October 2022

3900 N. 1st Street, Suite #2 Abilene, Texas 79603 (325) 673-4521 www.HispanicLifeMedia.com [currently under construction]

PUBLISHER

David A. Hernandez EDITOR

David Hernandez / Debbie Heep editorial@hispaniclifemedia.com

ADVISING EDITOR AND ACCEPTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Amy Hernández

Helen Holguin info@hispaniclifemedia.com (325) 673-4521 Office

ADVERTISING SALES

• Donna Lee (325) 518-8994 donna.lee@amclassabilene.com

• David Hernandez (325) 518-7091 sales@hispaniclifemedia.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT

Debbie Heep Sheila Baccus info@hispaniclifemedia.com

About Us

We are dedicated to serving the Abilene and the Big Country by providing up-to-date information and resources that promote healthy families and homes. We also promote our clients businesses by increasing their customer bases and enhanc ing their public images within the Hispanic com munity.

HispanicLife Magazine is published on a monthly basis and is owned & operated locally.

Advertising rates are available upon request. While we use great care in creating our display ads, mistakes can happen. HispanicLife and the publisher are not liable for any damages arising from any typographical or mechanical errors be yond the cost of the ad. HispanicLife does not necessarily endorse any of the advertisers, prod ucts or services listed in this publication.

The smell of delicious pumpkin pies baking in the oven at grandma’s house, cooler temperatures, and of course; football. It’s that time of the year! As we enter to the Fall Season, it brings such great memories to recall.

We pray and hope that you continue to be blessed in every area of your life. We serve an awesome and mighty God, full of rich benefits for His children; always giving good gifts.

October is full of many activities and events. One in particular as many know is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you’re able to, participate in those events, or maybe even volunteer when possible! Make a difference where you live!

We are so thankful for those that are survivors of this disease, but at the same time we are so thank ful for those that have finished the good fight. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

At times it can be very hard to adjust and move for ward with our lives when we truly miss those special people in our lives that have helped to form and mold who we are today.

As we also celebrate ‘Hispanic Heritage Month’ from September 15th through October 15th, we hope you are encouraged and uplifted. Always remember, we are more than conquerers through Christ who gives us the strength to continue forward.

HispanicLife Magazine and all the staff

• DEPUTY CONSTABLE - BAILIFF $49,000

• ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT CRIMINAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE Salary: Commensurate with relevant experience plus benefits

• CLERK JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PCT. 1-2 $30,000-$32,500 (DOE) + benefits

• PART TIME CLERK- TEMPORARY PCT. 1-1 $10 per hour

• CLERK - JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PCT. 1 PL. 1 $27,000.00 + DOE yr. + Benefits

• OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER326TH DISTRICT COURT $96,956.11 yr. plus benefits

• MATH TEACHER $40,000.00 yr. + Benefits

• FELONY PROSECUTOR $65,000.00 - $85,000 yr. + DOE + Benefits

• ASSISTANT CRIMINAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY - CPS AND CIVIL Salary DOE + Benefits IncludedPaid 100%

• MALE JUVENILE SUPERVISION/ DETENTION OFFICERS$40,000.00 yr. + Benefit

• FEMALE/MALE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS $45,000.00 yr. + Benefits

• PATROL DEPUTY - SHERIFF’S OFFICE $49,000.00 yr. + Benefits

• HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORPRECINCT #2 $35,000.00 yr. + Benefits

• 911 COMMUNICATIONS OPERATOR - SHERIFF $40,000.00 yr. + Benefits

• TRANSPORT DEPUTY - SHERIFF OFFICE $49,000.00 yr. + Benefits

Full Time benefits include 100% County-paid Employee Medical & Dental Insurance, Paid Life/Disability Insurance, Retirement & Vac/Sick Leave Applications are available on the website at https://www.taylorcountytexas.org/Jobs.aspx or in the Taylor County Plaza, 400 Oak Street, Suite 120, Abilene, Texas.Office hours are 8-12 & 1-5. EOE

Big Brothers Big Sisters to Host 5th Annual Mac & Cheese Cook-Off to Benefit One-to-One Mentoring in Abilene

By Mallory Wilcox | Director of Events and Grants, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star - Abilene

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is excited to host Abilene’s fifth annual macaroni and cheese cookoff…The Big Cheese! On Octo ber 13th, local restaurants, caterers and food trucks will be serving up their version of mac and cheese for your enjoyment. Just like no two BBBS matches are the same, each mac and cheese concoction is sure to provide a unique experience for your taste buds!

The Big Cheese is a family-friendly event and each guest, no matter the age, will get to play a part by voting for their favorite dish. People’s Choice, Kid’s Choice, and Judges’ Choice award winners will be announced. The overall winner from all three categories will be named “The Big Cheese”. In addition to casting their vote, guests can also participate in the Never Cook Again raffle for a chance to win a collec tion of gift cards from participating vendors .Guests can expect to not only leave with a satisfied appetite, but with the satisfaction of

supporting the one-to-one mentoring work of Big Brothers Big Sisters Abilene. All funds raised through this event stay in Abilene and directly impact local children. BBBS matches adult volunteers with one child in a meaning ful, mentoring relationship that can change their life for the better, forever.

The Big Cheese takes place Thursday, Octo ber 13th from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Abilene Convention Center. Tickets are on sale now and cost $30 for adults, $10 for children (15 & under) when purchased by October 12th. Event day prices increase to $40 for adults and $20 for children (15 & under).

Purchase tickets or event sponsorship at the bigcheeseabilene.com. For more information or to register as a vendor, contact mwilcox@ bbbstx.org or 325-674-3100.

TRAINING

partner in your small business journey

‘If it Wasn’t For You, El Fenix Wouldn’t Have Happened’:

Family Recalls Beginnings of Staple Abilene Restaurant After Demolition

By Noah McKinney | BigCountryHomePage

In 1937 Mexican immigrant, Domingo Garcia founded El Fenix, an authen tic Mexican restaurant not far from Downtown Abilene. Now, 85 years later, the building he worked out of has been de molished. Although, this lo cation holds another special meaning to the Garcia fam ily, as it was their home for much of that time.

“It’s a part of me because I was born here,” said Do mingo Garcia Jr., building owner.

Now condemned by the City of Abilene, Garcia and his siblings had the home torn down. He said it was in disrepair and full of asbes tos, but nobody was using the building or living in it for many years. He said it was still a difficult decision to make.

“If the City hadn’t have told me to tear it down, I wouldn’t have,” Garcia explained.

Before crews came in to perform the demolition, Garcia and some of his siblings recalled a few memories of the old place one last time. Before opening El Fenix, they told KTAB/KRBC their father had a delivery service of sorts, known as Joe’s Tortillas – named for his oldest son.

“My dad used to go sell tortillas,” Garcia re membered. “[He’d] Load them up in a station wagon and go to Anson, all these little towns around here.”

Over the years, Recipes were added and El Fe nix was born. To the family’s delight, the com

munity couldn’t get enough. The Garcia family home became a gathering place for El Barrio Zancudo, the surrounding neighborhood of his torically Hispanic and black residents.

she ran the restaurant well and made herself a service to the community. “If people didn’t have food, she would bring them food,” Garcia said, adding to his mother’s spirit of giving.

Salazar continued on her brother’s thought, “She was able to say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ And they knew who she was.”

After Maria retired, the kids took up the business. They ran the original location and even opened a second loca tion, which ultimately saw the closing of the first.

“It was like a town within a town,” Garcia painted. “After church everybody would come over here… It was amazing how many people would be in here and you’d have people waiting outside, too.”

Through times of segrega tion, Garcia said his parents were welcoming to all.

“Even though he wasn’t allowed to, he would bring them back to our dining room and still serve them with pleasure,” Maria Salazar, youngest of the Garcia children, reminisced.

Upon Garcia Senior’s passing, his wife Maria took over. Even though she spoke no English,

“When the other opened at Burro Al ley, people wanted to go to the new El Fenix – the big El Fenix,” Salazar ex plained.

While the recipes live on, El Barrio Zancudo – much like the building – has somewhat crumbled. Nonetheless, the Garcia children expressed gratitude to the com munity for the years their family got to spend within it.

“I just want to thank the community for giving all the business that they have here when it was here,” Garcia said.

Salazar added, “If it wasn’t for you, El Fenix wouldn’t have happened.”

Maria Garcia with daughter Olivia

‘Maestro del acordeón’: Music legend Paulino Bernal dies at 83

By Dina Arévalo - The Monitor

Rio Grande Valley music legend Paulino Bernal has died after a brief battle with cancer. He was 83 years old.

Bernal died at 7:22 p.m. Saturday while surrounded by his wife and children at DHR Health in Edinburg.

“He was surrounded by all of his family. I think you couldn’t have squeezed one more person in that room,” said Yesenia Bernal Saravia, the youngest of Bernal’s six children.

“He took his last breath as we were worshiping and singing all around him. … One of the last songs that we sang together was Cuán Grande Es Él, (How Great Thou Art),” Bernal Saravia said.

The prolific accordionist, music pro ducer, radio personality and pastor suc cumbed to advanced lung cancer which was diagnosed at a late stage, causing Ber nal to deteriorate within a few months of its discovery, his daughter said.

But she took comfort that her father— who famously turned away from a life of drug and alcohol abuse in order to become a dedicated Christian who spread the gos pel across Latin America — died listening to the Spanish hymns that had filled his ministry for decades.

“To me, it’s very beautiful because he went peacefully — I want that to be known — and surrounded by those who loved him,” Bernal Saravia said.

“In his last moments, he cried out to Jesus and that was the most beautiful thing I could have ever seen,” she said some minutes later.

Bernal came from humble beginnings.

He was born in Raymondville in 1939 and was raised by a single mother who soon moved her family to Kingsville.

Bernal and his five siblings became farmworkers at a young age, picking cot ton and vegetables to support their family.

It was during his childhood in the 1940s and ‘50s that he became enamored with the accordion and some of its greatest Conjunto musicians, such as San Benito’s Narciso Marti nez, and Valerio Longoria, who was born in the ranchlands of Kenedy County.

When a childhood friend was gifted an accordion, Bernal was at last introduced to the instrument that would go on to change not only his life, but the history of Latino music.

“We lost not only a legend, but a master and a teacher,” said Frutty Villarreal, of Frutty Villarreal y Los Mavericks.

Villarreal spoke of the unparalleled skill Bernal had with the accordion — a musicality that has no match, even today.

“It was like a symphony, like an orchestra, in just four instruments. … I mean, all those notes that other people have to read, and Paulino was one of those masters. He was

playing all those notes, which — not even today — you will never see an accordionist that can play even halfway as complicated as him,” Villarreal said.

“He was just a real pro. … You didn’t have to record it many, many times to get it right,” said Paul Westbrook, a recording engineer who once worked at Discos Falcon

and they say those things, it really gets your attention,” he said.

