Columns

As a retired kindergarten teacher, I loved to gather the children around me and read to them. The interest and excitement that they displayed was such fun to see; and I admit, I felt like a kid again as I watched! If you haven't had the pleasure of being in a group of children as they listen to a story being read, put that on your bucket list.

Speaking of reading to children, at 10 a.m.Friday, Sept. 23 during Preschool Storytime, Miss Rhonda will be reading stories about trucks and tractors. Most children love the noise and power of these vehicles; and I'm sure they will have lots of response as these books are read.

This week's volunteer profile is about Beth Muse who has volunteered for two years. The home-school mom, whose daughter Abigail is also a volunteer, began volunteering because of a love for the library and all it offers the community.

Canton Herald – Sept.15, 1960: 

Mr. and Mrs. W. Young Tucker will celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary with an open house from two 5 o’clock Sunday evening at their home in the Pleasant Glade Community, where they had lived since their marriage. They were married Sept. 17, 1910, in Van Zandt County. Both Mr. and Ms. Tucker were born in this County. Mr. Tucker has been a farmer for more than 50 years they have three sons, William Clarence Tucker Canton, Alton Hoyt Tucker of Dallas and Eli Tucker of Irving; and four daughters, Mrs. Homer Flowers, Mrs. Charles Had and Mrs. Randall Autry of Dallas and Mrs. Lloyd Weatherford of Athens. They also have 22 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A family is the first “organization” or “community” that a child is born into.  A strong foundation in this first group is vital to a healthy life.  Here are some traits of healthy families.

·         Family closeness and determination to work together

·         Appreciation for each other’s differences

·         Together time:  meals (becoming a lost art), talking, being together

·         Appreciation for each family member

·         Spirituality, shared religious beliefs, and praying together

·         Coping skills (all families have ups and down- how they are handled makes the difference in life)

·         Communicates, listens, and values each other

·         Respect for each other including the differences in each personality

·         Develops a sense of trust for each other; this begins with an infant whose needs are met: fed, rocked, loved, taken care of

As we study the book Revelation

Many things we don’t understand

But they are prepared for unbelievers

Who rejects Jesus and God’s plan.

When Father God withdrew His spirit

If His power leaves the earth

Life will not be worth the living

Man will surely regret his birth.

Real Revelation but don’t despair

For Jesus our Savior knows it all

He is the answer to every trial

Love Him and never fall.

He is shown riding on a great white horse

His feet don’t touch the ground

He is King and rules forever

Just love and praise God,

We are Heaven bound.

Leonard Brown 2016

September is National Preparedness Month, and Better Business Bureau encourages consumers to develop an emergency communication plan before a disaster occurs. BBB advises the following practical steps to make sure your family and business are not caught off guard.

“Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared”, said Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of BBB Serving Central East Texas. “It may make all the difference when the seconds start to count.”

BBB, Ready.gov and FEMA provide the following tips to prepare and protect your family during a disaster: 

·         Prepare yourself and your family for a disaster by making an emergency plan.

Bedtime’s an open book

Bedtime—As a child, bedtime is a thing to dread, even fight against. As a parent, it's something to look forward to; but it's usually elusive, since there are so many things to finish before bedtime. As an older person, it finds me, as I fall asleep in the chair trying to read.

During this week's Preschool Storytime, Miss Rhonda will tackle the subject of “Bedtime.”

Come to the library at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sep. 16, and learn about bedtime as its presented in some of the library books.

DATA DATA DATA

Right out of college with majors in speech and economics I had 45 days to earn a bit of money before being drafted. I worked for a great company that put me in the industrial engineering department on the night shift in a weld shop counting welds made by welders. The reason I counted welds was so they could use the data. I know you think this is crazy, but the soldier who kept data on draftees wrote in my folder that I was an industrial engineer with four years of College and a diploma. 

For two years I was in the office of the Quarter Master General Far East located in Tokyo, Japan. This is the bunch that gets food and supplies to armed forces when and where it must be and it is all based on data. The dictionary says data is the accumulation of facts and statistics for reference and analysis. In my case nobody ever checked the facts or conducted an analysis on me.  

Canton Herald – Sept. 8, 1960:

The 1960 version of Canton High School Majorette section of the band was seen for the first time last Friday night Forney football game. They are Martha Heard, Annell Zuspann, Georgann Reese, Drum major was on Yvoone Shatley, Ann Norman, Jane Groves, and Carolyn Marvin . A prettier bunch cannot be found in high school circles.

This and That? - Marvin Shaw won first prize in Ross Auto’s Fishing Contest which ended Aug.31. Shaw pulled in a 7 lb. 2 oz. bass during the contest to take the honors. Second place went to Marvin Pittman with a 6 ½ pound bass, while Alvin Norman took third honors with a 6 lb. 4 oz. fish. From the looks of the size of the fish there must be some fishing holes around Canton they are not telling us about.

“First In, Last Out.” What exactly does that mean?  It means I know my family is safe.  It means when I need help of any kind, a first responder will be there.  It means men and women have dedicated their lives to serve and sacrificed far more than I ever have. After all, our armed forces, law enforcement officers, paramedics and firefighters are our country’s first line of defense.