My friend Geri Simpson and I decided we needed some exercise and friend time. I like walking. She likes exercise, but during the winter it’s difficult. So, we decided to join the Complex on the Greenway (formerly known as the Leroy Springs Recreation Complex) so we could do a little bit of everything.

Steven Puckett, Assistant Principal at Indian Land Elementary School is a man on a mission.

Jake Haldenwang is in his last semester at Fort Mill High School and he is another great talent from this area. He is a professional musician in competition to play with Eric Clapton at the Crossroads Guitar Festival at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

When I talk to Emily Ussery I think of the Swedish Proverb, “Those who wish to sing always find a song.”

In small towns, police officers not only know each other, but they know most of the residents as well.

The meaning of enthusiasm is to be inspired. Henry Ford wrote, “You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars.”

Most of us have gained a few pounds over the holidays. If you didn’t gain weight, you are led to believe you have by all the hype on TV and in magazines.

Winston Churchill wrote, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

I didn’t know Joe Davis. His sister Melissa Boyd told me that he was a remarkable guy. He loved nature and a hard day’s work, but most of all he loved his family.

I have never paid to much attention to shoplifting – until the other day.

Christmas time is a time when I especially think of the foster children. Life can be very difficult for children who are placed in foster care. Children feel lonely, unloved and depressed placed in a home with strangers, especially at Christmas time.

You have all heard the story of the Grinch that stole Christmas. He was a grumpy hermit who planned to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville.

This year an estimated 150 million shoppers filled the stores on Black Friday. I was not one of them! It is not my cup of tea and never will be. I cannot see myself in full combat gear, leaving my house in the middle of the night to purchase a big ticket item I know nothing about. I don’t know what the stats will be on the new Thanksgiving evening shopping, but I think opening the stores to shop on a family holiday is absolutely ridiculous! I feel sorry for the sales clerks having to leave their nice comfy homes and families to work into the night with hundreds of rowdy shoppers.

Thanksgiving started in the fall of 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians to celebrate the colony’s first successful harvest. There have been some misconceptions on what they served on that first Thanksgiving, so I decided to check it out.

Democracy – I love it!