The Gift of Early Evenings

by   November 26, 2023 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Are you enjoying the gifts of the season yet? No, I’m not asking what you purchased on Black Friday or during the two weeks of sales before Thanksgiving. As much as I love Thanksgiving, I am not even talking about the time with family gathered around a turkey or a television screen filled with football games. 

Consider the gifts in the skies that this season brings! Meteorologist Brad Panovich posted on Facebook shortly after the change back to standard time that “Early sunsets are viewed by more people. Darkness also allows more viewing of astronomical events. It’s not all bad!” He also reminded followers that this is a return to standard time. Standard – as in normal. Yet somehow, we easily slip into discontent and remorse over what we have lost rather than seeing what we have regained. 

Seasons of nature are gifts from the Creator! When did you last watch the sunset with a child or an elderly friend who typically has an earlier bedtime? Each evening, a curtain is drawn to close the day and signal the beginning of a dazzling nocturnal display in the heavens. 

“We make ourselves present to delight in your handiwork, O Lord. We make ourselves present to revel in his unique, one-time display of your dynamic and infinitely-faceted glory.” (“A Liturgy for Sunsets” from Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey, 2021.)

Many astral events occur late at night – I have a star-gazer who often asks to wake up at odd hours of the evening and early morning to look at the skies. But now, we can see some of them earlier. When was the last time you spread out a blanket or chair to take a look up? 

When was the last time I did? I will admit these early nights have me wiped out and loving the snuggly sensation of being wrapped up in bed with a book or magazine. Perhaps we could take just one evening a week to look up as the Creator meets us in the vast cathedral with ceilings covered in a breathtaking masterpiece! Rather than complaining about “kids these days,” maybe we woo them into the miraculous space met with wonder, praise, and gratitude, and there they rethink the allure of the hypnotic LED glow of portable devices as they watch a supernatural show in the heavens with us.

“O Spirit of God, draw praise from us here in this cathedral of creation, beneath this starry dome. Awaken our adoration in this place where we are so very small – and yet so greatly loved.” (“A Liturgy for Stargazing” by McKelvey.)

If we allow it, there is much awe that can capture even the most cynical spirit during this autumn season. In the busyness of the shopping season, see the gift of earlier nights and embrace them for the opportunities of wonder, praise, and gratitude they can provide, and consider sharing that with a loved one. 

Ashlie Miller looks for twinkles in the sky in Concord, NC with her husband, Chad, and their five children.

Thanksgiving Part 2

by   November 25, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            Last week I wrote about being thankful. I thought at the time I had more to write about it.  I know this will appear in the paper after Thanksgiving, but I am writing it before Thanksgiving. That means that you have enjoyed the delicious meal that I am still anticipating. So, with my tummy growling for the tasty meal, let me continue with a few thoughts about giving thanks.

            I am thankful for a good part-time job. I teach at the community college and I still love being a teacher. In the nearly two years I have been there, I have met some wonderful students. I have great colleagues and a wonderful supervisor. I am so thankful for this opportunity.

I enjoyed being a teacher for thirty-four years, but I am thankful to be retired. I enjoyed my job most days. I worked with many great professionals and enjoyed teaching most of my students. I occasionally run into some of my “kids” and love hearing what they are up to now. I will never forget my students suggesting we print t-shirts to wear that said, “Creamer’s Kids.” We never printed the shirts, but the memory has been something I treasure.

             I am thankful for good books. I enjoy reading on my front porch when the weather cooperates. I am thankful for more time now to be able to read. I am thankful for the opportunity to write. I wish I had more time to write books. I have several great ideas in my head; I just don’t have time to get them on paper. Reading and writing mean so much to me.

            All of my readers know that I love gardening. I am thankful for the opportunity to grow some fresh vegetables and some beautiful flowers. I love and appreciate every opportunity I have to be outside in the fresh air. I love going for walks and feeling safe in my community. Walking is so good for me mentally, physically, and spiritually.

            I am thankful for the Bible, which is full of great stories to encourage me in my walk of faith. There are so many people in the Bible who struggled and even failed. Yet the Bible tells us that they got back up and God had mercy and helped them to overcome. It is so encouraging to know that God does not give up on us. There are so many examples of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I am thankful for the relatable people in the Bible. They are the heroes of our faith, but their sins, flaws, and weaknesses are there for all to see.

            I am also thankful for the many promises found in the Bible. Many of the promises are conditional…if we do this, God will do that. There is a promise to help us through almost every situation in our lives. God knows the walk of faith will challenge even the best of us. He gives us promises to help us, to encourage us, to sustain us through the trials of life. The best part of those promises is that God will never fail us. He will keep His promises to us.