The pair would cross paths several more times over the years, including when Bernal held a milestone birthday bash a few years ago.

Westbook said Bernal came out to greet him and Guz man with a fond remembrance of one recording session in particular — the Spanish canto of “Un Dia a la Vez,” or “One Day at a Time.”

“He came up, he grabbed me and hugged me and told me, ‘I don’t know whether you knew this, but you record ed the biggest hit I ever recorded, that outsold everything,’” Westbrook said of the moment.

Originally written as a country gos pel song by Marijohn Wilkin in the early 1970s, Bernal was one of the first musi cians to record it in Spanish, his daugh ter, Bernal Saravia said.

Like much of Bernal’s work, the song has become a mainstay among ma riachi troupes.

But while Bernal got his start play ing in cantinas and bailes to help sup port his mother and siblings, the bulk of his musical and professional career was spent sharing the testimony of his faith-inspired transformation.

For the young Paulino Bernal, the allure of his quickly rising musical no toriety had begun to lead him down the wrong path. He used alcohol and drugs.

Soon enough, Maria — the woman he had married when he was 19 years old and she was 24 — gave him an ulti matum: change, or the marriage is over.

“They were about to get divorced,” Bernal Saravia said.

“My mother came home and said, ‘I just don’t want to live this life anymore.’ … Either you keep on with that, or you change.’”

Bernal chose to change. And his marriage to Maria lasted 63 years.

recording studio in McAllen.

Westbrook, a Mississippi native, moved to the Rio Grande Valley in the 1970s and recorded Tejano music leg ends such as Roberto Pulido, Laura Canales, Los Unicos, Lydia Mendoza, Freddie Fender, and his good friend, Car los Guzman.

He also had the opportunity to record Bernal — but it wasn’t until later that he realized he had been in the pres ence of a soon-to-be-legend.

“Years later, I came to really appreciate him when I talked to other accordion players and they all said that Pau lino was the maestro. He was the best,” Westbrook said.

“When you’re talking to people like Grupo Duelo or Intocable, or these big, big groups that make lots of money

Bernal changed by following in the footsteps of his wife and son, Paulino Jr. in accepting Jesus Christ as his savior.

“The change was so drastic. He went from being fa mous in the secular world and he could have, he could have gone up and up and up and his life changed,” Bernal Sar avia said.

From that moment on, Bernal dedicated his life to Christianity and to spreading the message of salvation.

He would go on to found an international evangelical ministry with a home base at Valley Worship Center in

McAllen.

In the decades that followed, Bernal built an empire.

Bernal founded La Radio Cristiana — The Christian Radio — and owned over 40 radio stations throughout the United States, Mexico and Latin America.

Bernal established a ministry that de livered sermons through the network of stations, as well as via in-person church ser vices around the world.

“He was now ambitious to save souls for the Lord,” Bernal Sar avia said.

Along the way, his family be came integral parts of that ministry.

Bernal Sara via is a musician and minister of her own. And her two brothers, Paulino Jr. and Eloy, carry on the leadership at Valley Worship Center.

But though all six of his children followed his exam ple in one way or another via music or ministry, none of them took on the mantle of the accordion.

Instead, that gift skipped a generation and landed among some of Bernal’s 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchil dren, Bernal Saravia said.

One great-grandson, in particular, seems to have inherited Bernal’s knack for the instrument.

When asked what her father would have

liked his legacy to be, Bernal Saravia paused for a moment before saying his legacy re volves around three things: music, family and ministry.

She spoke of how her father was a per fectionist who demanded hard work and excel lence in the recording studio.

That sense of drive within himself also helped him discover greatness in others.

Bernal was instrumental in discovering musicians such as Ramon Ayala.

Ayala shared his gratitude for that mo ment in a Facebook post on Saturday night.

“It was you who gave me the first oppor tunity to know my music, and from that day until today, God has blessed me…” Ayala wrote, in Spanish.

“So many suc cesses and stories to gether, dear friend,” he wrote.

Bernal fos tered generations of award-winning musi cians, while earning accolades himself — including a Grammy nomination for his album, Maestro del Acordeón.

But perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments was when Lyndon B. Johnson invited him to play for U.S. troops fighting in the Vietnam War, Bernal Saravia said.

Bernal arrived in the country via he licopter — landing directly over the location he would be performing, and where he could clearly hear “los balazos” — the weapons fire — of the war going on around him.

“He’s very proud that he got to entertain the troops in Vietnam with his music,” his daughter said.

Safety City Opens for 41st Season, GenerationsCelebrating of Road Education to Big Country Students

By Karley Cross | BigCountryHomePage

For 41 years and counting, Safety City in Abilene has provided road safety education to thousands of Big Country Students. The child-sized education al facility opened its gates to Wylie third-graders Wednesday morning, where they learned about traffic, bike and pedestrian safety.

Sergeant Marc Couch with the Tex as Department of Public Safety told KTAB/KRBC Safe ty City is a gener ational tool that’s utilized and loved by many.

“Safety city is a legend in itself. Not only in the Abilene area, but all the surrounding coun ties that come here. Day-to-day, they see people come in to Safety City who are second and third generations of people who have been through this program,” Sgt. Couch explained. “Loved it as children, love it as adults, loving it now as grandparents – in some cases. It’s definitely a legacy to itself, and a very important project for the city of

Since October 1981, the Melvin Martin Center for Children’s Safety (best locally known as: Safety City) has provided Abilene students in grades one through three the following trainings: Bicycle safety, pedes trian safety, fire pre vention and stranger awareness.

Safety City hosts classes throughout the school year at its facility, located at 2601 South 7th Street.

Abilene.”

Student Organizations Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

By Maci Weathers | The Optimist, Abilene Christan University

National Hispanic Heritage Month began Sept. 15 with students and organizations celebrating their cultural heritage across campus.

Student organizations will cel ebrate this month with events such as Entra A La Plaza, Cha pels with Hispanic speakers and other smaller events including game and movie nights. The upcoming events are as follows:

Entra A La Plaza, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. at the GATA Fountain Bidi Bidi Banda Selena Tribute, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. in the Hunter Welcome Center

Hispanos Unidos Movie night, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m., Location TBA ACU Summit for Hispanic community Oct. 13-14 at the Onstead-Packer Biblical Stud ies Building in room 103 This year, Hispanos Unidos is using Hispanic Heritage month to promote and educate.

Entra A La Plaza is the biggest event of the year for Hispanos Unidos, Dama Cantu, event coordinator for HU and senior psychology major from Edin burg said.

“Every year I notice that every one comes, faculty, staff and students from other cultures,” Cantu said. “Overall, it is just a really big party and it’s a great way for people to meet each other.”

Entra A La Plaza is a chance for the ACU community to learn and celebrate heritage from Hispanic countries by eating food and listening to music.

HU President and senior nursing major from Kaufman Dylan Cordero said the main take away from this event is for people to realize there are other traditions to take in.

“People of the culture want other people to learn what goes into our culture,” Cordero said.

“I want them to be able to go home and tell their families, maybe they don’t have this where they

histories and cultures of American citizens from countries like Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Another reason for celebra tion that surrounds National Hispanic Heritage Month is the independence of Latin American countries like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Claudia Panta Santos, pres ident of the International Student Association and senior music major from Abilene said the main takeaway of the month is to celebrate and highlight Hispanic culture and roots individually.

Originally, Panta is from Peru and most Hispanic countries do not celebrate this month, however, she understands the importance of this month to the U.S.

“It is important for me to remember where I come from,” Panta said. “I feel like part of the reason why I came here is to learn from the American culture and sometimes one can get so immersed in it that you can forget your own roots.”

come from, it’s just a big learning experience.”

Observation of National Hispanic Heritage Month started in 1968, enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and was expanded for the 30-day period by President Ronald Reagan.

Ending Oct. 15, this month will celebrate the

ISA is home to many in ternational students that are Hispanic and is making sure they are being seen and heard this month, Panta said.

“Sometimes it’s good to feel celebrated,” Panta said. “It’s good to feel that people want to know more and celebrate you for who you are and not for the American version of yourself.”

A woman dances in her traditional dress at Hispano Unidos’ Entra A La Plaza. (Photo by Claire Shipley)

To place your loved ones obituary or to honor them with a special message, please contact our offices at: (325) 673-4521 Email: info@hispaniclifemedia.com

Sheila Z. Maharaj, 77, of Abilene passed away on September 21, 2022. Sheila Z. Maharaj was born on December 16th, 1944 In Libertville, Rio Claro Trinidad. She was the daughter of Shamoon and Myra Khan. She was a graduate of St. Stephen’s College in Princes Town, Trinidad. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, and child of the Most High GOD. She has gone home to her Lord. She leaves behind her husband Reynold, of 57 years, son Peter, and daughters, Dr. Indira Maharaj-Mikiel MD, Sandira Maharaj, and Vandi ra Intong, (husband Mark), 10 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, a younger brother; an older sister, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her son Valmic (Mickey). Sheila, was a teacher, businesswoman, philanthropist, mission ary, caretaker, joker, encourager, and adopted mother of many who loved her dearly. She was a member of Connect Church of Abilene Tx. She was a mighty prayer warrior, and woman of great faith. She always did her utmost to exemplify what it meant to be a Proverbs 31 woman. She was also a total ballbuster, not a tolerator of damn jackassness, and all in all a well-loved P.I.T.A What is a godly mother? A godly mother is one who loves the lord her GOD with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then passionately, consistently, and unrelentingly teaches her children to do the same. She was such a woman.

Michelle Lee Guns “Chelle” 29, was called home Wednesday, Sept 21, 2022. Born in Abilene, Texas to Kenn and Nohemi Guns on November 18th, 1992. Michelle was bold, di rect and genuine. She was a devoted mother, daughter and sister. In her short time here, her accomplishments were many. Michelle flourished in every area of her life. She was a conqueror with a heart of gold. Her boys, Aleczaye and Royale, meant the world to her. She went above and beyond for her kids. She never missed a chance to make them happy. Michelle was a very ac tive mother and spent her free time playing softball for the Abilene Softball association for the women and Coed Teams, Chelle loved taking her family on vacations, including many weekend get aways. She worked for a great company, Big E Services LLC in the oil industry were she showed diligence and overcame many obsta cles. She was a gift from God. Her word’s of wisdom and inspiration will always be engraved in our heart’s. She

often said “You have what it Takes, Act like it”

Michelle is survived by her mother Nohemi Guns, sons Aleczaye Valero and Royale Rodriguez, Sister Maritza Griner, brother Jorge Vasquez and a host of family and many friends. She was preceded in death by her father Kenn Guns, grandmother Consuelo Peim bert, and uncle Samuel Peimbert Jr. Services entrusted to North’s Funeral Home, online condolences may be made at www.northsfuneralhome.com

We love you so much Michelle. We’re all so proud of the women you became. We’re so lucky to have known you and to have witnessed your strength.

