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Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Opinions
Ruffin’s Renderings: Count your blessings
BY MIKE RUFFIN
ruffinml@gmail.com
had a stroke.
I know this for
several reasons.
First, as 1 type this on
January 28,1 am just one
day removed from sitting
in a room in the stroke
unit of Navicent Health
(which will always be the
Medical Center of Central
Georgia to me). Second,
that’s what the MR1 and
other tests reveal. Third,
it will take ten times lon
ger than it should for me
to type this column.
The good news from
my perspective is that
my mental faculties seem
to be more or less intact.
That means that 1 should
be able to continue to
write this column.
1 know this pleases
some of you.
The further good
news is that the medical
professionals are confi
dent that, with the help of
physical therapy, I should
be able to recover most
of my lost functionalities
(I could have just said
“function,” but I wanted
to demonstrate that 1
can still use a word like
“functionality,” thereby
proving the intactness of
my mental faculties). The
main function 1 need to
recover is the use of my
right hand. It’s hard to
use what you can’t feel.
Also, when 1 tell my brain
to do something with my
right hand, it
responds as if
it were a stub
born four-year-
old child—no
is its favorite
word.
1 am count
ing my bless
ings and nam
ing them one
by one. 1 am
blessed to live
in a time when
tests can be done, medi
cines can be prescribed,
and therapies can be ap
plied to identify and treat
strokes. 1 am blessed to
live near a major medi
cal center and teaching
hospital. 1 am blessed to
have health insurance.
1 am blessed to have a
solid support
system made up
of people who
care about me
and stand with
me. 1 am blessed
to know that the
Lord is with me
no matter what
happens.
1 am blessed
that our Sleep
Number Bed
replacement
remote arrived the same
day 1 got home from
the hospital. That one
probably needs explain
ing. Our remote had
stopped working a few
days before my expected
trip to the hospital, so
we had to order a new
one. Meanwhile, our bed
kept getting flatter and
flatter. Now, as you may
be aware, hospital beds
such as the one 1 had
just spent three nights
on aren’t comfortable. So
having our replacement
remote awaiting us when
we returned home was
a blessing. The blessing
was tempered by my in
ability to get the remote
to work. But then a nice
lady we reached in cus
tomer service walked us
through the process, so
the blessing was restored
Yes, 1 am counting my
blessings. They are nu
merous. But 1 can’t help
thinking about people
who aren’t similarly
blessed. 1 especially can’t
help thinking about peo
ple who don’t have good
access to quality medi
cal care and to health
insurance. Since 1 often
try to address current
issues in this space and
would prefer that even
a column as personal as
this one not be all about
me, let me say that access
to quality health care is
a human right and that
every American should
have access to affordable
health insurance.
Blessings are more fun
to count when everybody
has them.
Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native
who lives in Yatesville and works in
Macon. His new book, Praying with
Matthew, is available at helwys.com
and at Amazon.
Ruffin’s
Renderings
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
ON THE AN CIENT PATH
Thank you President Trump
Somewhere,
Somehow, Someone
BY ALLEN (THE MAILMAN) OLIVER
Somewhere in a cemetery
Somewhere south of town
Somewhere in a mortuary
Somewhere underground
Somewhere in a vase, or urn
Somewhere out to sea
Somewhere in some casket
Somewhere they’ll bury me.
Somehow when its over
Somehow when its done
Somehow when its finished
Somehow its just begun
Somehow in that moment
Somehow 1 am free
Somehow that ole casket
Somehow cannot hold me.
Someone had to do it
Someone who held the key
Someone who was strong enough,
to save someone like me
Someone who often called me
Someone 1 just ignored
Someone the world calls Jesus
Someone 1 now call Lord.
Reader: Tough times are ahead
with new president in office
1 have voted in every
Presidential Election
since 1968. Many times
the selection of presi
dential candidates we
had to vote for, our
choices were limited.
We had to select the
one who lied the least,
or stole the least, or
was the least ignorant,
or the least slick, or you
name it.
Tough times are
ahead with Biden as
President and the
Democrats in control.
It seems to me Biden is
working hard to make
our country a Social
ist nation. Biden has
already done away
with over one million
“energy” jobs. This also
means a loss of over
60 billion dollars in tax
revenue. All levels of
government are spend
ing money as if there
is no tomorrow. The
federal government is
about 28 trillion in debt.
President Biden and the
Democrats will give us
more inflation, higher
gas prices and higher
taxes.
President Biden talks
about unity. He is going
to give us more deficits
and more division - not
more unity.
SINCERELY,
MARTIN P. COLLINS
BY BEVERLY BRISENDINE
beverly.brisendine@gmail.com
Listed
below are
only a small
number of
the actions
taken by
President
Trump:
Under his
leadership ISIS lost most
of their territory and have
been largely dismantled.
Their leader, Abu Bakr Al-
Baghdadi was killed.
Trump directed the
Education Secretary to
end Common Core in the
schools and promoted
school choice.
The U.S. Embassy in
Israel was moved to Jeru
salem.
Trump signed an order
that allows the govern
ment to withhold money
from colleges deemed to
be anti-Semitic.
The Abraham Accords
were signed by Israel, the
United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, and the United
States. Other nations
were expected to join this
peace agreement.
Trump had three con
servative Justices to the
Supreme Court confirmed,
An order was issued
prohibiting the U.S. gov
ernment from discrimi
nating against Christians
or punishing expressions
of faith.
Trump opened up the
Keystone Pipeline which
brought oil from Canada
to refineries in Texas
causing us to become
fuel independent for the
first time in our nation’s
history. We also became
a natural gas exporter for
the first time since 1957.
