Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
]After all, it starts in the home. Ever heard that saying? Perhaps there is a lot of truth to that. In light of the school shootings, one might ask how anyone could shoot a room full of fourth graders, and then ask what parents can do to make sure their children have the moral compass and character that would never allow them to be so evil. Perhaps there are some suggestions to consider.
- Provide a loving home. A good loving father/child/mother/child relationship is needed for a child to develop the moral code required of a well-adjusted and responsible citizen.
- Help one’s child understand what compassion is. Send cards or show sympathy for those who are sad. Visit. Encourage people who are less fortunate than them.
- Encourage music in church, school and at home. Good music and poetry are the way back to a civilized world and country. It is a way of building friends and peace. Music is the language of the world. The playing of music shows that practice makes perfect and that making mistakes and correcting them lead to easier decision making.
- Play outside every day. Take a bike ride or a walk around the neighborhood and have them play sports after school. Always keep children active.
- Limit screen time — video games, social media and television. Allow none of these at mealtime, study time, or bedtime. Make sure computers are always in one’s view, not in the bedrooms. Never allow any violent games or porn in the home.
- Attend and be active in church, temple, or synagogue. Teens who regularly attend religious services are more likely to do better in school, shun alcohol, drugs and sex, care for those who are less fortunate and make moral choices that will make them happy. Teach the children the 10 commandments, responsibility, respect, social manners and to be positive in thinking and speech. Encourage the children to belong to and attend community or religious youth groups. Even have some religious articles around in the home.
- Supervise, supervise, supervise. Know where one’s children are at all times. Have an active curfew for kids to be home. Always know who one’s children are with at all times.
- Know one’s kids’ friends, their friends’ parents, and their parents’ friends. Sponsor parties at one’s home for children and their friends. It is easier to monitor drink, food, and behavior as long as one stays with the party.
- Establish rules of behavior. Be firm when enforcing them. Start out when they are youngsters and continue on through their teenage years.
- Avoid drugs, tobacco and marijuana. Remember that a child has only one body and they need to take care of it.
Perhaps everyone can raise good children when adhering to the above suggestions. It really does start in the home. Hopefully everyone can raise a generation of good children who will retain goodness in their hearts. Perhaps, then there could be another “Greatest Generation” in the future.
Life’s little suggestions include the following:
- Display one’s street number prominently on the mailbox or house in case emergency vehicles need to find a person.
- When camping or hiking, never leave evidence that a person was there.
- Encourage anyone who is trying to improve mentally, physically, or spiritually.
- Learn to play “Amazing Grace” on the piano.
- Never be ashamed of honest tears.
Following last week’s high temperatures and high humidity, Sunday morning’s 40-degree temperature was quite a shock. However, as someone stated, “Rather the cool than the hot!” However, it is good weather for hay making, and the farmers are adhering to that.
Quotes for the week are as follows:
“When we honor our flag, we honor what we stand for as a nation — freedom, equality, justice and hope.” — Ronald Reagan
“Believe you can and you’re half way there.” —Theodore Roosevelt
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” — Abraham Lincoln
“Tell the truth, work hard, and come to dinner on time.” — Gerald R. Ford
“It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn’t.” — Martin Van Buren
Life is far better on the porch swing to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
Bill and Donna Arrington drove to Morgantown to celebrate their grandson, Zeke’s, third birthday. Everyone had a great time.
Visitors of Rosalee Grogg were Marleta and Junior Wimer, Anthony and Asher Mauzy, Madison Grogg, Kim Evick and Steven Grogg.
Reda Shrewsberry, Wanda Pitsenbarger, and Evelyn Varner really enjoyed the Saturday evening’s DeLawder concert at Christ Central Church in Upper Tract.
For Father’s Day, Robby, Logan, and Michael Fisher took Bob and Brenda Fisher to the Brandywine Family Diner, where they enjoyed a very delicious meal. Linnea was unable to attend as she was visiting with her family in California.
Janelle Mitchell, Destiny and Natalie of Charlotte, North Carolina, spent the weekend with the Tom and Brandon Mitchell family.
Bill Rader of Plantation, Florida, is spending several days in Sugar Grove and is enjoying visiting in the community.
Jill Holmes spent the weekend with her dad, Virgil Homan, Jr. Wyatt and Julia Homan also visited with him for Father’s Day.
Recent visitors of Phil Downs were Evelyn Varner and Tara Kelley and Amelia Gibson of Springfield.
This week’s clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- Spaghetti is made from wheat.
- All circus seals are California sea lions.
- Plato organized the first college in 387 B.C, in a house near a gymnasium called “The Academy.”
- The male cecropia moth has such a short lifespan in needs no mouth or digestive tract.
- American Indian folklore held that water lilies were fallen stars.
Concerns for this week are many, and they are as follows: Charles Anderson, the Dale Bland family, Bill Brackman, Scherry Chambers, Charlotte Copley, Jeff Craig, Jeff Evick, Lee Roy and Ina Evick, Mary Eye, Ron Gilkeson, Lola Graham, Marlene Harman, Ramona Harman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Starr Hedrick, George Hevener, Rose Hinkle, Hinkle, Virgil Homan, Jr., Charlie Marie Hoover, Lorena Hoover, Myrtle Hoover, Debbie Horst, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Margaret Kiser, Rex Landis, Angela Lung, Linda Malcolm, Roger and Skip Mallow, Yvonne Marsh, Neil McLaughlin, Naomi Michael, Joe Moats, Lincoln Moore, Ernie Morgan, Aaron Nelson, Kathy Nelson, Ken and Ruth Nelson, Bennie Nesselrodt, Betty Hoover O’Donnell, Cheryl Paine, Sutton Parrack, Betty Lou Propst, Kara Propst, Linda Propst, Nathan Propst, Sheldon Propst, Pam Rexrode, Donna Ruddle, Barbara Simmons, Erin Simmons, Eva Simmons, Charlie Sites, Ona Smith, Stanna Smith, Steve Smith, Berlie Sponaugle, Patricia Swecker, Rosa Tichenor, Sandra Vandevander, Jack Vogel, Judy Waggy, Amby Waybright, Jr., Ron White, Judy Williams, Junior Wimer, Larry Wimer, Carol Windett, the people of Ukraine and the victims of the Uvalde, Texas massacre.
