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4A Clje 1) eralb Tuesday, June 13,2023
Opinions
Lessons from Home: Eight more hours
BY ANN MANN
What would you do
with eight more hours?
That is how many hours
we had between the time
my husband coded in the
Monroe County Hospital
in Forsyth and the time
he was pronounced dead
at Emory University hos
pital in Atlanta. The dam
age from a massive brain
bleed was too much to
overcome despite heroic
measures by the medical
professionals who cared
for us.
My husband had a
living will and an ad
vanced directive. He did
not want to be kept alive
with a ventilator if there
was no hope of survival.
When it is time to die,
he said he was ready
to meet Jesus. 1 feel the
same way. But in those
moments when you
must make life and death
decisions, you hold on
to hope. You want to be
sure you have given the
doctors time to do every
thing they can to save his
life.
And so, they revived
my husband and kept
him alive with the help of
a ventilator. The doctor
said there were neurosur
geons who might be able
to relieve the pressure
from the bleeding and
bring him back. There
was a chance his life
could be saved. So, 1 held
on, for eight more hours.
But shortly after he
was airlifted to Emory,
the surgeons said all
hope was gone. In the
first brain scan at Mon
roe County Hospital,
the left hemisphere had
gone gray (which means
it was destroyed by the
brain bleed.) By the time
they did another scan at
Emory, the entire right
hemisphere was gray.
We spent a few hours
determining whether
any of his organs could
be saved, to give the gift
of life to someone else.
Because of his age, the
damage from the brain
bleed, and
the unspeci
fied infection,
there were
no organs
that could be
saved.
Even so,
those eight
hours of
fered us so
many gifts.
It gave our son time to
fly in from Nevada. He
had already decided to
fly home that morning,
before the brain bleed,
and 1 am so thankful he
made the trip. He arrived
in time to say goodbye,
to say all the things you
need to say if you know
the end is near.
Those eight hours
offered our daughter a
chance to whisper in
Kim’s ear that she was
expecting her first child.
She would become a
mother in March. 1 don’t
know what else they
talked about. But like my
son, it was an opportu
nity to share one more
moment with the
world’s best dad.
Those eight
hours gave my
family, Kim’s
brothers, and
sisters, and
some of his
other relatives
a chance to
drive in from
Alabama and
around Georgia to join us
as we held out hope for
a miracle. When it was
clear the healing would
not come on this side of
heaven, it gave them a
chance to say goodbye.
1 have relived those
eight hours more times
than 1 care to admit,
and especially this
month. You see, earlier
this month there was a
memorial service at the
North Georgia Confer
ence of the United
Methodist Church for all
clergy, clergy spouses,
and conference laity who
had died since the last
annual conference. There
were colleagues who had
not heard about Kim’s
passing. They wanted to
know what happened.
And 1 told our story.
As 1 told our story,
1 wonder if we should
have said our goodbye
the first time his heart
stopped beating. But if
we had, my son and my
daughter would not have
had that special time to
gether. And so, 1 know it
was the right choice. We
had to try to save him,
even though we knew he
would most likely never
be the man he was before
the brain bleed.
What would you do
with eight more hours?
So much of that time is
a blur. There are also
moments 1 remember
clearly. Moments when 1
held his hand and prayed
for all 1 was worth. And
1 will be brutally hon
est, 1 also told him how
sad 1 was that he never
shared his passwords.
(Please, make sure your
partner in life has your
passwords! It will be a
beautiful final gift.) 1 am
most grateful for the op
portunity to say all the
things 1 wanted to say to
my husband of almost 40
years.
In the end, eight more
hours gave our family
time to prepare for the
unthinkable (as much
as you can.) Eight more
hours gave us time to
hold each other, to say
goodbye one last time,
and to pray. While 1
prayed for healing on
this side of heaven, over
and over 1 have seen that
prayers aren’t always
answered the way we
hope. While this is not
the future 1 prayed for,
1 am overwhelmed by
God’s love, mercy, and
grace. And 1 am so very
grateful to God for those
eight more hours.
Ann Mann is an Emmy Award win
ning journalist, now serving as pastor
to Barnesville First United Methodist
Church. Her email is annmann@
comcast.net,
Absolutely amazing
students, teachers
KAY S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
Lamar Arts’ current
exhibit - ‘Young at Art
-My
Town’ -
is more
than
just a
revela-
U tion of
jVv. the
quality
art that has been created
by the students around
us. It is not only a tribute
to their skills, but also a
lovely compliment to the
expertise of their teach
ers.