“But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

2 Chronicles 15:7

Jose Bravo Jr , of Abilene passed away Friday, September 16, 2022. Jose was born on December 16, 1976 in Florisville, Tx to Jose Bravo Sr. and Aurelia Hernandez. Jose received his primary education from Abilene High schools. After High School he started working for HSU. In His spare time he loved to go to pawn shops and work on cars.

Jose was preceded in death by grandparents Emanuel and Francisca Hernandez, Theo doro Salines, uncle George Hernandez and aunts Mary Lo pez and Rosa Sanchez.

Left to cherish his memories are: Spouse: Tonya Vera; mother; Aurelia Hernandez, father; Jose Bravo Sr. Florisville, Tx, grandparent; Eliase and Aurora Bravo Flo risville, Tx; siblings; Amanda Fuentes (husband Carlos Siller) of Abilene, Tx; Felicia Bravo Florisville, Tx ; Juanita Idusogie (husband Peter Idusogie) Dallas, Tx; children; Mark Morgan (wife Summer Thomas), Laticia Vera (hus band Michael Steadman),Dezarray Limon (husband Michael Limon), Joadam Bravo; 5 grandchildren; Raily Morgan; Alyiana Morgan; Aracelli Bravo; Ofelia Holley, Anthony Morgan all from Abilene, Tx; 3 nieces Ariyanna Fuentes (husband Vincent Mora) Abilene, Tx; Analina and Jayla from Florisville, Tx; and 1 nephew Marcos Fuentes 1 great niece Annaleah Mora; 1 great nephew Elijah Mora all from Abilene, Tx. Aunts and Uncles; Pat ty Barrera (husband JR Munoz); Alice Flores (husband Joe Flores); Sylvia Guevara ( husband Peter Guevara); Johnny Bravo (wife Maria Bravo); Rosemary Molina (hus band Raul Molina); Mando Bravo (wife Maggie Bravo) all from Florisville, Tx., Emanuel Hernandez Jr (wife Sue) from Michigan; Antonio Hernandez (wife Thomasa Her nandez); Paul Hernandez; Juan Hernandez (wife Lupe Hernandez); Ester Lopez; Frankie Hernandez (wife Delia Hernandez) all from Abilene, Tx.And numerous extend ed family and friends.

Abilene Non-Profit Thanks Partners for 45 Years of Dedication to Victims of Violent Crimes

By Noah McKinney | BigCoutnryHomePage

The Regional Victim Crisis Center (RVCC) commemorated 45 years of operation in Abilene and the Big Country during Domes tic Violence Awareness Month, October. To toast to the last 45 years and hope for many more, the RVCC wanted to thank its partner ing organizations and services by feeding those who help make its work in the commu nity possible.

With much appreciation, the RVCC is hold ing a special luncheon on Tuesday, October 11 from 11:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m., hosted outside its offices at 310 North Willis Street.

Janey Wawerna, Executive Director for the RVCC, said she invites all of the following to stop by for a bite:

•First responders

•Those in the justice system

•City officials

•Anyone who works to help victims of violent crimes

“We want to feed their bodies because they have fed our souls,” Wawerna said.

Since its founding in 1977, the RVCC has worked with community services to provide a lifeline to survivors of sexual assault, violent crime and domestic abuse. Although, when the center first opened it was known as the Abilene Rape Crisis Hotline.

“A need was identified that rape victims need ed proper care and support to navigate the jus tice system,” explained Wawerna.

Congrats to Tremain Jackson as he reached his 20 years of working full-time for the Abilene Public Library. He started off way back in 1999 as a library page, but served most of his time as the South Branch Manager from 2005-2017. He’s now the Technology & Multimedia Manager for the library system working out of the Main Library. Here’s to 20 more years with the library as he looks forward to the new facility at the future Abilene Heritage Square!

“As Hispanics We Need to Come Back to Our Roots,”: Abilene Dance Group Shares Hispanic Heritage Through Dance

By Shelly Womack | BigCountryHomePage

The Ballet Folklorico del Big Country came to be after inspiration from another Ballet Folklorico in Abilene. Their mis sion is to be accessible to the community, teach heritage to the performers and show that to the community.

Ballet Folklorico dancing is no different than ballet according to Allysun Gutier rez, choreographer for Ballet Folklorico del Big Country. She said it is still telling a story at the end of the day.

“Every region of Mexico has a different story to tell, but at the end of the day, it all comes back to love,” said Gutierrez.

From the dancing techniques to the cos tumes, this group holds a story in every aspect. Anita Olguin, Costume Chair, said each girl gets to choose her dresses color and express themselves through it. After the colors are chosen, Olguin makes the headpieces and skirts, spending around 20 hours for each skirt.

Elvia De Leon, Director, said this group has been able to per form all around the community, from college campuses to community events.

“Abilene has been very embracing to Ballet Folklorico del Big Country,” said De Leon. De Leon said they want their children to learn about Ballet Folklori co, music, traditions, celebrations and so much more.

“So that’s kind of what we include with what we teach at Ballet Folklorico del Big Country ,” said De Leon.

“As Hispanics, we need to come back to our roots,” said Olguin.

The Ballet Folklorico is currently out of space where they rehearse, and hope that within the next two years, they can find a new building to practice in, although this group is not slowing down anytime soon.

“Of course, we will always take new dancers and will have reg istration opened up again next August for new members,” said Gutierrez. The Ballet Folklorico del Big Country grows each year, and they hope that it will continue to grow each year.

“The passion is definitely there,” said Gutierrez. “It means some thing different to everybody, for me it means culture.”

Lessons from Janitor Father Inspired Joseph Manga to Earn Doctorate, Join ACU Faculty

By Lance Fleming | Abilene Christian University

Growing up in Cameroon as the oldest child in a family of five, Dr. Joseph Manga never imag ined where his life would take him.

Four different universities for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral work, as well as tutor ing and teaching experience, have all been part of the experience. And this past summer, it led him to ACU and the College of Business Ad ministration where he is teaching Management Information Systems.

Manga now joins the full-time faculty as a tenure-track assistant professor of information systems and management science. None of this was what Manga expected to be his life’s work while living in Cameroon. But as he would come to learn, God had other plans for his life.

“As we know, many may be the plans in a man’s heart, but the Lord determines the end,” he said. “I began with mathematics, did a lit tle bit of computer science, and then moved on to business. This all worked out because I didn’t just want to be crunching numbers and not know how to interpret them. So, I devel oped my love for learning from my personal experience. As an introvert, I thought doing something that would keep me from talking to people would be great. That’s why I’m so pas sionate about research. That was all my plan. But God’s plan was to send me to love and talk to people.”

Knowing all of that, it still took a chance con versation with a friend that pointed him toward teaching and meeting the needs of young peo ple.

“I vividly remember sometime in 1998 a friend walked up to me and said, ‘I see you as a teacher,’ “ Manga said. “I didn’t want to hear that because I never wanted to teach, part ly because of my personality. But as I applied myself to learning, I realized there is more to teaching than just transferring knowledge. It involves mentoring and discipleship, which are godly assignments that we are called to fulfill. I believe that teaching brings transfor mation to many when it is done in a godly way. That’s why I’m excited to be part of a family and community that focus on raising a holistic

generation in terms of spiritual academic for mation, who will, in turn, move on to serve and transform their world.”

He’s also motivated by the memory of his fa ther, who passed away last January. Manga is

but it served as a challenge to the educational experience I have today, which I see as a bless ing.”

Manga earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Buea in Cameroon before earning a Master’s of Business Administra tion from Midwestern State University in 2014, a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of North Texas in 2018, and finally his Ph.D., in Business Administration from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in 2022.

During all of his academic work, Manga has continued his research in several different areas of management information systems, technology, information security policy com pliance, business analytics, health informa tion technology, cyber security, and many others.

“Research is a passion,” Manga said. It’s one way to apply my background knowledge in mathematics, which is problem-solving. Identifying problems and looking for ways to provide solutions to these problems is what drives me into research. Finally, I see research as making a little contribution to ac ademia and giving back to the community.”

the first person in his family to attain a doc torate, and he attributes his decision to reach the highest level of education to his father, who worked as a janitor at the university Manga at tended in Cameroon.

“My dad was a strong motivator and propo nent for pursuing education, which is a passion for me now – to see young people educated,” Manga said. “As a janitor, my dad would wake up very early to go clean the classrooms before students started classes. I still remember one instance when my dad’s supervisor verbally demeaned him, and I felt bad. But I decided to get to the highest level of education and use it to honor the janitors who keep our work envi ronment clean. It was an awful life experience,

Manga has also worked as a men’s ministry coordinator at Abundant Grace Community Church in Edinburg and as a tutor while in Wichita Falls. And he’s kept up with a fami ly that includes wife Clarise and four children: Abijoy (9), Solien-Pearl (6), Zoe-Ann (5), and Joe-Praise (4), all of whom he calls “inquisitive disciples.”

And now the family of six has found its way to Abilene and ACU, where Manga is ready and willing to serve as God leads.

“I am passionate to serve, especially in an envi ronment that aligns with one’s beliefs and val ues,” he said. “When the opportunity opened to be part of a culture and institution that trains godly business leaders in whatever capacity they find themselves, I was glad to jump on it. God opened this door and I love to follow His lead.”

Abilene High’s Sullivan is National Merit Semifinalist

By Abilene Reporter-News

Abilene High School senior Griffin Sullivan was named a semi finalist for the National Merit Scholarship, making him one of more than 16,000 high school seniors across the country who earned the distinction.

Sullivan continues in the competition, which awards around 7,250 National Merit Scholars in the spring with awards total ing nearly $28 million in scholarships.

To be considered, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

About 95% of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

The nationwide pool of semifi nalists, representing less than 1% U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

In addition to his academic suc cess, Sullivan plays No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Abilene High varsity tennis team and is part of the Abilene High choir.

To become a finalist, Sullivan and an Abilene High School of ficial must submit a detailed scholarship application detailing his semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, em ployment and honors and awards received.

A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

Congratulations!

Wylie Implement and Sprayers would like to congratulate the winners of the West Texas Fair and Rodeo Truck and Tractor pulls. Thank you to the Texas Truck and Tractor Pullers As soc. for a great show. Thank you to Danny Olney and com pany for an amazing job putting this together and thank you to all the behind-the-scenes crew for all you do. Also, thanks to Tim Glover at 1-Off Custom Fabrication for the awesome trophies!

Class Winners:

•Limited Mod.Raymond Mahalik

•Econo Rod - Scott McGrew

•Pro Stock 4X4 - Paul Tyus

•4X4 DieselVanessa Hindman

•Hot Farm Diesel TractorBrian •Sandbothe

•Pro Mod. - Scooter Chiat

•Super Modified 2WDDavid Hunt

Shout out to Gaven Olney. At 16 years old he made his second ever pass so he can get some seat time in before roll ing into competition. Young blood following the family tradition. Way to go Gaven!

