Professor
at my alma mater, Mercer
University. I usually teach
one course per semester,
sometimes in person and
sometimes online. My
specialty is biblical stud
ies, so 1 usually teach Old
Testament or New Testa
ment courses. 1 enjoy
those courses. Teaching
them gives me the oppor
tunity to introduce some
students to the content
of the Bible for the first
time, to show some
students biblical con
tent they were unaware
of, and to introduce all
students to the scholarly
approach to bib
lical study.
During the
most recent
term, 1 taught an
Introduction to
World Religions
course for the
first time. 1 hope
the course was
as enlightening
for my students
as it was for me.
My life’s com
mitment has been to
teach the Bible from my
perspective as a Chris
tian, but it is good for us
to know at least a little
bit about other tradi
tions and the teachings
on which they are based.
Greater understanding
can make the world a
better place.
1 am also blessed to
have opportunities to
write. Since 1 retired, 1
have completed a series
of four online commen
taries for the website
Working Preacher. Those
articles are intended for
and directed toward—
as the name of the site
indicates—in
dividuals who
are involved in
the noble task
of preaching.
My assign
ment, and that
of the others
who write
for the site,
is to provide
insight into the
background
and meaning
of the biblical text and to
suggest some possibili
ties for how the preacher
might address the pas
sage in the sermon. It is
an honor and a privilege
to share insights with my
fellow preachers.
1 have also begun
working on a series of
Bible studies for my for
mer employer, Smyth and
Helwys Publishing. Those
studies are not intended
for preachers. They are
rather directed at people
in the pew. It is an honor
and a privilege to share
insights with my fellow
believers.
1 have also been writ
ing some poems. I’ll be
submitting them to jour
nals soon. Maybe you’ll
get to read some of them.
You may be wondering
if 1 am really a poet and
if what 1 write is really
poetry. Yes, 1 am and yes,
it is, as long as we accept
“Someone who writes
poetry” as our definition
of “poet” and “Anything
written in verse” as our
definition of “poetry.”
For me, writing poetry
provides the opportu
nity to dig deeply into
life’s possible meanings
and to reflect creatively
on them. 1 hope other
people get something out
of my poems, but 1 really
write them for myself.
1 am also blessed to
have opportunities to
preach. I usually preach
about half of the Sundays
in a year. All of my recent
invitations have come
from Presbyterian (PCU-
SA) churches, United
Methodist churches, and
Baptist churches affiliat
ed with the Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship. But 1
will gladly preach in any
church that invites me.
In these days of
retirement, 1 am blessed
to have so many op
portunities to continue
to practice my vocation
of teaching, writing,
and preaching. 1 plan to
continue doing so for as
long as 1 am able.
1 hope that all of my
fellow retirees are en
joying your retirement.
You may not choose to
keep on working as 1
have. Some of you may
have no other financial
choice but to continue
working. But I hope
that, whether it is all of
the time or some of the
time, you find meaning
in these years.
You’ve earned it. 1
hope you enjoy it.
Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native
who lives and works in Macon. His
new book, Praying with Matthew,
is available at helwys.com and at
Amazon.
Imagine remembering
good times for 60 years
KAY S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
Yes, folks, 1 really am
that old - high school
graduation was 60
years ago in the city of
Albany,
Georgia.
About 85-
90 of my
class of
400-plus
■ attended
the reunion April 30,
and “a good time was
had by all,” from all
indications. Somewhere
around 100 of us have
passed away; it’s hard
to get statistics from all
over the country.
When 1 did some
stats for the 50th
reunion, one of the
findings was that about
two-thirds of us either
stayed in Georgia or
have come back. Of that
group, about half still
live in Albany. Home
folks are the ones who
put together the re
unions, birthday parties
(like when we all turned
65, or the one planned
for two years from now
when most of us will be
80) and other celebra
tions. We are very grate
ful; there’s something
comforting about know
ing how many people
still know and love you.
It was also interest
ing to observe the
widows and widowers
who came alone. From
what 1 saw and heard
in conversation with
some of them, they are
of course unhappy to
have lost their spouses
but not completely
overwhelmed by the de
partures. They looked
as if they appreciated
seeing everyone again,
and were having a
great time reminiscing,
listening to music from
“our era,” and dancing.
1 went alone also, but
only because 1 could not
talk Bob into being as
unhappy with folks he
didn’t know as he was
at the last AHS gather
ing.
