“…So when tomorrow starts without meDo not think we’re apartFor every time you think of meRemember I’m right here in your heart” As the grueling morning of Sunday, February 13, 2022, arrived, the fear of the morning after kicked in. How will I feel tomorrow, Monday, when he is no longer here to wake me up and greet me? I dreaded having to signal the Veterinarian to go ahead and push that IV that will make his heart stop. He was only four years of age, and cancer had destroyed him. Two months earlier on the week prior to Christmas,...
The Sky’s The Limit
Before moving to Georgia in 2014, Akhenaten Mswia lived in Brooklyn, New York, and Reisterstown, Maryland. Mswia’s mother is originally from Tanzania, so he was able to travel between the U.S. and Africa frequently during his childhood, becoming fluent in Swahili in the process. Over the past several years, Mswia has accomplished impressive feats in aviation, his hobby, and engineering, his career aspiration. With his father and brother both pilots before him, Mswia explains that his family’s willingness and openness to support him in all his endeavors was something that allowed him to discover his passion for engineering. Following his...
Happiness and Homemade Goodness
The smell of freshly made waffle cones and a warm “Welcome Home” greets each person who enters Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee store. Whether you visit the original location along East Main Street in Hampton or the new store in Locust Grove’s Ingle’s shopping center, you are sure to find a tasty, homemade treat. Creating a “happy” business was co-owners Devlin Cleveland and Lakeisha Gantt’s inspiration for Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee. So, the pair went to ice cream and coffee school and spent one-year planning and prepping to build a business in the community that would bring happiness to...
Moments in Time
One of my favorite Greek words is kairos. It means the opportune moment or the ultimate moment. The English translation of this word is “opportunity.” Maybe you are unfamiliar with the word kairos, but you may be familiar with another Greek word: chronos, which refers to a broader span of time. This is where we get our English word “chronological.” The Bible tells us that God has numbered our days (Job 14:5), and while the span of chronos appointed to each of us is different, our lives are filled with these very significant kairos moments. So far, I have spent...
Serving with Hospitality
Service to your community can be demonstrated in a variety of ways. For a group of Henry County residents, that means serving as volunteers, known as Local Explorers, with Visit Henry County, GA. This group works alongside Visit Henry County, GA, and their new Mobile Visitors Center to share things to do, places to eat, and other information about the area with visitors. As a Realtor, Cynthia Crawford is constantly selling Henry County. She joined the Local Explorers to deepen her knowledge in order to better serve her clients. “I realized there was a lot I did not know [about...
Pouring Love into Her Students
Amanda Malette always knew she wanted to be a teacher; there was never any question. This is her 21st year as a first-grade teacher (well, one year was in second grade), starting at Pate’s Creek Elementary and now at East Lake Elementary in McDonough. Her students are known as “Malette’s Munchkins,” and they carry that with them beyond the year they spend in her classroom. This dedication and love have played a part in Malette’s selection, first as East Lake Elementary’s Teacher of the Year and then earning the title of Henry County School’s Teacher of the Year. So how...
Hans Broder from Banker to Author
The story was tragic and the judgment swift, though justice never really showed up for those who needed it most. For those who lived in Henry County in the 1970s, Jerry Banks, a local African American man, was the name on everyone’s tongue. He was convicted for the brutal murders of Marvin King, a Jonesboro High School band director, and Melanie Ann Hartsfield, a college student. Both were white. Their bodies were found off Rock Quarry Road by Jerry Banks. Within one hundred and seven days, Banks was sentenced to death with no motive and little evidence. A lifelong Henry...
All In a Day’s Work
Serving and protecting Henry County is the business of Officer Todd Powell and his K9 partner, Erin. Officer Powell has been in law enforcement in Henry County for 13 years and has been a member of the Henry County Police Department since July 2021. Officer Powell first met and began training with his K9 partner when she was just 14 months old. Erin was born in Hungary nearly six years ago–even has a Hungarian passport-where she received special law enforcement training from birth. Erin is an Explosive Ordnance Detection K9 (EOD K9).“She is certified on 27 different odors,” explains Officer...
Rachel’s Gift
On December 5, 2006, a precious baby girl named Rachel was seven weeks away from being born when her family was in a tragic car wreck. Her mother, Lori Beth Blaney, was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Unfortunately, Rachel was stillborn. From the lonely depths of grief the family experienced during that trial, Rachel’s Gift, Inc. was born. The Blaney family transformed this devastating experience into a much needed and appreciated service. Rachel’s Gift, Inc. has partnered with Piedmont Henry to assist parents through the initial phase of infant loss with comfort from caring and knowledgeable volunteers. The...