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Scholarships

By Abilene Independent School District

Former Hardin-Simmons University Board Member, Homero Gonzalez had a deep commitment to the future of young people and was an advocate for Christian higher ed ucation.

“He encouraged so many young people to attend HSU, advised them on scholarships available, and encouraged them to set goals and to simply be the best they could be,” his wife Jacqueline shared in a 2001 Range Rider.

Upon his passing in 1995, Gonza lez’s family established a scholar ship in his memory. The scholar ship continues to benefit students seeking higher education in busi ness, with preference given to stu dents who identify as Hispanic.

Gonzalez retired from the U.S. Air Force at the rank of Lt. Col. after 21 years and continued to serve his community in various roles. As early as 1978, The Brand advertised Gonzalez as a guest speaker on campus for stu dent events.

He was involved in the Abilene community as a member of the nominating committee for the Citizens for Better Government, the Texas Employment Commis sion advisory council 1984-1992, the Kiwanis Club of Abilene, the Abilene Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, the U.S. Air Force Association, and the Abilene Institute of Bank ing. In addition, Gonzalez was president of the Mexican Amer ican Citizens for Success and served on many boards, includ ing HSU’s. Gonzalez was Vice President of Cash Management, Correspondent Banking, and Se curity, and spent 23 years with First National Bank of Abilene.

Scott Dueser, chairman and CEO of First Financial Bank, shared in 2001, “I can think of no

better way to honor the life of this fine man than by support ing a scholarship that will live throughout the life of HSU, an institution Gonzalez loved.”

Homero Gonzalez passed away October 13, 1995, and he con tinues to positively impact Har din-Simmons University stu dents.

Jorge Del-Rio is the cur rent recipient of the Homero A. Gonzalez Endowed Memorial Scholarship. Del-Rio is a senior computer science and business major from Groesbeck, TX.

Del-Rio shared that because of the family atmosphere and student-staff connectedness, he knew HSU was a place he could call home. This year, Del-Rio will wrap up his senior year with people who have become like family, as he plays his final season of football and serves as president of Theta Alpha Zeta.

As a first-generation college student, Del-Rio expressed grat itude toward his hard-working parents for their sacrifices over the years.

“My mother was born in Lub bock and would work long hours in the fields with her mother until her late 20s, later going back to school to get her GED. My father made it through middle school in Cuba before coming to the states in the late 1980s, and worked hard for every penny he earned,” he shared. “Eventually he found my mom, and together they found a stable place to raise a family. The struggles my family went through to get me where I am at allowed me to be come a first-generation college student and opened doors to my future that I couldn’t imagine were possible.”

Del-Rio hopes to someday open his own IT firm to pro vide jobs for others and share the values he has learned at HSU with others.

“Receiving this award gave me even more motivation to accomplish my goals because it proved to me that there is someone who believes in the dreams that I have put forth,” stated Del-Rio.

Jorge Del-Rio is the current recipient of the Homero A. Gonzalez Endowed Memorial Scholarship. Del-Rio is a senior computer science and business major from Groesbeck, TX.

Homero Gonzalez

Exercise Science Program at Hardin-Simmons Becomes First with Honor in the State

By Tyler Greene | KTXS

The exercise science program at Hardin-Simmons University is the first and only program in the state to receive an accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Pro grams.

That means that the skills that students are learn ing in the classroom will help in whatever careers they want to do. According to one of the Program’s Professors Dr. Chuck Ruot, “we’re a small school so the education you get is more one on one with the professor developing relationship and you get that mentoring. It’s good for the student to know that a place that maybe isn’t as large, they can still get a quality education that going to prepare them for these certifications and be successful in their careers.”

Mariana Luna is a graduate student in the program from Waco and wants to be Physical Trainer. She spent her undergrad in this program, and explains why she chose HSU over a bigger school.

“I wanted something with like a family atmosphere

Shrimp

because I enjoy getting to know my professors and be one on one with them. I feel like I couldn’t do that at a bigger university.”

One of the unique aspects of the exercise science at Hardin-Simmons is the hands-on application process that students get. Ruot says students don’t just learn from lectures but actually get to put the skills they learn about to the test while still in the classroom.

“It seems like the students retain the information better when we teach in cognitively and deductively and then we come together and do hands on with be cause some students are visual and they learn hands on and that kind of reinforces that material a lit bit better. But, actually we ultimately want to be able to apply this in some way. So doing the hands on component with that allows us to kind of take the application of that and do it.”

Ruot and Luna also believe that this accreditation will not only help the students and the program in the future but all of Hardin-Simmons University.

Cheeseburgers for

AP Art Students Kick Off AEF’S Young Masters Program with Workshop

By Abilene Independent School District

The Abilene Education Foundation kicked off the Young Masters AP Art program for the 2022-23 school year Sept. 6 at The Grace Museum. AP Art students from both Abilene High School and Cooper High School par ticipated in a workshop with local artist and former Abilene ISD educator Mary K. Huff.

Huff led the students through an exploration of the creative process through collage in a workshop designed for all students, no matter their media preference. After a brief introduction to the medium, method, and materials avail able, students went to work creating their pieces.

The Young Master’s program got its start in 2007 and is mod eled after the O’Don nell Foundation program at the Dallas Mu seum of Art.

“Our AEF Young Master’s program is now unique in this part of the country,” said AEF Executive Director Adam Samuels. “To our knowledge, no other juried, judged art exhi bition show in the region has show awards that are college scholarships.”

Huff, who graduated from Abilene High and then majored in Painting and Metalsmith

ing at Midwestern State University, taught at CHS before retiring in 2014. She’s a mem ber of the Center for Contemporary Arts in Abilene, working in assemblage and collage.

The program was the first of three that will occur during the fall. On Sept. 30, AP Art stu dents from the AHS and CHS will learn about Solarplate Etching with artist Colette Cope land. That process combines photography,

congratulations

design, and printmaking. Students will learn about the process, expose their plate, and print it on a press.

On Oct. 24, students will work with oil clay to create an additive and subtractive sculpture in the manner that collaborative artist Steve Neves uses to build his sculptures that are shown around downtown Abilene. Students will learn about the process, technique, and more.

TSTC Nursing students honored during a pinning ceremony on September 2 were (from left) Kelly Jennings, Maria Martinez, Carrie Hahn, Alice Osero, Daniel Otema, Cristina Carson, Virginia Esparza, Emily Puente, Christine Vickers and Jenine Hernandez. (Photo courtesy of TSTC.)

Journalism Student Reflects on the Power of a Simple Touch, A Lesson Learned in Uganda

By Abilene Christian University

Sometimes lessons learned on a mission trip extend far beyond the trip itself. Emily Shafer, a senior journalism major from Lubbock, Tex as, tells about one such lesson.

Emily was chosen to travel to Kampala, Ugan da, as part of Wildcat Academics on Mission, a program that integrates mission and service with coursework. She accompanied ACU speech pathology students with the role of creating a documen tary using the skills she was acquiring through her journal ism degree.

“We worked with Hope Speaks, a non profit that specializes in speech communi cation disorders and swallowing therapy for children with dis abilities in Uganda,” she said. “They do a lot of outreach work as well as home vis its in the major city slums, where they have pop-up clinics for nearby families.”

While learning about the organization and a new culture, she also learned something important about her self.

By Emily Shafer

My love language has never been physical touch. I always considered touch taboo, in a way. I’m the friend that stands there awkwardly when you say hello. I’m the friend that you know to wave at instead of em brace. I’ve always been that friend. I have nev er shown love physically, nor have I received it in such a way. For years, I had felt this way, until one day I just didn’t. My whole world changed as a result.

This summer, I traveled to Kampala, Uganda, for a three-week mission-styled trip. I met a lot of new people and was welcomed in a lot of new ways, some of which definitely brought me out of my comfort zone. I realized the true

power of touch only a couple of days into the trip. You see, we interacted with a lot of younger kids in the slum areas of the capital city; that’s where the therapy work was being conducted. Our arms, hands and legs always had a friend attached to them; even if we couldn’t see them, they were always there.

Once we caught on to their desire to hold us, or actually their desire to feel our skin, we began to offer our hands as a new way of saying, “hello.” We realized this was a universal greeting. No language barrier could compete with it. We were all one during this moment. This touch connect ed me with these new people in ways that words never could’ve. Touch is so incredibly powerful. It is globally associ ated with trust and love, and I experi enced this first-hand.

I see physical touch in a completely dif ferent way now. I see it as a way to reach those that feel disconnected with our world. I see it as something more than I ever had be fore. Jesus shows us the power of phys ical touch in many ways throughout Scripture. In Matthew 8:3, it says that Jesus touched the leper – one that was shunned by the rest of society. In Uganda, peo ple with disabilities are often seen as “unclean” or “cursed.”

We were told pretty early on that holding one’s child meant you found them beautiful, and that children with disabilities usually weren’t passed around like the other kids. Imagine the glee in the eyes of a mother after someone asks to hold her baby for the first time – that joy became our everything, as did touch. I took away many things from this experience, but the main thing was that touch is a universal gift of love.

Emily Shafer interacts with children in Katanga, one of the larger slums of Kampala. “The local kids were mesmerized by my camera and wanted to see and touch it,” she said. “This recurred throughout the three weeks. They loved the camera!” PHOTO BY BEN DAVID/HOPE SPEAKS

Cisco College Theatre Department Premieres Murder Mystery Dinner Show

By Colton Wedeking | Director of Marketing & Public Relations, Cisco College

WHO: Cisco College, with campuses in Abilene, Texas, and Cisco, Texas, announced today the dates for its theatre department’s traveling dinner show, “The Banishing,” an original play written by Z.J. Frizzell.

WHAT: The murder-mystery dinner show explores the insidiousness of small-town friendships, as an amateur journalist investigates a paranormal threat at a deadly me morial service.

Guests at the 30-minute thriller will enjoy local catering, while the ghost of Eastland’s infamous Screaming Sheila haunts the evening.

WHY: The Cisco College theatre department is on a mission to engage the community with unforgettable art and entertainment. The fall production celebrates the rich history of Eastland County by breathing life into a local legend. It will travel to four entertainment venues to pro vide regional audiences with greater access to the cultural experience.

WHERE/ WHEN:

Blue Duck Winery (Oct. 13, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.)

507 Conrad Hilton Blvd, Cisco, TX 76437

Lyric Art Center (Oct. 15, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.)

107 S Lamar St, Eastland, TX 76448

KAO Lounge (Oct. 20, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.)

137 B Oak St, Abilene, TX 79602

Crawford Theatre (Oct. 23, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.)