1 also was happy to
see that my friends are
continuing their writing
talents. Dorothy King
Combs has written a
daily devotional book
entitled Holy Spirit Call
ing. She speaks from her
heart, and 1 bought one
of her books.
The other author 1
am enjoying is Herbert
Shippey, a Navy linguist
Viet Nam veteran who
served with the Big
Look Spooks - those
aviators who spy from
above in big airplanes.
His book is called Flying
with the Spooks, and 1
am about a fourth of the
way through it. Herb is
still teaching English at
ABAC in Tifton, where
he lives with his family.
Maybe his strict atten
tion to detail and ex
planations comes from
having been in charge
of college classrooms.
(When 1 got back home,
we ordered Herb’s book
online.)
The best part of the
reunion was swapping
outrageously funny
anecdotes with other
classmates. 1 wish 1
could remember them
all, but 1 am content to
know that many still
recognize me and enjoy
being friends. I’ll get
together with them as
often as possible. After
all, who else do you
know who remembers
when you slipped off
your shoes during an
intense study of “Mac
beth” in English class,
and started out barefoot
when the bell rang?
Kay S. Pedrotti has spent some 50
years writing for newspapers. She
is active in the Lamar County com
munity and lives in Milner with her
husband Bob Pedrotti.
Letter printing guidelines
The Herald Gazette welcomes letters to the editor.
For a letter to be considered for publication, please
include the writer’s actual name, address and tele
phone number. Limit letters to 250 words or less.
Shorter letters are appreciated. All letters are subject
to editing.
No personal attacks on private citizens, political
endorsements or letters that are racially divisive.
Send letters to P.O. Box 220, Barnesville, 30204,
email it to news@barnesville.com or drop it by 509
Greenwood Street, Barnesville.
^ DON'T BITE ^
TILL YOU SEETHE
WHITES OFTHeiR
^ EYES.' rt
WBAPONRY'
MALAQIA
W£STNIL£VIQU$
P£N&U£F£V£Q
BNCBPMUTie
R[> SKEETER
ATTACK
SQUADRON
TIME TO DUCk&COVEK
BLC Library book sale a success
The Friends of the Barnesville-Lamar County Library used book sale was a popular place
Saturday as shoppers found large selections of novels, children’s books, religious books and
“do-it-yourself “ books. There was a section of “old books” printed at the beginning of the 20th
century that some savvy shopper carried home. Many young readers found books of interest.
Above the Clark/Johnson family enjoyed their finds at the book sale. Below, the Powell fam
ily were all smiles with their purchases.
WCEfWTH}
LAMAR
FLASHBACK
May 8-14
10 years ago
Longtime District 4
county commissioner
Gene Hardwick died
May 2 after suffering a
massive heart attack.
Hardwick, 78, had served
eight years on the com
mission, including six
years as vice-chairman.
25 years ago
An ongoing zoning
dispute swirled around
a proposal to put in a
trailer park near the site
of the new Lamar County
Comprehensive High
School. School officials
were incensed. The de
veloper was Investment
Resources Unlimited.
50 years ago
Rev. Brantley Harwell,
pastor at First Baptist
Church, and his wife
were seriously injured in
an auto accident on the
Griffin bypass that killed
another couple. The
dead were identified as
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Dann
of Decatur.
100 years ago
Mr. C.H. Morris has
been displaying this
week something new in
the way of hen fruit. It is
one egg inside another.
The egg is about double
the size of a normal egg
with a second egg, about
normal size, inside it. Mr.
Morris states the egg was
laid by a Buff Cochin hen,
and she is still enjoying
good health.
SUBSCRIBE
TODAY!
barnesville.com
Online 24/7
+ print edition
weekly
$ 30
local year subscription
770.358.NEWS
Zi)t Heraltr #a^tte
barnesville.com
770.358.NEWS
P.0. Box 220
Publisher
Staff
SUBSCRIBE
DEADLINES
509 Greenwood Street
Walter Geiger
Nolan George
$30 per year in Lamar and sur-
The deadline for public notices
Barnesville, Ga. 30204
Rachel McDaniel
rounding counties; $40 outside
is noon Thursdays; news and
770-358-NEWS
General Manager
Tasha Webster
the local area.
advertising before noon Fridays.
barnesville.com
E-mail: news@barnesville.com
Missy Ware
Includes 24/7 access to
barnesville.com
Early submission is appreciated.