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The True Citizen, Wednesday, November 17, 2021 — Page 5
Michael N. Searles
A FRIEND IN NEED
We have all heard the phrase,
“A friend in need is a friend
indeed.” The phrase suggests
that a true friend helps in times
of trouble.
We may have a friend who
would get out of bed at 2 a.m.
and drive several miles to
help when we are in distress
or would accompany us to the
hospital to provide comfort to
a sick or injured love one. We
depend on friends in so many
ways to make our lives more
livable. One of the character
istics of a true friend is trust.
A friend has been described
as someone who earns your
trust, and will not betray you
or stab you in the back. If you
needed $100 to pay a light bill
and your friend would not give
you $100 or even take your text
or calls, you would be sad and
heartbroken.
Rural Americans are and
continue to be in need of health
care. Last month, Southwest
Georgia Regional Medical
Center in Randolph County
announced it was closing.
This closing represents the
eighth rural Georgia hospital
to close since 2010. The
closing of a rural hospital has
broad implications. In addi
tion to less health care, there
are significant consequences
on local economies accord
ing to the National Center for
Rural Health Works. When
rural hospitals close, between
10-15% of the jobs in those
counties are lost. Rural areas
that lack a local hospital often
struggle to draw outside invest
ment, which mitigates eco
nomic growth in the area. The
image of a rural community
without a hospital signals de
cline, with those communities
deemed unfit for investment.
A significant portion of
rural Georgians struggle with
lower income and the lack
of health insurance. When
patients cannot pay for health
services, hospitals suffer the
economic consequences and
often are forced to close. The
closing of rural hospitals is
not inevitable and could be
changed with a stroke of a pen.
Eight of the 12 states that have
refused to accept federal funds
to expand Medicaid under
the Affordable Care Act are
Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
North Carolina, Mississippi,
Tennessee, Texas, and South
Carolina. The common factor
among these states is they all
have Republican-controlled
legislatures. There are real
world consequences for this
kind of action. Closing the
Medicaid coverage gap would
extend health coverage to al
most half a million Georgians,
support struggling hospitals,
create 56,000 jobs and bring
in $3 billion from the federal
government with an average
annual cost to Georgia of
$136 million. There are rural
Georgians who continually
give support to Republican
officeholders who refuse to
be a friend to them and their
neighbors.
The National Association of
Counties (NACo) applauded
the passage of the bipartisan
infrastructure package by the
U.S. House of Representatives
that now heads to President
Biden for his signature. NACo
Executive Director Matthew
Chase said, “We appreciate
our House and Senate partners
who worked with us to develop
this comprehensive legislation.
It will help rebuild our nation’s
infrastructure and economy
by investing in locally owned
infrastructure
and preserving SEE
local decision
making.”
Of the thirteen
SEARLES,
8
Ronda Rich
LEARNING TO CREATE WITH MY HANDS
When I was nine years old,
I spent spring break with my
grandparents in their humble
mountains’ abode.
During that week, I got a real
shiner in a yard game of base
ball by being a catcher who
stood too close to the batter;
developed a love for buttermilk
biscuits with homemade jelly
and, on Saturday night, took
my only bath of the week. In
a tin tub. In the middle of the
rickety, drafty kitchen. As I
scrubbed away a week’s worth
of dirt with homemade soap,
my grandmother kept the water
warm by bringing kettles of hot
water and pouring it in.
I also furthered my life’s
education by learning how to
find the bathroom in the middle
of the night, in the middle of
the spooky woods.
My grandmother,Lizzie, was
a gentle, kind woman. She was
tall and so skinny that when
she crossed her legs, one foot
always tucked effortlessly be
hind her ankle. Her silvery, soft
hair fell to her waist but was
kept neatly up in a bun then
released freely at night. On the
scruffy beige couch, she would
sit, when the day was finished,
and patiently brush her hair
before she changed into a
long-sleeved, floor-skirting
nightgown.
From the moment she
dressed in the morning - in a
simple, cotton dress, hosiery
that stopped at her upper thigh
and flat, black shoes - she
wore an apron with a pocket
in which she carried a small
can of snuff. Her one true
indulgence. In this apron, she
toted eggs from the bam and,
if I had a dirty spot or scratch,
she licked the corner of it then
wiped away my soil.
She loved the newspaper
and the King James Bible,
both which she read with
dedicated regularity. When
worries knocked at her door,
she did not hesitate to drop to
her knees in front of the old
iron bed, praying as a breeze
lilted gently through the open
window and fluttered the voile
weight curtains.