101 College Heights, Cisco, TX 76437

CATERING: Bartee’s Bar-B-Que (Cisco, TX)

Spanky’s Catering (Eastland, TX)

Graze Abilene (Abilene, TX)

TICKETS: $5-$30, catering included RSVP required at Eventbrite

RATED: PG-13; moderate language, violence and scares

Way Uses Creativityto Build For the Future

By McMurry University

Hannah Way ’19 is proud to bring creativity to her work every single day.

After graduating from McMurry in 2019 with a Business Marketing degree, Way began her career journey looking for jobs in Weather ford, TX. But that plan changed when she packed up and made the move to Saint Augus tine, FL.

“I started my own busi ness as soon as I moved to Florida in March 2021,” Way said.

Hanmade Details, Way’s business, focus es on teaching people how to flip furniture themselves and how to complete their own furniture DIYs. Her In stagram alone has 131 thousand followers, but Way also uses TikTok to engage her audience as a content creator.

“Social media plays a huge part in my suc cess,” Way said. “Being a content creator and working with different brands, I get to share all the work I put into my projects, while teaching others how to do the same.”

Way credits the mentors she learned from at McMurry for helping her develop a “don’t give up” attitude in an ever-changing media world.

“I had many mentors and friends that were very influential for me during my time at Mc Murry, I was blessed to be surrounded by the

best people and coaches,” Way said. “A lesson

I have taken into my career that I learned at McMurry is. . .Nothing will take you further than dedication, consistency, and hard work! I learned to never give up even when things get tough and to always persevere with positivity and confidence in all that I do.”

When asked to describe what she most enjoys most about her job in one word, she exclaimed, “Creativ ity!”

“My favorite part of running my own business is that I get to con tinue to build a platform around my creativity,” Way said. “Having the opportunity to bring out my person ality and creativity in my work and getting paid for doing it, is a dream come true. I’m very thankful.”

During her time at McMurry, Way also played wom en’s soccer for all four years. She was part of the Delta Beta Ep silon social club and was a KoSari social club sweet heart. Those men tors and lessons she learned at Mc Murry helped her build a foundation for running her own business suc cessfully.

“A special thank you to McMurry University and all of my mentors for helping me build my future,” Way said.

You can find Hannah Way on many social me dia platforms under the username @hanmade. details.

5 Habits You Should Instill in Your Kids

By Dan Orlovsky | AllProDad

I have a silly habit: I love washing dishes. I can’t go to bed with dishes in the sink. Do you have a random must-do chore you do around the house every day? Whatever it is, your dai ly habits like that one make you the person you are. I know from my football days that you are your daily habits. If you don’t practice well, you won’t play well.

Athletes call it the “one percent” rule. If you’re focused on getting just a little bit better each day, you’ll find over time that you’ll look back and see that small, daily habits actual ly made you better. Your kids can look back to see the same. Teaching good habits for kids can be tough, but it can be done. Here are 5 habits you should instill in your kids.

Habit 1: Show up.

To play at the pro level, or at any level, you have to show up consis tently. Showing up is what sepa rates players. You won’t get far if you don’t show up. My wife and I teach our kids to start planning for their tomorrow the night before. This helps get them mentally pre pared for the next day so they show up ready for what may come their way.

Showing up consistently is what separates us as dads too. Showing up often means being on time and being helpful. It’s about knowing your responsibility. You can teach good habits for kids by modeling responsibility through your actions. Do what you say you’re going to do. If you make a promise, see it through. Trust me—your kids are watching.

Habit 2: Find the good.

Winston Churchill said, “Success is the abil ity to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” In the worst times, find the good. When I lost a football game, I could focus on the loss or I could find something

worth learning about the loss. Yes, the wins are nice. But I often learned more from the losses.

Teach your kids to find the good—in people, in situations, and in themselves. I don’t want my kids learning to judge too quickly. Assume the best first. Work against being the downer of the group. Are you that guy in your family? No matter what’s happening, do your kids see your positivity? Learn to focus on the positive and

ing example of good habits for kids? Do they see someone who is grateful? Being grateful will change how you talk about your job, other people, and your family.

Habit 4: Lift up others.

The best teammates I’ve played with are guys who lift others up. On and off of the field, it’s important to be the one who encourages others. For most of my days, football was my family. I was blessed to have folks like Jon Kitna and Josh McCown encourage me and speak into my life.

Are you the dad who lifts others up? Do your kids see it? Walk by your kids and, out of the blue, tell them you love them or mention something good they did. If this type of talk is constantly in your home, it will change your kids’ lives. When our kids play a sport, we tell them every game to pick a teammate or coach and tell him or her something he or she did well. The goal is to raise kids who see beyond themselves and look for ways to encourage others.

Habit 5: Work hard.

you’ll raise more positive kids.

Habit 3: Be grateful.

I learned over the years with football just how fleeting my time was on the field. I didn’t al ways get this right, but I tried to appreciate the time I was given on the field. As you age, you realize even the seemingly small things, like working out and practicing with other athletes, are worth being thankful for.

Hanging on the door to my kids’ room is a sign with motivational reminders. One of the sen tences is “I am thankful.” We always tell our kids—and we have them repeat it back to us— to “be thankful for what you have, not what you don’t.” In your words and actions, are you a liv

Athletes know the importance of work ing hard. You can’t go very far if you aren’t willing to put in the work. Most folks see the good things that happen in those few seconds on the field. But they don’t see the hours, weeks, months, and years of hard work it takes to play on the field.

Paul “Bear” Bryant said, “We can’t have two standards, one set for the dedicated young men who want to do something ambitious and one set for those that don’t.” You have to teach your kids to do hard things. We ask our kids daily, “What are the two things you can control?” The answer is “your attitude and your effort.” We also ask, “What’s the difference between you and everyone else?” The answer is “out-work ing them.” Make sure your kids see you working hard and they’ll be more likely to do the same.

Don’t Dread

By Joyce Meyer | Joyce Meyer Ministries

Let’s face it, sometimes life can be difficult. Not every day is going to be filled with good news or things we like to do.

However, if there was one thing you could do to make every day better, would you do it?

The truth is, God never intends for us to be mis erable or have “a hor rible day,” even when things aren’t going our way. He wants us to ex pect good things and stay full of hope, regard less of our circumstances.

And here are two words that will help you to do it: Don’t dread.

What is dread? Dread is simply expecting to have an unpleasant experience—it is the exact opposite of hope.

Without even realizing it, I think a lot of people dread their way through the day. We can dread going to work, dread the traffic jam, dread do ing the dishes, doing laundry, cutting the grass, cooking dinner, and on and on.

However, dread can steal our joy and ruin our day. Instead, I encourage you to stop being mis erable about stuff you can’t do anything about. Choose to stay happy and let God take care of it!

In every situation, we need to have an attitude that says, “I can do whatever I need to do, and I’m not going to stop enjoying my life, regard less of what is happening. I didn’t plan for this thing, but I know God can work everything out for my good.”

For example, my husband Dave used to get de bilitating migraine headaches. If you’ve ever had one, you know how it goes; the headache comes on little by little. So when it first begins, you naturally begin to dread it and think, Oh no, here it goes again!

One day the Lord spoke to Dave’s heart and said, “When you feel those headaches coming on, don’t dread them. You can enjoy your life anyway.”

Romans 8:37 says, Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through him who loved us (AMPC).

This is what the resurrection power of Jesus Christ is all about. It means right in the middle of all these things we are more than conquerors. We don’t have to wait until they are over to en joy our lives!

So, Dave started practicing what the Lord showed him. When a migraine would come on, he’d say, “Nope, I’m not going to dread it—I’m going to enjoy my life.” Not long after, he stopped getting the headaches altogether.

Now, I’m not saying it will always make your problems go away. However, choosing to not dread will certainly make life better!

In Psalm 23:4, David says, Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me... (AMPC).

David doesn’t just mention fear, but he also in cludes dread. Why? Because dread is the fore runner of fear, and we should resist it immedi ately. Success begins with the small stuff.

I’ll never forget years ago when the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “A lot of people are trying to cast out devils when they don’t even have au thority over a sink full of dirty dishes.”

Having a victorious life isn’t only about the “big” things in life—it begins with the little things.

The Lord wants us to be able to have success and joy in every area of our lives, and con quering dread is a major part of it. Our choice to have a positive, hopeful attitude can literally make all the difference!

For instance, sometimes we defeat ourselves before the day ever really gets started. We think to ourselves, Oh, it’s laundry day again. Then tomorrow is grocery shopping and cleaning the house. Man, this is just going to be a bad couple of days.

Sure, there will be some things in life that are more difficult or less enjoyable, however they don’t have to make us miserable or ruin our day. The choice is really up to us and the attitude we choose to take.

It’s amazing how we can feel sorry for ourselves and then allow our attitude to ruin a perfectly good day for ourselves and others. Trust me, I know—I was quite good at playing “the mar tyr” when it came to doing housework.

I would often walk around the house in a huff, mumbling things like, “Well, everyone around here expects me to do everything. Dave goes out and plays golf and the kids make messes. I just cook their meals and clean their dishes and do their laundry. I want to know who cares about me!”

The truth was no one was forcing me to do those things. I chose to do them because I love my family. However, I rarely enjoyed myself because I was so determined to have a negative attitude.

Sound familiar? Your situation may not be about housework, but we’re all tempted to feel sorry for ourselves and dread something at one time or another.

Even when bad or inconvenient things happen to us, we can still choose to respond in a pos itive way. When we do, we are agreeing with God, because God is always positive.

I encourage you to play “The Glad Game.” What is it? When you’re faced with a negative situation, choose on purpose to look at the po tential good!

For instance, if you get stuck in traffic, say “I’m moving slow and running behind, but maybe God is protecting me from an accident that would have occurred if I was going faster.”

This works for any situation, big or small. Even if it’s something as important as losing a job, you can choose to shift your focus to the posi tive and say, “I may be out of work, but now I have an opportunity to watch God provide me with a better job than I had before!”

The Bible says the Lord [earnestly] waits [ex pecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you...that He may have mercy on you and show lovingkindness to you... (Isaiah 30:18 AMPC).

No matter what life brings your way, God has a plan to make it better—a plan filled with hope and good things.

I encourage you to get in agreement with Him. Approach each day with a positive attitude and choose to not dread. As you do, I believe you will begin to find joy in every single part of your life.

Bullet Points

By Kristie Carpenter | The Blended Family Mom

The Bible still amazes me. I have read through it since I was little, and yet it still comes alive and the Scriptures speak to me in new and fresh ways.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the divi sion of soul and of spirit ...”

As I was reading 2 Timothy 4, starting with verse 14, I found Paul’s bullet points for life – again, God’s Word alive and active – sharp and piercing.

Bullet Point 1: Paul reminds us that God will repay others for the harm they have caused us. As step moms, we most like ly have been hurt by a previous marriage or relationship. Pres ently, you may be ter rorized by an ex. No matter who has done what, God sees the whole picture – the total truth. He will take care of the ones who have been unjust or malicious to you.

