About The Herald-gazette. (Barnesville, Ga.) 1981-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2024)
4A ®jje 1) eralb <©a?£tt£ Tuesday, October 22,2024 Opinions “Is anyone honest anymore? Thankfully, yes!" DAVID L. CHANCEY A man with a nagging secret could keep it no longer. He confessed to his priest that for years he had been stealing building supplies from the lumberyard where he worked. “What did you take?” his priest asked. “Enough to build my own home and enough for my son’s house. And houses for our two daughters. And our cot tage at the lake.” “This is very serious,” the priest said. “1 shall have to think of a far- reaching penance. Have you ever done a spiritual retreat?” “No, father, 1 haven’t,” the man replied, “but if you can get the plans, 1 can get the lumber.” That man didn’t get it, did he? Like a lot of folks these days, integrity is out the window. Too many people are like the husband whose wife asked, “Why don’t you play golf with Ted anymore?” The man replied, “Would you play golf with a man who moves the golf ball with his foot when you’re not watch ing?” His wife replied, “Why, no, 1 wouldn’t.” Her husband said, “Neither will Ted.” Is anyone honest anymore? Ask Van Ha of Shrewsbury, Massa chusetts. When she got home from her grocery shopping trip, Ha real ized she was missing a critical possession: an envelope containing $12,000. Panicking, she called her nephew, Truong Huynh, and both drove back to the store to retrace her steps. They checked at the customer service desk, but no one had turned in an enve lope containing cash. The store manager, Dan Desfosses, caught up with the two in the parking lot and offered to look through surveillance foot age to see where she dropped the envelope. They found Ha getting out of her car earlier and entering the store but could not find her dropping the envelope. Desfosses took their contact info and went back into the store. About that time, a regular customer named Skip stepped up to the counter and turned in the envelope. The two rushed to the parking lot and caught up with the distraught duo as they were leaving. Ha and Huynh were thrilled! “It takes a special kind of person to do something so honest and selfless, and Skip, you are a true example of integ rity,” Huynh wrote on social media. Several years ago, two Val paraiso, Florida, 13-year-olds named Aaron Milligan and Josh Thedford ran over a really thick envelope with their lawn mower. What they found was an envelope full of money that stalled out their lawn mower. When they picked up the envelope, they eagerly thumbed through a dozen or so $20 bills, and then found the $ 100’s. Altogether, their discovery totaled $2,787. “We were shocked,” Aaron said. “We couldn’t even breathe,” Josh added. The boys started a list: Jet Skis, Playstations, baseball equipment, a new lawn mower. As their list grew lon ger, they began to have second thoughts. Some one lost that money, and they knew it would be wrong to keep it. It didn’t belong to them. Josh’s mom drove them to city hall, and they handed the enve lope over to stunned police officers. The cash had already been report ed missing by its owner, a 36-year-old former sheriff’s deputy who was permanently disabled when injured on active military duty. He was on his way home from the bank with money he planned to use to make a purchase for his kids when he dropped the cash. Three hours after reporting it missing, the police called to report the boy’s recovered envelope. He rushed to the police station and met Aaron and Josh, who knew they had made the right choice. The boys were rewarded $80 each, not quite enough for a Jet Ski, but, at the time, more than they’d make in a day of mowing lawns. Sandwich shop owner Janet Kirkpatrick treated the boys to a free lunch and told them they were heroes. “These are the sort of boys you want in your neighborhood,” she said. “A lot of people would have just taken the money and run, but these are good boys.” Proverbs 10:9 reads, “Whoever walks in integ rity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” Thankfully, there are still some honest people in this world who walk in integrity. David L. Chancey, the Writing Pas tor, enjoys preaching, writing, and spending time with family. See more of his writings, including his books, at www.davidchancey.com. Contact him at davidlchancey@gmail.com. Sean of the South: Don’t ever grow up SEAN DIETRICH Dear Kid, Don’t grow up. Don’t turn into an adult. That’s my advice. Resist adulthood. Be a kid forever. Right now, a lot of adults are angry in Ameri ca. To be fair, we have a lot to be angry about. But adults can behave badly when they are angry. So please forgive us. Because the truth is— and 1 shouldn’t be telling you this—adults can be pretty stupid. Don’t misunderstand. 1 don’t mean we’re “stu pid” in a negative sense. Truly, 1 don’t. After all, just because someone is stupid doesn’t mean you can’t love them. Take dogs. Dogs can be very unsmart, but we still love them. Hallmark Channel movies can be inglori- ously stupid, but they are also wonderful. Still, this doesn’t change the fact that we adult humans are, in fact, giant dipsticks. The problem is, of course, that we adults think we are brilliant. Oh, sure, our species occasionally does some brilliant things. Beer is only one example. Humankind has also, for instance, learned to man ufacture smartphones with touchscreens capable of flushing our toilets from outer space. But this doesn’t make us smart. Because we still don’t know how to listen. We don’t empa thize. And even though our parents taught us, we still don’t know how to share. You know what we DO know how to do? We know how to kill each other. Again, I’m not being pessimistic. This is just a fact. We are among the only mammals who kill one another. Tigers do not kill tigers. Squirrels don’t kill squirrels. When was the last time you saw cows killing each other? But look at history. The Punic Wars in (164 B.C.), 2 million killed. The Jewish-Roman Wars, (66 A.D.) another 2 million. The Crusades (1095- 1229) 3 million. The Mongol Invasions, 40 million. The Con quests of Timur, 20 mil lion. Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire, 2.5 mil lion. Spanish Conquest of the Incan Empire, 8.5 million. The American Civil War, 1 million. World War I, 40 million. World War II, 85 million. Vietnam War, 4 million. I don’t mean to disturb you, I simply bring this up because I want you to know where you fit in to all this. Because you see, you’re not like us. At least not yet. You were born into this wonderful world with a clean slate. You’re a kid. You are oblivious to our adult fussing and our adult need to be right. Your entire kid philoso phy is “Let’s have fun!” That’s it. That’s how you see this world. Every morning you wake up and you look for the party. For you, every day carries the possibil ity of magic, music, art, friends, and bladder compromising laughter. There are no taboos in your world. No vil lains. You forgive easily. You love fiercely. And even the things you hate, you LOVE hating those things. You are perpetually excited, rarely disap pointed, hopeful to a fault, miraculously naive, way too trusting, and you believe in God without even trying. And someday when I grow up, I hope to be just like you. Sean Dietrich is a columnist, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. He has authored seven books. Cases added to criminal calendar The following cases have been added to the criminal calendar to be heard in Lamar superior court Oct. 24 with Judge Bill Fears presiding. Bryson J.Place, pos session of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of drug related objects and tail light violation. Tyler Pitts, entering an auto. Tyler Pitts, entering an auto and theft by taking. Darrell Jenkins, ag gravated sexual battery, child molestation, aggra vated child molestation and first degree cru elty to children; motions hearing. Thank you for Hurricane help Dear Editor, I would like to take a moment to express heart felt gratitude on behalf of the citizens of Appling County to Hannah Lewis, Mr. and Mrs. Felton Lew is, and the entire commu nity of Barnesville, GA. Your unwavering support during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene has made a profound impact on our lives. When the storm struck, many of us found ourselves in dire need. Yet, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, Hannah, Felton, and Susan loaded their truck and a covered trailer with numerous relief items, embarking on a journey of over three hours to deliver hope and assistance to our storm-stricken com munity. Their selfless act exemplifies the spirit of humanity—strang ers helping strangers in times of need. In a world that of ten feels divided, they understood that in God’s sight, we are all one big happy family. Their efforts, alongside the generosity of others, have made a significant difference in the lives of those still grappling with the storm’s aftermath. Even three weeks later, as many continue to face power outages, we have found strength and support in the kindness of the Lewis family and the wonderful folks of Barnesville. On behalf of Pas tor James Hayes, First African Baptist Church, and the entire county of Appling, we are eternally grateful for your com munity’s selfless gesture. It is indeed families like the Lewis’s and many others in Barnesville who embody hope and kind ness, reminding us of the strength we find in unity. Thank you for part nering with us to deliver these much-needed sup plies. Your generosity has inspired us all. With gratitude, JAMES B. HAYES, PASTOR ■^abulousd £all ka. i w o ( JESS BLC Library basket raffle and book sale On Saturday, Octo ber 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon The Friends of the Barnesville Lamar County Library will hold its fall gift basket raffle and book sale. Fill up a milk box with books for only $5.00. Raffle tickets are available at the library for $5.00 each or five for $20.00. All proceeds are donated to the library for new books, children’s programs and special li brary needs. Tickets will also be available the day of the book sale. There are three gift cards totaling $70.00 along with many other interesting and useful items in the basket. The winning ticket will be drawn later the same day. LAMAR FLASHBACK Oct. 20-26 10 years ago The community was preparing for the trial of Jamarris Latuan Wil liams. Williams alleg edly summoned beloved local cab operator John Dixson, stabbed Dixson in the throat and left him to die in a ravine along Forsyth-Yatesville Road on March 16, 2012. 25 years ago For sale: Ford 8N trac tor in very good condi tion $3000. 1983 Cadillac Deville, runs good, looks okay $350. 50 years ago Service awards at Aldora Mills: Jesse L. Woodall, box wheel repair man, 40 years, $300 bonus. Erwin A. Edwards, loom fixer, and Lonnie G. Maddox, buyer, 35 years, $150 bonus. 120 years ago Mr. E. T. Crowder had taken active and per sonal charge of opera tions at Milner’s Ginnery on Greenwood Street in Barnesville. His partners were Polk Milner and J.A. McCrary. They claimed the gin was completely and thoroughly equipped and they had for sale cotton seed meal, cotton seed hulls and coal. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 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