Toombs COUNTY MAGAZINE
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Addiction can be overwhelming and painful, but Craig George believes in the possibility of freedom.
38 ALL FOR YOU
Focus on the details with Heather Lynn’s event planning services.
48 COFFEE, FRIENDS & JESUS
The Hodges family refreshes the spirit and soul with a warm cup of coffee and fair trade products you can feel good about.
58 MUSIC, DANCE, IMPACT
Missy Owens adds value to students’ lives through the simple teaching of dance.
68 BECOMING A SEWIST
By challenging herself to learn a new skill, Sarah Ellis Walker began a journey creating beautiful things.
80 JUST BE DIFFERENT
An entrepreneur at heart with a desire to see her community grow, Teri Humphrey started her shop with encouragement from friends.
WITH LOVE
A ministry formed by divine appointment has become a super partner in our community specifically for foster, adoptive, guardianship, and kinship caregiver families.
COOL WEATHER FAVORITES
Rich and creamy dishes for warmig up cold winter nights
YOUR FUTURE HOME
In a modern world, homeowners are trading in size for efficiency.
The small community of Normatown is where Debbie Williamson overcame a deadly illness and discovered the deep roots of her family tree.
ON THE FOREFRONT OF
Memorial Health Meadows Hospital implements new technology with exciting patient benefits.
About the Cover
| Scenes of Toombs
The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in Toombs County, even among the youth. In middle school, Sarah Ellis Walker decided to learn a new skill–sewing–after watching some of her favorite TV shows. She quickly discovered a creative outlet that could also double as a small business. Now a sophomore in high school, Sarah Ellis continues to hone her craft and create beautiful things.
Storytelling
Writer Lee Smith says, “I write about people in small towns; I don’t write about people living in big cities. My kind of storytelling depends upon people that have time to talk to each other.”
I recently attended a “get together” at my brother-in-law’s house that turned out to be a full on family reunion. We had gathered to celebrate brother Coogan’s visit from North Carolina. Of course, in a big southern family any reason is reason enough for a celebration. My niece Mindy had prepared a fantastic meal of grilled chicken and pork, green beans, “special” mashed potatoes, scrumptious sweet potatoes complete with brown sugar and butter, and mouth-watering desserts. Children played games and teenagers traded drama stories around big wooden tables set up outside for the occasion. The brothers and their sister sat at the kitchen table. Before long, just like every other get together, the stories began.
After bellies were full and dessert was served, out came the coffee pot. Big cups were poured around the table and the conversation got serious...serious about who could tell the best story.
I listened with my son Jack for a minute and realized, this is the good stuff. I pulled out my phone, and Jack confirmed, “I’ve heard this one before, it’s a good one, you’ll want to remember it.” So I pressed the record button and quietly slid the phone onto the table.
The stories that unfolded were funny and scary and crazy. Some were inspirational. Some made we wonder how they survived the 70s. Others made me wonder how the antics of this family produced preachers, state officials, and business leaders. They came fast and furious, one story led to another, each storyteller getting louder and more animated. Sometimes the storytellers got so tickled they could barely get their words out. Then we all would laugh–deep, hard, full laughs until tears were streaming. The day’s cares floated away as we traded memories and enjoyed the simple act of communion.
Occasionally, I meet someone from out of town who ask what I do for a living. “Share people’s stories” is the simplest response I can give. But a story only happens if it’s told. One of the best things we can do for our community and the generations that follow is to take time to tell our stories and take time to listen. Put down the phone and talk to each other.
We have great stories in this issue about people contributing to the success of our community. Not only are they inspirational, but they are a reminder of how wonderful it is to live in Toombs County. Enjoy reading each one, and then sit down with your family and share your own. After all, it is the small town way.
keeping the stories alive,
Stephanie Williams Executive Editor
To discover more that Toombs County has to offer, see our business index on page 127!
To share a story, send a note, or just get information: toombscountymagazine@gmail.com • (912) 293-0063
For more stories, visit us at www.toombscountymagazine.com
Toombs County MAGAZINE
PUBLISHER
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EXECUTIVE EDITOR
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Stephanie Williams
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Azure Rountree
Teri R. Williams
PHOTOGRAPHERS
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Evan Riekhof, EZ-E Photography
The Fuller Effect Photography
Daphne Walker
PROOFING
Megan Morris
COVER PHOTO
The Fuller Effect Photography
Toombs County Magazine© is published bi-annually by Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC 148 Williams Avenue • Lyons, GA 30436 (912) 526-4195
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Standing on the forefront of technology
Memorial Health Meadows Hospital implements new robotic-assisted technology that offers exciting benefits for patients
BY STEPHANIE WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY EVAN RIEKHOF/EZ-E PHOTOGRAPHY
“Did you grow up playing video games too?”
The question came after I realized that it was one of the common threads among the surgery robotics team at Memorial Health Meadows Hospital (MHMH). A generation raised on Nintendo and Playstation was now putting years of hand eye coordination skills to work performing intricate surgical procedures through the use of robotic-assisted surgery. Listening to the doctors talk about the details of their craft made me rethink the times I had
told my son that gaming was probably a waste of his time.
Created in the 1990s, and first used in 2000, the da Vinci Surgical System is a minimally invasive approach to surgery using robotic technology and offering exceptional outcomes for patients. The benefits can include less blood loss, less impact to the immune system, less postoperative pain and scarring and shorter hospital stay. In 2021, a robotic surgery program was established at MHMH. “Vidalia is very lucky that this investment was made
in this community,” said Dr. Henry Ferland, general surgeon and Chair of the Department of Surgery. “It’s been astoundingly successful here.”
To get a better idea of the scope of robotics, it’s best to look at surgery from a historical perspective. Traditionally, doctors have performed what is referred to as open procedures, in which a patient’s body is entered through a large opening and a surgeon works with hands and instruments inside the abdomen. In the early 1990s, a less invasive technique known as
Minimally invasive types of surgeries, like roboticassisted surgery, can lead to shorter recovery times with less pain. From general surgery, to gynecological surgery, surgeons at Memorial Health Meadows Hospital perform a variety of procedures using state-of-the-art technology and techniques.
To learn more about minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery at our hospital, please scan the QR code or call (912) 584-6240.
laparoscopy became more commonplace for some procedures as it reduced surgery incision size, and thus, healing time. Laparoscopy implemented the use of a camera inserted into the abdomen to guide the doctor.
“Robotics is an advanced version of laparoscopic surgery,” said Dr. Kendrix Evans, Chair and Champion for Robotics Surgery at MHMH. “The robot uses very similar small incisions and very similar small instruments, however, now we sit next to the patient and control the instruments through the robot.” Utilizing less than a centimeter point of entry, the advanced technology of the system allows for precise surgical maneuvers.
The biggest advantage for patients is recovery time. “When you do laparoscopy you take a long instrument, put it through the skin and move it around,” described Dr. Ferland. “It can be very traumatic to the skin, tissue, muscles and everything else in the incision area. Robotic surgery utilizes a controlled system that only rotates at certain points making it more precise and much less traumatic on the patient. The result is less pain, less bruising, and less infection rate.”
Dr. Micheal Kennedy, general surgeon at MHMH agrees, “I’ve
noticed a world of difference in the hernia repairs I’ve done using robotics. When I used to do open procedures, patients would endure four to six weeks of pain, multiple doctor visits and a long recovery to get back to functionality. Now my robotic groin hernia patients come in two weeks after surgery and are ready to get back to golf or whatever they did before.”
The da Vinci Surgical System is essentially comprised of a surgeon’s console and a patient-side cart with multiple interactive robotic arms controlled from the console. The robotic arms can act as scalpels, scissors, or graspers. One arm controls a 3D camera that offers high visibility, magnification and visualization of the surgical area. As the surgeon manipulates the console controls, the robotic arms respond. “The joint of the instrument allows for more natural movements, similar to how we are able to move our wrists,” said Dr. Ashlee Nicole Tillery who uses the da Vinci system for her gynecological patients. “This combined with the sevendegrees of freedom or axes of movement allows for access to areas of the pelvis that would be difficult to reach by traditional methods.”
Even with its advanced use of technology, the system always requires
LEFT Members of the Memorial Health Meadows Hospital surgery team who use robotic-assisted surgery include (left to right) Dr. Michael Kennedy, Dr. Kendrix Evans, and Dr. Henry Ferland.
a human operator. “It’s not a computer making decisions,” said Dr. Kennedy. “It’s more like the difference between using a power drill or a hand drill. If you want to get a job done more accurately, faster, and more efficiently, you are going to use a power drill. The robot is simply a tool that allows the perfection of operative craft.”
“ The biggest bonus I think is the visualization,” added Dr. Evans. “The cameras we are using allow us to see so much better. Another advantage is that the robot allows us to get into certain positions inside the body that you can’t get to very easily with open surgery. The equipment is ahead of the curve giving us more flexibility and making surgery an easier procedure.” The 3D imagery gives surgeons a clear picture of the area they are working on removing uncertainties from the equation. With powerful magnification, the imagery reveals surrounding tissue and vascular structures that can’t be seen during traditional surgical methods or even with laparoscopy. This allows the the surgeons to work more efficiently.
Doctors who participate in robotic surgery also appreciate the benefits it affords them. Traditional surgery can often require long hours of standing and rotating hands and wrists in awkward positions. This can lead to problems like carpel tunnel syndrome, back pain and down time due to workplace injury. “I actually think robotics will help surgeons work longer because of the ergonomics,” said Dr. Evans. “You can sit in a comfortable chair and use the instruments like you would with open surgery.”
Sometimes new technology tends to bring about hesitancy for the patient, especially when the word robot is attached to the concept. In a world in which AI and robotic technology are daily news bites, some patients might be concerned about the robotic-assisted
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Pictured Left to Right: Brent Sammons, Altamaha Bank & Trust President/CEO, Amanda Higgins, Dahlia Event Center Owner, and Jake Cleghorn, Chief Lending Officer
Located at 220 SW Main Street in Vidalia, the Rigdon Printing Building will take on a new purpose as the Dahlia Event Center by the end of this year.
surgery. Dr. Tillery makes it clear, “There is never a time during the surgery that your surgeon isn’t the individual physically performing the operation. The da Vinci robotic system has features that heighten our senses and abilities as surgeons, like the 3D camera. It also offers precision and dexterity features that allow surgeons to more precisely perform operations, but we are always in control.
I think of the da Vinci system as an additional tool in my medical tool kit—similar to how I would think of computed tomography or ultrasonography: by employing these modalities, I am able to see something I wasn’t
able to see previously inside of the abdomen or pelvis, thus improving my ability to perform as a physician or surgeon.” The gynecological team is able to use the da Vinci Surgical System for surgeries such as hysterectomy, myomectomy and complex endometriosis excision.
Dr. Susanna Meredith who also uses the da Vinci system for her patients adds, “I think there is room for both traditional modalities like laparoscopy and open procedure to work alongside robotic-assisted surgery. I look at every patient’s case and history to determine what surgery would benefit them the most. If we start out doing a robotic-assisted surgery and realize once we are in that laparoscopy would be better, we can actually switch over to that. The ultimate goal is to always do what is best and less invasive for the patient.”
Change from tradition is not always easy, but staying abreast of new technology is important. “There’s always a hesitation with anything new,” said Dr. Kennedy. “It was the same way with laparoscopy back in the early 90s. Many surgeons dismissed it as a technology that would never take hold. The benefits of robotic-assisted surgery are proving it to be an important part of the future of surgery.”
That future is starting here in Vidalia. By late October, Dr. Evans had already completed his 254th case. “The program has jumped leaps and bounds over what we thought it was going to do,” said Dr. Evans. “So we want to make sure the community understands these options are here. I grew up in a small town in Alabama where you had to travel a long distance to have procedures done, but we are able to offer those here in Vidalia, and that is so paramount to the community.”
A program that is good for patients, good for doctors and good for the community is a win-win for everyone. It’s one of the many ways that Memorial Health Meadows Hospital continues to improve the quality of life in Toombs County.
Dr. Ashlee Nicole Tillery and Dr. Susanna Meredith use the da Vinci Surgical System for some gynecological surgeries.
cool weather favorites
With colder days ahead, these rich and creamy dishes are perfect for entertaining during the holidays or warming up on winter nights.
STARTER
BLACK EYED PEA HUMMUS
Healthy and delicious, this is a great dish to have around for snacking during the holidays.
Ingredients
2 (15-ounce) cans Bush’s Black Eyed Peas (drained)
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped Cilantro
3 Tablespoons Tahini
2 Tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice
2 ½ teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 teaspoons bottled Minced Garlic
½ teaspoon Salt
Pita Bread or Chips
Instructions
1 Drain black eyed peas, then place in a food processor along with cilantro, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, minced garlic and salt. Pulse until smooth and creamy.
