You know that person who always seems to be “name-dropping” as if they really know important or famous people? If I was honest, I’m probably guilty of name-dropping too! The truth is we may know about the person, but we don’t really know them. We love to claim the association. We can act the same way when it comes to God. We name-drop and talk about God; but do we really know him. My hope is not to just know about God but to know God on an intimate level. Truly knowing God will lead to a relationship rather...
A Simple Test That Can Save A Life
On the morning of May 19, 2014, Jackie Taylor’s gynecologist called her with test results from a BRCA test. The doctor ordered the test, which reveals whether a hereditary cancer gene exists in a person who has a strong family history of cancer, because there have been multiple cancers in Jackie’s family. Fortunately, the test results were negative, which gave Jackie a great sense of relief. Jackie asked her physician if she should keep her mammogram appointment at Piedmont Henry Hospital Breast Health Center, which was scheduled for laterthat day. Because she still had some concerns with Jackie’s last breast...
Ready For Anything
Jennifer Maddox may call Stockbridge home, but her active lifestyle keeps her constantly on the move. As a member of the Special Olympics USA Equestrian Team, when she is not rigorously training at the Calvin Center, she is traveling to competitions around the country. Her efforts have paid off. She recently returned from the Special Olympics World Games with gold, silver, and bronze medals! Jennifer did not learn of her natural ability to connect with horses until she began riding western-style at a local barn in 2009. In 2011 she began a more advanced training schedule and switched to riding...
Panola Mountain’s Hidden Face
The gates to Panola Mountain State Park are nestled under tall grey pines in the northern parts of Henry County. The park is situated just off Highway 155. If you’re not on the lookout for the park, you’ll miss it in the blink of an eye. I’ve visited the park a number of times for picnics and bike riding over the years. However, this summer was the first time I’d actually climbed to the top of Panola Mountain. Panola Mountain sustains a fragile ecosystem upon its broad granite shoulders. Intricate mosses and lichens grow slowly on the face of...
Maclovia Cribbs – Military Matriarch
Long time Henry County resident, Maclovia (Mac) Cribbs, was born nearly 93 years ago in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo, a small rural community in the Rio Grande Valley. Her parents, Martin and Maria Cavazos, immigrated there from Mexico in the early twentieth century. The youngest of six, Mac learned early about hard work from her father, an irrigation canal horse rider responsible for lifting the irrigation gates to allow water to flow and irrigate vegetable and fruit farms in the Rio Grande Valley. The Cavazos family, like many others during the Depression era, was very poor. Her parents, and the children as...
Sarah’s – Country Soul Food At Its Best
Regardless of your age, you most likely have very fond memories of days gone by when your family gathered around the dinner table to enjoy home cooked meals prepared by your mother. There’s just something very special about a home cooked meal that transcends cultures and ethnicities from any region across the nation. It’s no wonder restaurants serving meat and vegetables have always been a popular place to take the family for a nourishing meal. Restaurant owners use words like Home Cooking, Country Cookin’ and Soul Food to connect with that special place in the minds and hearts of...
Freedom In The Water
The hollow echoes of a natatorium are a distinct sound. They can only be heard by a few. The first ripples of the water are made by the dedicated…the determined. These athletes begin their mornings far earlier than most – and their parents even earlier. They are committed. Committed to a life of swimming. Most of us have fond childhood memories of playing in a pool or lake: the endless games of Marco-Polo and Sharks and Minnows, jumps, flips, cannon balls and belly flops off the diving board. There was always ‘the one’ relative that could create more waves than...
Gifts From The Hands Of A Master Sculptor
Breathtaking sculptures, whimsical memories, a dynamic arts center … all treasures for generations It was with big, rough, friendly hands that Andy Davis created art. And, as hands figure prominently in a sculptor’s work, so hands are celebrated in his shop. On two huge sliding doors in his Hood Street studio in McDonough, Davis placed a reproduction of Michelangelo’s iconic The Creation of Adam, with the great hand of God on one door reaching across to Adam’s hand on the other door, their index fingers almost touching: God giving life to man. Andy Davis believed in man giving life...
A Life That’s Gone To The Birds
McDonough retiree continues learning as she peers at life through a long lens In retirement, Anne Davis has hardly slowed down. Instead she’s found herself whole-heartedly pursuing a new passion: God’s winged creatures. Davis, a McDonough wife, mother and grandmother, was surprised to discover a stimulating life in capturing images of some of the creatures she scarcely noticed in her busy 20 years as a Rockdale County primary school educator. It all began six years ago with a thoughtful gift. “When I retired, my co-workers gave me a retirement party and presented me with money they’d collected,” Davis said. “They...
When A Seed Is Planted
Could a 10th grade history class really change your life? For Mallory Thomas, that is where her journey began. Her final project in the class was to do a report on Kenya. “After doing the project, I knew I was going to be there someday,” says Mallory. (She has just returned from her third mission trip to Kenya. It seems to have created a lasting impact.) Mallory began attending Strong Rock Christian School in 2007 as a part of the inaugural group of students. She remembers it being a great year because everyone was brand new and just waiting for...