            I want to remind you that it is good for our minds and spirits to review and remember the many blessings of God. It is easy to get bogged down in the negative because we are all dealing with problems and troubles. It is easy to allow the news headlines to discourage us and cause us to question God. When we allow our thoughts to drag us down a negative path we have to stop ourselves and refocus on the many blessings we have from God.

            God is good. The devil is bad. We are going to have both good and evil things happening to us and around us all the time. We have to make a choice. We can focus on all the evil and bad and allow questions to fill our minds, or we can choose to focus on the good, lovely, and beautiful. I believe it is critical to our good mental health to focus on the goodness of God and His many blessings. God loves us so much. We can’t allow the darkness to quench His glorious light.

            I want to encourage you to remember that God is good and He is filled with love, peace, joy, mercy, forgiveness, wonder, beauty, and patience. Turn your heart back to God. Let His bigness and goodness overwhelm whatever negative thing has distracted you. Spend some quality time this weekend thanking Him for your many blessings. Enjoy some good food and fellowship. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

A Mess of Beans

by   November 24, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

The other day my wife Mary Ann and I were planning our Thanksgiving meal. She asked me some questions concerning what I wanted and also made statements about the meal-such as this year she would purchase the cranberry sauce instead of making it from scratch. It is our yearly discussion in which I mostly listen, but this year, for some reasons, it stirred a memory.

Life on the mill hill in a 1950’s North Carolina textile town was sparse. My mother worked on the second shift hemming washcloths in Plant 1, and in this way she provided for her six children. Our life, while not harsh, did not have extras. We had a clean, safe home that had enough furniture but not too much, and we had access to the small, independent store just a short walk through our back yard. It was there that we charged to our mother’s account a package of honey buns for breakfast along with a half-gallon of milk. Or some bologna and loaf bread for supper sandwiches. (I liked to fry my bologna and curl its edge.)

Working on the second shift meant that our mother was not at home from 3-11 PM. We lived close to Plant 1, so she could walk to her work, but she was not  present when we came home from school and not there to prepare an evening’s meal, which we called supper. So, each of us individually “made do” with what was in the rather bare Frigidaire. If nothing suitable was found, one of us would make a quick run to the small store behind our house. Loaf bread, milk, peanut butter, jelly, and other staples went a long way for us. However, sometimes our mother managed somehow to leave us a treat before she trod to the sewing machine in Plant 1.

Language of the mid-South textile towns was always interesting. Ours was a mixture of many cultures and we used terms and words that I now recognize as archaic and sometimes just wrong. Yes, we called the water hose a  “hose pipe” and the wool hats worn over the entire head in winter “toboggans”, and a tow truck was referred to as a “wrecker.”  But our language also carried a rhythm and lyrical history from our ancestors. For instance, a passel (late 14th century) of land meant a small piece but a passel of folks meant a large crowd such as “We had a passel of folks at the reunion.” If someone was “tickled” that usually meant the speaker was pleased. So when our mother managed with her meager resources to prepare “a mess of beans” for our school-day supper it was a treat because “a mess of beans”, straight from Middle English,  meant an abundance of good food.

While we were at school on such a day, Mother would have washed, soaked, then placed on the electric stove to cook our “mess of beans”, which were usually pinto ones. She had a well-worn pot that in a past life had been a pressure cooker, but was now just a dull-colored, silver container with a wooden handle. By supper time, the beans in it were tender, warm, and nutritious for our hungry bodies. A bowl of them (I smothered mine with chopped, white onion) with a wedge of the cornbread from the oven and a jelly glass of cold milk was a special gift that our mother had prepared and left for us.

All of this happened over sixty years ago, but our Mother’s gift of pinto beans, cornbread, and milk is more than a memory. Like the poor widow and her two mites in Mark 12, our Mother gave us, her six children, all that she had. Unlike Mary Ann and me and our approaching Thanksgiving meal, our mother had little, but she gave us all she had.

And that is a blessing for which to give thanks.

Butterball 5K on Thanksgiving

by   November 23, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Planning has been underway for Rowan’s biggest 5K race for months. Of course, as race day gets closer, the intensity ramps up. Same as it does with registration, final race preparation for runners and of course, Thanksgiving plans afterwards. Remember that organizers have been getting ready for likely much longer.

Turkey Day races have been gaining popularity for 25 years. This year, it will again be the biggest road race day our nation has seen. The Forum’s popular Butterball 5K happens to be Salisbury and Rowan’s race. All proceeds benefit Prevent Child Abuse Rowan.