2 Serve at room temperature or place in the fridge to chill, then serve alongside pita bread or chips.
SAVORY
HASHBROWN & HAMBURGER
BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
This dish is hearty enough to be served for breakfast, brunch or dinner.
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
½ cup diced Onion
1 pound Ground Beef
1 (30-ounce) package frozen Shredded Hashbrowns (thawed)
1 (10-ounce) can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 (10-ounce) can Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup Sour Cream
¾ cup Milk
1 teaspoon bottled Minced Garlic
3 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Instructions
1 Spray a crock pot with cooking spray. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and saute for 1 ½ minutes, then add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain the meat and then add it to the crock pot along with the hashbrowns.
2 In a medium size bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, sour cream, milk and minced garlic. Stir together and then add to the crock pot along with 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheddar cheese, reserving the other 1 ½ cups cheese for later. Season with
salt and pepper, then stir all of the ingredients together.
3 Cook on low heat for 5 to 6 hours.
Once done, top with the remaining 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese. Cover with the lid and cook for about 10 more minutes or until the cheese has melted.
WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI
This warm and filling dish makes us excited for colder weather!
Ingredients
2 Bone-In Split Chicken Breasts
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper (to season)
1/2 cup Onion (finely diced)
5 cups Chicken Broth
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern Beans (drained)
1 (8-ounce) can Whole Kernel Corn (drained)
1 (4-ounce) can Chopped Green Chilies
1 teaspoon bottled Minced Garlic
1 ½ teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 ½ teaspoons Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/4 cup Half & Half
Fresh Cilantro
Sour Cream
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Instructions
1 Place chicken in a roasting pan. Season each breast with salt and pepper, then rub with olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees on the 3rd rack for 50 minutes.
2 Remove chicken from oven and let cool, remove skin and shred into chunks enough to equal 3 cups, then set aside.
3 In a large heavy pot and over medium heat, combine chicken, onion, chicken broth, northern beans, corn, green chilies, minced garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 40 minutes.
4 Stir together cornstarch and half & half, then pour into mixture. Stir and cover. Let simmer an additional 4 minutes. Serve soup topped with cilantro, sour cream and Monterey jack cheese.
SWEET
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
Creamy decadence with everyone’s favorite fall twist.
Ingredients
Crust:
1 ½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (melted)
Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages Cream Cheese (softened)
1 cup Sugar
1 (15-ounce) can Pumpkin
3 large Eggs
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Topping:
1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Crust:
1 In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and light brown sugar. Stir together, then blend in melted butter with fingers. Press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9 inch spring form pan.
Filling:
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2 In a large mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese while slowly adding sugar. Beat in pumpkin. Beat in eggs. Beat in cinnamon, cloves and vanilla extract. Beat in flour and then sour cream.
3 Pour into crust. Bake on the 3rd rack for 1 hour. Center should be set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Place in the fridge for several hours to set.
Topping:
1 In a large mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, beat heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract on medium-low speed for around 5 minutes until soft peaks form. Serve with pumpkin cheesecake.
Azure Rountree is the wife and mother to four beautiful children. She is a business owner, Autism & Women’s Health Advocate and Public Speaker. She has published two cookbooks, “Family Favorites”, which was published in 2013 and “Kid Friendly Recipes”, which was published in 2015. Her recipes are featured on the Pottery Barn Blog Website and are in ten publications throughout Southeast Georgia. Her famous, “Derby Hat Cake Pops”, have been shared by Southern Living, and she has even been approached by Shark Tank about her business. Azure has a love for cooking and sharing recipes, which is why she is our newest contributor for the Toombs County Magazine.
Re-imagine Your Future Home
In our modern world, many homeowners are trading in traditional floor plans for spaces that better meet their demands.
Aterm that we continue to hear repeatedly in 2023 is Affordable Housing Crisis. In reality this is something that affects communities everywhere and people from all walks of life. Skyrocketing interest rates combined with a demand for housing have compounded the inability of many young, middle class families to procure the traditional three bedroom, 1800+ square foot home. Even older homes with good bones come at a high cost if renovations are necessary.
So how has the housing industry responded to this predicament? One thought is to think outside of the box. Home plan designs have evolved over the years in response to changing lifestyles, technology, and architectural trends. This means the sprawling ranch of the early 1980s might look more like a cozy cottage with more functional outdoor spaces in 2023.
Here are some notable changes in home planning that can ultimately keep
costs down and are expected to stick around for awhile.
Making Small Feel Big
Completely open floor plans became all the rage a decade ago. Then homeowners dialed back their interest slightly to include more private areas. Today most plans are a happy medium, offering privacy where needed while still capitalizing on the “large feel” that open floor plans provide. Eliminating walls in common areas,
creates a more spacious and flexible living space in a smaller footprint home. Decreasing bedroom square footage in exchange for larger common areas, eliminates wasted space and provides a cozy feel in a room you will mostly be sleeping in. In other words, homeowners are finding creative ways to maximize every square foot.
Big
Windows, Tall
Ceilings Small
homes can seem much larger when natural
Tall ceiling heights, an open floor plan and plenty of windows make any size home feel larger. Adding outdoor decks or patios is a great way to extend the overall living area.
light is allowed to penetrate commonly used rooms like kitchen and living areas. Adding height to a room also provides the illusion that a space is much bigger. If it feels bigger, then the actual square footage isn’t as important.
Minimalism This popular design trend works great with a smaller home. Keeping lines clean and simple allows you to enjoy your spaces more without the distraction of clutter.
Well Organized And speaking of clutter... it can be a comfort killer. When our senses are taking in lots of stimulus at once, it can be overwhelming. Kind of like when the sink is full of dishes. Organize areas you use every day so
you will be more likely to keep things in their place. Once a year, do a clean sweep and remove or donate items you don’t need anymore. One advantage of smaller footprint homes – they force you to stay organized.
Outdoor Living Spaces If you enjoy being outside, outdoor living spaces, like decks and patios, are an excellent way to make any home feel larger–and they don’t significantly add to utility costs. A back porch can easily become an extended dining or living area. Adding a fireplace, heaters or fans make it enjoyable all year long. Additionally, well-planned landscaping makes any size house feel more homey. Extend your outdoor living space even further with flower gardens,
Need help from a pro?
If you need help creating a home that fits your budget and style without a lot of waste, we have local experts right here in Toombs County. Greg McKenzie Builders has been building fine homes and commercial buildings in the Southeast for almost three decades. Their knowledge and experience can help you create the home you’ve been dreaming of.
walking paths, and lighting features that double as security.
Energy Efficiency One way to save on the overall cost of a home is to implement an energy efficient design that will lower your costs in the long run. Consider features like solar panels, high-quality insulation, top-rated windows and energy efficient appliances.
Customization Working with an architect, home designer or builder allows you to create a home suitable to individual needs, so there is no wasted space. Even smaller homes can benefit from a good house plan that covers all the bases for a family without the extra fluff.
Most Insurance Accepted
Medicaid/Wellcare • Amerigroup
PeachState • PeachCare
United Healthcare
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
PPO & HMO
Top row, left to right: Kelli Sharpton, FNP-C, Callie Wilkes, PA-C, Anglia Dailey, FNP-C, Shayla Sellers, FNP-C
Bottom row, left to right: Carlie Poppell, PA-C, Etta Boss-Cole, MD, Erica Woods, FNP-C
Monday-Friday: 8 AM–5 PM and Saturday (seasonal): 9 AM–12 PM
FORGE OF FREEDOM
BY
Addiction can strike any family at any time and can be incredibly difficult to conquer.
It's taken Craig George many years, an abundance of faith, hard work and dedication to helping others succeed to begin writing his own new story of hope.
TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER
iI was looking for a reason. A contributing factor. Somewhere that Craig George might place the blame, rightly or not. But the usual suspects were missing. There was no abuse or traumatic event. As a child, Craig was not pressured to reach some unattainable goal in sports or school. “I grew up in a loving, supportive home,” he said evenly. “My parents raised all five of us to have good morals. They were pillars of the community in Richmond Hill, where we grew up. My father coached me in every sport, just like he did with my brothers. He was a loving, quiet man. Not overbearing. We attended church on Sundays and Wednesdays. I had everything you would think a child would need to succeed.”
Craig made good grades. He was athletic and excelled in sports. He was popular in school. No matter how hard I probed or what direction I took, he never assigned blame to his parents, friends, teachers, or even society at large. Craig didn’t point to personality type, birth order, or any other new psychological evaluations trending on social media these days.
"I was a prisoner of my own mind and enslaved to my substance abuse disorder," said Craig.
Looking back, the progression from drinking alcohol with school friends to smoking marijuana on camping trips to experimenting with a friend’s prescription pain meds was obvious. These experiences were gateway drugs, the entry point that led to using harder substances for Craig.
If not traumatic events and/or home issues, the usual suspect is peer pressure. The wrong crowd. “Bad company corrupts good morals,” after all. That oft-quoted scripture in I Corinthians 15:33 is a mantra repeated often in any good Christian home. (Even if it is taken out of context here, it’s still good advice.)
But Craig did not place blame on the friends with whom he spent time. He would not define them as the “wrong crowd.” And, to be fair, none of his friends failed to finish school, found themselves with felony convictions, or followed the path into addiction as he had done. He could not – would not – blame them for his choices.
Perhaps Craig’s addiction was an inherited predisposition, I reasoned. Genetics can certainly play a part. Medical histories look for clues from the past for any known diseases in the family tree. He shook his head. Sure, he’d been told that an older relative had struggled with alcoholism when he came home from the war. But then, “He quit cold turkey, and it was over. That’s nothing like my experience. I can’t even relate to that,” said Craig.
How he got there was simple. Too simple. Soberingly simple. At some point, the line was too muddy to see when he crossed from having a choice to being trapped. “I was a prisoner of my own mind and enslaved to my Substance Use Disorder (SUD),” said Craig.
He was in the 10th grade when he called in the bomb threat to avoid taking a test at school. He was charged with making terroristic threats, so he remained on probation for the next twenty years. Craig was sent to an alternative school but was kicked out for fighting. A high school dropout at sixteen, he went to work in construction with his brother.
At eighteen, Craig and his girlfriend were expecting. “We got married and had our daughter, Alyssa,” he said. “When a good opportunity with work came up in Las Vegas, Nevada, we moved there. I was twenty-one at the time.” While there, his second child, Ethan, was born.
Vegas was not exactly the best environment for a person with an addiction, a truth he had yet to acknowledge. In addition to drugs, he was gambling. The reality of his addiction hit home for the first time when he found his wife’s journal documenting his daily drug use. She was preparing to file for a divorce.
“Five out of seven days, I was using some serious drugs,” said Craig. “During the week, I might take prescription pills or Xanax. On the weekends, it was cocaine or ecstasy.” He entered his first treatment facility at the age of twentyfour. While there, he was served with divorce papers. “I had caused a lot of damage to our family at that point.”
He would enter thirteen such facilities over a ten-year time period. However, he completed only six of the thirteen programs. In addition, Craig was arrested numerous times. He spent time in a Probation Detention Center (PDC), a Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program for State Prisoners, and four years total in prison. Craig has a “volume two folder” in Bryan County, meaning his criminal record was too large for one file alone.
“Addiction took me from the Salvation Army homeless shelter in Macon, Georgia, to the Star Gospel Mission in Charleston, South Carolina, and everywhere in between,” said Craig.
W hy? Why did he return again and again to the destructive life of addiction? This is the most difficult part to understand for someone on the outside looking in. According to mayoclinic.org, “Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person's brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine.” Like many others, Craig was trapped in his own body and mind. It’s more than a case of will, moral failing, or character weakness. Physical changes happen in the brain.
Detoxing was only the start. It was the first “no” to his body and mind. But it wasn’t enough. There had to be a “yes” to new patterns and a healthy lifestyle beyond a rehab program. That was the hard part. “Things would get really bad, and I would decide to do something about it,” said Craig. “I’d go into rehab and become the all-star of the program. But as soon as I would get out, I would fall flat on my face again. I could never figure out how to transition from the structure of a rehab program to the real world.”
W hen Craig was released from prison in 2015, he moved to Vidalia with his girlfriend, Tiffany. This was his chance for a fresh start and a new life with the woman he loved. As soon as he found himself slipping back into the same cycle again, Craig went into the 12th treatment program. After six months, he came home. “I got involved with every 12-step program there was. All these programs have been here. This is a strong recovery community; many have found freedom through their churches and programs. But their work has been in the shadows.”
