Newspaper Page Text
6A
¢ FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2006
Sherri Martin
The Front Porch
Evans Newspapers
-
Ah, yes, | remember it well
Every so often, my palm pilot fails me. It’s not a battery
problem, or a technological glitch. Call it a user error.
See, my palm pilot is not the latest high-tech version,
it’s the classic version. It’s literally my palm. I once heard
someone call it the redneck palm pilot.
As long as I can remember needing to keep up with little
bits of information, I have written abbreviated reminders
in the palm of my left hand. It has to be in my left hand,
because I am right handed; if I tried to write on my right
hand I would never be able to read it.
I learned early on that if I wrote myself a note, I would
probably lose it unless I had a pocket to put it in. Even
then, I would only remember it if I stuck my hand in my
pocket. But an inked on reminder that I see constantly
throughout the day, that only comes off if I nearly scrub
the palm of my hand raw, works. I can stop anywhere,
anytime, and write a reminder on my hand and it will
stay with me.
[t's convenient; it's quick; it’s yes - handy.
However, as [ said, occasionally my system does fail me.
Or perhaps I should say I fail my system. I have found
that as I have gotten older, I'm having a harder time
remembering the code I use to input my information.
Used to, I knew that a big, bold “C” meant I needed to
put new checks into my checkbook. Now I wonder, “Do
I need to stop by the church on the way home for some
reason?”
A big “M” meant to call my momma and tell her some
thing. But now does it mean to buy some milk? Or mail
the bills?
Once my one letter reminders quit working, I had to
progress to two letter abbreviations. Still, the process is
not perfect. Hmm, “DFE” Does that mean I need to buy
dental floss or dog food?
What is happening more and more is that I spend more
and more time trying to remember what the letters on
my hand mean. I will nearly drive myself crazy trying to
remember just exactly what those two letters mean. I can
come up with some crazy combinations.
The other day I glanced at my palm and noticed the big
“OL’ written there. I spent the better part of the morn
ing thinking, “Offensive line? It’s not football season.”
Then I realized, thanks to my wonderful handwriting,
that the “O” was really a “D.” “Defensive line? Disabled
list?” Once I got my brain off of sports, I remembered that
I needed to check to see if I had put my driver’s license
back in my billfold after taking it out earlier.
As | said, the system is not perfect. I figure the older
I get the lengthier my notes will get. Eventually I may
have complete paragraphs on my hand, or a novel going
up my arm.
So if you see me, don’t think I've gotten a tattoo.
I'm just trying to remember something I don’t need to
forget.
Disadvantaged children can overcome early hardship
QUESTION: Tell me
why some kids with
every advantage and
opportunity seem to turn
out bad, while others
raised in terrible homes
become pillars in the
community? I know one
young man who grew up
in squalid circumstanc
es, yet he is a fine per
son today. How did his
parents manage to raise
such a responsible son
when they didn’t even
seem to care?
DR. DOBSON: That illus
trates an important point.
Neither heredity nor envi
ronment will account for
all human behavior. There
is something else there -
- something from within -
- that operates to make us
who we are. Some behavior
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is caused and some plainly
isn’t.
Several years ago, I had
dinner with two parents
who had unofficially “adopt
ed” a 13-year-old boy. This
youngster followed their
son home one afternoon and
asked if he could spend the
night. As it turned out, he
stayed with them for almost
a week without so much
as a phone call from his
mother. It was later learned
that she works 16 hours a
day and has no interest in
her son. Her alcoholic hus
band divorced her several
years prior and left town
without a trace. The boy
had been abused, unloved
and ignored through much
of his life.
Given this background,
what kind of kid do you
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1006 Main St. * Perry
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The Same, And No Two Funeral
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High time UGA clamped down on alcohol abuse
In the news recently was
the University of Georgia’s
new get tough policy on stu
dent drinking. That’s because
the penalties exacted in the
past have not curtailed the
drinking and many student
tragedies have been attrib
uted to alcohol abuse.
Last year, a student was
burned during a fraternity
party involving grain alcohol.
In January, a freshman was
found dead in his dorm room
after drinking alcohol and
taking drugs.
Under the new rules, a
first offender is placed on
probation for the current
and subsequent semester,
and required to attend an
alcohol awareness class. A
repeat offender is suspend
ed for the current and next
semester. All violations are
reported to the student’s par
ents.
UGA has long had a rep
utation of being a party
school, and that is unfortu
nate because the university
has outstanding programs of
study and its faculty is the
cream of the crop. The seri
ous minded student, howev
Greet each other with a hug on the neck
A friend and I were deep
ly occupied in conversation
when another friend kind
of snuck up behind me and
tapped me on the shoulder.
My reaction was so abrupt,
he ducked as I swung around.
When 1 told him that was
a good way to get his neck
hugged, he sat down even
more abruptly than I had
reacted.
Was the friend ever sur
prised when I gave him a big
hug, anyway! “I'll bet you
wouldn’t” do that in church
with your husband standing
behind,” he said. Giving him
my word that I’d as soon hug
his neck in church with my
husband looking on as I had
right then and there.
