Beech Tree News Network

Our next American federal holiday, January 15, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech is one of the most quoted speeches of modern times, and he practiced nonviolent civil disobedience as a means to advance civil rights. This holiday reminds me of our many American freedoms. Freedoms we should not take for granted – freedoms that were fought for by soldiers and by civilians alike.

I was lying down for a nap Sunday afternoon, after a trip to Bowling Green and before my granddaughter, Sabria, was supposed to drop by for a visit.  She came by shortly after my head hit the pillow then went into the living room, where Garey was reading the paper, to ask of my whereabouts.  My daughter, Natalie, instinctively knew I was in my bedroom, so she stuck her head into the room to tell me Sabria had arrived.

The Japanese florist came out of his greenhouse; got on his potty chair and rode off. 

How is that for a dream? That was in one of my in and out dreams lately; where you are sort of asleep, and sort of awake-more of a word dream than a picture dream I’d guess. Scientists still know very little about dreams-as far why we dream what we dream. Oh they talk about REM (rapid eye movement) sleep being the soundest sleep etc. But the substance of our dreams? They still don’t know, the why. 

 In the long ago, Solomon said, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered” (Ecc. 1:14-15). This is a hard truth for many to grasp. Put simply, there are some things in life that we cannot change! In this article, I want us to note some things that cannot be changed by men.

The first week of the 2018 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly is in the books, and pension reform is still a major priority for all of us in Frankfort. Along with passing a two-year budget and two-year road fund, pension reform must occur in order to put Kentucky’s poorly-funded pension systems on the right path to solvency. I have listened to feedback from my constituents.

IT'S OWN REWARD-Most of us have encountered the phrase “Virtue is its own reward,” at some point or another while going on this journey called, life. It sounds nice doesn't it? Much like the phrase “it is better to give than receive” sounds like an uplifting little add-on, to tack on to our everyday lives, every now and then. Virtue being its own reward is about much more though than a nice platitude, to help us go about the business of every day life.

In the Southern United States, eating black-eyed peas or Hoppin’ John(a traditional soul food) on New Year’s Day is thought to bring prosperity in the new year.  Two popular explanations for the South’s association with peas and good luck dates back to the American Civil War. 

With the New Year, many feel hopeful about a fresh start. Whether we’ve made New Year’s resolutions or not, many of us hope to use that fresh start to do better in some way.

    SOUTH-SPEAK (South Central Ky)

-We FIX breakfast, but we MAKE biscuits. Never the reverse.

Recently, one of our customers at the shop came in the front door and asked for my husband, Garey.  She had a problem with her car and wasn’t sure what to do.  Garey wasn’t in the shop that day, because he had to make an unexpected trip to Alabama.  When I told her, I thought she might burst into tears.