This time, Craig experienced something he never had before. “Tiffany was going to Connection Church and felt we needed that in our lives. I became a part of a small group of men there who were really honest and transparent about their lives with each other. This was different from any church I’d ever belonged to. Growing up, we went in, sat up straight, and listened to a good message. We smiled, shook hands when the service ended and returned to our real lives. So, I was blown away. These guys didn’t just listen; they shared real struggles of their own.”
For the first time, Craig had an encounter with Jesus. He felt different. For the first time, his mind and heart came into agreement. Compassion and real friendship built a bridge from the world of addiction to the path to real freedom. But walking across that bridge was not pretty. Craig stepped onto that bridge and reached out to Billy Shiver, the pastor of Connection Church. While Billy helped Craig search for a treatment facility, things fell apart quickly at home. “I still chose to fall back into my old ways one more time,” said Craig. “But this time, there wasn’t even a short time of it being enjoyable. Immediately after reintroducing drugs into my body, I got into such a bad mental place I thought about suicide, and I had never thought like that before.”
By this time, Craig and Tiffany had a son, Grey, and another on the way. Her only hope was to make the seemingly ruthless decision to kick him out. For two nights, Craig slept in the woods. He was hungry and homeless. “I called my mom and asked if she would come get me. She said, ‘No.’ You have to understand what I had put my mom through. I couldn’t even go into my mother’s home because I would steal from her. I would do whatever it took for drugs. So, if I showed up, she would feed me a plate of food on the back porch.”
Craig called again. “I begged her. I said, ‘Mom,
Once he realized helping others was important to his own success as an addict, Craig started a construction company to offer employment and recovery opportunities to men in our community. This led to the creation of Forge Recovery Center–an in-patient recovery center that "restores men to freedom, hope, and purpose." It includes a 12-step program designed to help men who suffer from both chemical and behavior addiction, and a 12-24 month community-based program, which focuses on returning men to their families and society as productive and contributing members.
The former Garden Club near downtown Lyons is the future site of Gardens of Hope–Toombs County's Recovery Community Organization. According to Craig, this will be similar to an immediate care center for anyone seeking recovery services pertaining to addiction. Employees will have personal perspective of addiction and long term recovery and Forge will provide peer support, resources, recovery meetings and programs.
“I showed up for everything," said Craig. “I planned my nights around recovery meetings, church, and a date night with my wife."
please help me one last time.’ She said, ‘I’ll take you to a state park and drop you off. If you’re there in a week, I’ll take you to a cabin in the mountains, and we'll find you somewhere to go.’”
His mother picked him up on the side of Loop Road. With a week’s supply of food and a tent, she dropped him off at George L. Smith State Park. “I detoxed right there in that tent,” said Craig. “When she returned, she rented a cabin in North Georgia for a week and took me there.” With the help of his family and Billy Shiver, Craig found The Way Up, a program in Gainesville, Georgia, that agreed to take him in.
“The Way Up is known as one of the toughest programs in Georgia,” said Craig. While there, he reconciled with Tiffany. It had not been easy to kick him out. He smiled and said, “She’s a strong woman. She’s very tough.” The two decided to make things work and provide a good home for their children. That was seven years ago. After six months in the program, Craig came home to be a father to his son and newborn daughter, Raegan.
This time, when Craig came home from rehab, he joined every 12-step program in the community. He volunteered to serve in every position in his church. “I showed up for everything. I had something to do every night of the week. I planned my nights around recovery meetings, church, and a date night with my wife. I ran that schedule for two years. It was either a 12-step meeting, church, or date night.” Every moment was accounted for.
Craig was empowered to change in a way he had never been before. Yes, it was his choice,
but God turned him around through the courage of men strong enough to be vulnerable. Their truth help set him free. The next time he chose drugs, he couldn’t stay in it. The pleasure was gone. The chasm was great between rehab and life without the structured program, but a genuine encounter with the love of God and the love and relationship of the men in his church helped bridge that gap. And yet, the choice was – is – daily. And every day, he chooses to walk in the grace that love afforded him.
“I began telling my story anywhere I could,” said Craig. “I forced myself to be vulnerable and transparent, and I met with as many individuals as possible to share my story,” he said. All that reaching out and vulnerability naturally created the opportunity to help others struggling with substance use disorders. He did what had been suggested in every treatment program. “You are much less likely to turn back when you become part of the solution. I began sponsoring and discipling other men at the 12-step meetings and at church.”
“Many of the guys were homeless and out of work,” said Craig. “So, I brought them into my home and started a construction company to provide these men with employment. Men began coming from all over.” Of course, bringing them into his home with two young children was not ideal, so he rented a couple of houses in Lyons for the men to stay in.
The construction business grew. The attendance in the 12-step meetings grew. And the gathering of men at his church grew. “I started just showing up to court with my men to advocate for rehabilitation opportunities instead of incarceration throughout the Middle Judicial Circuit.”
A vision began taking shape. It was a vision born out of the fire of his own afflictions. That vision would help change the possibilities for men caught in cycles of addiction in our community. “All of the hell that I put everybody through. I wanted it to be worth something,” said Craig.
The fall from the grace he’d known as a child had been costly. But that’s the thing about redemption. Grace empowers change, but mercy makes grace possible. Craig couldn’t change the past, but he could let God use it for good. And when God does something, it’s bigger than we could ever do ourselves. Not only is Craig’s life on a path of freedom,
Craig with his wife Tiffany with their children Grey and Raegan.
Recently Forge Recovery Center helped host the Mobilize Recovery Across Georgia event at the Ronnie A. Dixon City Park in Vidalia. The event travels across the state during National Recovery Month to celebrate recovery, educate individuals on recovery resources and connect members of the community.
but his relationship with his two children from his first marriage has also been restored. That alone is more than enough proof of the power of redemption.
On November 11, 2020, Craig officially started Forge Recovery Center, a 501(c)3. With Assistant Director Todd Hamm, the ministry serves the community with the help of a board of directors that includes Glenn Williamson, Kevin Flack, Billy Shiver, Joe George, Charlie Cash, Micah Williams, Eddie Perkins, Nancy McComb, and Laura Kilgore.
“Forge is an in-patient recovery center that restores men to freedom, hope, and purpose. Our 12-step program is designed to help men (18 years of age and older) who suffer from addiction, both chemical and behavioral. Our 12-24 month community-based program is focused on returning men to their families and society as productive and contributing members of their communities” (forgerecoverycenter.com).
Today, the Level 3 treatment center is one of Georgia's premier centers for addiction and recovery. Forge offers a 30-day Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), in-house sponsorship program, inclusive community service program, dynamic culture of recovery, inhouse counseling, yoga classes, gym memberships, Bible study sessions, spiritual/religious events, peer support, top-notch accountability, and above all—the 12 steps vital to a disciplined life of freedom.
“ We currently serve forty-two men in our program,” said Craig. Forge is a member of the Georgia Association of Recovery Residences (GARR) and the Transitional Housing for Offender Re-entry (THOR). “Our partnership with Toombs County Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery (PTR) empowers us to make a huge impact on the recovery community.”
Forge is part of many ministries and organizations in our community working together to restore and offer
the opportunity for freedom to those trapped in substance use disorder. In addition, Craig serves as Director of Gardens of Hope Recovery Community Organization (RCO), which provides peer support across Toombs County. “Through education, advocacy, and training, we are serving alongside professionals in our schools, hospital, and jail to enhance their work and walk with others on their journey to recovery.”
In 2022, Craig received the Annie Rose Jackson Humanitarian Award, an honor given to community members whose lives are dedicated to serving others. In October 2022, he was nominated for the Department of Community Supervision (DCS) Stakeholder Award for his work with Forge. Then, in October 2023, he was once again nominated for the award for his work with Toombs County Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery (PTR) and the development of the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). Both times, he stood with law
enforcement at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) and was recognized.
Craig continues to work with federal and state agencies to improve the quality of life for those with substance use disorder like himself. He is accredited by the State as a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CARES), Certified Peer Specialist of Addictive Disease (CPS-AD), Forensic Peer Mentor (FPM), and a Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) Instructor.
“My life is proof that God can turn it all around for good,” said Craig. From a life of addiction, God forged a life of freedom. He did it through 12-step programs, a church group, his family, and this community. Today, several of our local businesses work with Forge to employ the men in the program to help make this liferestoring process possible.
“The lie is dead. We can recover,” said Craig. According to vertavahealth.com, “23 million families across North America are living in recovery and leading wonderful, productive lives.” Recovery is possible, and Craig and the ministry of Forge are a vital part of that possibility for our community.
Proverbs 24:11-12 in the Message translation says, “Rescue the perishing; don’t hesitate to step in and help. If you say, ‘Hey, that’s none of my business,’ will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know—Someone not impressed with weak excuses.”
These verses brought to mind an old hymn called “Rescue the Perishing,” written by the great hymn writer and mission worker Fanny J. Crosby and published in 1869. Blind from six weeks old, Crosby wrote as many as 9,000 hymns, according to brittanica.com. Many were written under pseudonyms because publishers didn’t want so many songs attributed to one writer in their hymn books. Other songs written by Crosby include “Jesus is Tenderly Calling,” “Draw Me Nearer,” and “Blessed Assurance.” Verse three of “Rescue the Perishing reads:
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, Feelings lie buried that grace can restore; Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.
Again and again, Craig enters the fire to rescue the perishing - our sons, our fathers, and the men in our community. His life is a testament that one chapter is never the whole story. At some point, we all need the hope to believe that our mistakes can be turned for good. People may not forget, but they don’t get to write in our books. Craig has committed his life to helping those caught in addiction turn the pages of the past and rewrite their futures. Line by line, page by page, stories of the men at Forge begin anew.
SPA ON FIRST
THERAPEUTIC MASSAGES FOR WELLNESS
Tess Vann
Massage Therapist, LMT MT 014448 Wendy
Massage Therapist, LMT MT001876
Massage Therapist, LMT MT12653
For Heather Lynn, event planning is all about the getting the details right.
All forYou
Meeting the bride's expectation for her wedding to be the most special day of her life is a challenging responsibility. Creating the atmosphere where two people will come together to agree to a lifelong covenant to “love and to cherish till death do us part” is no small task. Yet, in an atmosphere of beauty surrounded by the support and love of family and friends, it becomes a moment of magic. As an event planner, Heather Pittman Lynn has become the orchestrator of that event for many. When all is done, she gives her final instruction to her crew: “Light ‘em up,”
she says, and the candles are lit. And with those simple words, a thousand details come alive.
Decorating and event planning was not Heather’s first career. After graduating from Toombs County High School in 1992, she received her cosmetology degree from Southeastern Technical College. For the next twentyfive years, she worked as a beautician out of her home while raising her three daughters, Madison Lynn (27), Abigail Hutchinson (25), and Emmie Lynn (18), with her husband, Shawn. When their youngest daughter started high school, Heather saw one chapter of her life soon coming to a close. And when the next chapter began, she planned to be ready for it.
Decorating has been a lifelong love for Heather. As a child, she spent hours finding new ways to rearrange her bedroom furniture. Often, the change would require (re)painting the walls with a new shade. Her creativity found inspiration from the natural world. Heather’s father worked at Plant Hatch, but that did not keep him from
enjoying a bit of farming and raising hogs on the side. The vision of open fields with ordered rows of onions or other crops enriched her childhood.
Another inspiration was the home of her grandmother, Ruby Pittman. Her home brought it all together for Heather creating a “clean” image of rightness. Yes, that’s the word she used, which seemed a bit odd as inspiration for decorating and design until I looked deeper at the definition of the word. According to Merriam-Webster.com, “Clean” is not simply a description of an immaculate, spotless house. It’s also defined as to “deftly execute;
skillful; free from external hindrances to smooth flow; unencumbered.” Clean. Now, I understood.
Through the years, Heather has helped friends and family with events. When her cousin, Jonathan Pittman, owner of Pittman Family Farms and Country Market, looked to expand his produce market into a gift shop, he called Heather. “I helped him with ordering and continue to help stage everything in the store for him.” If you haven’t been there recently, it’s well worth a visit. With Heather’s help, this great seasonal produce market now includes a “large selection of home decor, florals, gifts, retro candies and sodas, and ice cream.”
By November 2019, Heather’s decorating and event planning business, “All For You,” was official. The name she chose was a purposeful message. “I wanted people to
Heather takes inspiration from everything around her–especially in nature. She was also influenced by her grandmother Ruby's "clean" approach to decorating.
Heather gets help and support from Kelly Campbell and Michelle Hughes, her daughters and her husband Sean. Pictured above, Kelly, daughter Madison, grandson Dylan, Heather and daughter Emmy.
trust that when I drive up, and they see ‘All For You’ on my van, they can know that I’m there for everything they want me to do. It’s all for them.” Only, no thanks to Covid, things didn’t quite go as planned. In the wake of a global pandemic, events were canceled and weddings postponed. Finally, in 2021, business started picking up. The following year, Heather’s bookings doubled. This year, Heather is busier than ever.
