Newspaper Page Text
TheTrue Citizen, Wednesday, September 22, 2010 — Page 5
Dixie Divas
By Ronda Rich
Among the many things I
have learned in this life is how
everything
evens out,
how those
who are
mighty and
rich can be
come lowly
and poor
while the
lowly and
poor can become mighty and
rich.
I have seen many examples of
both, which often reminds of
the truths taught to me by my
parents.
“Don’t get above your rai
sin’ they intoned often, mean
ing simply to stay true to who I
was, what I was and from where
I came. In the early, winsome
days of my youth, I tried might
ily to rise above my raising,
thinking that riches and success
were more important than the
core values of my solid upbring
ing. But the good Lord has a
way of plucking us back from
frivolous youthful ideals and
reminding us innately of whom
we are and what we should do.
Now, as I take departure from
the summer of my life, I am
grateful for the simple wisdom
of my parents. It serves me
well.
Mama and Daddy were both
simple folks who believed in the
value of hard work and frugal
ity. Neither ever possessed a
credit card, though there were
small bank loans from time-to-
time such as a $3500 mortgage
LIFE EVENS OUT
once and an occasional good,
used car. We raised our own
beef and pork and even made
sausage that others were eager
to buy.
A summer’s garden yielded a
winter’s worth of vegetables
while Mama was particularly
proficient in “puttin’ up’’ veg
etable soup.
Endless quarts of home-
canned tomato juice and green
beans lined the shelves of our
pantry. Both grew up in the
Great Depression so it was
never forgotten that hard times,
unannounced, could visit again.
Daddy never got over the pain
of losing fifty cents in a bank
that went belly up in the finan
cial failures that littered the
years of Herbert Hoover’s presi
dency. He didn’t exactly distrust
banks but there was always a
leeriness that lurked in his prac
tical mind. In a safe deposit box
in one of those banks, he kept
enough cash to see us through
if the need arose.
Mama sewed our clothes,
making even my sister’s wed
ding dress and so many of my
own clothes that I yearned for
something, anything that was
store bought. When I was 14,
Daddy gave me the money to
buy the prettiest dress I had ever
seen.
It was a peasant-style, beige
gauze with a ruffle and neck
line that was trimmed in sev
eral inches of matching lace. It
was the happiest purchase of my
life, so joyous that the dress
hangs on a dress form in a guest
bedroom as an important re
minder.
Though there was a time in
my erstwhile youth that I did
not live frugally, there came a
time when Mama’s and Daddy’s
lectures resounded loud and
clear.
I began to shop with coupons,
limit my gas use by carefully
scheduling errands, shopped for
bargains, drove cars for as long
as 10 years at a time, was dili
gent to save and, if there was
something special and expen
sive that I wanted, I put extra
money aside until I had enough
to pay cash for it. I did this in
the years when self-indulgence
and extravagant spending was
cool. As usual, I was not a part
of the in crowd.
Now, the financial tide has
changed. Some people who were
up are now down and some
people who were down are now
up. An evening out of things,
you might say. When budget
ing and financial conservative
ness became hip terms, one of
my equally frugal friends
shrugged and said, “I’m not
doing anything different that
what I’ve always done.”
Sometimes I look at that dress
in my guest room, remember
ing the time that Daddy pulled
the cash from his wallet and told
me to buy it.
“Don’t get above your rai
sin’,” I can hear him say.
I hear it loud and clear.
Ronda Rich is the best-sell
ing author of What Southern
Women Know About Faith. Visit
www.rondarich.com to sign up
for her weekly newspaper.
Letters to the Editor
Burke Happenings
Keep courthouse
downtown
(.Editor's note: the following
was submitted to the Burke
County Board of Commission
ers last Tuesday and is published
at the request ofDDA members]
Dear Commissioners,
The courthouse has always
been at the heart of downtown
Waynesboro, but we fully real
ize our current facility can no
longer serve the needs of our
community. We support the con
struction of a new judicial cen
ter, but fear a move away from
the core commercial district will
have grave consequences for
both the City of Waynesboro
and Burke County. Downtown
merchants, bankers and restau
rant owners will tell you that
when court is in session, busi
ness is good. Foot traffic in
creases significantly, and cash
registers begin ringing.
