Newspaper Page Text
TheTrue Citizen, Wednesday, September 29, 2010 — Page 5
Dixie Divas
THE SOUTHERN WAY OF DEATH
By Ronda Rich
Months before Mama died,
she worried incessantly about the
cost of
obituaries in
newspapers.
Some
charge by
the word,
you know.
Staunchly
Scotch-Irish
that she was
and a child of the Depression
- every penny counted for this
woman of the Southern Appa
lachians. When I cleaned out her
old freezer, I found four dozen
large butter tubs of homemade
vegetable soup, all dated with
ink on a strip of masking tape,
many going back as far as 15 or
20 years. She was cautious
about the economy before it
was fashionable.
“Mama, you don’t
need two freezers filled to the
top with food,’’ I intoned from
time to time, not that I figured
it would do a bit of good. Her
freezers were referred to as the
“old freezer” which was 50 years
old and the "new freezer” which
was a youngster at only 40 years
old.
“Yes, I do,” she replied
firmly, setting her chin in that
old familiar way of her stubborn
kinfolks. “What if times get
hard? What would I eat?”
To Mama, every penny and
every morsel counted. So, when
it started costing to publish
death notices. Mama was deeply
aggrieved. There is every rea
son to believe it hastened her
death. She was beside herself
with worry over it.
“When I die, don’t y’all put
no big long obituary about me
in the paper,” she lectured to me
daily. I would nod absent-
mindedly, thinking that it
wouldn’t matter because she
would be gone and we could do
what we wanted and, for once,
not answer to the strong-willed,
out-spoken matriarch of the
family.
“I mean it,” she would con
tinue to rail, not oblivious to my
indifference but rather offended
by it. “If you run a long obitu
ary about me. I’m not paying
for it] When I die, you just put
this in the paper,” She punched
her slightly crooked finger into
the air, “I. Died."
When death silenced her
voice, we did just as we pleased
and saw fit. We ran a long
obituary, along with a photo that
Mama had had made several
months earlier, saying, “Don’t
I look pretty? When I die, y’all
use this picture at the funeral
home.”
There is a uniqueness about
the people of the South in that
the inevitability of eventual
death is viewed as just another
of life’s major events and is dis
cussed with the same frequent
ness and ease as marriage, child
birth, divorce or education.
Folks often spend much
longer planning their funerals
than the time that any 10 wed
dings ever received. We know
the songs we want sung, the
prayers we want prayed, the
preachers we want, which flow
ers should be included or ex
cluded and, most important, the
plot of land in which we’ll be
laid to rest. The dirt that covers
us is of mighty important to all
devout Southerners.
I often laugh about the eld
erly aunt of a friend, who has
spent the last 20 years, meticu
lously planning her funeral. The
list of preachers is constantly
revised, due to what she views
as questionable sermons or du
bious behavior. Most amusing,
though, is that she shops con
stantly for the dress she wants
to wear for her big exit.
She’ll pull a dress off the rack
in a store, hold it up to her, look
in the mirror and ask, "How
would I look laid out in this?”
Precisely, she has instructed
that she is to wear one dress for
the viewing and then she is to
be changed into a red, cheerful
one for her burial. Though she
has been told that no one changes
dresses on a corpse, she is in
dignant.
"They will for me,” She pro
claims adamantly. “Because
anyone who knows me knows
that I’d never wear the same
dress two days in a row!”
Awwww. That’s my people.
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 newsletter.
Letters to the Editor
Improvement promised
at Pecan Grove
Editor:
Hediger Enterprises Inc. is
the new managing agent for
Pecan Grove Apartments Phase
I and II in Waynesboro, Ga.
Recently we have been made
aware of several crime incidents
that have taken place on or near
the property - most were do
mestic related, but some were
criminal and concerning.
On Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010
senior management attended a
City of Waynesboro public
safety meeting for the purpose
of gathering critical informa
tion and lending support to the
community. Within hours after
the meeting, our management
team drafted a crime prevention
strategy and security plan draft
which was presented to the
Waynesboro City Council on
Monday, Sept. 20, 2010.
The draft has been presented
to the property owners for ap
proval, and parts of the plan
have already been enacted.
Although the local crime sta
tistics we receive point to areas
of crime throughout the city, we
are writing this letter to lend
assurance to the community that
Hediger Enterprises, Inc., the
staff of Pecan Grove Apartments
and the property owners are
committed to doing our part to
improve what is being reported
in Waynesboro as a community
“plagued with rampant crime.”