Anyone who has ever volunteered to help out a friend for an important event will agree that it is not for the faint of heart. Weeks, sometimes months, go into planning. Heather has prepared for events in many of the venues in our area and in Brunswick, Savannah, and Macon. Each venue is unique, she explained—each event is as individual as the person or persons involved.
“I love a challenge. But there’s one thing I won’t do,” said Heather, her expression serious. “No matter how beautiful the last wedding or event was, I refuse to do things the same way at the next event. I approach each one with a fresh vision and originality.”
A s with everything Heather has ever done, her family is her greatest support and helps bring it all together. Her three daughters, her husband, and two helpers, Kelly Campbell and Michelle Hughes, complete the “All For You” team.
Everyone has their own light to bring. For Heather, every event is an opportunity to reveal that light. Everything is a potential for inspiration for that light, from a bird in flight to a line of poetry, a verse in a song, or a colored chalk drawing on a sidewalk. These musings often inspire 2:00 a.m. revelations for new concepts and ideas for new clients.
Heather's event planning skills have been put to use for all kinds of soirees.
To make every event perfect, she encourages clients to make notes of details that "speak to them." Her goal is to create a unique experience for each individual.
“I tell people, ‘Bring ideas. Look at Pinterest.’ But instead of looking at the picture as a whole, I encourage them to look for the small details. Pick out different things that speak to you. Don’t get me wrong. Pinterest is great for ideas. But twenty years down the road, when you’re flipping through your wedding album, you don’t want to look at pictures that look like every other wedding from that year,” said Heather.
In the final hour, all the details come together in an array of colors, presentation of food, and perfectly chosen decorations that embody the spirit and soul of the person or people for whom she is serving. “Light ‘em up,” she says. And at that moment, their dream comes to life.
For more information, check out All For You by H.P. Lynn on Facebook
Every event deserves a special location.
OPENING SPRING 2024
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Host your wedding, reception, birthday party, family reunion, company event, lunch gathering, and large or small special occasion in our timelessly beautiful location.
The Dahlia
Mike & Amanda Higgins, owners
If you have tried the shots, pills, potions, and hard workouts at the gym, and they are not working for you, maybe you just haven’t tried A Health Revival....
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COFFEE, FRIENDS & JESUS
The Hodges family carves out space for spirit and soul with fair trade products that help people around the world ...and good cup of coffee to share with a friend.
BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE WILLIAMS
Local coffee shops are a great way to get to know the character of a town. While it's true that we love our coffee in Toombs County, many of us also appreciate a little something that didn’t come out of a package with a list of fifty unidentified preservatives in it. Along with a great cup of coffee and a little something delicious on the side, we also appreciate a place with an atmosphere to sit and socialize with friends or perhaps get a bit of work done with WIFI access. Kirsten and Travis Hodges envisioned all this and more when they opened Equipped this past December 2022.
Before I talk about the Hodges, let’s talk coffee. The importance of great coffee cannot be overstated, especially when it is the main ingredient around which all others fuse at Equipped. Committed coffee drinkers (like myself) don’t need justification, but validation is still appreciated. In the March 15, 2016, online issue of Practical Neurology, Astrid Nehlig published an article entitled, “Effects of coffee/caffeine on brain health and disease: What should I tell my patients?” He writes, “…caffeine has many positive actions on the brain. It can increase alertness and well-being, help concentration, improve mood, and limit depression.” In addition, “Lifelong coffee/ caffeine consumption has been associated with prevention
“Fair Trade products are at the core of our purpose and mission,” said Kirsten.
of cognitive decline, and reduced risk of developing stroke, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.” I’d like to say this is the reason we are committed coffee drinkers at my house, but we can only credit Grandma Lluuana for putting coffee in the Williams children’s sippy cups.
At Equipped, the coffee is a “Fair Trade” product from Three Tree Coffee Roasters out of Statesboro, Georgia. Fair Trade is a global certification program that requires a fair price paid, in this case, coffee farmers. But it’s much more than that. According to their mission statement, “At Three Tree Coffee, we use specialty coffee for three purposes: Empower our farmers, end human trafficking, and engage the community.”
In addition to regular drip coffee, lattes, espressos, hot chocolate, affogatos, and espresso shakes, Equipped also offers milkshakes, smoothies, aqua frescas (fruit with sparkling water), and a variety of teas that include Chia tea, Turkish tea, London fog, and Earl Grey black
tea. Regarding food, the cook is in the kitchen, not a factory, where preservatives keep things as fresh as the red apple that poisoned Snow White. Breakfast may be homemade cinnamon rolls or coffee cake crumb muffins. Lunch for the day may be homemade spaghetti with Kirsten’s sourdough bread, a French dip roast beef sandwich, paninis, fried tacos, or perhaps a Puerta Rico-inspired queso birria.
Coffee and homemade breakfast and lunch items equip the body. But it’s the Fair Trade products Kirsten makes available for purchase that equips the soul. “Fair Trade products are at the core of our purpose and mission,” she said, “There are a lot of places around the world where people go to work in factories that are unsafe environments. Many don't get time off if they're sick and continue to work because they desperately need a paycheck. “Fair Trade ensures that the companies that carry their name give workers a fair wage so they can live somewhere safe, have a safe work environment, pay their bills, and send their kids to school no matter where they live in the world.”
Kirsten learned about many of the items she now sells at Equipped through Mercy House Global. “As a family, we’ve been purchasing Fair Trade products from Mercy House for many years. During the pandemic in 2020, they started doing daily live streams where they showcased a couple of products and told the story behind each one. That’s when I started thinking about how to bring this to our community. As we are equipped for our goals and purposes, we can help equip women worldwide.
Today, Equipped sells handmade earrings and fabric market bags made by women at Rehema House in Kenya, “a place for young pregnant girls without resources or support. They can stay as long as needed, even after the baby is born. While there, these girls learn skills that give them a way to live a dignified life,” said Kirsten. She pointed to a tag and said, “Many of the products carry the artisan’s name. The sale of the product directly benefits the artisan who made it.”
Pointing to a shelf of candles in small round tins, Kirsten said, “Women Refugees in Texas is another ministry supported through Mercy House Global. These women are taught how to make scented candles. It’s not a handout,” she
added. “These women gain skills that provide jobs.”
Equipped also sells kitchen towels made by the ASHA Project, a ministry in India. “ASHA means ‘hope,’” said Kirsten. “It’s a ministry that teaches women in India a skill to help break the cycle of poverty. Many are in slaverytype jobs or situations because of extreme poverty.”
Coffee mugs and other pottery available for purchase come from Prodigal Pottery. This ministry is a part of King's Home, “a large non-profit organization comprised of over twenty residential group homes spanning all across the state of Alabama. These group homes provide housing, along with a variety of other resources, to women and children fleeing domestic abuse, homelessness, and other difficult circumstances,” including sex trafficking, according to their website. Their motto is: “Employ, Equip, Empower.”
Intricately woven baskets made by women in Bangladesh come from 10,000 Villages, a “global maker-tomarket movement that addresses economic injustice” (tenthousandvillages. com). Another group of handmade earrings are made by an artisan group called Forged in Hope, which is “a jewelry group from the slums of Nairobi, Kenya,” according to Kirsten. “Mercy House Global ensures that these people have jobs and the supplies they need to work with.”
Products from 2nd Story Goods include “Steel Drum Art” from Haiti, leather pocketbooks, and stuffed animals. Other items are made by artisans in Morocco from Jubilee Trading Company. Baskets and wood products are fashioned by women at Rahab’s Rope, a ministry that empowers women and children in the fight against human trafficking in India.
Equipping the body and soul leaves only one part left to cover: the spirit, which also has a place at Equipped. Various groups gather for Bible studies throughout the week. “Two or three will come in to meet for times of discipleship,” said Kirsten. “We also have a monthly Bible journaling group and a once-a-month live worship night this past fall.” The once-a-month book club recently resumed this past fall as well.
Kirsten and Travis place a high value on friendship and connections in the community. “I taught special ed for almost eight years in the public school system,” said Kirsten. “When my daughter was four, we decided to homeschool. That was ten years ago. Today, fourteen-year-old Kylin and twelveyear-old Barrett have added new skills to their repertoire of school subjects. Along with her church family at First Baptist in Vidalia, a local homeschool co-op “schoolhouse society” has surrounded the Hodges with prayer and support.
In August 2023, Travis and Kirsten purchased the longtime framing business in town, Frame Gallery
bringing the two businesses under one roof. “This way, we can co-operate, manage, and oversee both businesses in one place,” said Kirsten. “Customers can enjoy a cup of coffee and order a custommade frame while drinking it.”
Eight years ago, the Hodges bought a house on Church Street. “The house was built in 1918,” said Kirsten. Travis gained invaluable knowledge and skill as he worked on restoring the old house. “Then we bought this building. Many people in the community remember when it was the old Braddy’s Army and Navy Store. The leap from restoring the old house and then the building in downtown Vidalia to creating custommade frames seemed inconsequential. It was the perfect fit.
At the back of Equipped, a card rack holds Kylin’s custom-made cards with beautiful hand-painted watercolor artwork. She also sells propagated plants under her own company name, Sown Seeds. Against the side wall stands a knife case filled with Damascus steel knives from Titan International Knives out of Illinois, a throwback to Travis’s memories of the Braddy Army Navy store from his childhood. Travis and Kirsten's businesses are honoring the past by adding a new chapter.
Equipped began as a vision for a place to connect and equip people. These are not just buzzwords. The connections we share from the past and those we build in the present form bonds that create a stronger community for the future. Equipped is about coffee with a friend, a safe space for restoring the soul, and an opportunity to support and help heal the broken spirits of women worldwide. The most important things always come back to this: family, friends, and Jesus. And, as any good Williams will tell you, a good cup of coffee is a great place to start.
Family Affair
Equipped was initially Kirsten's idea, but the entire Hodges family is invested in the venture. Kylin sells hand painted paper items, Travis manages the frame shop and Barrett is learning to help out where needed.
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Music, Dance, Impact
Growing up in a world of music and dance, Missy Owens has learned the importance of teaching a simple activity to create added value in the lives of the next generation.
BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER
WWORLD CHANGERS influence the beliefs and values of the upcoming generation. The impact, whether for good or bad, is the consequence of what did or did not happen in the home, the classroom, and the community. Missy Owens and her husband, Kareem, have been positive influencers in our community for many years. For the past twenty-six years, Missy has filled the role of both teacher and coach in various positions in Toombs County. In 2020, she added Head Dance Coach for the first competitive Dance Team at Vidalia Comprehensive High School (VCHS) to the long list of roles she has filled.
Missy grew up in a world of music and dance. “My mother, the late Sarah Nell Lane, founded Children Keeping a Mission (CKM), Inc. in the early 1990s,” she said. “In the beginning, as many as 115 girls were a part of the community organization. Our focus was liturgical and praise dance. We performed in parades and various churches and events in Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida. At the time, it was the highlight of my life.”
Missy’s father, Marvin Lane, worked hard to provide for his family of seven children. “There’s five girls and two boys,” she said, smiling. “My dad is a roofer. He owns Lane Roofing Company. He was always on a roof somewhere working hard. My parents taught us by example how to serve the community at church, school, and home. We were always involved in singing and dancing, fundraising, and doing chores in the neighborhood.” The pride she felt for both parents was evident.
Serving the students at VCHS was and continues to be personal
for Missy. “I graduated from this school in 1992,” she said. “After high school, I went to Brewton-Parker College on a Cheerleading scholarship.” Her skills have obviously been passed on to her children. She added, “Our daughter, Kourtney, went to college on a cheer scholarship and cheered professionally for the Atlanta Braves for two years. She also danced professionally for the Atlantic Gladiators hockey team. Our son, Konner, went to Shorter University on a soccer scholarship. His athleticism got
the attention of the cheerleading squad because they recently recruited him.” Missy smiled broadly.
In 1997, she graduated from BPC with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education. Missy continued her education with a Master of Science in Educational Leadership (Troy University) and an Education Specialist degree in 2007 from Nova Southeastern University.
In 1997, as she worked on her degrees, Missy began her work career as a paraprofessional at Vidalia’s J.D. Dickerson Primary School. The following January, Missy lost her mother to breast cancer. Since her two sisters were older
and had other responsibilities, she took over the leadership of CKM while steadily working her way to where she wanted to be as a Physical Education teacher in the school system.
“There is not a big turnover in this position,” said Missy. “So, I started out as a General Education Diploma Educator in the prison system. Then, I served in the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) system,” formerly Cedarwood, “and also taught pre-k in the Toombs County School system.”