Bullet Point 2: In verses 16 and 17, Paul reminds us that even when we have been abandoned, God stands at our side to give us strength. Yes, God loves us. But the bigger picture here is of God proclaiming, through our lives, His glory. Our lives can be a powerful testimony of the pres ence, power, protection, and provision of God to an unbelieving and watching world.

Bullet Point 3: In verse 18, Paul reminds us that God will rescue us from every evil attack. The battle is God’s. Trust, faith and belief is our part of the plan. I know that when we have been at tacked, the first response is to retaliate. I’m guilty of that as well. But, I have to remind myself that God knows best! Let Him handle it.

Bullet Point 4: In verse 18b, Paul reminds us of

the final goal – to be safely with Jesus in His heavenly kingdom. As I look closely at our so ciety today, I’m troubled; I’m nervous for my kids and grandkids to navigate a world in which anything goes – with no absolute truth. Sec ond Timothy 3:1-4 is our reality check. It says, “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lov ers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedi ent to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unfor giving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacher ous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” Even as I scroll through my Facebook pages, it’s easy to find almost every item Paul list ed. I encourage you to take a deeper look at Paul’s message to us in Second Timothy.

God repays others who have hurt us. God stands by us as we proclaim Him. God rescues us from evil attacks. God has an amazing kingdom in heaven that is our home.

Sounds like God has covered all the bases. Now go walk in it!

Blessings in your Blending!

(Editor’s note: Women’s author, speak er and mentor Kristie Carpenter, aka The Blended Family Mom, has been a blended family/step mom since 2004; her blended family currently includes four children and four grandchildren.

Follow Kristie on Facebook (facebook. com/theblendedfamilymom), Twitter (@ BlendedFamilyM), and Instagram (the blendedfamilymom). Her books - “The Blended Family Mom,” and “Blended Mom Moments,” are both available on her website at www.theblendedfamilymom.com)

Gaining the World and Losing Your Soul

By Greg Laurie | Harvest Christian Fellowship

At one time or another, we all have used ex cuses. Now, there’s a difference between a reason and an excuse. A reason is legitimate; an ex cuse is not. One of the best definitions I’ve ever heard for the word “excuse” is this one: the skin of a rea son stuffed with a lie.

Excuses go back to the be ginning of human history. It was Adam who offered the first excuse after he ate the forbid den fruit in the Garden of Eden.

God said, “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” (Genesis 3:11 NLT).

Instead of admitting what he had done, Adam replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it” (verse 12 NLT).

Then Eve offered the second excuse: “The ser pent deceived me. That’s why I ate it” (verse 13 NLT). In other words, “The Devil made me do it. I’m not responsible.”

We all have used excuses, and we all have cer tainly heard them.

The Invitation of a Lifetime Jesus told a story about a king who was throw ing a wedding banquet for his son. But when the invitations went out to the guests, instead of joyfully responding to the incredible invita tion, they began to offer excuses.

It’s helpful for us to know a little about the cul ture of the time to understand what Jesus was saying. To be invited to a feast like this would have been a great privilege After all, the king was throwing it. No expense would have been spared, and everything would have been build ing to this great celebration.

If you were to receive such a special invitation, you would have been asked to RSVP. Now, if you couldn’t attend, you needed to let the host know, because it would have been a great ex pense to provide your meal, a garment for you to wear and so forth.

On the other hand, if you agreed to attend, nothing would keep you from honoring that obligation. Then a second invitation was sent

out to inform you of the time it would take place. To reject the second invitation would be a supreme insult.

In Jesus’s story, people accepted the first invi tation. But when the king sent out messengers with the second invitation, “the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business” (Mat thew 22:5 NLT).

The original Greek implies they were careless and neglectful in response to the king’s invita tion. They blew it off as though it meant abso lutely nothing.

Shallow Excuses

So, what excuses did they offer for refusing the invitation? Luke’s Gospel fills in some gaps for us: “One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Anoth er said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come’” (Luke 14:18–20 NLT).

These aren’t even good lies. They’re lame, shallow excuses, and they’re downright insult ing. Yet these are some of the same excuses people offer as to why they cannot follow Je sus Christ.

Let’s look at excuse number one: “I have just bought a field and must inspect it” (verse 18 NLT). To this person, possessions were more important than God. His real estate was more important to him than a relationship with God Almighty. It has been said that a man’s love for real estate is often an indication of his real state before God.

Jesus said, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36 NLT). Some people dedicate their lives to the accumulation of possessions. They think that things will fill the void in their lives, and it can keep them from God.

Don’t Let Your Career Keep You from This

The second excuse was this: “I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out” (Luke 14:19 NLT). This man would have used the oxen to plow a field, which is how he made a living.

Now, we all must make a living, so there is

nothing wrong with having a career. And there’s nothing wrong with being successful in your endeavors. In fact, we ought to try to be successful. I believe that as we honor the Lord, we will do well. It doesn’t surprise me when I hear of Christians who are at the top of the game in their professions.

But don’t let your career keep you from Jesus Christ. If you don’t have time to go to church or spend time reading your Bible, then you need to change your schedule somehow. If you will put God first in all things, He will bless you in your career and in the work that you do.

Here’s excuse number three: “I just got mar ried, so I can’t come.” (Luke 14:20 NLT). This makes no sense at all. It seems to me that his wife would have loved to go to a royal banquet prepared by a king. But it wasn’t a reason; it was an excuse.

The first person in Jesus’s story was held back by possessions, the second was held back by a career, and the third was held back by human affection.

The Highest Calling

There are people today who won’t follow Je sus Christ because they’re afraid of how it will affect others. They’re afraid their boyfriend or girlfriend might break up with them, their friends won’t hang out with them anymore, or it might cause friction in some other relation ship.

Well, then, let it cause friction, because that friction could result in their coming to Christ. If you are allowing a relationship to keep you from Jesus Christ, that is probably not a rela tionship you should be involved in.

Jesus said, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else— your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26 NLT).

There is nothing wrong with owning a house or having a career or spending time at home with your husband or wife. But if our affec tions and possessions are so important to us that they become excuses to turn down Jesus, then we need to make changes in our lives.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself in Pursuit of Excellence

By Mark Merrill | Helping Families Love Well

My friend Danny Rohr danz once said to me, “Ac tions speak louder than words but attitudes speak much louder than actions.”

Isn’t that true?

Attitudes are critical in ev ery facet of our lives—at work, at home, and in public. Our attitudes can determine whether we have success or failure. And if you want to achieve excellence, you’ll need a good attitude. Here are 3 questions to ask yourself in pursuit of excellence.

1. Do I have a good attitude?

At work, you can have all the skill in the world, but with a bad attitude, that skill loses a lot of its value. At home, I can do wonderful things for my family, but if I do things with a bad at titude, what I do loses its meaning. I’ve tried to teach my kids that their success rarely will have as much to do with skill as it will have to do with attitude. In pursuing excellence, we can only at tain it if we are humble. What’s one way your attitude could be better?

2. Am I making things better?

Tony Dungy has talked about how his dad taught him it’s not excellent for you to participate in the

problem and not provide a solution. When you see problems, either with people or situations, it’s better to resist getting defensive or placing blame on others. The person pursuing an atti tude of excellence simply and quietly owns his or her own mistakes. No matter how difficult a problem is, look inward, stay transparent, and navigate toward being part of the solution. What is one problem you know about that you can make better?

3. Am I being a good steward?

When I say “good steward,” I’m talking about a person who uses time, talent, and treasure wisely. Excellence can’t happen if I’m wasting time, if I’m not focused on my strengths, or if I’m wasting money. I often try to remind myself and those I work with of the concept of “edit to amplify.” The idea means you seek to cut things—even good things—if those things ar en’t the best use of your time, talent, or treasure. This is much easier said than done. One exam ple for me is speaking requests. I’m grateful for the speaking requests I receive. But, after many years of serving in my role, I’ve learned that I can’t speak at as many events as I once did. In stead, I need to be a good steward by saying no in order to stay hyper-focused in other areas of my life—and in order to pursue excellence.

A

Sign of the Times

By Richard Humphries

Human will is the choice to make a decision even when emotions or thoughts tell us to de cide differently. A disciple of Jesus must ma ture in his or her will so that they rule over rational thoughts or irrational emotions that contradict God’s Word. Loving, forgiving, and sacrifice are all examples of willing one self to be obedient to the Bible, despite ratio nal thoughts or irrational emotions.

For decades we lived in a culture where the biggest challenge to the will was our mind. Reason or critical thought were many times a challenge to what the Bible teaches on how to live by faith.

However, we now live in a culture that is be ing ruled by emotions. Emotions now rule over the will and mind. Today, how a person feels is the prevailing governing influence over desires and decisions. Just listen to peo ple: many who used to say, “I think…” now say, “I feel…”. Today, it is now emotions that rule over facts or truth. In this present culture, if you feel something, it is. We even commu nicate with one another by using Emoji’s or

emotional icons. At least when the will was challenged by the mind, there was some level of reason. However, when a culture is ruled by emotions, there is no need for reason.

Today, more Christians live by their emotions than live by their willingness to obey the Bi ble. This behavior is now deeply entrenched as a false lifestyle in Christianity. For decades, the Church has stopped discipling people into Christlike living and maturity. I have person ally experienced church leaders who do not forgive or love when it is clear ly commanded by the Bible, because they feel offended or wounded.

We must overcome this apostasy and live Christlike. I see multitudes of Christians who live in offense, anger, or pain because they live by their emotions and are not willing to obey the Bible. This is destructive to the Body of Christ. We need a revival of Christ likeness. Any revival that does not begin with repentance and humility, the sincere pursuit of God’s Presence, and the desire to will oneself to obedience can only be short lived, and not sustained by the Holy Spirit.

Advertising

at: info@hispaniclifemedia.com

Breast Cancer in Hispanic/Latina Women

The disease can strike earlier and be more aggressive

By Jean Campbell, MS | VeryWellHealth

In the United States, the rate of breast cancer in His panic/Latina women is lower than in non-Hispanic white women. (The incidence is even less in His panic/Latina women who were not born in the coun try.) But those statistics can be deceiving. Not only is breast cancer the leading cause of cancer deaths in Hispanic/Latina women living in the U.S., as it is for all women in America, but the disease tends to affect these women at a younger age (premenopaus al breast cancer) and is more aggressive in them than in many other populations.

Unfortunately, the low rate often means that His panic/Latina women and their healthcare providers are less likely to worry about the disease. If you are a Hispanic/Latina woman, un derstanding the signs of breast cancer and how breast cancer affects those with your background could help save your life.

Causes and Risk Factors • A 2018 study identified breast cancer genes that are more common among women of His panic/Latino descent. While this doesn’t completely explain the increase in breast cancer rates when women of this ethnic background move to the United States, different genetic tendencies could provide information about why the disease is dif ferent in women of Hispanic/Latino background.