Not only that, my husband
would give his wife a big hug,
too. We got into a discussion
concerning showing of affec
Dr. James Dobson
Focus on the Family
www.family.org
think he is today? A drug
gie? A foul-mouthed delin
quent? A lazy, insolent
bum? No. He is polite to
adults; he is a hard worker;
he makes good grades in
school and enjoys helping
around the house. This boy
was like a lost puppy who
desperately wanted a good
Serving Houston County
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Perry, Ga. 31069 |
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Call Thomas ‘ Call Chris
987-9439
FAMILY&FAITH
Billy Powell
Columnist
er, can get a good education’
there.
Drinking at the football
games - both students and
fans was atrocious, when
I started attending games
there over 40 years ago. Now
everyone who enters the
gates is searched for contain
ers with alcohol. Some inge
nious imbibers stick half pint
bottles inside their socks and
the smaller complimentary
liquor bottles either in their
pockets or under their caps;
others mix Vodka and orange
juice in enema bags, strapped
to their chest.
When they want a drink,
they just poke the syringe
in their mouth and bump
Earline Cole
Reflections
marybobl7@bellsouth.net
tion, which he said he also
was accustomed to in his
younger days.
Coming from an affection
ate family, a hard lesson in life
for me was learning that not
all people huggers. Learning
to shake hands with some,
and simply speaking to oth
ers, are signs of affection I
have had to learn.
If I am to be honest, I must
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home. He begged the family
to officially adopt him so he
could have a real father and
a loving mother. His own
mom couldn’t have cared
less.
How could this teenager
be so well-disciplined and
polished despite his lack
of training? I don’t know.
9 oanive s
PERRY FLORIST
734 Main Street |
Perry, Georgia 31069
987-1656
800-516-1004
B L
Perry
Antiques Mall
631 Courtney Hodges Blvd
478-987-8775
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the bag hard with their arm
to bring the golden nectar
squirting forward.
The most pathetic sights
are the fraternity parties
before the game. As you walk
down either Lumpkin or
Baxter streets headed to the
stadium, you can get your
ears full of loud rock music
and your eyes full of drunken
fraternity brothers. Another
pitiful sight is a drunken girl,
puffing a cigarette and stag
gering all over the place. To
make matters worse, the
parents are standing there
with beer in hand and liquor
bottles on the picnic tables.
Thirty five years ago, it was
a tradition for UGA seniors
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confess there are times the
friendly spoken greeting is
more acceptable than a wet
little peck on the check.
Innocently winking when
speaking was not always pos
sible and had to be elimi
nated. And, there have even
been times when a smile had
been questioned.
I think I scared my friend
away from church by giv-
It is simply within him.
He reminds me of my
wonderful friend David
Hernandez. David and his
parents came to America
illegally from Mexico more
than 50 years ago and
nearly starved to death
before they found work.
They eventually survived
by helping to harvest the
potato crop throughout the
state of California. During
this era, David lived under
trees or in the open fields.
His father made a stove
out of an oil drum half-filled
with dirt. The open camp
fire was the centerpiece of
their home.
David never had a roof
over his head until his par
ents finally moved into an
abandoned chicken coop. His
mother covered the boarded
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Perry GA 31069
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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
on “Homecoming Day”
to parade around the foot
ball field at halftime. They
would be so inebriated, they
could hardly stand, much less
walk. Many of them would
be flashing nasty-worded
signs and making repugnant
gestures. Needless to say,
the “Senior Walk” was dis
continued.
The drinking at football
games hasbeen curbed consid
erably through tighter securi
ty checks at the gates. Even
the annual Georgia-Florida
game in Jacksonville, called
World’s Greatest Cocktail
Party, has reached a level of
respectability because each
person entering the stadium
is frisked.
Based on what I have seen,
I would urge any parent to
dissuade their college bound
children from joining a fra
ternity, and possibly a soror
ity. The peer pressure there
is too great to drink and to
get into serious trouble that
can ruin a young person’s
life. Many former students
who joined fraternities are
now hopelessly hooked on
the bottle.
ing the impression that I go
around huggin’ and kissin’
everybody.
That’s not the case. I
just hug those who loving
ly respond. We have such a
sweet bunch of folks at my
church so I get a heap of
huggin’ from men, women,
boys, and girls of all ages.
Though not always in
order, there are times when
an affectionate gesture is
appropriate, and those times
are when Christian friends
accept and respond in mutu
al love.
Recognized as a mark of
friendship, Paul often ended
his writings with “Greet
one another with an holy
kiss.” Reference Romans
16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20;
I Gorinthians 18:1%: I
Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter
5:14.
walls with cheap wallpaper,
and David thought they
were living in luxury. Then
one day, the city of San Jose
condemned the area and
David’s “house” was torn
down. He couldn’t under
stand why the communi
ty would destroy so fine a
place.
We’ll talk more about
David’s story next week.
Dr. Dobson is founder and
chairman of the board of
the nonprofit organization
Focus on the Family, PO.
Box 444, Colorado Springs,
CO. 80903; or www.family.
org. Questions and answers
are excerpted from “The
Complete Marriage and
Family Home Reference
Guide” and “Bringing Up
Boys,” both published by
Tyndale House.
1812 U. 5. 41 .
Perry, GA
987-1112
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