In 2005, Missy was offered a Health and Physical Education teacher position at VHS. At the time, her responsibilities included coaching girls’ softball and basketball at Vidalia’s J. R. Trippe Middle School. During that time, she led the basketball team to
two back-to-back championships for the Georgia Middle School Athletic Association (GMSAA) state championship. In one of those two years, the team went undefeated. The softball team also won a title as runner-up in the GMSAA.
“People often assume that all Health and P.E. teachers also coach sports. But that’s not true,” said Missy. “It’s more the exception rather than the rule. Many don’t coach any sport at all. I pay tribute to Mrs. Linda Roper for being my role model in the field and setting an example that is unmatched.” Her role in coaching would include sixteen years as the VCHS Assistant Cheerleading Coach.
In 2016, Mr. Sharpe, then Principal of VCHS, asked Missy if she would sponsor a group of girls wanting to start a dance club. At the time, dance was not a sanctioned sport in Georgia. Even though Missy had been involved in dance her entire life, she did not take the responsibility lightly. “I told Mr. Sharpe, ‘Give me a week to pray about it.’” And God obviously approved because she would spend the four years that followed as a sponsor for the dance group.
Missy’s work with CKM gave her an advantage. She understood the power and importance of music and dance in the lives of our youth. Studies have proven what she already knew firsthand about the benefits. Music and dance increase creativity, improve physical well-being, enhance mental acuity, build social skills, and even raise test scores, just to name a few.
“It’s more important than ever that our youth are trained in the right way,” said Missy
W hen girl’s school dance was finally approved by the GHSA in 2020 as a competitive sport, Missy and her team were ready to take their dance skills to another level. “We've had the Georgia Spirit Coordinator and many other special people come. Dance team competition can be very
challenging because so many skills are required,” said Missy. “The closest school district with a competitive girl’s dance team is in Dublin, and last year was their first year competing.”
Even though the VCHS dance team is relatively new in dance as a competitive sport, they have done exceptionally well, placing first in their division last season (2022-2023). Of the twenty girls on the team this year, fifteen compete. Some competitive dancers join the other five who solely perform for sporting events and special holiday programs. “We usually have about ten performing at games,” said Missy. The theme for this year’s VCHS Girl’s Dance Team competition is “Hamilton.” “I am excited to have Stephanie Dopson join me this year as Assistant Coach.”
From her parent's example, Missy always understood the effect that one life can have. Underestimating the influence of one person’s life has proven a costly mistake throughout history.
One person’s evil intent has resulted in unimaginable atrocities on more than one occasion such as those made by Hitler and the Holocaust that followed. Likewise, one person’s faithfulness can literally change everything that was meant for evil into good. From Joseph’s story in the Bible, we learn that he had two gifts: He could interpret dreams, and he was a master at managing a household. (Ref. Genesis 37-50). Joseph was just one person. His faithfulness to serve with those two simple gifts, regardless of whether he was in prison or a palace, put
him in a position to save not only his family but all of Egypt during a famine.
Serving as the coach for the Vidalia Girl’s Dance Team is more than moves and music for Missy. Through her gifts as a teacher and coach, her life impacts the beliefs and values that the next generation will carry. But without the moves and music, there’s no access for impact and influence to happen.
In addition to her work at VCHS, Missy works to ensure CKM continues to have an impact with an annual Miss Mission Keeper pageant to honor breast cancer survivors and trailblazers within the community. The pageant was held on November 5th at Southeastern Technical College this year.
“A favorite scripture that my parents always taught us from Proverbs 22:6 says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ It’s more important than ever that our youth are trained in the right way,” said Missy. Silence is not golden when the voice of discernment, wisdom, and truth is needed. Missy is a voice in the wilderness for our times. With music and dance, she uses her gifts to make an impact. And in turn, these girls are empowered to make an impact of their own.
becoming
BY TERI R. WILLIAMS
a sewist
Sarah Ellis Walker challenged herself to learn something new. Now she combines the traditional skill she learned with modern technology to fulfill her passion for creating beautiful things.
WWhen my grandmother passed away, she left her sewing machine to me. Not because I was a great seamstress. I honestly wouldn’t know where to put a spool of thread on a sewing machine. But my grandma, born in 1915, still considered sewing a survival skill. Much has changed since my grandma made her children’s clothes from feed sacks. Today, reality shows like Project Runway and The Great British Sewing Bee have renewed interest in fashion design and, subsequently, the art of sewing. For Toombs County High School student Sarah Ellis Walker, it’s an interest that has given her a new skill and a platform for connection across generations within our community.
Sarah Ellis first became interested in learning to sew in the summer of 2019 while visiting family friends in Albany with her mother. “My mom’s friend had a daughter about my age. She was taking sewing lessons and showed me a pillow and some pajama shorts she’d made,” said Sarah Ellis. “When I came home, I started watching Project Runway and loved it. I thought it would be really cool if I could try to learn to sew for myself.” At the time, Sarah Ellis was a sixth-grader at Toombs County Middle School.
With an old sewing machine from her aunt, Nan Peterson, a few YouTube videos, and a couple of instructional books on sewing, she learned enough to get started. Since her aunt's old machine could only perform basic functions, her first projects included napkins, aprons, and pillows. When COVID-19
caused schools and businesses to close in mid-March 2020, Sarah Ellis suddenly had hours of free time to practice her new skill. “My mom was just glad I had something to do that didn’t have to do with technology,” she smiled. Brandon Walker was, indeed, grateful her daughter wasn’t on her cell phone or some other device all day, but that isn’t to say all things technological were not beneficial.
Sarah Ellis didn’t just have skill. She
ABOVE After receiving a new Singer sewing machine from her mom, Sarah Ellis was able to take her sewing to the next level. Tea towels, cloth napkins and jewelry and makeup bags are some of the more popular items that she sells.
also had that magical combination of ability and the willingness to work for it. Even as a young child, she saw the large family gathering for the Peterson family reunion each year as the perfect place to make a profit by providing refreshing lemonade and lifesaving handmade fans to keep the Georgia gnats away. She learned how to set up an Etsy page from YouTube videos, and with the practical thinking of an entrepreneur, she began selling her cloth napkins and tea towels on her Etsy page.
I had to ask. It’s the question many are asking. Right? “Does anyone use cloth napkins anymore?” As it happens, the question of cloth napkins was also the title of Jessica Farthing’s article for southernliving.com, published on January 5, 2023. According to Farthing, “Cloth napkins are a more sustainable choice. They are able to be used over and over, decreasing the throw away trash from the kitchen.”
“I sold a lot on Etsy initially,” said Sarah Ellis. “But I soon learned that it can take a really long time to get where you’re consistently making many sales there. You have to promote your page in many different
online places, and I didn't have time to keep up with it with school and sports commitments.” It was a very grown-up call to make. Time management is something many adults never get a handle on, but this fifteen-year-old just nailed it. Sometimes doing things well means less, not more, she realized. Often, the result is more of the right thing at the right time and place.
With less focus on online sales, Sarah Ellis discovered her niche at the 2021 Altama Museum Pop-Up Christmas Market. Not only did she do well with her Christmas-themed tea towels, cloth napkins, and stockings, she said, “I just like how in-person markets allow you to meet and talk with people. I learned that I really like selling stuff in person much better than online.”
With a new Singer sewing machine for Christmas that year from her mom, Sarah Ellis was ready to take her sewing to the next level. Gone are the racks of Vogue, McCormick, and Butterwick tissue patterns in
Sarah Ellis finds inspiration from modern day sewists–a term that commonly refers to a person who sews for enjoyment and artistic endeavor.
retail stores. Her first pattern came from Goodwill. The new way in the sewing world is not so much a loss of the old way as a discovery of the new. With a computer and a printer, Sarah Ellis found plenty of patterns which could be purchased online. She also found instructions on how to make her own patterns. “I watched how to do it, then took apart a t-shirt and drew out the pattern,” said Sarah Ellis.
Patterns are just one of many changes in the sewing and fashion industry. The seamstress and tailor of yesteryear is identified by many today as the “sewist.” According to
silverbobbin.com, this new term combines the words artist and sewer. It’s a term I ran into everywhere I looked for recent sewing trends online. The term makes sense when we see the stars on the red carpet stepping out in dresses made by famous designers like Versace, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel.
Another significant change in the sewing industry is the closure of many hometown fabric stores. Unlike online patterns, the Internet is not the best place for purchasing fabric. Fashionable, good-quality material must be seen and
touched. For this reason alone, some believe we will see the return of those wonderful places filled with colors and textures we remember from childhood.
As the older generation reminisces about days gone by, the younger generation questions the cost of convenience. Buying clothes is cheap these days. Sewing something by hand is not. In an online article published on January 31, 2020, for the San Diego Tribune entitled, “Home-sewn clothes are making a comeback. But is it too late for dying fabric stores?” Brittany Meiling writes, “The sudden interest is spurred, in part, by recent and widespread criticism of fast fashion. Awareness of the fashion industry’s uglier side dawned in 2013, when a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over 1,100 people.” In response, she states that documentaries like The True Cost “sparked nationwide concern over ethics in the fashion industry.”
The renewed interest in handmade clothes is not about cheaper. The weight of injustice with “fast fashion” does not sit well on this generation’s shoulders. Honestly, it’s refreshing to see modern-day sewists who would rather pay a higher price with their wallets than bear the burden of corruption in their souls.
The future for Sarah Ellis is inspired by people like Adrienne Antonson, the owner and designer of STATE, a store in Athens, Georgia, that she visits often with family members. In an online article by Alexis Derickson posted May 3, 2023, for redandblack. com, STATE is “A small team of 10 seamstresses and artists produce the garments and home pieces, establishing a striking balance between practicality and individuality.” Sarah Ellis also finds inspiration from sewists on Instagram as well as from others in the community, like Mary Beth Bolt, a young mother who sews clothes for her children.
The Altama Porch Fest this past spring was another opportunity for Sarah Ellis to display and sell her work, which included make-up bags, jewelry bags, and dog bandanas. She looks forward to growing her business and presenting her work in future markets in Georgia. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are also available year-round at Peppy’s in downtown Vidalia. She can also be found on Instagram at sewnbysarahellis.
Sarah Ellis and others like her are reason enough for optimism for us old folk. Besides pessimism being bad for your health, doomsday messages do little more than scare people into hopelessness and complacency. It’s the creators, the painters, singers, artists, writers, dancers, poets–and, yes, the sewists that shine a light on the path ahead. Looking back to an old skill with the technology of the present world and the imagination of a creative fifteen-year-old girl from Toombs County, I’m already feeling better about the future.
JUST BE DIFFERENT
Like many others, Terri Humphrey has a desire to see her community thrive. Her contribution is a downtown gift shop with lots to offer.
BY TERI R. WILLIAMS
“WHY DON’T YOU?” ASKED POLLY JEAN DURDEN, OWNER OF GABBY’S GIFT SHOP.
“BECAUSE THERE ARE ALREADY SEVERAL GIFT SHOPS HERE,” SAID TERRI HUMPHREY.
“ THEN BE DIFFERENT,” SAID POLLY.
It was a casual conversation between friends, or so Terri thought when she offhandedly mentioned something she would sell if she had her own gift shop. She might not have given it another thought if Cindy Reddick, another friend and the owner of Seasons Design, had not used those exact words less than two weeks later.
“I mentioned to Cindy how much I loved gift cards and said, ‘That’s something I would sell if I had my own gift shop.’ She said, ‘Why don’t you?’ I said, the same thing I’d said to Polly Jean. ‘Because we already have several gift shops in town.’”
“Then be different,” said Cindy.
Twice. The same words. For the first time, she thought, “If I had a shop of my own, it would be different.”
The remarkable part of this story is that neither friend considered another shop in town a threat to their business. Both had the wisdom to know that another gift shop would only add to the health and life of the community as a whole. If the success of a business is contingent on its being the only place to shop in town, it’s likely doomed anyway.
two friends stopped in Douglas. “We walked from shop to shop on this one block. There were like twelve different shops. It was great.” Terri and Dan went to St. Simons and Jekyll for their anniversary a few weeks later. “We just went in and out of shops.” Each one had its own distinct personality.
In January 2021, just as the world was moving beyond Covid, Terri and Dan noticed a vacant house on Mosley Street. By April 1, she was open for business. Peppy was her “Grandma name,” making it the most important name she’s called these days. It was the perfect choice. Terri opened Peppy’s with one goal in mind: to be different.
The process from retired teacher to gift shop owner had been a long time in the making. “I married right out of high school,” said Terri, “and went to work in the office at Oxford Manufacturing. Then, I started night classes when Tift College offered a four-year education degree on the Brewton Parker College campus.” The decision was easy. Terri had been playing teacher since she was old enough to play school with her playmates.