Every Lamar County
school participated in
the show, along with
some home school
ers and students from
St. George’s Episcopal
School. Not all the teach
ers’ names were listed
alongside the children’s
work, but at least two of
them - Murphy and Clay-
baugh - brought new
concepts to the show.
You will just have to
come see the exhibit
to appreciate the many
phases and depths of
learning illustrated in
the student pictures and
their commentaries. Here
are just a few examples
of what was written by
the artists to “explain”
their methods and moti
vations.
Adalyn wrote that her
painting is a waterfall
between two hills. “The
waterfall is destructive
because water breaks
down rocks.”
Levi said his art work
expresses “the emotion
of growth.” He painted an
abstract forest in green
and black showing forest,
plants and trees: “It gives
me a memory of walking
on Dauset Trails and see
ing the trees and plants.”
Addison said of her
painting, “My volcano is
constructive and de
structive, because the
lava builds when it
erupts and after it dries
it tears apart when it
erupts again.”
Duncan’s blue, gray
and black rendition
implies the emotion of
calmness, he said, and
“reminds him of going to
the lake.”
Miley comments on
“atmospheric perspec
tive,” as does Seren
ity, who uses details
of the perspective to
place close things and
farther things in differ
ent positions in the art.
Armarley’s shoe design
depicts “Live and Learn,”
and Frisco uses “lots of
designs” on his sneaker
painting because “it is
just like rocking out and
looks cool.”
Lucas’ sneaker has
a big A for the Atlanta
Braves, and his idiom is
“I’ll give it a shot, be
cause it means I’ll give it
a try.”
Many paintings depict
designs for “currency” -
money for My Town, or
My Country. There are
owls and fish and large
funny faces of many
colors. Allyson says
she calls her painting
“cat land” and loves her
art work “because it’s
pretty.”
Throughout the
exhibit, similar subjects
may be depicted to
gether, or most “anything
goes” in the work of the
middle and high school
grades - everything
from the famous Andy
Warhol tomato soup
can, to peaceful pastoral
scenes and innovative
portraits. Rylin painted a
fantastic lion’s head - in
purple, blue and green,
on a peach-orange back
ground.
You just have to see
it - and read it - Fridays
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Satur
days 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
and Sundays, 2 p.m. - to
believe it! Congratula
tions to all!
Kay S. Pedrotti has spent some 50
years writing for newspapers. She
is a past president of Lamar Arts
Inc. and now serves on the board of
directors. She lives in Milner with
her husband Bob Pedrotti.
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Snakes and summer reading
Jason Clark (right) of Southern Reptile Rescue entertained kids from the Barnesville
library’s Summer Reading Program at Summers Field Park last week with a variety of critters.
Young Zane Anderson (left) got to wear a snake around his neck and no doubt learned a lot
from the close encounter.
The Friends of the Barnesville-Lamar County Library once again made a generous contribu
tion in support of the numerous programs offered at the library. Along with the summer read
ing, youth and teen activities the funds support the purchase of audio, video, print media and
business needs. Presenting the check for $7250.00 to library manager, Kelly Hughes are Anne
Haines; president, Fran Boggs, Martha Windle; treasurer, Janice Moore; secretary, Janet Powell-
McCord, and Rosemary Lewis.
LAMAR
FLASHBACK
June 11-17
10 years ago
Some 60 long distance
hang gliders swooped
out of the sky to land at
the Johnstonville airstrip
owned by Robert Hedge-
cock. The strip is lo
cated near Harmony Hill
Ranch Road. The gliders
had launched from the
airport in Americus.
The aircraft traveled at
speeds of 25-30 mph.
25 years ago
A bomb threat was
called into the William
Carter Company plant
here at 11:26 p.m. on a
Saturday. The building
was evacuated. An exten
sive search turned up no
explosives.
50 years ago
Hamilton Ben Ennis,
32, was sentenced to 12
months in jail after being
found guilty by a jury.
Ennis had been being
busted with a pipe and
less than one ounce of
marijuana. The pot was
found in his home on
Piedmont Road and the
pipe in his Volkswagen.
120 years ago
Mrs. Nancy Norris,
after an illness of some
time, died last Thursday
morning, surrounded
by relatives and friends.
During her illness every
thing possible was done
for her that loving hands
could do. She was an
aged lady, for many years
a member of the Baptist
church. Her body was
interred in Greenwood
Cemetery.
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