December 2022

The other day a colleague, Rev Marcus Womack of Plymouth Park United Methodist Church in Irving, Texas, posted a photo on his Facebook page. It was a display of Valentine’s treats on sale at his local grocery store. Marcus was outraged- this was December 21, just a few days before Christmas! What was the rush? Couldn’t they wait until after the holiday? Others chimed in as well: more than eighty people added laughter or shocked emojis to his post. More than twenty people posted comments, included pictures of Valentine’s Day materials on sale in other stores. My response was pretty unique however; very tongue in cheek, I said: “Wait are you saying the msg of Xmas isn’t ‘Jesus’s birth is God’s valentine gift to a hurting a broken world?’ Xmas Eve sermon solved!! Cheers!”

On a Monday, I sat between my mother and father, attending a funeral of a long-time family friend. The casket was draped with a new, crisp American flag. A team of two Honor Guard officers stood vigil, one at the head and one at the foot of the casket; teams of two uniformed officers rotated every eight minutes until the service began. This was a ceremony of honor, unity, and brotherhood, but it extended far beyond his 26 years on the force. Before becoming a police officer, this dear gentleman was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Korea. Perhaps the only thing that surpassed his love of serving his fellow man was the love he shared with his wife of more than 65 years. Born from that union were two children: a daughter and a son. The son grew up with my brother, and they formed a brotherhood of their own, still best friends to this day.

Dear Abby: I was married to a man whose family always seemed to be in each other’s business. His 18-yearold niece already had two children when she became pregnant again. She hid it from everyone. When she was eight months gone, she came to me and told me she wanted to adopt the baby out to a family who couldn’t have children, because she couldn’t handle raising another child.

Dear Dr. Roach: I am an 84-year-old Asian American taking trazodone, sertraline and temazepam as needed, as well as daily vitamins, and I weigh 130 pounds. My blood pressure ranges from 98 to 111 over 60. Four years ago, I had kidney cancer resulting in the removal of my right kidney. Two years ago, I had prostate cancer and underwent nine weeks of radiation treatments. My doctor gave me midodrine for blood pressure, but that has not helped.

While we are enjoying some gardening downtime in front of the fireplace during the cold weather, it’s a good time to make some resolutions to improve our garden as well as our well-being in the new gardening season. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an activity of moderate intensity such as gardening for 2 ½ hours each week can reduce the risk for high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, and premature death. It is scientifically proven that gardening helps ward off depression. It is difficult not to enjoy life when surrounded by flowers, vegetables, and the resulting pollinators and wildlife they attract.

Dear Neil: I have 10 bougainvilleas that I have kept in pots for several years. They don’t bloom until late July, but I see plants for sale in the spring that are already in full bloom. How can I make mine bloom earlier?