Terri strives to curate a collection of items that are different from what other stores might offer. She often carries items produced by local artisans. Her store is a labor of love that allows her to maintain community friendships since her retirement from teaching.
Imagine every building in Vidalia and Lyons filled with a variety of shops and restaurants with diverse cuisines. One or two great shops in a town filled with vacant buildings is not good for any community. The more shops people can enjoy, the more people will shop locally. Without growth, the town has a history but no future.
Still, Terri wrestled with the idea of opening her own gift shop. Finally, her friend Cindy invited her to a pop-up mart in Valdosta. “Just ride with me and look around,” she told Terri. On the way home, the
She began her teaching career in the Vidalia school system in 1987. “By then, she had also had her daughter, Lauren. Terri started out teaching fifth-grade math, science, and social studies. Through the years, she moved around from fourth to ninth grades, teaching mostly classes in some form of math or science. She spent all but one year in Vidalia. A promotion for her husband meant moving to Warner Robins. “We were there for one year,” said Terri. “Finally, I told my husband, ‘There will be a U-Haul here at 3:30. Would you like your stuff in there? I’m going home.” Dan’s stuff was in the truck, and they’ve been in Vidalia ever since.
Practical aspects of teaching might be learned in the college classroom, but like any artist or musician, teaching takes both gifting and calling. Any work done well comes with challenges. Some days, you’re pretty sure you hate the thing you love. But the reason the significance of teachers is second only to parents in a child’s life is because it takes love. It seems obvious, but it warrants saying: Great teachers love teaching because they love kids. And that’s what made Terri a great teacher. Before retiring in 2016, she coached both boys’ and girls’ tennis and cross country. Terri
was not involved in sports in school. In fact, it had not been that long since her friend, Mary Woodruff, had gotten her into running, which was how we met. We had this in common since I didn’t start running until I was in my late forties. Even though there is only a one-year difference in our ages, she leaves me in the dust. I’ve never been more excited to be older than someone than the year I moved out of her age group in the Vidalia Onion Run. Coaching tennis was a different kind of challenge altogether for Terri. She didn’t volunteer for the coaching position for the
Imagine every building in Vidalia and Lyons filled with a variety of shops and restaurants with diverse offerings.
tennis teams. When her son, Lee, joined the tennis team, she volunteered to help. During school announcements the following day, Terri learned that helping meant coaching. But that didn’t keep her from giving it her all. She went to clinics, read books on technique, studied, and faced the challenge as if she were preparing these guys and girls for Wimbledon. Giving all to whatever she does is just her way.
After retirement, Terri trained substitutes for a year and spent another year teaching math half a day at Vidalia Heritage. She even helped out for a time in another local gift shop. But Cindy and Gabby’s encouragement reminded Terri of a conversation she had had with Mr. Donald Estroff years earlier. “It was 1991, and I had taught only four years. Many people in town bought their children’s clothes from Estroff’s. When I heard the store was going out of business, I asked Mr. Estroff if he thought it would be a good time for me to open a children’s store since it was something I’d always wanted to do.” She smiled. “In typical Mr. Estroff fashion, he said, ‘You would be a fool. Walmart is putting us all out of business. You have a job with a retirement plan. You should stick with it.’”
Terri took his advice to heart and put her dream aside. She had somehow forgotten that long-ago dream in all her attempts to stay busy during her retirement years. Had it not been for encouragement from her friends, she might never have realized it again. These were true friends with that rare quality of experience seasoned
with wisdom. Mr. Estroff’s advice was exactly right at the time. But eventually, it all comes back around.
L ocal businesses have something online stores can never give: a connection with people in the community. Local stores are friends supporting friends. And let’s be honest. A billion Google results in .45 seconds is more overwhelming than anything else these days. Poor quality can’t always be seen on a computer screen. Ultimately, lower prices usually mean higher costs in other ways, like deplorable working conditions for that cheaper price. The piper always gets his pay. Thriving local businesses are better for us all.
W hen Terri placed her first order, she purposefully purchased from companies she’d not seen in other local stores. She wasn’t interested in taking business away from any store but adding to the community's business. In addition, Terri reached out to local artisans. The first person she called was her friend, Tommie Hutcheson. “Tommie’s friend, Nancy Pat Lowe,” also originally from Toombs County, “drew an onion for her, which she then embroidered on tea towels. The handembroidered tea towels showcasing Vidalia Onions® quickly sold out and had to be reordered.
O ther artworks available by local artists now include Yvonne Schmitt’s onion prints; Meredith Raiford Akins's floriography prints; Sarah Ellis Walker’s make-up bags and other accessories; Tammy Hodges Stille’s canvas paintings; Dianne Mixon’s photograph note cards; Ruthie McKenzie’s artwork; and Elizabeth Mauldin’s hand crocheted baby booties. “Ms. Mauldin used to make these for Pages Department Store back in the day,” said Terri. “Gina Williamson’s feather bow ties are also a huge hit. She uses pheasant, turkey, and duck feathers.”
In addition to works from local artists, Peppy’s stock includes candles from Trapp; four great greeting card lines; hand-crafted Christian-themed stones from Twelve Stone Art; supersoft bamboo pajamas, genuine leather purses, and other items from ABLE, a
company focused on equal opportunity and pay for women; the doll company Cuddle + Kind that provides meals to children in need around the world; günamüna baby clothes including swaddle sleep bags for babies; Posh Peanut baby clothes; Lenny and Eva jewelry; True South Puzzles; and many more. And if Terri’s customer asks about a brand or item another gift shop stocks, she gladly points them their way.
A year after opening on Mosley Street, a building at 107 Jackson Street in downtown Vidalia became available. Even though it meant packing up and moving to a new location, it was not an opportunity to miss. Peppy’s opened downtown the last weekend of March 2022. Revitalizing downtown areas in rural communities is making
a big comeback, and Peppy’s is a vital part of the renaissance of Vidalia’s downtown district. Terri also found strong support from Downtown Vidalia Association Director Tonya Parker. “She continues to be such an encouragement to me,” said Terri. “She is a vital part of the success of downtown.”
O f course, “being different” was no guarantee that Peppy’s would make it. But when the slow days of summer mean slower sales, Terri has only to remember last Christmas to stay confident in the community's support. She had ordered customized stem and stemless wine glasses decorated with onions out of gemstones from Queens Jewels, but the order didn’t arrive until 4:00 on December 23. Terri posted a picture of the glasses on Facebook
that night and went to bed. “My son woke me the next morning and said, ‘Mama, have you seen Facebook? You're gonna be slammed. We're coming up there to help you.’” She sold half of the entire order in one day. One surefire proof of Terri’s success is in the hours she keeps. Peppy’s is open five days a week, 10-5:30. When the calendar leans toward the holidays, you can count on Saturdays from 10-2, October to December. It’s no fun to drive into town only to find a closed sign on the door because the open times are too bizarre to recall. Most won’t bother coming back. But all those years of teaching our children are proof enough of Terri’s reliability. (“Special Occasion Saturdays” are announced on Facebook for Valentine's, Mother’s Day, etc.)
Shopping local means finding out what's going on with the people in our community. That’s something we don’t get from an online shop. Is there anything less meaningful than trying to communicate with AI? Just saying.
It’s not just a return to authentic products but genuine experiences as well. Those online companies aren’t going to show up for your daughter’s wedding or help your family through the loss of a loved one. They’re just not. In the end, it’s about people, and Peppy’s is our people. Shop local is more than a slogan—It’s our future. And if Mr. Estroff were asked today, I feel certain he would approve of the teacher who waited on the right time to fulfill
KaileyDebbie Daisy Linda Tanickha
BigAl’sCOUNTRY MARKET
Beth Lynn Alford, DVM
Miriam Lynn Steve Lynn, DVM
BY RENÉE
A ministry formed by divine appointment has become a super partner in our community specifically for foster, adoptive, guardianship, and kinship caregiver families.
MARTIN PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER
IIn exchange for shelter on a stormy night, a frail old woman offers a handsome young prince a red rose. Judging by appearances, he turns her away only to find himself and his castle bound by a terrible curse. None of us believe we would be the prince in the beloved French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Yet, few can resist judging someone based on their appearance or circumstance. Ashley Martin and Mandy Johnson started the ministry of Imago Dei, Latin for “image of God,” with this commitment: “We believe every human being is created for a purpose and has inherent worth and dignity.” As they work to lighten the burden for foster, adoptive, guardianship, and kinship caregivers, they serve each person as if they are serving the Lord.
Looking back, the divine moments that eventually brought them together for this ministry are evident. A message from Heartland for Children given at Ashley’s church in Florida sparked a passion in her heart to help foster children and their families. As the speaker talked about the needs of children in the welfare system, Ashley wanted to do something. But with two young children
to raise and her husband’s responsibilities as a high school coach, she acknowledged the timing wasn’t right for that kind of commitment.
In 2016, Ashley’s husband Buddy took a coaching position at Toombs County High School. (He has since become Head Football Coach and Athletic Director for TCHS.) Soon after, the couple joined the church family at First Baptist Church in Lyons. Around the same time, Mandy and David Johnson also began attending their services.
Mandy was a hometown girl. She grew up in Lyons and graduated from Toombs County High School. Mandy and her husband David had raised their two children, Laura (30) and Justin (20), in this community. For the past eleven years, it is where she has operated T98, a customizing gift shop in Vidalia.
In 2018, Jessi Williams came to First Baptist in Lyons to speak on the ministry of
Promise 686. “Promise 686 is all about empowering churches to serve alongside foster families,” said Ashley. The message both women heard ignited a fire in their hearts:
While there are 400,000 children in foster care in the U.S. alone there are also 300,000 churches. That means, for every child or sibling set in the U.S. foster care system, there’s also a church, with many families who could play a role in helping vulnerable kids.” (promise686.org)
Following the message given by Jessi Williams, both women determined to do something to make a difference. For Mandy and her husband David, that meant serving as foster parents. For Ashley, now the mother of three young children (Ava, Briley, and Bo), it meant serving as a facilitator for the needs of children in the welfare system in Toombs County.
“Promise 686 has something called
a Care Portal,” said Ashley. “DFCS (Department of Family and Children Services) posts immediate needs that go out to churches in the community that have committed to help. The need could be for anything from clothing to beds or diapers. So, I became the facilitator of that ministry for our church.”
Through their connection at church, they two became friends. Ashley also frequented Mandy’s custom gift shop in Vidalia where talk often turned to the needs of the children in foster care and the families that cared for them. Ashley’s work with the Care Portal meant receiving calls from DFCS with urgent needs often. “DFCS did not have the place or the means to store clothes or supplies. Finding help meant making urgent calls and sending out messages,” said Ashley. “Even though the needs might be pressing, all of that took time.”
But Ashley had an idea, which she shared with her friend, Mandy. “If we had a ‘foster closet,’ a place to store things people donated, it would make
ABOVE Volunteers come on specific days to help sort and display donated items. “We look at each item of clothing we receive closely,” said Mandy. “These kids already have enough working against them. They don’t need clothes given to them with holes or stains.”
serving these needs much easier.”
Mandy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I said, ‘That’s what I plan to do one day when I retire.’ My husband said, ‘Ya’ll just need to do it right now.’”
Separately, the task seemed overwhelming. But together, it could be done. With Ashley’s experience as a facilitator of the Care Portal for her church and Mandy’s years of experience as a foster parent, the two made the perfect team. Around Christmas 2020, Ashley and Mandy gathered and stored donated clothes and other supplies in a small storage unit. By February 2021, two larger units were rented for additional storage space.
In May 2021, “Imago Dei” was incorporated as a 501c3 ministry. By June of that same year, Imago Dei leased the old “Hussey House” at 181 West Grady Avenue in Lyons that had been purchased by their church and sat vacant for many years. “The house was originally built in 1903,” said Mandy. “It belonged to Judge Hussey and her sister. Many remember Judge Hussey for her long public service in this county.”
Judge Hussey was born in 1897, eight years before Toombs County was created. When her father passed away in 1945, she was elected to take the position he had held of Probate Judge. She served Toombs County in this capacity until she was in her 90s. Judge Hussey died in 1993 at
the age of 96. She was truly a legend. Imago Dei was a perfect way to honor her memory. Of course, the old house needed a lot of work, but with a new roof, rewiring, fresh paint, and some minor renovations by volunteers in the community, Imago Dei had a home.
There is no charge for foster, adoptive, guardianship, and kinship caregiver families. An entire room is devoted to girls' clothing and accessories and another for boys. Clothes range from preemies to young adult sizes. Shoes, pajamas, new underwear and socks, toiletries, new toys, and diapers are neatly arranged.