A wall over 400 miles
long was built on our
southern border to stop
caravans of people piling
into our country expect
ing entitlements.
A record number of
regulations were elimi
nated that hurt small
businesses.
Manufacturing jobs
grew at the fastest rate in
more than 30 years.
New trade deals were
made with South Korea,
China, Vietnam, and
others which brought us
billions and billions of
increased income.
Because of Trump’s
pressure, NATO allies
increased their defense
spending.
Trump was able to get
so many hostages freed,
including those who were
not freed by Obama.
Welfare reform is now
requiring able-bodied
adults who don’t have
children to work.
Under Trump, the FDA
approved more affordable
generic drugs than ever
before.
Median household in
come hit the highest level
ever recorded.
A new “Ready to Work”
initiative was launched
to help connect employ
ers directly with former
prisoners.
The stock market
reached record highs dur
ing his administration.
President Trump was
the first President to
speak at the March for
Life celebration in Wash
ington. He ordered a halt
to U.S. tax money going
to international organiza
tions that fund or perform
abortions.
You may not have
cared for our former
President but each and
everything he did was for
the good of our country
and its people. For a brief
period of time he was
truly making America
great again.
Galled out of darkness into his wonderful light
BY CHARLES WHATLEY
cbwhatley@hotmail.com
1 remember someone
saying “there is no such
thing as darkness; there
is only the absence of
light.” Darkness is not
a thing; it’s the absence
of light. Have you ever
heard anyone say, “Turn
on the darkness?” The
only way to turn on the
darkness is to turn off
the light. According
to NPR.org, one of the
darkest places on earth
is a remote northwest
ern corner of Nevada
approximately six miles
from Oregon. Massacre
Rim is America’s largest
and newest “dark sky
sanctuary.” That’s an
official designation by
the International Dark
Sky Association and land
managers are required to
preserve the night sky.
There are only 10 dark
sky sanctuaries in the
world and four of them
are in America. Massacre
Rim, more than 100,000
acres is the largest.
There is another dark
sky sanctuary in Flag
staff, Arizona and it was
the first International
Dark Sky City. Pluto was
discovered by the nearby
Lowell Observatory. In
fact, Flagstaff protects
the observatory with
a ban on commercial
searchlights enforced by
a $300 fine and 90 days in
jail! (Fivethirtyeight.com)
Chaco Canyon Nation
al Park, with its ancestral
Puebloan ruins, is an
other Dark Sky Sanctuary
where many of the build
ings were likely built with
celestial events in mind.
Big Bend National Park in
Texas has the least light
pollution of any other na
tional Park in the lower
forty-eight states and you
can see 2,000 stars with
the naked eye. Death Val
ley and Bridges national
parks are also Dark Sky
sites.
Across the Atlantic
Ocean, still another
“dark sky sanctuary” is
the Galloway Forest Park
in Scotland where you
can see 7,000 stars and
planets with the naked
eye. Or you can travel
to one of the darkest
places on our planet in
the Namibian Desert in
Southern Africa where
you can stay in the Sos-
susvlei Desert Lodge
for $84/night. The lodge
has its own observatory
and there is a resident
astronomer available to
answer your questions
and identify the planets
and stars.
The first Interna
tional Dark Sky Re
serve in the Southern
Hemisphere, Aoraki
Mackenzie Internation
al Dark Sky Reserve lo
cated in New Zealand, is
also the largest, span
ning nearly 1,700 square
miles.
Years ago, we lived
in Washington and the
city wanted to see if
light would affect crime.
So they installed bright
lighting along a crime-
ridden street and there
was a significant drop in
crime. It seems evil loves
the darkness and runs
from the light.
The Bible often talks
about light and dark and
good and evil, “But you
are a chosen people, a
royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people belong
ing to God, that you may
declare the praises of
him who called you out
of darkness into his won
derful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
Charles ‘Buddy’ Whatley is a re
tired United Methodist pastor serving
Woodland and Bold Springs UMC and,
with Mary Ella, a missionary to the
Navajo Reservation in Arizona.
Pike County
Journal
Reporter
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
P.0. Box 789
16026 Barnesville St.
Zebulon, Ga. 30295
770.567.3446
The Pike County Journal
Reporter is the official
organ of Pike County, the
cities of Zebulon, Molena,
Meansville, Williamson
and Concord. It is
published weekly by
Hometown Newspapers
Inc. Second class
postage is paid at the
Zebulon, Ga Post Office.
Publishers: Walter and
Laura Geiger; staff:
Jennifer Taylor,
Brenda Sanchez and
Rachel McDaniel.
AT PIKE
BY BWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
February 4, 1921: Commissioners approved an
order to make Feb. 28 a special election day. The
board was looking for someone to fill the vacancy
left when Morgan Howard resigned in January.
75 YEARS AGO
February 7, 1946: The U.S. War Department of
ficially declared 1st Lt. Robert E. “Gene” Oxford of
the U.S. Air Corps dead two years after he was re
ported missing. Oxford departed January 25, 1944
as a crew member on a B-24 aircraft from Running,
China to Chahua, India.
50 YEARS AGO
February 4, 1971: Student reporter Ruth
Scoggins wrote about president Rosemary Dunn
convening the Future Teachers of America Janu
ary meeting with secretary Bonnie Adams reading
the December minutes.
25 YEARS AGO
February 7, 1996: Another arctic blast swept
through Pike County dropping temperatures into
the single digits. Residents escaped the brunt of
the icy precipitation that caused severe problems
in Atlanta and up the east coast.