A turkey day race is a chance to burn some calories, have some fun with other exercise enthusiasts, measure yourself against your peers and take home a classic commemorative shirt. But racing is a group event, and here are a few suggestions that we hope runners and walkers will consider. Why? When 300-plus runners gather quickly, along with another couple hundred spectators, processes matter. To make the race a better experience for the runners, the race volunteers and those spectators, please consider doing the following things-

Process your registration correctly. Whether you register online at runsignup.com or in person, make sure that all information is correct. Fill in all the blanks to speed the process. Name, age, gender, contact information, shirt size and waiver are all important.

The most important thing that you can do on race day is arrive early. Early means 45-60 minutes or more before the race. No other race in Rowan has ever had so many late arrivals. Last year, runners were still registering minutes after the race started. Know where you are going, and also know that there are multiple parking areas at The Forum or at adjacent businesses.

Pay attention to parking signs, cones and volunteers who are helping. Park properly, don’t arrive late and then jump and run with the vehicle blocking others. Again, parking is much easier when you arrive early. When picking up your race bib, make sure the race bib has the correct information on it. Again, name, age and gender are critical to the group listings. The race bib is your license to participate in the event. It cannot intentionally be exchanged with someone else, or you will be disqualified. Be courteous when waiting in the bathroom line. Make it a time for humorous conversation or getting mentally ready to race.

At the start line, know your place. Someone who runs a fast pace, 6-minute miles or better, should be on or near the front line. A 10-minute miler should not. Don’t impede other faster runners. No dogs allowed. Recent incidents with dogs in races, especially in a crowded field, negate this. If you brought your dog and want to run, find someone to keep it. Otherwise, you can’t run. Even if you start at the back.

On the course, numerous volunteers will be working hard to keep you safe. Listen to their directions and stay inside the cones, the only safe place to run on a four-lane highway. Be courteous to other runners and walkers.

When nearing the finish line, give it all you have. Run through the finish line and then slow down as you enter the finish chute. Stay in order of your finish. Don’t go back out and run through the finish again with someone else.

And finally, take your place card to the table and then go enjoy your postrace refreshments and conversation. The awards ceremony will begin within minutes of the last finisher completing the race.

Do all these things and everybody will have a good time at the Butterball! We hope to see you there!

Formerly a Salisbury resident, Anthony Pastore had an exceptional time of 2 hours, 51 minutes and 59 seconds at the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Anthony is a physical therapist and now lives in Charlotte.

For more information on The Forum’s Butterball 5K race on Thanksgiving morning, or any other upcoming races, check www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

It’s Coming

by   November 21, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

The sturdy yellow wagon appeared in my neighbor’s yard. It makes me happy, for I know what’s coming.
Currently beautiful leaves are raining down on stiff autumn winds. Acorns pelt the metal awning so hard it sounds like gunshots. That’s not quite as lovely as the wildly spinning copper colored “tulip” in the flower garden. Too bad that can’t be used to harvest power. Maybe then I’d get a more positive report card from the power company. Not that I’m bitter… but I don’t like being told every month that we are inefficient. Look people. Our house is 87 years old. When you get to that age you’re going to have a few leaks too. How about you guys stop sending grumpy notes each month and see how much paper and postage you can save.


Like I said… I am not bitter.

Anyway, back to the yellow wagon. I know from years of happy observation that when it appears, abounding blinkage is soon to follow. Probably sometime after Thanksgiving a village of snowmen, a reindeer powered sleigh, Santa, and huge snowflakes will surround a manger scene celebrating the birth of our Savior. The lights will come on about 5:30pm each evening to enhance the beautiful venue. One year we even had a little dusting of snow to complete the look.


Oh how I LOVE it!


Another peek through the fall foliage between our house and theirs reveals the wagon is full now and about to be moved to the front of the house.


Apparently tis the season to be jolly.


Okay… so forget what I said about about the power company.
For without them, there would be no abounding blinkage.

Right?!

Thanks Part I

by   November 18, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I am not a very big fan of Halloween and am glad when the decorations people put out have been taken down for another year. When I went out to pick up dinner on the first Friday of November I noticed that some people were putting up their Christmas trees. I couldn’t believe it. I knew stores were going to push Christmas but I thought people would hold off until around Thanksgiving.

            When I was a small child, Santa set up our Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. As I grew older, we started setting the tree up about a week before Christmas. I typically decorate the outside of our house during the Thanksgiving break and still hold off on the inside until the first week of December.

            This push that marketing gives us often causes us to glaze over a very important holiday, Thanksgiving. It’s not important because we get to enjoy some great food, although I do enjoy the traditional treats on the table. It’s important because it’s a time to reflect on the many blessings in our lives. Life can sometimes get crazy and distracting. We have to consciously stop and reflect on the good things in our lives.

