
Thursday, December 24, 2009
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Letters To The Editor

Congrats, Daddy:
Dear Editor,

I was 8 when my grandfather retired from International Harvester and I vividly remember the celebratory mood, the excitement and the honor that was bestowed upon him, by his family and his company. I have seared into my memory, as one of my last memories of him, his retirement party at our home, and in it he was beaming with pride.

I have been taken back to that memory multiple times in the past couple of months as my siblings and I have watched our father end 46 years of service to Northcentral Electric Power Association. My sister and I have wrestled with our emotions and how to reconcile the remarkable difference between how our grandfather’s retirement was handled and how our father’s leaving his job is playing out before us.

I am 41 now and I have three children of my own, ages 15 to 9, and while I am not so ideal as to think that the world that we live in is the same one that I lived in in 1976, I do firmly believe, as does my sister, that the very fabric of humanity, of our local communities, and of our relationships with one another are rooted in some fairly basic values. One of those values is that we honor those who go before us, those who are our elders, those who have sacrificed and worked so that we might have more and better for our lives and the lives of our children.

We honor our military on Veterans Day because we know we have freedom because of their willingness to serve. We honor our mothers, our fathers, our laborers and the list can go on and on.

But as I have watched my father leave a company, that for me, was a centerpiece of our family’s life, for the entirety of my life at home, there seems to be an altogether different view of honor.

My sister and I have swapped stories of memories of our dislike for my father’s job when we were children, whether those memories were of our dad waking to a 3 a.m. phone call in the middle of a boisterous thunderstorm to go out and repair a line that was down, or his leaving for the night in an ice storm because most of our town was without power, or how we were not allowed to use our telephone when he was “on duty” because he was committed to it being free in case someone called with their “lights out.”

Our entire lives we have had a father who got up everyday and did the same job, whether he wanted to do it or not, whether he felt like it or not, whether he liked his superiors or not or whether he was respected by those superiors for doing it. Our generation thinks “sick days” are secretly vacation days that you have to lie in order to get, but my father rarely, if ever, took them. When he left the company, he had more than a year in “sick leave” due him because he had rarely, if ever, taken his sick days. The work ethic of my father is one to be celebrated, as is his loyalty to a single company.

Interestingly, I have watched the same phenomenon happen to my husband’s father in the banking industry, so I believe it is happening in both the white and blue collar worlds. We are not respecting and honoring those who have gone before us. We, as a generation, may have more degrees, we may have more technological savvy, and we may have a vision that will promote the bottom line, but if we forget the basic human values of respect and honor, we will have left little for those who come behind us.

What will our legacy be to our children? One day, when our generation has worked long and hard, having given our lives to a company (if we are even allowed to stay with one company), we may find that we are on the short end of that stick of respect and honor. It is my hope, and my sister’s hope that we will learn now to properly honor those who have worked hard, sacrificed and made our lives better.

We may have strong differences of opinion or even personal differences with those we work with, but ultimately, those issues are put aside for the ultimate betterment of the whole. Another one of those values we believe, and I must say, it is the ultimate value in relation to others, is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. It is a difficult value to live out in reality, but it should be our goal. And we want our children to know that regardless of our differences in each and every generation, the things that bind us together are honor, respect and that cherished “golden rule.”

So we would like to take this opportunity to publicly honor our father, Dean Hollowell, for 46 years of service to Northcentral Electric Power Association.

You may not know my dad, but you have a dad, or a mom, or someone who has gone before you and made your life better because of their sacrifice. And although you may not know our dad, sometime in the middle of the night, in the last 46 years, when you were powerless, he was one of the men who made sure you got your power back! Congratulations, Daddy!

We love and honor you!
Jorja & Jennifer

Strive for knowledge:
Dear Editor and readers,

Born and raised in Marshall County, I am very proud of where I am from. When asked, I never deny it.

Being gone going on seven years now, I’ve been a subscriber most of the time. I love seeing the progress that you’ve made, specifically, our school system. I can’t get out of my mind the Youth Leadership Program, and the letters from the students participating. That’s thinking big. In order to do it big, we have to think big. More leaders are exactly what we need.

I just want to encourage those students to never settle for less when you’re the only one holding yourself back. Always strive to get better at whatever you do. Don’t let rebellion capture your mind. Just because it seems cool to someone else doesn’t mean it is.

Don’t let the peer pressure influence you; (the ways of a follower). Use your own mind to think for yourself. Never get tired of doing the right thing; (qualities of a leader). Be honest, with a loving heart, and you can never go wrong. It pays off in the long run, I promise.

I fell weak to those negative temptations and made it real hard for myself. I wish that on no one. However, I’ve learned that it’s never too late to change. We all have the potential to make a difference.

Anything our minds conceive, we can achieve. Pay attention to what you think about. If it’s not beneficial to yourself and those around you, entertaining those thoughts will not be healthy. You are the future of our county and our country. Let’s all work together to make our environments a better place.

Each one of us has an effect on anyone we come in contact with. Make it a positive one every chance we get. Everything we say or do today carries over to the ones of tomorrow. We all have to do our part.

