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Declare among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard;
publish, and conceal not. - Jeremiah 50:2
2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 winner: Editorial Page excellen
2019, 2018 winner: Best Headline Writing
2019 winner: Best Community Service
2019 winner: Best Layout and Design
2019 winner: Best Serious Column - Don Daniel
ON THE PORCH by Will Davis
Not pomp, but circumstance
It’s always a fun time of year when we get to tell the stories
of each Mary Persons graduating class. Each class has its own
unique characters and achievements, and the class of2023 is no
different.
When we asked MP counselor Teresa Roller what made this
year’s class unique, she didn’t hesitate before
pointing out there were 8 sets of twins in
this year’s senior class and even a set of
triplets. Wow! That’s a lot of duplicates.
Our community editor Diane Glidewell
had the privilege of interviewing those
triplets, Jackson, Claire and Carter Camp
bell. Her profile of them, and many more
seniors, can be found in our 20-page grad
uation section in this week’s Reporter. I
heard a lot of laughter as the Campbell
triplets talked with Diane in her office.
After they left, their dad, our own
terrific sports photographer Russ Campbell, texted me.
“F YI, apparently 2 of my kids said we held them back in
kindergarten because the other one was illiterate,” texted Russ.
“That was not the case. They were preemies and tiny” I assured
Russ we would not print such defamatory material that his
children were using to mock the other. I literally laughed out
loud at that one. And now I’ve been made a liar. It was too good
not to share.
Triplets seem like fun, and apparently, they do have fun,
because they’re all going to Athens together in the fall, albeit for
different schools.
With graduation here, I’ve been thinking a lot about young
Monroe Countians and this current generation moving into
adulthood. That was especially true Saturday when I photo
graphed the Mary Persons alumni soccer game where my son
was participating. Former MP player and current girls coach
Jacob Haygood organized the event, which was very well attend
ed with 56 alums. It really took me back to see and photograph
men and women whom I had covered when they were teenag
ers 10-15 years ago.
Dent Miller. Clayton Carter. Reece Clark. Beau Watson. I
photographed these guys when they were carefree kids. Now
here they were years later, with wives, sometimes kids, mortgag
es, jobs, receding hairlines and sometimes added girth. They had
weathered challenges. They had endured setbacks. Some didn’t
seem as cocky as they were in high school. Life does that to you,
doesn’t it? They seemed wiser. Humbler. And most were slower
to the ball than I remembered them. But then so am I.
Age is a universal and humbling process that no one escapes.
You might say that all of life, with its challenges and hardships,
is designed to make us look up to God, look with love at one
another, and admit we don’t have all the answers. We come into
the world dependent upon our mothers, unable to provide for
ourselves and with very limited capacity to do anything. We
grow into adults who like to think we can do anything we want.
And then age and health force us back to a place of dependence.
Isn’t it interesting, therefore, what happened when the Jewish
religious leaders caught a woman in the very act of adultery in
the gospel of John? They brought her to Jesus hoping to trap him
into doing something they can use against him.
“The law of Moses says to stone her,” they sneer. “What do you
say?
When Jesus stoops to the ground and begins writing in the
dirt, they demand an answer.
“All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first
stone!”
What happened next? The Bible says her accusers slipped
away one by one, starting with the oldest, until only Jesus and
the shamed woman remained.
You see humans are not evolving. We have not changed for
2,000 years. Still today, the older we get, the more we realize
that we aren’t really that great. The longer we live, the more we
sin, and the more we know we need forgiveness. That’s why the
oldest walked away first.
Every May, we hurl lots of wisdom and counsel at young
people hoping they’ll live a good life, and maybe avoid some of
the mistakes we have made. And that’s good. But even better
is the knowledge that the God who rules the world has their
days engraved on His hand. His purpose is to use the joys, the
challenges, and the pain of life to lead them to direct their hopes,
their dreams and yes their lives to the One who will never die.