The two friends were divinely prepared and equipped for this time. Ashley had already made great connections in the community through her work with the Care Portal. Her work spoke for itself. The process and timing had taken her and Mandy on different paths, but her willingness to let God define the call to action
brought them together at just the right time.
Three years of personal experience as a foster parent gave Mandy a personal perspective. “You often don’t have time to shop when the call comes,” she said. “Because things are gathered quickly when a child is removed from the home. They might come with their belongings in a Walmart or garbage bag. One of our little girls came to us in July with only winter clothes in a black garbage bag.”
Imago Dei is not a place for castoffs. “We look at each item of clothing we receive closely,” said Mandy. “These kids already have enough working against them. They don’t need clothes given to them with holes or stains.” Other items such as underclothes, socks, and basic provisions like toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, and hairbrushes are donated or purchased. “We work closely with DFCS. If they call with an
50
CHILDREN SERVED IN 2021
338
CHILDREN SERVED IN 2022
urgent need, we get the gender and size and assemble a bag for them. Or it may be a need for a car seat.”
Sometimes, nothing can explain the timing of things but God. “I remember this one time in particular when we posted a need for pre-teen clothes on our Facebook page,” said Mandy, “and someone brought some clothes the following Monday. On Tuesday, a family walked in. Those clothes were the exact size she needed.”
In addition to a one-time grant from Altamaha Electric, donations, and contributions have come from school clubs, including FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) at TCMS and Toombs Central’s “Red Ribbon Week” fundraiser. Imago Dei has also received donations from Vacation Bible Schools as a local mission. Ashley and Mandy have shared their vision with church groups, the Retired Teachers Association, the Auxiliary at Memorial Health Meadows Hospital, and many other community groups. Church youth groups and individuals in the community serve as volunteers.
In addition to the ministry work at Imago Dei, both women work full-time. “The needs are great, and we are so grateful for the help we’ve received,” said Mandy. The next step is to hire a full-time Executive Director to better serve the needs of the families in the community and in DFCS.
“It’s going to take us all: Churches, civic organizations, school clubs, businesses, and individuals,” said Ashley. (Note: Although Ashley and Mandy attend the church from which the building was leased, Imago Dei is a separate ministry and not affiliated with any one church.)
From July 2021, when they opened until the end of the year, Imago Dei served fifty children. That number rose to 338 in 2022. By August 2023, at the
time of this interview, they had already served 207 children. “Our ministry only serves foster, adoptive, guardianship, and kinship caregivers and the children in their care,” said Mandy. “And each family that comes in fills out an information sheet.” (Other ministries in the community are available to serve low-income families and others in need.)
Imago Dei is a team. In addition to Mandy and Ashley, current board members include Jack Rountree, Ashley Payne, Marissa Brown, Sarah Torrance, and Michael Thigpen. “Lucille Odom and Jamason Odom also serve as Advisors,” added Ashley. “They offer general guidance and support whenever needed.”
Imago Dei is open six days a month: Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Saturday of the second and fourth week. Ashley and Mandy also respond to messages on the Imago Dei Facebook page for donations and/or needs. “This is also where we will put out the word for specific needs when they arise,” said Ashley.
Looking back over her time as a foster parent, Mandy said, “Sometimes you feel all alone in the moment. Having your village to help is huge. I am so excited to have Imago Dei so that we can love these families and show them they are not alone. We are not just here to assist with clothing and essentials but to rally around them, pray, and help in the dayto-day. Most importantly, to know that we are on their side.”
In a world of cynics and critics, the light of God’s love will only grow brighter through people like Ashley and Mandy at Imago Dei. While works can’t save your soul, they often reveal the heart. “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This verse in Matthew 25 is a sobering reminder that we are all made in the image of God.
Process and timing are as necessary as action. Sometimes, waiting is the most difficult act of obedience. It’s as costly to jump ahead as it is to lag behind. Mandy and Ashley’s paths converged at the right time and place for many reasons, but they all add up to the simple decision to serve whoever comes knocking on the door as if they are serving the Lord.
Imago Dei is about churches, businesses, families, and individuals working together. We are not asked to feed the multitude. We are only asked for what we have. Two fish? Five loaves? More than enough. Imago Dei gathers our baskets, and with them, a multitude is fed.
For more information, visit www.imagodeimissions.com
at home in normantown
For Debbie Williamson, home is the small community where she overcame a deadly illness and discovered the deep roots of her family tree.
Perched on a stool beside the nurses administering shots in the lunchroom at Lyons Elementary School, nine-year-old Debbie Williamson was a persuasive testament. One by one, each child stepped forward to receive their diphtheria vaccine. According to Debbie, the vaccination drive in January 1958
was led by Dr. H. I. Conner, Dr. W. H. Bedingfield, and other doctors in the community to decrease the chance of diphtheria among children in Toombs and surrounding counties.
“Not one child cried,” said Debbie. “But then, I did look pitiful with that big white bandage around my neck.” She smiled. The bandage covered the tracheotomy that was just beginning to heal. “They looked at me and knew they didn’t want none of that.”
O f the six children admitted to the Statesboro hospital with diphtheria in December 1957, Debbie was the only one to survive. Historically speaking, diphtheria was almost always a death sentence. It is highly contagious and transmitted through respiratory droplets. The name originated with a French physician named Pierre Bretonneau. In 1821, “He based it on the Greek word diphtheria, for leather—a reference to the affliction’s signature physical feature, a thick, leathery buildup of dead tissue in a patient’s throat, which makes breathing and swallowing difficult, or impossible.” When diphtheria hit the American colonies, Noah Webster wrote about it in his book, “A Brief
History of Epidemic and Pestilential Diseases.” Perri Klass quotes Webster’s writings in an article for smithsonianmag.com entitled “How Science Conquered Diphtheria.” “The disease moved through the colonies,” he wrote, “and gradually travelled [sic] southward, almost stripping the country of children.... It was literally the plague among children. Many families lost three and four children— many lost all.”
“Around here, they called it the ‘choking disease,’” said Debbie. “Around here” was Normantown, the community where her family had lived for seven generations. Her family was Normantown.
Debbie’s mama, Dorothy Hadden Williamson, had tried all the home remedies her mama had used when she had diphtheria as a child. A week passed, and Debbie was only getting sicker with each passing day. She collapsed in the floor that Friday when she tried to get out of bed. Debbie’s father, Thaddaus Williamson, returned home that same day from work with the Southern Railroad Company. Both parents took her to Dr. Hubert Conner in Vidalia the following morning. “By evening, Dr. Conner told them he wanted to send me to a doctor in Statesboro.”
“All we had was Daddy’s truck,” said Debbie. “But Mr. Atkinson, who worked on the railroad with Daddy,
had just gotten his wife a new car and said he would take us. A Deputy Sheriff led us as far as the county line. There were no interstates and only a few paved roads. Mr. Atkinson was driving so fast. But everyone knew I didn’t have long to live.”
W hen they arrived at the hospital, Debbie’s father took her from her Mama’s arms and raced up the steep flight of stairs to the hospital entrance. “There was no Emergency Room like we have now,” said Debbie. “Dr. Albert Deal was waiting for me at the top of the steps. I remember Daddy laying me in his arms.”
Debbie was immediately taken into the operating room. “They laid
me on a table, and two assistants held my arms and feet,” she said. “There was no anesthesia. Mama sat at the head of the table where I could see her while they did a tracheotomy and inserted a metal tube in my throat. Finally, I could breathe. The tube was connected to a little metal box with a suction. Mama had to use it constantly to suction the fluid out of my throat.”
Debbie’s mama, Dorothy, stayed at her daughter’s side for ten days. “All they had was a baby bed for me and a cot for Mama. It was the few times I ever saw my mama cry,” she said. “Nobody could come in except the nurses; they had to be covered
head to toe.” When her daddy brought her brothers and sisters, they had to stay in the truck. “Mama would wave to them from the window.”
By the end of her ten-day hospital stay, Debbie had endured about three hundred shots. “The needles weren’t like the ones today,” she said. “They were huge. And back then, they were boiled to use again.” It was a common practice at the time. In fact, according to Frances Tucker, who graduated from Georgia Baptist Hospital School of Nursing in 1965, needles were even sharpened for reuse. “After all those shots, Mama had to use poultices to draw out the infection on my backside so those places would heal.”
C hristmas brought a rather interesting revelation that year. “Daddy couldn’t come in the room,” said Debbie, “so Mama had to talk to him through the door to tell him where the children’s things were for Christmas. That’s when I found out the truth about Santa Claus,” she smiled. When Christmas Day came, some churches in the community had put together boxes of toys for the children in the hospital. “I’d never seen that many toys at one time. There were books, toys, and stuffed animals.” It wasn’t Santa Claus, but that was okay.
FINDING A CURE
The vaccine that protects us from diphtheria was a long time coming. Today, the DTaP includes vaccination for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), and polio. A walk through any old cemetery is a reminder of the cost for the young before immunizations.
Treatment for diphtheria came first and began with an antitoxin. Interestingly enough, it was produced with the help of horses. In a post entitled, “How Horses Helped Cure Diphtheria,” for the National Museum of American History, Mallory Warner writes, “In 1890, it was discovered that serum made from the blood of immunized animals contained an ‘antitoxin’ which, when injected, cured patients suffering from diphtheria…. To produce large amounts of antitoxin containing blood serum for human medicine, scientists needed an animal with a lot of blood.” The animal found “least affected by the injection of the toxin” turned out to be the horse. The New York City Health Department “set up its own facility where horses were kept and bled to provide a local source of antitoxin serum for doctors.” (Emil von Behring won the first Nobel Prize in medicine in 1901 for his work that produced a diphtheria antitoxin.)
But Normantown was not New York City. In Georgia, “69 percent of the population was rural in 1930…. The typical Georgia farm family had no electricity, no running water, and no indoor privies” (georgiaencyclopedia.org). As Debbie recalled, few roads were paved. It wasn’t uncommon to see cows loose in town. Even penicillin, discovered in 1928, would not be available in the United States until 1942, even then at very limited supply.
The first diphtheria vaccine was created in 1920 by William H. Park, M.D. But medical advances were slow in coming to rural Georgia, and Normantown was about as rural as it gets. The following year would be the deadliest in the 20th century for deaths in the U.S. caused by diphtheria.
In 1943, our entrance into WWII brought a resurgence of diphtheria through contact with
unvaccinated people in other countries. “[I]n 1943, there were 1 million cases,” of diphtheria, “in Europe, with 50,000 deaths (not including the USSR)” (historyofvaccines.org).
Even with a vaccine, immunization wasn’t mandatory for school attendance in any state until 1963. According to the Mayo Clinic, as late as 1998, four states still had no vaccine mandates for schoolage children. While diphtheria is extremely rare in the U.S. today, it would be a costly mistake to assume vaccination is no longer needed. “In 2017, a total of 8,819 cases of diphtheria were reported worldwide, the most since 2004” (www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov). With international travel and an influx of refugees and asylum seekers, vaccinations are still our best defense against a resurgence of diphtheria and other contagious diseases. The devastation and loss families faced only one or two generations past can never be forgotten.
CONNECTING TO HOME
Normantown has always been home for Debbie. She’s lived in the community of Normantown all but a handful of her seventy-five years. And those few years away were only as far as Vidalia. But it might as well have been the other side of the world
Except for a handful of years residing in Vidalia, Debbie has lived in and raised her family in Normantown. She even built her house across the street from her mama's.
for Debbie. “I told my husband I had to come home. And that’s what we did. We built our house right here across the road from Mama.”
For some, forgetting the stories of the past is to forget home. Even so, genealogical research is a big undertaking. Looking back at one’s ancestral roots can quickly become confusing and complicated, especially when recollections and even written records don’t add up. To find her way, Debbie went to one of the most extensive genealogy facilities in the country, the Ladson Genealogical Library. With the help of the Ladson librarian Emily Hart, she validated the trail as far back as her 3rd great-grandparents, John J. and Elizabeth (Sullivan) Williamson. According to Debbie’s sources, he was awarded a parcel of land in Emanuel County in a land lottery for his service in the Indian Wars.
His son, also named John, was Debbie’s great-great-grandfather. The Reverend John J. Williamson was the 8th of 11 children. The Rev. John Williamson served in the Civil War. He married Elizabeth (Hampton). “They called her ‘Bet,’” said Debbie. “They had nine children and lived near Pendleton Creek. Norman was their fourth child.”
This is where Debbie’s research really paid off. From documents retrieved from microfilm in the Montgomery County Records, Debbie discovered several transactions made by her great-grandfather, including a transaction between Norman Williamson and the Millen
and Southwestern Railroad. “I found documents that said that Norman sold 35 acres of land to the railroad for $1 on September 9, 1903,” said Debbie. This was obviously a gift to ensure the future of Normantown.
