Opinions

Krispy Kreme has introduced another tasty morsel to drive tastebuds beyond resistance with their new Donut Dots. They are ballshaped donuts that we are supposed to assume were cut from the center of a glazed doughnut, which apparently left the hole in the middle.

I’m about the only person I know without a tattoo. Well, this is not true. My parents don’t have tattoos, and I don’t think most of their friends do -- although I’ve not done a close inspection. That would be hard to do, and probably not very polite. But among people my age and younger, I’ve become something of an oddity, yet I can honestly say I’ve never considered getting one. This isn’t because I have anything against tattoos. I’ve seen some that were beautiful. But I’ve also seen some that read “Forever Young” or “No Regrets,” and I wonder if this will always be the case.

I said to myself: “What happened last, means nothing. What you do next, means everything.” I nodded in agreement. Then I reminded myself: “Think of nothing else at this moment. Clear your head. Be in this space with no outside interference.”

“I don’t even know what game we’re supposed to be playing!” my husband, Peter, told me.

“You could live on a dollar and 27 cents a day,” the husband once said to me, shaking his head. I was packing a small cooler for a trip to Alabama. I knew I’d arrive at dark and would not feel like grocery shopping for orange juice and milk, so I poured small amounts into plastic containers and packed them among ice. I added a baggie of Raisin Bran cereal and a bunch of green grapes.

It’s common in this modern age for religious seekers to comb the Bible for passages that promise endless blessings. People love to hear messages about God protecting His children from danger and suffering, and how He wants to give us everything we dream about. The problem is this is not exactly why the Christian life was established. Christians should read and study the Bible daily, while keeping everything in context is critical to understanding more clearly to what God is saying. It’s true that He loves us, but even in His endless compassion, He did not promise this life would be a bed of luxury while servants wait on us and we never have any pain or a need to have unwavering faith.

It’s that time of year again when we have our seniors graduating and heading on to their next stage of life. With all of these commencement ceremonies taking place this month, there will be a lot of advice given. In fact, at Ennis High School’s graduation, I was encouraged by the words of our valedictorian, Layton Wilder. I loved his challenge to his fellow graduates to heed the words of Jesus in Matthew 7 and to build their lives on rock, not sand.

As my cousin read aloud our Grandmother’s Brunswick Stew recipe, I enjoyed all the imagery it evoked, not to mention the aromatic recollection of that stew which was prepared with chicken, pork, tomatoes and corn in a turnof- the-century kitchen that always smelled heavenly. Interestingly enough, the recipe begins with, “Wring the chicken’s neck…” That’s when I usually walk away from the memory and wonder if somebody—anybody—could make me some Brunswick Stew, or Camp Stew, as we usually called it…without the manual labor my grandmother invested.

The thrill associated with rollercoasters is enough to make normal people question their choice of food or beverage, not to mention their seat selection in boarding the train of cars.