We look forward to continu
ing to work with the commu
nity in this effort - our ultimate
mission is to have current and
future success in working with
local law enforcement, neigh
borhood watch and other local
or other government officials,
so that Pecan Grove Apartments
can soon again meet the stan
dard of living that we promise
our good residents.
Sincerely,
Robert Prichard, CAM
District Manager
Hediger Enterprises, Inc.
No animal control
Editor:
I am relatively new to
Waynesboro living here just
over four years, and I am very
disappointed in the services of
this city.
Here are some issues that I
have questions about as I have
tried to get some help to no
avail.
First and foremost, as it ap
plies to animals that are unable
to represent themselves in time
of need. I have a variety of
outside cats that are feral that I
feed as well as get them neu
tered if I can catch them. This
summer three cats were killed
by a pack of dogs that roam my
neighborhood. For over a year,
maybe longer, I have called the
city to have them remove these
dogs and results have been
nil. They keep telling me that
they cannot do anything because
they are not around when they
come looking. No one has come
to my door to ask me anything
about them.
Several days ago I followed
them around to see if I could
find their owner. They eventu
ally split up. Of course, this was
after hours so I didn’t call.
Today on my way home from
work they were congregated on
the corner of Seventh and Wa
ter streets. I spoke to a neigh
bor who told me he had called
the “bam” two times already and
no one had come out. I then
called and they said they would
be right out. No one came, and
of course the dogs disappeared.
My question is “what do the
animal patrol people do?” I
came from a town where the
police drove around town daily
looking for stray dogs. I have
yet to see anyone patrolling in
my neighborhood. These dogs
are around a lot so I would think
that they would see them sooner
or later if they were out patrol
ling.
We have a lot of small chil
dren that play out in their yards,
and some day those dogs are
going to attack a child instead
of a cat.
The other issue is important
but not in comparison to the
dog-pack issue. And that is our
street has pot holes and drain
age problems that get band aide
treatment. There are rental
houses that should be con
demned (I guess we have no safe
rental housing codes) where
young children are living. These
homes are unsafe and the land
lords should be held account
able.
We are trying to improve our
neighborhood but without the
city doing their job how do we
do that? I see that we are spend
ing money on a nature trail for
walkers and bikers. Do they re
ally think that that is good use
of city funds?
How about sidewalks in resi
dential areas where people walk
in the street because there are
no sidewalks on which to
walk? How about a swimming
pool for kids in the summer? We
Other Voices
HOMECOMING 2010
By F. Leslie Jenkins Jr.
Burke Banter Boy
To all the former members,
to all the present members, to
all the friends of Sardis Baptist
Church who weren’t in atten
dance at our 207th Homecom
ing today, I offer you my con
dolences. Truly, today’s Home
coming was the largest and
greatest in many years.
I have been a member of
Sardis Baptist Church since
1937, and I can remember none
that surpassed today’s coming
together of “The Family of
God.”
Some estimated the crowd at
250 and some at a little more,
but I am here to tell you over
300 living souls were packed
into our sanctuary. The walls of
our 85 year old building were
bulging at the seams.
In attendance were members
who attend regularly, members
who come irregularly, members
who come at Christmastime,
Easter or Homecoming and
some members who had been
out of the fold for years. Also,
in attendance were former pas
tors and their familes.
It was delightful to renew our
loving relationship with them.
The Reverend Doctor Bill King
was present with his wife,
Cherry, his son Adam with his
wife and their little daughter.
Imagine, Bill and Cherry are
grandparents!
Another former pastor and his
wife blessed us with their pres
ence. The Reverend Doctor
Greg Clements and wife Carol
were among our distinguished
guest. The Clements’ served
Sardis Baptist Church during the
1970’s.
The Reverend King brought
the message today. He listed the
many missions and accomplish
ments that took place during his
tenure at Sardis Baptist Church.
But he, also, reminded us of the
vast number of works the Lord
has done throught this Church
during its 207 years of existence.
Mr. King took his message from
Philippians 1:1-11 and more
specifically from the 6th verse,”
being confident of this, that He
who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion
until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Mr. King reminded Sardis
Baptist Church and its members
that God has great plans for our
Church, but that we members
must become dedicated to the
task. He predicted that Sardis
Baptist Church would still be up
and running when our Lord
Jesus returns. So, Sardis Bap
tist Church, we have our work
cut out for us.