Beyond that, though, the differences between Lati nas in and outside the United States suggests that there could be lifestyle and environmental factors that contribute to the development of the disease in these women as well.

For instance, women who use high-dose estrogen oral contraceptives for family planning may have an increase in their risk of breast cancer. Studies suggest that women living in Latin America may not have the same exposure to oral birth control as women of Hispanic/Latina background in the Unit ed States.

Screening and Diagnosis • Screening mam mograms are the leading method of identifying early breast cancer. According to a National Cancer Society Survey, only 61 percent of Hispanic/Latina women over age 40 reported having a screening mammogram in the two years prior to the survey, compared to 65 percent of white women.

There are several explanations for this, including a lack of health insurance, limited access to health care, and unfamiliarity with the healthcare system in the United States. Language barriers also play a role.

Breast cancer self-examination, which can detect lumps and breast changes, is obviously something everyone can do. But Hispanic/Latina women do not frequently seek medical attention for breast lumps. Hispanic/Latina women are more likely to seek care for breast cancer in an emergency situa tion, once advanced-stage breast cancer begins to cause pain. At this stage, the disease is usually less treatable and usually has a worse prognosis.

Breast Cancer Stages • Not only do Hispan ic/Latina women have lower utilization of screen ing mammography, but many also delay following up on abnormal screening tests. The resulting delay in the treatment of breast cancer in

women tend to have HR- breast cancer, which does not improve with hormone-modifying medication. •Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+): A protein that can be detected in breast cancer cells, HER2 is associated with a worse breast cancer prognosis. Hispanic/Latina women are more likely to be diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer than others.

Treatment • Another issue for Hispanic/Latina women is that they are less likely to receive ap propriate and timely breast cancer treatment when compared to non-Hispanic white women. Delays in treatment or inadequate treatment could be due to language barriers, healthcare access, and cost, or to a bias on the part of the healthcare team. It is also pos sible that some Hispanic/Latina women might not seek care after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

His panic/Latina women affects the prognosis. With time, tumors become larger and are more likely to spread to other areas of the body, requiring more extensive treatment and making them more difficult to erad icate. But there are other factors besides delayed attention that affect breast cancer prognosis in His panic/Latino women.

Differences in the Disease • Hispanic/Lati na women are more likely to develop breast cancer before menopause. Breast cancer has more aggres sive features in Hispanic/Latino women, whether premenopausal or postmenopausal, than in others.

Features of breast cancer in Hispanic/Latino wom en include:

•Advanced stage: Cancer stage describes how substantial the breast cancer is and how far it has spread. Advanced stage cancer is large and may have metastasized (spread to other tissues).

•Higher grade: Breast cancer grade describes the microscopic features of cancer, including how fast the cells multiply and how different they are from normal breast cells. High-grade breast cancer is more likely to grow, spread rapidly, and recur after treatment than low-grade cancer.

•Hormone receptor negative (HR-): Breast cancers that have estrogen or progesterone hormone recep tors may shrink with medication. Hispanic/Latina

Many women, regardless of race or eth nicity, are concerned about the side effects of treatment (e.g., nausea, hair loss, vomiting, and decreased energy), which may keep them from seeking it. It is possible that side effects related to appearance may be of particular concern for Latina women, as 75 percent say that looking their best is an important part of their culture, according to a Univi sion study on Latina attitudes and behaviors related to beauty.

Solutions

• Hispanic/Latina women respond well to community-based breast cancer awareness programs, which leads to better outcomes. This is especially true when programs are led by Hispanic/ Latina women, particularly survivors who can speak to the need for early detection and treatment.

Having hospital patient navigators that follow pa tients from diagnosis through treatment, making sure they keep appointments and helping them navigate a complicated healthcare system, can help women adhere to their treatment regimen. Bilingual naviga tors can improve communication between the sur geon and the oncologist and the woman (as well as her family), which helps reduce a woman’s level of anxiety.

A Word From Verywell • If health care and support for Hispanic/Latina women with breast can cer is to improve, breast cancer awareness outreach needs to happen in communities where Hispanic/ Latina women gather for meetings or social events, such as schools, houses of worship, and community centers. Materials need to be in Spanish and commu nity educators, preferably survivors, ideally need to be an ethnic and cultural match to the women living in those communities.

Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® in Abilene to Join the Fight Against the Disease

By Kristin Bishop | Regional Director | Alzheimer’s Association - North Central Texas Chapter

The Alzheimer’s Association® is inviting res idents of the Big Country to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s by participating in the Alzhei mer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The Walk will take place on Saturday, Octo ber 8, 2022 at Nelson Park (2070 Zoo Lane) in Abilene. The event begins with check in at 9 a.m.

Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzhei mer’s participants will complete a two-mile walk and will learn about Alzheimer’s disease, advocacy opportunities, clinical studies enroll ment and support programs and services from the Alzheimer’s Association. Walk participants will also join in a meaningful tribute promise garden ceremony to honor those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

“The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is about bring ing our community together and raising aware ness. There are an estimated 400,000 Texans with over 16,000 right here in the Big Country who have Alzheimer’s disease. We can play a role in helping make a difference by advancing research and extending our help and services to those impacted by Alzheimer’s,” said Kristin

Bishop, Abilene Regional Director of the Alz heimer’s Association – North Central Texas Chapter.

This year’s Walk is presented by Edward Jones and CVS Health. In addition to the two-mile walk which also has a shorter distance option, participants will enjoy entertainment by an Elvis tribute artist, refreshments, photo op portunities, information booths, a pet-friendly area, a kids area with balloon twisting and face painting and a variety of other activities pro vided by event sponsors.

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. Additionally, more than 11 million family and friends provide care to people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias in the U.S. In Texas alone, there are approxi mately 400,000 people living with the disease and over 1 million caregivers.

Register today. Sign up as a Team Captain, join a team or register to walk as an individual at alz.org/walk.

Everyone Deserves a Healthy Relationship

By HealthAdvocateBlog

Domestic violence, also called relationship vio lence or intimate partner violence, occurs when one person in a relationship purposely hurts anoth er person physically or emotionally. It often starts out as threats and verbal abuse and frequently es calates to physical violence. Many people may not recognize that their relationship is unhealthy, or they may be hopeful that their partner will change.

One in four women and one in 10 men have ex perienced intimate partner violence within their lifetime. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.

You are in an abusive relationship if your partner engages in the following:

• Emotional abuse: Yelling, ridiculing you, con trolling what you do, threatening to cause serious problems for you, isolating you from friends and family, restricting your finances

• Physical abuse: Hitting, shoving, kicking, biting or throwing things

• Sexual abuse: Forcing you to have sex or do something sexual that you don’t want to do

• Threatening you at work: Harassing phone calls, texts or emails; stalking in the parking lot, following you, or other threatening behavior

The pressures of the pandemic have increased calls for help. Call now.

• If you are in immediate danger, call 911

• For more information or to get help, call the Na tional Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.SAFE (7233) or 800.787.3224 (TTD)

• Connect with Health Advocate to help you ex plore your options, access further resources, and find the support you need to feel safe. And click here to watch a short video we put togther for you about how everyone deserves a healthy relation ship.

Counter the Mind-Body Effects of Stress

By HealthAdvocateBlog

From the lingering pandemic and trou bling events to hectic work/life chal lenges, there’s plenty of stress going around these days. Whatever the source, most of us focus on the common emo tional signs of stress—we’re tense, moody, restless and overwhelmed. It’s vital to know how your body indicates that you’re stressed and equally import ant to take measures to manage stress no matter how it shows up. Be alert to the following:

Aching, sore muscles. Stress prompts the output of adrenaline, which triggers ongoing tension, making your head, neck, or even your legs and oth er muscles rigid and sore. Manage it by getting up to stretch or walk periodical ly. Excess caffeine can also be a culprit, so try cutting back on your consump tion.

Getting more colds than usual. Stress can run down your immune sys tem. Bolster it by getting sound sleep, drinking plenty of water and eating nu trient-dense foods. Remember to use good hygiene—regular handwashing, avoid sharing food and utensils, and use hand sanitizers. Maintain your dis tance or wear a mask if you need to visit someone who has a cold or flu, and be sure to get a flu shot as fall approaches.

Your digestive system has gone haywire. Heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, GERD or other tummy trou bles can be triggered by stress-induced stomach acid production. Avoid known stomach irritants such as alcohol, coffee, spicy foods and mints. Treat mild symp toms with antacids and other over-the-

counter medications. Soothe yourself with deep-breathing exercises, walking and other enjoyable physical activities.

Lost sleep. Excessive worrying prior to bedtime can boost adrenaline levels, keeping you tossing and turning. Stash troubling thoughts in a worry journal, and try a relaxing wind-down routine that includes meditation or focusing on pleasant thoughts to usher you into deep slumber.

Troubled skin or hair. Stress can stimulate inflammatory skin cells that contribute to dryness, itchiness, and hair loss, and can also prompt flare-ups of acne, eczema, psoriasis and other existing skin conditions. Again, stick to nutritious eating, exercise, and try meditation or other mind-body thera pies, which may help regulate the stress hormones with positive effects for skin and hair.

Other effects and what to do. Stress may also be at play if you’re overeating, drinking more alcohol, experiencing a low sex drive or have irregular periods. Talk to your health practitioner and/or seek help from a qualified counselor for help with stress management strategies.

Breast Cancer: KnowRisksyour

By HealthAdvocateBlog

Each year in the United States, about 255,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 42,000 women die from the disease. It is the second most common cancer in women, be hind skin cancer. While women get breast can cer much more frequently than men do, about one in every 100 breast cancer diagnoses in the U.S. is found in a man. Many factors can increase your risk of breast cancer—some that you cannot change, and others that you can.

Risk factors that are out of your control: Genetic mutations. There are several genet ic mutations that can put you at high risk for breast cancer. The most commonly known are BRCA1 and BRCA2. One you may not know about is CDH1.

Getting older. The risk for breast cancer in creases as you age

Periods starting before 12 and menopause be ginning after 55

Having dense breasts

Family history of breast or ovarian cancer

Personal history of breast cancer or certain non-cancerous breast diseases

Risk factors that you can control: Not being physically active Being overweight or obese, specifically after menopause

Taking hormones

Reproductive history

Drinking alcohol

Smoking

Talk to your doctor about your risks and what you can do to manage them. A mammogram is the most common type of breast cancer screening, but your doctor may recommend other tests such as an ultrasound or MRI, depending on your risk level and the type of breast cancer you may be susceptible to. Early detection is key to successful treatment and long-term survival.

Making healthy lifestyle changes may help reduce some of your risk. For example, main taining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins can help reduce your risk. Additionally, limiting alcohol and quitting tobacco significantly de creases your risk of developing many types of cancer.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Our Personalities

They said young adults and Hispanic/Latino participants were especially affected in areas such as conscientiousness and extraversion.

