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Anna’s new police chief reports for duty

Anna High School Makerspace Shares Hope By Joyce Godwin Photos submitted from AISD

Barbara Coleman said the Hope Project is just something students are doing to spread hope throughout the school.

“I wanted to challenge my students to think outside the box to inspire hope among others,” Barbara Coleman said of the students’ project. “We are trying to meet our students’ social needs. We are teaching in the middle of a pandemic. Emily Burk and I feel hope is needed on our campus for students in the middle of a pandemic.”

The pandemic has not been easy on our students. Coleman says there is fear in the middle of a pandemic. Students need to have hope, bring hope, and inspire hope in others. And that’s how the project came about.

The challenge was to make something for another student or group of people that will inspire hope. Students came up with some fantastic and creative projects. They worked in groups to develop items to inspire others.

Flags were made on the sewing machine with inspirational sayings. Banners were made and so were pillows all displaying words of hope and encouragements.

“These kids just amazed me with how much they grew as people,” Coleman said.

On this page are photos depicting some of the hope projects in their finished state and some being created. The photos were submitted by the school.

ANNA FOOTBALL PHOTO BY SHAWN PINA

In our last issue for Anna Living Magazine we highlighted football action caught on Friday nights.

Here you will see junior varsity players’ action caught on Thursday nights.

Individuals identified by Jessica Slaughter At this year’s final varsity football game for Anna High School, senior players grouped together joined by their coaches for a photo they will likely treasure for a lifetime. From left on the front row are Coach Brandon Powell, Avery Beltram, Caleb Artrip, Micaiah Ross, Brandon Adams, Zachareus Gentry, Head Coach Jason Heath, Coach Joey Hector, Coach Charles Leslie. Standing are: Hayden Underwood, Coach Josh Hill, Ladarren Woods, Stanley Bardere, Coach Jeremy Patton, Jaden Adams, Coach Shawn Smith, Josh Packard, Coach James Lane, Joey Slaughter, Ethan Harrison, Coach Brad Walker, Tyler Lang, Coach Chris Anderson, Jose Perez, Arthur Nwokorie, Coach Sean Cox.

Unity

This is both a sweet and sour moment in the history of our planet. I heard someone recently say that they miss “precedented” times because all we ever seem to hear about right now are “unprecedented times.”

There’s trouble on so many fronts at the moment, from COVID-19, to division and strife on seemingly every possible fault line, to the economy and the effects of the shutdown, to the ugliest election season I’ve ever witnessed. And yet, it also seems that there are more pockets of good news, from peace in the middle east unlike anything in my lifetime, to unexpected opportunities to reach people for God’s Kingdom.

Every valley holds a lesson we are meant to learn. So, the question we need to ask ourselves is, have we learned the lesson of this season? We can see on every side what division looks like, so I believe one of the lessons of this season is the need for and the power of unity.

We as the Church are the hope of the world. We have an opportunity to comfort those who are hurting, to bring peace to those who are afraid, and help those in need. All for one purpose: that they might come to know God’s love and mercy for themselves. What will this moment require of us? That we embrace the mission God has put before us, and that we do it in unity. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT) 10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Unity can’t be based just on our preferences. It can’t be based just on shared political agendas. It can’t be based just on ethnic traits. It has to be based on God’s word. 1 John 4:19-20 (NLT) 19 We love each other because he loved us first. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

Why does unity matter so much? Unity is Jesus’ desire for us as His followers.

The single longest prayer that Jesus prayed in the Bible is found in John 17. In this prayer, Jesus asked His father for the unity of His followers. That’s you and me, so we have the opportunity to be that answer to Jesus’ prayer.

John 17:9-11, 20-23 (NLT) 9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

There is tremendous power in unity according to Matthew 18:19-20. 19 “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

So how do we walk in unity?

John 13:34-35 (NLT) 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

So what does Unity demand of us? Grace and love! It demands that I look at you with the kind of grace and love Jesus showed me.

Romans 5:8 (KJV) 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What does “commend” mean? According to the Oxford dictionary, it means “present as suitable for approval or acceptance; recommend.”

While I was still actively sinning, before I got my life right or cleaned myself up, while I was still covered by the stench and shame of my living in the wrong direction, God looked at me with grace and love and sent His son so I could be presented as suitable for approval and acceptance.

If we see people the way Jesus does, then we see His creation that He LONGS to bring to Himself. We are supposed to love them right where they are and bring them in, not judge them and push them away.

Unity has been described as embracing despite our differences and walking hand in hand. THAT is the picture of the Church Jesus longs to see. And by THIS, they will know we are Christians.

Lafe Angell graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1993.He and wife, Hope, have three children Callie, Caleb, and Noelle and live in Anna. The couple served at Elevate Life Church in McKinney over a 20-year period in different capacities moving to Pastor of Servant Leadership in 2014. In August 2019, the Angells launched a new church and began services at Grace Point Family Church in January 2020.

LAFE ANGELL graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1993. He and wife, Hope, have three children Callie, Caleb, and Noelle and live in Anna. The couple served at Elevate Life Church in McKinney over 20-year period in different capacities moving to Pastor of Servant Leadership in 2014. In august 2019, The Angells launched a new church and began services at Grace Point Family Church in January 2020.