The longer I live, the more I know, He’s the One thing that we
can all really count upon. I love to hear that young people are
learning the same thing.
A MERRY HEART by Merry Harris
REECE’S PIECES by Steve Reece
Memorial Day pause for just a moment
S ummer is the
only season that
has a beginning
and ending that is
considered “unofficial”.
Most years Labor Day is
14 weeks after Memorial
Day, right around 98
days. This makes our modern sum
mer almost a full week longer than
the 93.66 days between the summer
solstice on June 21 and the fall equi
nox on Sept. 23.
From 1868 to 1970, Memorial Day
was observed on May 30 no matter
what day of the week it was. Even
though Memorial Day began as a way to
commemorate the Civil War dead, today
it is mostly thought of as the start of
summer beginning with a long weekend
filled with backyard BBQs and trips to
the beach. The government’s changing
the date to create three-day weekends
has created a nonchalant observance of
what should be a solemn day. The main
reason for the change was commercial,
according to some historians.
This is a day that should not
be considered a holiday but
instead, a day of remembrance.
In December 2000 Congress
passed the “The National
Moment of Remembrance
Act” which encourages
all Americans to pause
wherever they are at 3
p.m. local time on Me
morial Day for a minute
of silence to remember and honor those
who have died in service to the nation.
Although the act was passed nearly a
quarter of a century ago, few Americans
know anything about it. The moment of
silence is observed by all Major League
Baseball teams, NASCAR, Greyhound
Lines and NASA. If you are standing
near the railroad tracks at 3 p.m. and
an Amtrak train passes by, you’ll hear
its whistle blowing loudly
and proudly to honor “tbe
service and sacrifice of
Americas armed services.”
On Monday, buglers of the
national organization, Taps
for Veterans, will sound the
call of Taps across the nation
from their front yards, porches, drive
ways, and apartment balconies to honor
and rememberance of those who died
in service at precisely 3 p.m. Those who
hear the somber tune are asked to turn
toward the music with their hand over
their heart and reflect for just a moment.
On Memorial Day, our nation’s flag
will be raised briskly to the top of the
staff and then solemnly lowered to the
half-staff position, where it will stay only
until noon. It will then be raised to full
staff for the remainder of the day.
Around 5,000 visitors will attend a
ceremony at the Arlington National
Cemetery on Memorial Day. The presi
dent of tbe United States usually delivers
an address and lays a wreath at the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier. The first
national celebration of the holiday
took place on May 30,1868, at the
cemetery where both Confederate
and Union soldiers are buried.
The ceremonies centered around
the mourning-draped veranda
of the Arlington mansion,
once the home of Gen.
Robert E. Lee. Originally
known as Decoration Day,
at the turn of the 20th cen
tury it was designated as Memorial Day.
In Forsyth, wreaths are placed at the
Monroe County Veterans Memorial
during an annual service at 11 a.m. on
the courthouse lawn. Many active duty
and retired service members are in
attendance wearing their uniforms. The
colors are presented, and the National
Anthem is sung by what is usually a large
crowd. Keynote speakers from the local
government, civic, military and religious
leaders speak of the sacrifices made by
those in defense of our nation. In many
American towns, the day is celebrated
with a parade.
Around 25 locations claim to be the
birthplace of Memorial Day. On April
25,1866, in a decoration ceremony at
Friendship Cemetery in Columbus,
Mississippi, ladies placed flowers on the
graves of more than 2,100 Confederate
soldiers where at least 40 Union soldiers
were buried alongside them in barren
graves. In an act of compassion, the
ladies decorated the graves of the enemy.
From this kind gesture Columbus,
Mississippi now claims to be at least the
inspiration for the special day if not the
birthplace.
Columbus, Georgia, and Macon have
also made claims that the tradition
began in their cities. Also, Richmond,
Virginia and the village of Boalsburg,
Pennsylvania say the title belongs to
them. In 1966, Congress and President
Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo,
N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day.