By Healthline

The COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone in different ways. According to a new studyTrust ed Source published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, it may have even changed your personality.

In their study, researchers used what’s called the five-factor model (FFM)— sometimes called the “big five” — of personality traits.

Dr. Timothy Sullivan, the chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Staten Island University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, told Healthline that the FFM is the most frequently used model for as sessing personality.

“There exists a significant body of research validating its reliability,” said Sullivan. The FFM describes personality as a collection of ratings (from high to low) across five dif ferent dimensions:

•Neuroticism: a tendency to feel negative emotions and stress •Ex traversion: a tendency to be en ergetic and outgoing •Openness (to experience): a tendency to be curious and creative •Agreeable ness: a tendency to be trusting and compassionate •Conscientiousness: a tendency to be organized and goal-driven

Experts say our personalities, measured across these traits, are generally pretty stable. Your score in any one of these dimensions can change over time, but for most people it happens at a glacial pace, often moving little over a period of decades.

When someone’s personality changes rapidly, it’s usually in response to a traumatic event of personal significance. Previous researchTrusted Source has shown that personality traits don’t tend to change in response to things such as nat ural disasters.

That’s what makes this study so interesting.

Across the United States, more than 7,000 adults had their personalities measured during three time periods:

•Pre-pandemic: May 2014 through February 2020 •Acute phase: March 2020 through De

cember 2020 •Adaptation phase: January 2021 through February 2022

As the COVID-19 pandemic wore on into the adaptation phase, researchers reported, some people experienced more than a decade’s worth of personality change.

In particular, adults under the age of 30 expe rienced a substantial drop in conscientiousness as a group, whereas adults over the age of 65 became less neurotic compared to before their pre-pandemic baseline. Hispanic/Latino partici

only by the absolute number of years lived but also by the quality of those years. More consci entious individuals may take better care of their own health, and those around them, which may promote healthy aging,” said Merrill.

Sullivan agreed, saying the study’s results repre sent “a striking disruption of young adult matu rational patterns, which, if sustained, could have profound implications for that generation.”

Pieces of a larger puzzle

The study authors point out that the pandemic, while significant, may not be the only factor at play here.

“This study was conducted in the United States during a pe riod of unusual, even unprec edented, political and social division. It’s impossible to control for the effects of those forces, and the events associ ated with them, on the person ality measures we are discuss ing here,” said Sullivan.

pants also experienced an especially large drop in extraversion.

The researchers also reported slight overall de clines in extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness during the pandemic.

Profound implications

“These findings demonstrate just how different life became because of the pandemic and in many ways we continue in this ‘new normal’ now that our pandemic has become an endemic state,” Dr. David A. Merrill, Ph.D., a psychia trist and the director of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Pacific Brain Health Center at Provi dence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Mon ica, California, told Healthline.

Experts highlighted the personality changes measured in younger adults, particularly the de crease in conscientiousness.

“Higher levels of conscientiousness general ly result in more successful aging, defined not

“While we all know that the pandemic has been a life-al tering event for all of us, sci entists are still trying to under stand the ways in which that array of stressors has affected us and what the implications are for our health and for the functioning of our society,” Sullivan added.

Even though personality traits are generally in flexible, they’re only a starting point. You can still exert some control over how you react to in dividual stressors from one moment to the next.

“Approaching stressful circumstances with in tent to have an open mind and work through things together, rather than taking an automati cally adversarial stance, may significantly im prove not only the outcome of the conflict but may benefit our collective health and well-being as well,” said Merrill.

“As the pandemic evolves into a chronic endem ic, it’s important that we all be aware of what im pact this added stressor is having on our person alities. Staying aware of the need for compassion toward ourselves and each other in the face of chronic stress can help maintain a positive out look,” Merrill added.

La Stazioné Fine Italian Restaurant Opens Downtown

By Laura Gutschke| Abilene Reporter-News

Reservations are being accepted for La Stazi oné, a fine dining Italian restaurant and bar that was scheduled to open Fri day evening in downtown Abilene, at the former T& P Freight Warehouse, 901 N. First St.

Owner and executive chef Leray Scifres said the soft opening Thursday “went well. Got a lot of good feedback.”

La Stazioné (Italian for The Station), features a classy atmosphere and upscale fare that includes fresh-made pasta dishes. The menu changes daily to provide a wide range of flavors and mitigate sup ply chain issues, accord ing to an email to the Re porter-News. Many of the dishes can be modified to accommodate gluten-free and other dietary restric tions. Classic cocktails, beer and wine will be served in the bar − Bere a La Stazione.

Although the restaurant does not have a dress code, customers are encouraged to “dress to impress” for the fine dining experience, ac cording to its website.

Restaurant hours are 5-9 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 5-10 p.m. Fri days and Saturdays.

New life in historic building

The historic building built in 1916 was exten sively renovated for restaurant service in 1999. For several years, it was home to the TSTC Culinary Institute, and Scifres was at the top of the program’s first graduating class in 2011.

According to Taylor County Appraisal Dis trict, the city took over building ownership in 2013.

Developer Charlie Wolfe bought the building in March 2021 from the city after outbidding the Abilene Chamber of Com merce. Original plans to operate a 24-hour diner were scuttled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scifres owns the Flour Shop Bakery and Gate house Café at Abilene Regional Airport, but his favorite fare is Italian, in spired in part by his world wide travels.

Parking valet ser vices

Reservations will have pri ority over walk-in custom ers and can be made online at the restaurant website lastazioneabilene. com or by calling 325665-0500.

La Stazioné also has part nered with Elite Fleet Event Services for free valet services during dinner service Thursdays through Saturdays, beginning Thursday.

The Flour Shop Bakery will open at the build ing later in the year, and patio seating will be available when evening temperatures are cool er.

I don’t just see a customer. I see you.

While other insurance companies just see a customer, I see a neighbor in my community. I’m here to get to know who you really are so I can help life go right.

TALK TODAY.

Risha Sanders, Agent

North 10th St

TX 79603

325-673-4229

Pastry chef McKenzie Champion squeezes semifreddo into molds as another pot filled with peaches, cinnamon, bourbon and cream bubbles beside her Friday at La Stazioné. The fine dining Italian restaurant opened for business Friday evening in the T&P Freight Warehouse in downtown Abilene. PHOTOS BY RONALD W. ERDRICH/REPORTER-NEWS

Broadwind Heavy Fabrications Launches $3 Million Project in Abilene, Texas

By Trish Dressen | six27 Creative Co.

Broadwind Heavy Fabrications, a local manufacturer of large fabrications to the wind tower industry, will enhance their cur rent operations in Abilene, Texas. The com pany’s manufacturing facility is located in Abilene’s premier industrial park, Five Points Business Park.

“We are proud to be a part of the Abilene community and enhance our company in Abilene, Texas,” said Dan Schueller, Pres ident of Broadwind Heavy Fabrications.

“This technology and capacity enhance ments are critical to Broadwind Heavy Fabrications’ commitment to provide qual ity service.”

The project became official during the De velopment Corporation of Abilene’s Board of Directors meeting in February, which approved a performance-based agreement with the company. The company’s project will retain 174 employees, with expected salaries above the city’s average wage.

“The project with the local manufacturer, Broadwind Heavy Fabrications, exempli fies our commitment to growth in the com munity,” said Mayor Anthony Williams. “We cannot be prouder to continue to play a role in retaining and growing our local business es.”

Broadwind Heavy Fabrications is expected to invest $3 million in their project to in crease their productivity. Through upgrad ing and reconfiguring their current manu facturing facility, as well as adding a weld lab area, this project will assist in training and retaining their workforce.

“We are honored that Broadwind chose to enhance their Abilene factory,” said Sam Vinson, Chair of the Development Cor poration of Abilene’s Board of Directors. “This investment helps expand our current industry and foster primary job growth in our community.”

The company, who established their Abilene facility in 2008, supports numerous markets across the United States including

defense, power generation, and renewable energy.

“The DCOA’s project with Broadwind rein forces the fact that Abilene, Texas is primed for growth in the manufacturing industry,” said Misty Mayo, President and Chief Ex ecutive Officer of the Development Corpo ration of Abilene. “Over the next 10-years, this $3 million project is estimated to add over $20 million in taxes for the City of Abilene, Taylor County, and Abilene Inde pendent School District.”

The facility will enhance the community’s workforce, tapping into a skilled labor force in the metal fabrication industry. With four higher education institutions, a technical college, and a community college, the com munity

boasts the necessary education to support future needs. In addition to powerful pro fessionals, the community has robust in frastructure and a strategic location in the south-central United States that secures Abilene as the premier location for advanced manufactur ing and metal fabrication.

About Broadwind Heavy Fabrications

Broadwind is a precision manufacturer of structures, equipment and components for clean tech and other specialized applica tions. With facilities throughout the U.S., Broadwind’s talented team is committed to helping customers maximize performance of their investments—quicker, easier, and smarter.

About the Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) • The DCOA is the eco nomic development driver of Abilene with the goal to build the future Abilene by at tracting and sustaining industries that sup port job creation, foster strong business, and ensure a prosperous community. The DCOA is focused on the future success of the community and leverages the Develop Abilene partnership to market Abilene as the premier location for business expansion. Learn more about the DCOA and Develop Abilene at: www.developabilene.com.

Hacemos tus Sueños Una Realidad

PROGRAMA DE NÚMERO DE IDENTIFICACIÓN FISCAL INDIVIDUAL (ITIN)

DETALLES

Grand

First Financial Retiree Wideman Honored

By Abilene Reporter-News

June Wideman was honored Friday at a re ception with the first Jeanette Castellano Lifetimes Achievement Award.

She retired from First Financial Bank in late 2018.

The award honors an individ ual who, during a career that extends 30 or more years, made a significant contribu tion to their company and/ or the administrative profes sion. Retirees are eligible.

The award will not neces sarily be given annually but when a suitable candidate has been identified.

June Wideman retired for a second time in December 2018. The award is named for awards founder Sunny Nunan’s mother.

The honoree is noted for: •Service and mentorship

•Inspiring change or positive impact •Earning internal awards and acknowledgements

•Demonstrating care of leaders and coworkers •Positively affecting the lives of others.

Wideman served with two of the bank’s leaders, Ken Mur phy and Scott Dueser, the cur rent president, CEO and chair man of the board.

She was named Employee of the Mont in June 1985, seven months after joining the bank.

March 31, 2003, was declared June Wideman Day by the city of Abilene upon her first re tirement. She would return to work, retiring again at the end of 2018.

She was named a First Financial Bank “Shin ing Star” in 2012. And Wideman received the Walter Johnson Award, the highest given by the bank, in 2015.

At tHe ABILENE

FEDERAL CREDIT

Presented by