It can cause pause when perusing lists of Christmas theme movie favorites to find among them “Die Hard,” the first of five Bruce Willis thrillers focusing on the explosive exploits of police detective John McClane.

That original 1988 film certainly unfolds on Christmas Eve, but c’mon now, it’s really quite a stretch to call it a Christmas movie. Still, the series that concluded in 2013 remains popular among the loud bang and fast action crowd. And there still are more in the genre associated with the season, such as the “Lethal Weapon” franchise.

Christmas film lists seem almost endless, including horror fantasies (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”), thriller-dramas (“Silent Night, Deadly Night”), and animated classics, most notably the TV specials “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “A Charle Brown Christmas.” The Dr. Seuss story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was a TV perennial long before two feature-length adaptations, the Jim Carrey vehicle in 2000 and more popular “The Grinch” in 2018.

Comedy-dramas such as “The Apartment” (1960) and “The Family Stone” (2005) are strongly associated with the date. And so many romantic comedies, including “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947 and remade in 1994), “The Holiday” and “Last Holiday,” both from 2006, are well remembered. There is even a Western, “3 Godfathers” (1948) starring John Wayne, that carries a strong Christmas theme.

In fact, the John Ford-directed Western, much like the original “We’re No Angels,” a 1955 crime-comedy-romance, alludes to the biblical roots of Christmas. Other revered religious-based holiday pictures include “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945), “The Bishop’s Wife” (1947), remade in 1996 as “The Preacher’s Wife,” and “The Nativity Story” (2008).

“Little Women,” often associated with Christmas, has been filmed for theater distribution six times, including two silents and the most recent that was one of 2019’s most popular pictures. There have also been numerous television adaptations of the Louisa May Alcott story, including an animated version.

Likewise, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has been filmed more times than can hardly be imagined, both for television and theaters. Among the most enduring is the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, but George C. Scott’s 1984 TV version gets its share of air time as well. The story was animated with Mickey Mouse in 1983 and filled with Muppets in 1992. There is the musical “Scrooge” (1970) starring Albert Finney as the old miser, and the spoof “Scrooged” (1988) starring Bill Murray. Cable, network and subscription television are filled each year with many more highly popular films, including “Home Alone” (1990), “White Christmas” (1954), “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989), “Elf” (2003), “The Polar Express” (2009), and, of course, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946). And then there is “A Christmas Story” (1983); enough said. All this hardly even taps the output, and certainly many favorites of readers and viewers are missing here. But this is enough to make the point. So to wrap up, here are a couple of oldies that should be considered, unless stagnated by the wellworn bias, “We don’t like old black-and-white movies from 70 years ago.” That’s OK. One of the recommendations is actually from 80 years ago. That would be “Remember the Night,” a 1940 romantic comedy starring Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwyck.

The script is from the fertile mind of Preston Sturges, who would go on to become one of moviedom’s most popular writer-directors during the 1940s and whose movies such as “The Lady Eve” and “Sullivan’s Travels,” both from 1941, are well appreciated today. ‘Night’ stars Stanwyck as a down-on-her-luck gal whose theft trial is postponed during the Christmas holidays. McMurray, an assistant district attorney and prosecutor of the case, feels guilty about her spending Christmas in jail and secretly provides for her bail.

A shady bail bondsman mistakenly believes McMurray is doing so for sexual reasons and delivers Stanwyck to the attorney’s apartment. From that point, the entanglement leads to love in bloom, unfolding in writer Sturges’ always admirable way of story telling. This film usually shows up on Turner Classic Movies around Christmas, but it’s also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Stanwyck stars in another holiday romance from 1945, “Christmas in Connecticut,” a light-hearted romp that also features Dennis Morgan and Sydney Greenstreet. It was remade in 1992 by Turner Network Television with Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson and Tony Curtis in the lead roles, but most critics agreed the original was far more entertaining.

The story is that of a magazine feature writer who fools both her reading public and her boss into believing she is a farm wife with an infant child and is an excellent cook. She is none of the above but simply a talented writer who is cornered when her boss invites himself to Christmas dinner at her phony Connecticut home. It’s a wild trip the rest of the way and also available on home video. The 1945 original shows up quite often on TCM television.

Take a look at one or all, and have a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year.

DON ELDREDGE is the retired editor of the Herald Democrat newspaper (Sherman-Denison, TX) and resides in Sherman. E-mail him at eldredgedon@gmail.com.

Consider these great recipes for the holiday season

One of my most prized possessions in my kitchen used to belong to my grandmother. She passed away during my teenage years but my love for her creations in the kitchen is still alive and well. She and my aunt found great joy in cooking whatever our hearts desired while we were in their home. My brothers and I each had our special dinner dishes and each one would be cooked for us while we were there. Like typical grandchildren we were royally spoiled during our visits and we never went hungry!

Fortunately, her collection of recipes were passed to me. I’ve made many of the dishes over the years but the dessert options have always been my favorites.