In a ceremony on May 5,1866, Waterloo
citizens honored local veterans who had
fought in the Civil War.
Thinking about the deaths of soldiers
on the first day of summer is something
I’m afraid few will do. School is out.
Excitement is in the air. It isn’t time for
quiet contemplation.
I already have my alarm set for 3 p.m.
on Memorial Day. I’m sure I’ll be deep
into writing up something for that week’s
paper, but I plan to push away from
my desk and be thankful, if only for a
moment, for the freedoms and blessings
that come directly from the sacrifices of
those in our military. I hope you’ll join
me.
Steve Reece is a writer for the Reporter
and a known crime fighter. Email him at
stevereece@gmail. com.
is published every week by The Monroe County Reporter Inc.
Will Davis, President • Robert M. Williams Jr., Vice President
Cheryl S. Williams, Secretary-T reasurer
OUR STAFF
Will Davis
Publisher/Editor
publisher@mymcr.net
Tammy Rafferzeder
Business Manager
business@mymcr.net
Steve Reece
Reporter
stevereece@gmail.com
Donna Wilson
Advertising Manager
ads@mymcr.net
Diane Glidewell
Community Editor
news@mymcr.net
Amy Haisten
Creative Director
mymcrgraphics@gmail.com
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Publication No. USPS 997-840
CAROLYN S CORNER by Carolyn Martel
Don't listen to the lies of the enemy
T he Apostle Peter is a man
of God that I have come to
admire. Why? He teaches
us how to recover when we
fail. Simon Peter was the disciple
that God used in a powerful way on
the Day of Pentecost. Peter’s sermon
was short, but when he
gave the invitation, 3000
were converted and saved
that day! But who was
Peter 50 days before this
event, when he preached
on the Day of Pentecost?
The Bible tells us, and
it’s not a glowing
report! We read
that during Jesus’
final hours (before
He was crucified),
Peter not only abandoned Jesus, but
denied that he even knew Him three
times!
PETER WAS angry with himself
for what he had done. He saw himself
as a coward, and a great disappoint
ment to God. He must have thought
he had lost his relationship with God.
After all, he had blown it in a big way.
Peter was filled with self-hatred and
remorse. He must have reasoned
there’s no way Jesus could still love
him after what he’d done! Peter had
fallen victim to his own destructive
“self talk.” Plus, the devil’s nagging
voice was whispering in Peter’s ear,
telling him he was a miserable
failure and lousy fisherman to
boot. The serpent hissed, “You
are a loser, and that’s all you’re
ever going to be.” Two voices
were crowding out the one
voice Peter needed to hear-the
voice of God!
AT THIS juncture
in Peter’s life, he had
no idea how much
Jesus loved him. And
he could not imagine, or foresee
himself becoming one of the pillars
of the church. But Peter was yet to
discover an amazing truth. What was
it? Peter was yet to discover God’s
amazing grace and forgiveness. Jesus
knew that Peter was going to stumble,
and in His infinite foreknowledge,
Jesus had already planned for Peter’s
redemption and restoration.
RIGHT NOW you could be living
a life where you feel stuck, or at a
dead end. You may feel like it’s too
late to expect a miracle in your life.
You may only see negativity, when Je
sus sees so much more for you-just as
he did for Peter! Your past failures do
not determine or dictate your future.
Don’t believe the lies of the enemy!
Place your trust in God. And never
forget, that Jesus had your restoration
and recovery planned long before you
even knew you would need it! Praise
God!
PETER IS a great example of God’s
unfailing love, and how Jesus can
turn a person’s life around. Peter’s
latter legacy was quite different from
his beginning. A cocky and indecisive
disciple became a mighty fisher of
men-not the kind of fishing the devil
had in mind for sure!
Carolyn Martel, who retired as the
long-time advertising manager for the
Reporter in 2021, still writes a weekly
column for the newspaper. Email her
at carolynmartell@bellsouth.net