We have taken great strides
toward breathing life back into
downtown Waynesboro over the
past two years, and nine new
businesses have established dur
ing that short time. Two new
businesses, a bistro/bakery and
coffee shop, are set to open on
Liberty Street this fall, and
owners are counting on the traf
fic created by court sessions.
As you are aware, our down
town profile is underscored
with professional law offices,
purposely located within walk
ing distance of the courtroom.
Were the proposed judicial cen
ter be built on the outskirts of
town, we fear the attorneys will
follow, leaving our main street
dotted with empty storefronts.
If Burke County voters ap
prove the Special Local Option
Sales Tax (SPLOST) in No
vember and funds are appropri
ated to build the center, we un
derstand that locating it on
county-owned land near the
Burke County Library would be
the easiest and least expensive
option for the immediate future.
However, we believe that de
cision would slowly bleed our
downtown economy and create
financial and aesthetic repercus
sions that would negatively af
fect our entire county. Con
structing a judicial center in
downtown Waynesboro will call
for a big investment - more
time, more energy and, yes,
more money. But those invest
ments will be returned with
long term benefits including a
thriving downtown.
We ask you to think beyond
the immediate future and do
what is right for our commu
nity.
Sincerely,
Lindsai Gentry, Down
town Development Author
ity chairman, Rex Gerlinger,
vice-chair, members Jesse
Palmer III, Jesse Stone, Yal
Prescott and Elizabeth
Billips, and DDA director
Andrea Stein
‘Barney Fife’
Editor:
I would like to applaud Liz
Crews for standing up and do
ing the right thing - that is tell
ing the truth about the "unruly”
dog incident in Sardis.
I know all to well about
how Chief John Finley will
cover up the truth to clear him
self. In March of this year my
son was on trial in Burke
County. John Finley lied under
oath to cover up his part in con
taminating a crime scene with
his "Barney Fife” tactics.
I also do not agree with the
mayor that for someone to tell
the truth makes Sardis look bad.
I say Chief John Finley makes
Sardis look bad.
Ray Sapp
Sardis
Kendall McTier Reunion
The Kendall McTier Reunion will be held 10 a.m., Saturday,
Sept. 25, at Reedy Creek Baptist Church in Stapleton.
Lunch will be served at noon. Bring a covered dish and old
photos to share.
Car-Bike-Truck Show
Pleasant Grove will sponsor a Car-Bike-Truck Show 1-6 p.m.,
Saturday, Sept. 25, to benefit its Youth Ministry and Food Pan
try. The show will be held inside the Stable Apartments area at
999 Railroad Avenue in Sardis. To register a vehicle or reserve
vending space, please call 706-550-7995 or 770-313-4055.
Democratic Party
The Burke County Democratic Party will meet 6 p.m., Thurs
day, Sept. 23, at the Burke County Court House in Waynesboro.
The public is invited.
Toastmasters
The Waynesboro Toastmasters will meet 5 p.m., Sunday, Sept.
26, at Westminster Prebyterian Church, located at 841 Jones
Avenue in Waynesboro. Membership is open through November
for anyone interested in developing communication and leader
ship skills.
Free stimulus food
As part of the Emergency Food Assistance Program free stimu
lus food will be given away 9 a.m., Friday, Sept. 24, at the
Burke County Senior Citizen Center, located at 717 West Sixth
Street in Waynesboro.
Other Voices
IS IT TRULY TRUE?
By F. Leslie Jenkins Jr.
Burke Banter Boy
It has been said,”The pen is
mightier than the sword.”
I question the veracity and
even the wisdom of this so of
ten quoted sentence. While not
taking away any strength from
the power of the “Pen,” I must
maintain that down through his
tory the “Sword” has prevailed.
Even as this very day dawned,
wars are abundant around the
globe.
The “Pen” has written untold
treaties and pacts down through
the centuries. Most turned out
to be worthless scraps of paper.
The "Sword” remains supreme.
For thousands of years, man
kind has been in possession of
the Holy Bible, the Koran, and
other holy writs all of which
proclaim peace as the perfect
solution to man’s problems. The
written word has yet to halt
man’s yearning to conquer by
war.