After the stirring message
from Reverend King just like all
Baptist Churches, we had ‘Din
ner on the Grounds’. And what
a dinner! And what a crowd to
eat it! I have seen many spreads
of food in our fellowship hall,
but none to match today’s.
Three hundred hungry
mouths were filled from that
table. When they were done
three hundred more could have
partaken. I got my estimate of
those in attendance not from try
ing to count those in that brim
ming sanctuary, but from the
plate count.
Over three hundred paper
plates were used and everyone
didn’t stay for lunch. Those
who did stay put away some
groceries.
We ate, we visited, we remi
nisced, we enjoyed one another,
we caught up on each others
lives. We just had a fun time.
Then the services ended with an
old fashioned ‘sing.’ A goodly
number returned to the sanctu
ary and sang our favorite songs.
We were entertained with a
couple of song by Mr. Mason
of Hepizbah. Like all things,
good or bad, the service came
to an end.
Before closing this piece,
there are a few remarks I feel
compelled to make. I believe
God amassed this great
muilitude today not for us to
have fun, but as a reminder from
Him that He still expects great
things from Sardis Baptist
Church. I believe He expects us
to reach out to a hurting and dy
ing world with the message of
Jesus Christ. I believe His ‘great
commission’ is still a command
ment in force today. “Go into
all the world and make dis
ciples, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.’
As followers of Jesus Christ,,
we must put aside our own
agendas and follow our Lord’s
commands.
You can reach F. Leslie
Jenkins Jr., Burke Banter Boy,
by email at: f291@bellsouth.net
Defective Hip Recall!
Johnson & Johnson® / DePuy® has issued a
recall of its ASR hip replacement. If you had an
artificial hip since 2002 which failed and had to
be replaced, please call us to see if you may be
entitled to compensation.
Nash Law Firm, P.C.
Attorneys at Law
Savannah, Georgia
Toll Free
1-800-920-6499
Cases may be referred to other counsel for principal responsibility
real estate auctions
180+ Georgia Home Auctions Sept 27th - Oct 27th
Nominal Opening Bids
from $1,000
For details, see
williamsauction.com
Williams & Williams
worldwide real estate auction
800.801.8003
GA RE LIC 337384 DANIEL NELSON BROKER;
AUC LIC AUNR002789 MONTE W. LOWDERMAN.
BUYER'S PREMIUM MAY APPLY
Many Available
for Online
Bidding
talk about all the crime and
problems with the young people
in this town but we don’t do
anything for them to give them
activities in the summer that
could keep from being idle.
“Idle hands are idle minds.”
Well I’ve got lots of issues
with this city that need to be
addressed, and the biggest issue
is to get city employees to do
their jobs.
Maybe it is time to have an
internal house cleaning. There
are a lot of folks out there that
need work and are willing to do
the job.
Jerry Ellen Clary
Waynesboro
Reading the
Constitution
Editor:
The week of Sept. 17-24 was
Constitution week. Almost ev
ery day we hear or read about
the Constitution of the United
States of America.
How many of us know what
is in our amazing Constitution?
We encourage everyone to read
or re-read the document and the
27 amendments. It is short and
won’t take long. We need to pay
careful attention to the limits in
the executive power, legislative
and the judicial branches of gov
ernment. Especially pay atten
tion to those amendments that
protect our RIGHTS.
Keep in mind a remarkable
group of men wrote one of
mankind’s greatest achieve
ments (The Constitution), with
the idea of self-governing that
starts with “We the people.”
Constitution week is once a
year, but let us take time to thank
God every day for this docu
ment.
Sara S. Carter
Waynesboro
Burke Happenings
Retired Educators
The Burke County Retired Educators Association will meet 3
p.m., Thursday, Oct. 7, at the Burke County Senior Citizens
Center. Georgia REA President Dorothy Wilson of Savannah will
be the guest speaker.
WHS Class of 76
Members of the Waynesboro High School Class of 1976 will
meet to discuss the upcoming reunion 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16,
at Waynesboro City Hall. President Audrey Jenkins-Lee can be
reached at 706-289-8631 or 706-560-2214.
Sale Going On Now!
Bedroom Groim
Purchase this complete bedroom group
Full or Queen Sets Limited rime price
ANNIVERSARY DRAWING
RECLINER. PRIZE VALUE ■ $349
For Custooiers Only - Purchases Between 0-16-2010 & 10-30-2010
Monday-Friday 10-6 Capital
Saiuftfay 9-3 purniture^^vST
wnAr.cap1r3ifunmnro.com j 1 $ $
202 East 6th Street - 554-1234