Opinion

I love “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” I especially love the scene where Charlie Brown is sitting with Lucy telling her about his problems. He admits that he knows he should be happy about Christmas, but says for some reason he is not.

By the way, on a completely unrelated note, why is Charlie Brown the only one with a last name? Think about it. There is Lucy, Linus, Sally, Schroeder and so on and so forth. No last names.

Anyway, over the last week I have sort of felt like Charlie Brown but about something else besides Christmas.

World Peace Day is a global event celebrated at noon Greenwich Mean Time or 7 a.m. EST on the last day of each year.

At this time, people the world over gather together for an hour of prayer and meditation for world peace.

Stop for a moment and think how profound this really is. People the world over set aside personal issues and step into the moment, coming together to be of one mind, of one place, of one time, aware that as they combine their thoughts and energies, they create opportunities for positive changes to manifest in the world.

In college, I was asked to write an essay about what I would do if I won the lottery and the paper turned out to be more of a business idea that is still my dream today.

My long-term vision is for Owen County to have a daycare center adjoining an assisted living facility where the children and the elderly of our community will have access to the best-possible care.

My short-term  goal is to partner with caregivers who currently provide childcare services in their homes to establish a state of the art daycare cooperative.

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone, two more turkeys have been pardoned by the President, and now we’re on the downhill slope to Christmas.

The other day I glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed the second hand was moving at a rapid pace. “There must be something wrong with the clock,” I thought. A few minutes went by till I glanced at it again, and it seemed to be moving even faster this time. I mentioned it to our copy editor, Richard. His response was, “It’s because you’re getting older.”

Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when the weather was brisk and the promise of cold air and clear skies remained for several days in a row, Owen County families prepared for the annual event of “hog-killing.” All year, efforts were made to fatten these delectable creatures whose succulent meat was the mainstay of many a winter meal.

It truly does take an entire community to educate a child. That point was never made clearer than at Owen County High School’s  KCCT Recognition Ceremony on Nov. 18 where more than 100 students were recognized for high academic achievement.

It is at this ceremony where over 70 proud guests (parents, grandparents, and other family members) were present to share in this special event.

Thanksgiving is full of traditions. There is turkey, dressing, football, uncles asleep in recliners, indigestion, and oh yeah, pumpkin pie.

 I have also begun another Thanksgiving tradition. In case you have not caught on, this is now my third installment of the Golden Gobble Awards celebrating the biggest turkeys in sports for the past year. Well, not exactly celebrating but rather ridiculing and maybe even making fun of.

The Golden Gobble for Team That Resembles an NFL Franchise goes to the Cincinnati Bengals.

On Nov. 11, 2010 I had the privilege to address the students at Owen County High School about the importance of Veterans Day. Also in attendance were several Veterans and family members as well as many Owen County faculty and staff. Before the assembly, the Veterans and their family members were treated to a very delicious meal and a tour of the facility if they so desired.

I wanted to publicly say thank you to Ms. Wallace and her staff for honoring the veterans this past week in such a memorable and touching way.

Since serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War in the 1950s, this is the first time someone has said, “Thank you for your service to this country.”