I admire and commend those of you who make it happen. Keep up the good work. Keep God, love and honesty first, and the rest will come to you like running water. Stay striving for knowledge, and praying for God’s wisdom and understanding. God bless you.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.

Go get ’em Lions!

Sincerely
Jamie Langston

Thanks, Clydesdale:
Dear Editor,

This is an e-mail I received after our Christmas party and dinner for the soldiers’ families and I wanted to share it with all those who helped with this special Christmas dinner.

Brenda Luther
Holly Springs

To the Clydesdale Christmas Store
Words cannot express to you enough how thankful we are to have the support that you all have shown to our military, as well as their families.
I thought that the Christmas party for us Saturday (December 12) was so nice, and we really do appreciate all of the hard work and effort that was put into this event, to make it possible and to have a great success.
This is my husband’s second deployment, but this time we have a daughter and it has been much harder -- especially knowing that he left five days after she was born.
I have really been struggling during the holidays! I am so thankful and grateful for people such as you all to take the time out of your busy schedules to stop and recognize, that not only the soldiers make sacrifices, but we as family do too!
I thank everyone for their compassion and their act of kindness is greatly appreciated. May God continue to bless you, not only during the holidays, but all the time as well! Happy Holidays!
Christine and Kennedy Holmes
SGT. Roderick Holmes
(In Iraq)

Thanks for blankets:
Thank you

Victory Church wants to thank each individual who gave blankets to the “Nana’s Blankets for the Homeless.”

We also want to thank the Scout Troop #48, Macedonia Baptist Church and Barton Methodist Church for their participation.

Victory Church meets every Sunday evening at 5 p.m. at 2251 Hwy. 305 South of Olive Branch.

Melvin Shackelford,
pastor, Victory Church
Byhalia

Goodbye and thanks:
Letter to the Editor:

I want to say goodbye to all my friends and associates who have helped me in Marshall County and in the City of Holly Springs. I want to say “good riddance” to those who did me and mine harm.

I want to thank the folks at “Willowbend Animal Clinic” for their help with our “critters.” I especially want to thank Dr. Mike and Terry Thompson; they have always gone beyond the call of duty. I call them my friends. All citizens and their friends need to thank them both for their devotion, of what they do and how they live their lives. I do! Thank you! (I will always be your client and friend).

Larry Hall, county administrator I think is his title, if not it should be and more. Larry has helped me out on numerous occasions, even on the weekend when many civil servants would not bother. He is a credit to Marshall County and has my deepest respect.

Roy Carpenter, a good friend, counselor, and in general, a real nice man. He welcomed me and my wife on our first contact with him. He, who has always been courteous, fair and gave us the help when we needed it, thanks for being there, Roy.

There are numerous merchants, county offices, and others in the county I would like to thank: the people at Booker Hardware; the former operators of Whites who fixed my mowers; the Marshall County tax and appraiser’s office and Marshall County records office, who gave me many insights to how things work in Marshall County; Victor’s Pizza for their delicious pies; Harris Gholson and the ladies at State Farm Insurance, always helpful; The South Reporter, which has found a niche in being one of the best small town papers on and offline; Melissa, at Wal-Mart pharmacy, many thanks. Hefadhallahs Almuntaser (AKA Mr. Texaco), may he rest in peace. To the people at Edwards Feed; my friends Ilean and Larry Skelton; Lisa Johnson; Red (rest in peace) and Bethel Button; Josie Oberst; the people who operate Williams Garage (now closed); Woods Feed Store; and many more people and businesses, my many thanks.

Those new to the county and others who are long time in residence, these are the people and merchants who made the community I lived in, tolerable if not downright pleasant. I ask you to pay them a visit, say a kind word, and follow their example to make Marshall County and Holly Springs a better place to live.

For the good riddance section, I cannot name them aloud for fear of litigation, because that is just the kind of people they are, mean-spirited. They know who they are. For those who I crossed paths with who would do me harm without batting an eye, good riddance.

All people have their dreams and their lives to lead. It is how we live our lives, which we define ourselves, as to whether or not we are civilized and have moral character. We honor our family, friends, and neighbors when we do.

Sincerely
Mark Guillory
Water Valley
Formerly of Holly Springs

School thankful:
To: The Holly Springs Community

The administration, faculty, and staff of the Holly Springs Primary School wishes to thank the community and churches of Holly Springs who have been so kind and gracious during the Christmas season.

The Holly Springs Primary School had an angel tree this year. Their goal was to help needy students from the school. The staff and faculty were amazed and delighted at the results! The presents came in for all of the students with an angel on the tree. Thank you, Holly Springs!

No one was surprised at the outpouring of love for our kids, however. The parents, church members, and friends of these students have continued to help throughout the year.

So far this year, the school has received donations of school supplies and uniforms, seen community members come as volunteers to help the students learn as well as help with the school fundraisers, and seen the support the community and the churches have given to support any of the school’s needs.

The Holly Springs Primary School wants to say thank you and wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Mr. Stone, principal,
Holly Springs
Primary School

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