            Thanksgiving, if we would give it the space in our lives that it deserves, is a great opportunity to help us refocus on all the good things in our lives. I enjoy walking on a regular basis. Sometimes when I leave the house I feel like a gray cloud is hanging over me. If I will turn my heart towards thanking the Lord for His many blessings in my life, then by the time I get home the gray cloud has vanished. Thanksgiving changes our thought patterns and improves our outlook and mood.

            If you feel that there is little in your life that gives you a thankful heart then let me help you consider a few basic things. Consider your health. Maybe it’s not perfect, but there are many things in your body that are probably working very well. I hope you can still walk, use your hands, think, talk, and enjoy a tasty good Thanksgiving meal. All of us have probably had some health issues this year, but if we are in pretty good health then we have a reason for giving thanks.

            Have you considered your family and friends? We are blessed to have good siblings on both sides of our family. We enjoy spending time with our many nieces and nephews. Many of them have started families and made me into a great uncle. I consider myself lucky to have some great friends. My friends have stood beside me through my trials and I have been there for theirs. I am so blessed to have some great friends.

            Have you ever walked through your home and considered the many ways God has blessed you? He has provided for all your needs. We can all look and see things that need replacing, but if we stop and think about it, God has truly blessed us. There are so many people around the world in such desperate need and we have been given so much.

            I thank God that I am living in America. I thank God that I am not living in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, or Palestine. I don’t have to worry about bombs dropping on my house or the military destroying my peace and safety. Most of us live in neighborhoods that are safe and we have good neighbors. I am thankful for mine.

            I am thankful for my church family. We are a close-knit group. We are there to celebrate each other’s victories and to console each other when we experience losses. We are there to pick each other up and to help each other through the trials and challenges of life. I smile every time I think of my church family and how blessed we are to have each other.

            I find myself at the end of my column and there is so much more I want to share with you. I am considering a part two for next week. In the meantime, I want to encourage you to spend some time this week reflecting on the many blessings of God in your life. I have only touched on a few today. We have a God in heaven who loves us, watches over us, cares for us, meets our needs, and has blessed us in more ways than we can count. Take some time to give Him thanks. I promise it will change your perspective on your situation and your life. Happy Thanksgiving!

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Morning Rides

by   November 17, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

On most mornings I ride my stationary handcycle for thirty minutes. The bike is placed in a corner of our driveway and close to our residential road. The scene of the neighborhood is great, and I can see all the houses that friends have turned into homes. The view of golden poplars,  unmurdered crepe myrtles, and  maple trees full in their multiple shades of red is one that I have learned to expect and appreciate. All of this as a precursor of the looming cold front blew softly through the tall pines, telling of the change to come. Yet, for me, this lovely scene is not the most interesting or important part of my morning rides.

In 1883 Life on the Mississippi was published and available by subscription. The book is part fiction but mostly memoir by Mark Twain. It is, to a degree, a biography of that great river and the people who live on it or near it. I have come to see our little road as a river. Not one like the mighty Mississippi, but a river that each morning offers new experiences and exposures: To people moving up and down our little road much like the steamboats of Mark Twain. And like a person on the Mississippi River in the mid-19th century, I have come to enjoy the approach of each steamboat, but in my case it is not a large paddle-wheeler, but a cyclist, walker, jogger, or neighbor driving to work or on an early morning errand. The drivers pass swiftly with a mere wave or horn honk from their shell. The cyclist pass as well, but some can be heard as they shout “Morning!” But it’s the walkers or joggers who offer the  most because they move slower and are more prone to be enticed to slow or even stop for a chat. Over the years of riding near the road, I have enjoyed these opportunities to talk with travelers on our residential road. Some of them are well-known neighbors who often stop to share news of their lives; some are vacationers who talk of their pleasant visit to Lake Norman; and some are the regulars who I often see and who sometimes stop and visit for a while. No matter: Each is an opportunity to connect with another human being; Each is an opportunity to hear of events in a life separate from mine; Each is an opportunity to learn; Each is an opportunity.

I am reading Revelations on the River (Healing a Nation, Healing Ourselves) by Matthew Dowd. In his chapter titled Fears and Trauma he writes, “The greatest impediment to true, full love-…are our fears and trauma that we have accumulated throughout our life. It is these fears and trauma, whether profoundly real or perceived, that create scars and, as a consequence, walls within us that can prevent our hearts, minds, and souls from unifying in such a way that allows us to go outward from a place of love.”

Now, I do not profess to being a great healer or writer or Matthew Dowd. Yet, I do think that by merely acknowledging a person passing along on our little road, I make a type of connection and by that validate their humanity. Besides, I enjoy getting to know them, the name of their dog, their family plans for Thanksgiving, all of it matters and if we all do enough of “hailing the steamboat” to come ashore then we just may remove some of the walls that divide us.

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