Thursday, December 20, 2012
Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | New Photo Gallery
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Thursday, December 20, 2012 |
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Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | New Photo Gallery |
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Fielder’s Choice Share some holiday hugs I’ve always been a hugger. But the hugs I’ve shared in recent days with family and friends have been even more special. The news recently has been filled with senseless tragedies, headlined by the one last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. I led a prayer at church Sunday morning. It was one of my most difficult ever. Our hearts were heavy – just like those of everyone everywhere. I ended it with the words – “In God we trust.” The holiday season is suddenly upon us. It’s my hope that we can all spend it with the people we love the most. And please, tell them that you love them. Give them a hug. Thursday, we held our annual South Reporter Christmas luncheon. I typically give a speech, often getting too wordy and going on and on. This year I told my wife Pam that I wasn’t going to give a speech. But if you know me very well, you know I love to talk, so I did give a brief one. It focused on our staff at the newspaper enjoying each day we’re together. Most of us have been here at 157 South Center Street in Holly Springs for several years. And even though times are tougher for almost any business these days, “we need to count our blessings and be thankful for our jobs and our work family each and every day,” I said. By the way, The South Reporter staff’s years of service through their newspaper work totals 185 years. Here’s the summary – Barbara Taylor, 33 years; Linda Jones, 26; Carolyn King, 26; Claude Vinson, 19; Beth Breithaupt, 18; Kris Jones, 14; Barry Burleson, 11; Pam Burleson, 11; Sue Watson, 10; Craig Williamson, 10; L.G. Bogard, 6; and Dana Watson and Faye Cook joined us this year. It was another special Christmas holiday get-together for our newspaper family. We hope we’re together many more years, but as I told them last week, there are no guarantees (we’re all getting older), so let’s focus on having fun and sharing laughs today. Pam and I are happy to have our college kids home, making the house full once again. We were excited to welcome them for a four-week break from classes at the University of Southern Mississippi. But no doubt, their little sister Erin was the most excited. Time is flying. Emma is a senior. She will graduate in May and then continue her schooling elsewhere. Andy completed his first semester of college. Erin, our fifth grader, will be 11 in two weeks. Our thoughts and words of thanksgiving especially turn to Erin during every holiday season. You might remember, she was born three months premature, back on January 1, 2002, and weighed just 2 pounds, 6 ounces. Now, she’s as tall as her mother and getting a bit “sassy,” too, as she nears those teenage years. One of our special family traditions is hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree each year. Most are hung by Pam, but we each have our individual ornaments which bring back special memories. There’s one from our honeymoon 23 years ago. There are some handmade by the children and those from family vacations. And we also hang those signifying our favorite sports teams. The gifts are piling up under the tree, too. I’m looking forward to making more memories this holiday season. From the Burlesons, Merry Christmas! |
    
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