After the Great War, World
War I, the Treaty of Versailles
was penned, and a League Of
Looking Back
10 years ago: September 20, 2000
Tricor Development Corporation announced that eight new
retailers would be opening in the new Wal-Mart shopping center.
The included Radio Shack, Dollar Tree, Friedman’s Jewelers,
Shoe Show, Fashion Bug, Movie Gallery, Domino’s Pizza and
Talk Time U.S.A.
A group of Burke County High School students asked the Board
of Education to consider making soccer a varsity sport.
25 years ago: September 19,1985
Three new doctors were greeted at a reception at the Burke
County Office Park. Dr. Ramon Duarte, an internest, was direc
tor of the Burke County Dialysis Center. Dr. Alan Bolnick was
opening his OB-GYN practice; and Dr. Pamela Stitt began her
family practice.
In an editorial. The True Citizen, suggested the Burke County
Hospital be renamed Burke Medical Center.
Waynesboro High’s Purple Hurricanes defeated Swainsboro
High’s football Tigers for the first time in 12 years.
50 years ago: September 22,1960
Three Waynesboro churches announced plans for a "religious
census” to determine the church affiliation of local residents.
University of Georgia freshmen from Waynesboro included
Ginny Bargeron, Mary Evans, Betsy Johnson and Bill Godbee.
The Waynesboro Lions Club sponsored a quarter horse show
and rodeo which drew entries from seven states.
75 years ago: September 20,1935
Negotiations were still underway to save the "Old Munnerlyn
Home” where President George Washington spent the night. The
True Citizen reported that the lot to which the home was to be
moved had been found to be too small. Its fate was “hanging in
the balance.”
President Franklin Roosevelt’s announcement that he would
speak at a rally in Atlanta was seen as a challenge to Georgia
Governor Eugene Talmadge. Talmadge was a leading critic of
the president.
Nations organized, all to no
avail. Millions died.
Twenty years later, World
War II had its beginning. Again
millions died. Then peace in our
time was short, after the surren
der of Germany and Japan.
The United States has been in
and out of war almost continu
ously for the last 65 years. Other
wars on our planet seem to be a
steady stream, never ceasing.
The "Sword” is always bran
dished. The "Pen” records the
event.
The “Pen” writes of the evils
and the words reach our homes,
but the words “Penned” in the
many pacts and treaties simply
fade away, and peace continues
to evade us.
Even Jesus said there would
be wars and rumors of war.
Jesus offered us the perfect for
mula for peace, Love. It was
penned throughout the New
Testament, yet mankind has ig
nored all His instructions. Jesus
knew that man would never lay
down the “Sword” until His
Kingdom comes upon this
Earth.
Would that I could reach into
the many dictionaries, and pull
out the words to flow from my
“Pen” that would give the world
peace. We all know deep in our
hearts that Love is the only
means we have to conquer the
“Sword”. We just never listen
to our hearts and heed its ad
vice. Mankind never seems to
learn from his mistakes for he
repeats them over and over be
lieving he can always prevail
with the "Sword”.
Though the “Sword” is
mightiest, the “Pen” has accom
plished much. Untold lives have
been changed for the better by
the written and spoken word.
The Holy Bible has brought
hope, peace and love to millions.
Other books with spiritual and
prophetic content have influ
enced men to better and more
abundant life styles. Newspapers
and some periodicals lead us on
in the right direction. So, we see
the “Pen” has a very definite
place in the scheme of things.
All this has been said not just
to show the value of the”Pen”
and the written word, but to
show the great importance of
reading.
Unless there is a reader, the
“Pen” has no power at all. So, I
encourage all to read and read a
wide variety of subjects. Never
form an opinion until you have
covered the subject thoroughly
by reading books and papers
that give you the pros and cons
on the question. As mankind
begins to read more, the power
of the “Pen” will increase.
So, here is one opinion on this
question of the “Sword” versus
the “Pen.” Don’t believe all that
I have written.
Check out another source by
reading. Then, form your own
opinion. I would welcome the
opinion of others on this sub
ject. Maybe, you can change my
mind. And so ends another Tale.
You can reach F. Leslie
Jenkins Jr., Burke Banter Boy,
by email at: f291@bellsouth.net
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