Around the holidays, I’m always looking for something delicious to make for friends and neighbors. Whether on a budget or not, we all have friends we want to gift, and both these recipes are not only fun to make, but they make wonderful gifts for friends and neighbors.

Put these goodies in a pretty tin and they make a wonderful gift for those you love!

Old Fashioned Fudge

Ingredients:

• ¾ c Cocoa • 3 c granulated sugar • ½ tsp salt • 1 ½ c milk • ½ stick of butter • 1 tsp vanilla • ½ c chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Instructions:

1. Add cocoa, sugar, salt, and milk to a heavy saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat until it comes to a boil. 2. Once the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring and clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 238 degrees Fahrenheit, which may take about 10 minutes, depending on your 3. 4.

7. stove. The candy will be thin. This is normal. Remove the candy from the heat. Once the candy is removed from the heat, place the pan in a sink of very cold water. While the pan is in the sink of cold water, cut the butter into pieces and add to the mixture, along with the vanilla. Do not stir or mix in the butter. Once the candy thermometer shows the mixture has returned to almost room temperature, you can remove the pan from the water. You can expect the candy will still be thin, dark, and shiny. Now it’s time to put a little elbow grease into the fudge. I recommend a good wooden spoon. I like to beat it for 30 seconds and then let it rest for 8. 30 seconds. You’ll want to do this until it gradually changes from a shiny gloss to a less glossy look and then more of a satin look. The fudge will start to lighten in color a little. Add nuts, if using, and immediately spread fudge into prepared 8 in. by 8 in. dish. Give the fudge at least one hour to set up before cutting into pieces. ENJOY!

During my middle school years, we moved to the Anna area and I had no idea how lucky I was to be planted next door to Jessie and Joy Savage. In many ways they filled in as grandparents for me. They went to my volleyball games and entertained us in their home more times than I can remember. Joy was the ultimate hostess, a great cook and I learned much from the examples she set for me. I still miss her today.

She passed away during my Senior year of high school, but I have carried her memory through one of my family’s favorite dishes. Excitement fills my home the minute each of my family members learn her chicken spaghetti is hitting our dinner table. It’s a crowd pleaser, for sure.

It’s also my “go to” meal to gift a new mom, or even those who may have experienced a death in the family.

Even if you’re not a great cook but you want to look like one, this is a great recipe to have in your back pocket! Dee Dee’s Divinity

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ c granulated sugar • ½ c water • ½ c light corn syrup • ⅛ tsp salt • 2 egg whites, at room temperature • 1 c chopped pecans • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt. Cook, while stirring occasionally, just until the mixture starts to boil. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and continue cooking without stirring until the temperature reaches 265 degrees

Fahrenheit. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes. 3. While the sugar mixture is cooking, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Joy’s Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 c cooked, cut up chicken (I love to use a grocery store rotisserie chicken) • 1 can cream of mushroom soup • 1 can chicken broth (use soup can to measure) • 1 cup onion, chopped • 1 Tbsp butter • Salt and pepper to taste • 1 (4 oz) jar pimentos degrees, you can remove from heat and very SLOWLY pour it in a thin, steady stream, over the egg whites, while mixing on high speed. This process should take about two minutes. Don’t rush this. speed for about 5 to 8 minutes until the candy starts to hold its shape. You can test the consistency by placing a small spoonful on the parchment paper to see if it holds its shape in a nice mound or melts into a puddle. If it doesn’t hold its shape, continue to beat the mixture for another minute or two, before testing again. can mix in the vanilla and the chopped pecans. onto the baking sheet. You will want to move quickly to set each of the mounds while the candy is still hot. can store it in an airtight container. • 1 (8 oz) pkg cheddar cheese, grated • 1 cup bell pepper, chopped • 1 (16 oz) pkg thin spaghetti

Instructions:

1. Break spaghetti into thirds, cook, rinse, and drain. 2. In a large bowl, combine pimento, soup, broth, chicken, spaghetti, salt and pepper. 3. In skillet, melt butter and saute bell pepper and onion. 4. Add to spaghetti mixture. 5. Grease casserole dish and pour ½ mixture in pan. Layer with cheese, reserving 1 cup of cheese for the top. 6. Pour remaining spaghetti mixture on top of cheese and top with remaining cheese. 7. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty

8. Once the sugar mixture has reached 265 Continue to beat the mixture at a high When the candy stays in a mound, you Drop tablespoon size scoops of divinity Give the candy time to set and then you minutes or until bubbly.

I’m JAMIE ROUBINEK and I’m the girl behind this little corner of kitchen inspiration. I find great pleasure in always learning something new. I was never confident in the kitchen but I love learning new things and trying them out. Doing that experimenting has led to a lot of happiness around the kitchen table at my house. Fortunately, the key to my husband of 13 year’s heart is through his stomach and he is easy to please. With our five kids, on the other hand, that hasn’t always been the case. I love fine-tuning recipes and making adjustments to make everyone smile. I hope that I can help you see how easy it can be to bring that same happiness to your kitchen table! Submissions and suggestions from readers are welcome. Send to jroubinek@yahoo.com.