Another transaction by Norman was recorded on July 21, 1909, for a school. Then, on January 13, 1910, he gave a half-acre of land to build the Magnolia Springs Baptist Church—this time, without any money changing hands.
These documents and many others made it clear that Norman Williamson had laid the foundation to establish the community of Normantown. Normantown’s official incorporation is recorded in the “Acts and resolutions of the General Assembly of the state of Georgia 1914 [volume 1]:
NORMANTOWN, TOWN OF, INCORPORATED. No. 404. An Act to incorporate the town of Normantown in the county of Toombs, State of Georgia, to define its limits, to provide for a mayor and four councilmen for said town… ( https://dlg.usg. edu)
Debbie’s great-grandfather was one of the first four councilmen appointed to serve the newly incorporated town of Normantown. Norman and his wife Melvenia (Mosley) had ten children. Algerine, Debbie’s grandfather, was the oldest child.
O ver the course of his ninety-one years, Algerine married three times and had nine children in all. In 1920, Algerine and his second wife, Malona (Knight), had Thaddaus, Debbie’s father. Thaddaus and Dorothy (Hadden) had seven children, and Debbie was the fourth.
For some, the connection with place is visceral, perhaps even spiritual. Normantown was more than land for Debbie; it was home. It was generations of family history. The land itself held her family stories, both heartaches and joys— the ones told and those yet to be told. For this reason, Debbie could not let Ray Tapley’s article go unanswered.
“R ay Tapley was a well-respected journalist,” said Debbie. “He wrote for the Atlanta JournalConstitution and The Advance. In the mid to late 80s, a research project was going on to get information from people still living that told the origins of historic communities in our area. In an article for The Advance, Mr. Tapley credits Cannie Swain Meadows as the founder of Normantown. Well. It raised a lot of tempers. Everybody here in Normantown was in an uproar.”
ABOVE Not long after Debbie visited the Georgia State Capital as part of a group recognized for their contribution to historic communities, signs appeared in Normantown designating it as a historic township.
RIGHT Normantown may be small, but it's a tight knit community where locals are often seen driving their golf carts to the corner store, and everyone knows their neighbors.
Debbie went straight to Ladson Library and talked with her friend, Emily Hart, who had helped her research the Williamson family history. “Mr. Tapley had written his article based on legitimate information from the Meadows family,” said Debbie. “I didn’t want to hurt them. The Meadows family did a lot for Toombs County, and Cannie Swain Meadows did a lot for Normantown. He owned a dry goods store here. He built a hotel and a recreation place on Tiger Creek called Tiger Springs. He helped this community move forward during his time. But he wasn’t the founder.”
A week or so later, the Ladson librarian called. “Miss Emily said, ‘Debbie, I’ve got something I want you to see.’ But when I walked in, there sat Ray Tapley.” In the days that followed, Debbie shared documents she’d gathered. Among them, one piece in particular got Mr. Tapley’s attention. “It was a photocopy of an indenture between Norman Williamson and the Citizens Bank of Vidalia,” said Debbie. “The document refers to a survey map of Normantown that was dated February 1904. Mr. Tapley saw a copy of the old survey map hanging at the Normantown Fire Department. The map shows the streets of Normantown clearly laid out.”
A new article was written and published in The Advance on May 11, 1989, entitled “Normantown’s True Founder: The Man It Was Named For.” “…Cannie Swain Meadows,” writes Tapley, “did not move from Johnson County to Normantown until November of 1905, and that was almost two years after the map…. Thus, the contention that Cannie Swain Meadows was the ‘founder’ of Normantown is rather conclusively disapproved.”
“County Commissioner James Thompson set it up for several of us in different communities around here to go to the Capital,” said Debbie. “We met with Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller for him to recognize us for the work done for our historic communities.”
Not long after her trip to the Capital, new signs appeared on Old Normantown Road and New Normantown Road, designating Normantown as a historic community. For Debbie and her five children, ten grandchildren, and three greatgrandchildren, it was a fitting tribute to their ancestor and founder of Normantown.
A s I worked to untangle the roots of the Williamson family ancestry in preparation for this article, I stumbled across an interesting connection between the Meadows and Williamson lineages. In 1925, Amanda Ophelia Meadows, daughter of Cannie Swain Meadows, the entrepreneur of Normantown, married Cannie Williamson, the son of Norman Williamson, the founder of Normantown. (I suppose Cannie must have been on the “Popular Names for Boys” list at the time.)
Another revelation hit a bit closer to home. I learned that the Thompsons and the Williamsons also share a familial connection. The marriage of Hardy Columbus Thompson (1809 – 1875) and Martha “Patsy” Williamson Thompson (1811-1901) makes my husband and Debbie (very) distant cousins. But then, it was inevitable since both families are founders of communities in Toombs County. (To be clear, South Thompson's founders were two Thompson brothers.)
Normantown sits about eight and a half miles from the banks of the Ohoopee River. Before John and all the other Williamsons came to the area, the land belonged to the Creek Indians. A close enough look and the land will tell their stories, too. The land cannot forget, but it will forgive. Each spring, the promise of life is retold. Each morning speaks of new mercies and a chance to begin anew. What has been done cannot be undone, but it can be overcome. Not with bitterness and anger for wrongs done but courage enough to move into a new day. Debbie holds the stories of those who overcame, like her mother, close to her heart. Truly, Dorothy (Hadden) Williamson was a cornerstone of Normantown who demonstrated strength and resilience in the most difficult of times.
For some, home is where we anchor ourselves in the land. In return, roots go deep, and the land becomes a place for the children of our children to return and always find home again. Normantown is not just a historic community for Debbie. It is her mother, her father, all those before her, and all those to come. Normantown is Norman. And Norman’s town is Debbie’s home.
The Ladson Genealogical Library is an excellent resource for researching local history. It can be found within the Dr. Mark and Tonya Spivey Public Library, which is part of the Ohoopee Library System. The library is located on Jackson Street in Vidalia.
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Wednesday, October 25th, we welcomed representatives from MicroLife Institute (ML) and Georgia Conservancy (GC) at our much anticipated Housing Forum. The purpose of the forum was to learn results from a year-long study performed by both ML and GC, hear proposed suggestions on how Toombs County can move forward coming out of our housing crisis, and to hear from a panel of stakeholders in our county. The panel consisted of Jason Hall, City Manager/Lyons, Nick Overstreet, City Manager/Vidalia, Greg McKenzie, Jr., builder and realtor, David Sikes, Chairman/Toombs County Commission, and Matt Hasbrouck, Chief Executive Officer/Memorial Health Meadows Hospital.
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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
Photos by Evan Riekhoff/EZ-E Photography
LOCAL FOR FUN
HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
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LOCAL FOR FUN
HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
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EVERYONE
HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
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EVERYONE
HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
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TOOMBS COUNTY
HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
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TOOMBS COUNTY
photo by | DIANNE S. MIXON
Scenes of Toombs Co.
On October 1st one of our local stores already had Christmas trees decorated with twinkly lights and santa hats as Jingle Bells played merrily in the background. While we love a big dose of Christmas, let’s not forget to slow down and enjoy the beautiful changes that happen in the fall. The first cool morning is so delightful it brings a sweet sigh of relief after all the still, hot summer months. Autumn leaves began to dance in cool breezes and the air gets a little smoky. Fall festivals are carefully planned and the best candy of the year is fully stocked on grocery shelves. Fall is for families and bonfires and enjoying your hometown in
Toombs
County!
by | JOE CLARONI
photo
photo by | ZANE WILLIAMS
photo by | DIANNE S. MIXON
photo by | JOY WEAVER
photo by | DEBRA HUDDLESTON
photo by | JOE CLARONI
photo by | DIANNE S. MIXON
photo by | DIANNE S. MIXON
photo by | EVAN RIEKHOF, EZ-E PHOTOGRAPHY
photo by | EVAN RIEKHOF, EZ-E PHOTOGRAPHY
photo by | EVAN RIEKHOF, EZ-E PHOTOGRAPHY
LAST Words
Southern Funerals –Soul Saving and Fried Chicken
L et’s face it, a “Celebration of Life” is mostly for the living because the deceased aren’t exactly in attendance to care about the order of service, the thread count of the casket liner, or the pictures that have been chosen for the looping, photographic journal of their lives set to either a really sad song, an old hymn, or a Lynyrd Skynyrd hit from the 70’s. Reality is, when we are gone, we are outta here, and I hear tell that all of that worldly stuff doesn’t matter anymore because we are too busy sitting on clouds and hanging out with The Big Guy – which sounds wonderful, by the way. I’m pretty sure that when we have crossed the Great Divide, if we are able to come back and make contact with our family (which I DO believe), we are not going to be flicking on and off light switches or leaving cabinet doors open because our mama and them put a 40 year-old picture of us with a mullet and an ill-fitting suit right by the sign-in book.
I don’t like funerals, and I try to avoid them at all costs unless I feel that deep down pull to attend. My first funeral that involved my first real, gut-wrenching and close-to-home loss was my big brother’s, and that turned me off to them for good. I know that the family needs it, and I know it supposedly gives closure, which is debatable because in my mind you don’t actually ever close the door on a loss, you just learn to live with it. I have been to some that felt appropriate and beautiful, and some that felt like spectacles with vignettes of drama played out by baby mamas and shunned family members arriving after the service started – marching up the aisle as heads turn and whispers of “Can you believe he/she is here??” permeate the pews. I believe that there are some of us that show up to funerals hoping to witness a little bit of that drama, that want to see who shows and who doesn’t, and how much
medication mama seems to be on to get through the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people touching and hugging and sharing prayers and thoughts and love and sympathies when all she really wants to do is go home and scream into her pillow.
I attended a funeral on September 12th for a dear family friend’s big brother, Elmer Clyde (Kyle) Little. It was my first in quite some time and I did not want to go, but that pull I spoke of earlier was heavy. It was deep in the county at the small Mt. Moriah Church, and when my daughter and I pulled up, we both moaned at the reality that the service would be outside in upper 80-degree weather. We found shade beneath a 100-year-old cypress tree where the celebration was to take place. There were a few folding chairs for the family, a small, antique table covered in a lacy white tablecloth with framed photos of Kyle, and another table that held a solitary urn. The ants were quickly burrowing out of the sandy soil to climb in our shoes, and my shirt and pants immediately reached the sweaty, swampy stage. Kyle’s grandson, with round, red cheeks passed out programs which we all grabbed up to use as fans and weapons against the relentless love bugs. Reverend Michael Kennedy was the officiant and there was something about him that I immediately liked. He looked a bit like a character from O Brother, Where Art Thou with reddish brown hair and an impressively full and long beard. He was a cool guy, laid back, humble, and someone you just wanted to hug. He began the service talking about what he knew of Kyle, what Kyle’s relationship was with the family, etc.; you know, the usual officiant script, I thought. But then it all changed, and the heat and bugs were no longer a bother. Rev. Kennedy sat down, apologized for not being a good quality musician, grabbed his guitar and began
to play and sing “Sweet By And By” with a voice as smooth and sweet as butter. My heart got tight, and I looked around at the crowd with totally different eyes and began to wonder…what is it about a small crowd gathered under an old tree in the heat of the South Georgia summer that is so beautiful, raw, and real? Only a few knew the words to the song, but most were swaying and humming until the chorus came along and we all sang loudly “In the sweet by and by, we shall meet on the beautiful shore…” I had butterflies and goosebumps and sweaty eyes, all at the same time. Family and friends spoke a few sweet words, Rev. Kennedy sang “Just a Closer Walk with Thee”, and Kyle’s family spread his ashes next to his daddy’s grave. That was it. We hugged tight, everyone got instructions on where to go to get the fried chicken afterwards, and we all moved along.
I don’t like funerals, especially those in great big churches with too much music, 3 preachers saving souls, and family members that speak and can barely stand up from grief. But this funeral, in my mind, was absolutely perfect. I didn’t have to be told to “get right or get left” to feel His presence, even in the love bugs and ants. It was small, beautiful, and completely what I think a good sending off should look like. Rest in peace, dear Kyle.
Here’s hoping my family will blow my ashes out over a field, play some good Avett Brothers tunes, and drown in good pasta, bread, and wine afterwards – but the reality is they are gonna do what they are gonna do. I’m cool with that because I’ll be sitting in that big night club in the sky listening to Dean Martin sing, catching up with my daddy and brother, and being so grateful that I don’t have bunions anymore. Now THAT is Heaven!
Ann Owens is a writer, creative genius, entrepreneur, mother, and wife who enjoys pondering what
Jason Colbert, CHPCA, CEO