When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
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By GARY ANDREWS
Editor and Publisher
Not long ago as I was moving my car around in our driveway I did something that will probably haunt me for years to come.
For the past 15 years I have had a small, miniature long haired dachshund named Honey. Honey was my dog. She was by my side constantly when I was at home, and we were great companions.
Honey had grown old and moved very slow. On this particular day she was outside with me and gotten under my car without me knowing it. Then it happened!
Even though I was moving the car very slowly my left rear tire ran over Honey, crushing her hips and leaving her helpless on the pavement. I heard her cry out and jumped out of the car to go to her aid, which was of little consequence.
She looked at me with those big old eyes of hers as if she was saying goodbye to her lifetime friend. I stayed with her in her last few moments of life, sobbing and crying over what I had done.
Life gives us many surprises, and sometimes these are not very pleasant. We may lose a loved one in our family, a friend that we have had for years, or even a family pet. When this first happens we go into an adrenaline rush and question what has happened.
There is an old saying, “When life gives you lemons make lemonade.” I have heard this saying for many, many years and it tells me that when something in my life is wrong to make the best of it and look for the good in the situation.
Losing loved ones, friends, or family pets is not an easy situation in life, however we do need to realize that all of us are on this earth for only a short period of time. When I ran over Honey and ended her life I was devastated, but I have come to the realization that it was probably for the best. She has gotten very feeble and it was going to come a day when I would either watch her suffer extensively or have her put away.
Of course we don’t have our loved ones or friends put away but the Lord knows better than we do when it is time to take them home to be with Him. He knows the future of all of us and He probably allows us not to see the suffering and pain our loved one would go through had they lived.
We need to rest on God’s word and have faith in Him in all things.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for allowing me the time on earth to share with family, friends, and even our family pets. You have blessed us immensely and for this we are grateful. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday - Genesis 29:14-28; Monday - Psalm 39:4-6 Tuesday - Matthew 6:25-34; Wednesday - Ecclesiastes 1:1-11; Thursday - John 7:6; Friday - 1 John 2:18; Saturday - Revelation 12:12.)A056-10
Dear Editor,
I realize after this letter is published that my daughter will probably never have the opportunity of making the Dixie League All-Star team.
However after praying and pondering over this situation, and because she has never made the team in all of her five years of playing (which is a joke) I have nothing to lose.
I am normally a pretty passive person, but I guess the older I get the more I see and understand the cruel shenanigans that many of our kids are faced with. But mostly, the older I get the more I have learned to become more vocal in the things I feel are just not right.
The Dixie Youth Girls Team is one that I have held close to my heart because the one child that I have has been a part of this league since she was old enough to participate. Now at first I did not make a big issue out of the All Star Selection process because each year I was given a so-called excuse as to why my child did not make it.
Her first year and at age four, she was just this cute little girl scrambling around like the others with no clue as to what to do. As she got older and more serious, I realized that this is really becoming her passion and not tooting my own horn but she’s pretty darn good.
Now again I know that she may never make the team after the comment I am about to make, but who cares.
This league is one of the most biased leagues I have ever, ever encountered. Parents, many of our kids are being overlooked because the selection process is too political and a big joke. I do not think that I could sleep at night knowing that I (the coaches) put my child in a position that I know they do not deserve.
For years and in talking to other parents, coaches have been allowed to nominate their child(ren) and other coaches’ children, which is so unfair. Now I know that I am not the smartest person in the world, but I do know what ALL-STAR means. But for those of you who do not, it means “consisting of athletes chosen as the best at their positions from all ... consisting entirely of star performers.” To break it down further; the BEST players!!!
We as parents need to be more involved in ensuring that there are policies and procedures in place and that they are adhered to. We want the best children to represent our city not those children that you want to be recognized to feed your own egos.
Coaches should not be allowed to nominate their children or make deals behind closed doors. ALL-STAR selections should be based on statistics and privy to those children who have worked hard and diligently all summer. Some of you coaches should be ashamed of yourselves with your hidden agendas. I personally do not see how you sleep at night.
Zelda B. Baker
Concerned Parent
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