Mawmaw - a word belong
ing strictly to the Appalachian
mountains - loved to knit and
crochet, usually employing
cast-away rough thread from
the nearby carpet mill. It was
a treat for her. Somewhere
around middle afternoon when
the sweeping, dusting, and rak
ing of the front yard were fin
ished, she settled into a corner
of that worn-out, formaldehyde
couch, tucked her foot behind
her ankle, pushed her tiny,
wire framed glasses up on her
nose, and set about fiercely
crocheting a blanket or knitting
a sweater.
That summer of my third-
grade spring break, she placed
a bony arm around my shoul
ders, drew me close to her on
the couch and, patiently, began
to teach me how to crochet.
As she watched, I awkwardly
weaved a chain with the tiny
hook and unpleasant thread.
By the time I returned home, I
was adept enough that I began
furiously crocheting headbands
(a trend in the 1970s) and mak
ing a stockpile.
Mama, astounded that I had
mastered crocheting and knit
ting when she, a skilled seam
stress , could never learn, could
always figure a way to make
money. Cleverly, she began
taking my home
made headbands
to the sewing plant RICH,
where she worked 8
BIKE COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY
These local professionals are here to serve you!
Air Conditioning | Electrical & Generator | Air ConditioninQ
COMPLETE W
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ITS MORE THAN A WORD TO US.
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706-554-7341 / 706-830-4516
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RC WELL
ELECTRIC CO.
706-554-2861
rowellelectric.com
GENERAC
AUTHORIZED DEALER
502 West 6th Street
Waynesboro, GA 30830
PHONE (706) 554-2861
Commercial - Residential
Sales & Service
1040 Bethesda Church Road
Girard, GA
Mobile: 706-339-9343
ftb Hard Tk St tip A Thin*'
Reliable
Durable
Clean Air
Comfort Control
Efficient
First-Rate Warranties
Contractor
HIGHSMITH BUILDING SERVICES, INC.
constructing custom homes since 1991
JOHN A. HIGHSMITH
706-551-0248
f JohnHighsmith@rocketmail.com
Insurance
Stacey L, Herrmann, LIITCF - Agency Mgr.
FARM
BUREAU
GEORGIA
Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance Services
Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company
Office 706-554-2017 FAX: 706-554-7482
Email: slherrmann@gfbins.com
CLAIMS # 1-855-432-2567
P.O. Box 329 Waynesboro, GA 30830
Heating & Air
Dustin Rowell,
Owner/President
Rowell
fHEATinUG.&^AIR,
factory
MJTHCWZFD
DEALER
Turn to the Expert*
“Trust, Honor & Pride - Our Commitment To You”
346 Old Millen Hwy., Waynesboro, GA 30830
706-554-2665
Pet Grooming
Springwood
Boarding & Grooming
706-592-0444
3209 Old Waynesboro Road
Hephzibah, GA 30815
'Caring hands for your precious pet"
Wrecker Service
706-551-3998
706-551-0876
TAYLOR BROTHERS
Wiecker Service
206 West 12th Street
Handyman and Lawn Services
pm
HANDYMAN SERVICES
AND LAWN CARE, LLC
ALL YOUR HANDYMAN AND LAWN CARE NEEDS
NO JOB TOO SMALL!
INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR HOME REPAIR AND IMPROVEMENT
LAWN CARE AND LANDSCAPING
FULLY INSURED
706-526-8303 CALL OR TEXT
Cleaning Services
NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL
You me it we clean it!
Homes, Offices, Commercial, Churches
Before & after party services, seasonal services too
We are Licensed, Bonded & Insured!
Call for free estimates - Klewisservices
762-212-2901 or 706-551-4098
Landscaping & Tree Trimming
BE5HII
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105
Landscaping STreeTrimmln
Josh Brownell 978-503-92
ADVERTISE HERE!
ADVERTISE HERE!
To be included in the Burke
To be included in the Burke
County Business Directory,
County Business Directory,
contact Roy Chalker
contact Roy Chalker
at 706-554-2111.
at 706-554-2111.
Burke Memorial Funeral Home
www,burkememorial.com
'A Home 0/ Dependable Senjice”
842 Liberty Street, Waynesboro, GA
Family owned operated
Jane and George DeLoach
706-833-9867 or 706-551-5100