By JIM NICHOLS If you have not been in this emotional place recently (or ever), this will not make much sense to you. Otherwise, it might. Recently the hospice organization for which I work part-time had its annual memorial service. Over the past twelve months, 140 enrolled patients had died, and this evening event was an opportunity for family and
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON How far would you go to show your love for your fellow man? Would you sell your house and possessions, give up your freedom for their sake, or even die for them? Most of us never face the challenge that comes from giving to the extreme for someone else. One forgotten individual who did just that was
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My dear old dad, who absented his earthly life three decades ago, loved good jokes–both the hearing and the telling–with a slight leaning toward the latter. He shared them on workdays with his co-workers and at gatherings of kinfolk. At home, he knew that my mom and brother would hear them willingly and laugh
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON The internet is full of sites telling of the event at the Burlada, Spain Cross Country Race in 2012. The lead had come down to two men, Ivan Fernandez Anaya of Spain and Abel Mutai of Kenya. Mutai was closing in on the finish line and first place in the race when confused and thinking he had
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By Loretta Fulton Aldersgate is the latest United Methodist Church congregation in Abilene to leave that denomination and join the new Global Methodist Church. With that decision by Aldersgate members, Abilene is down to two United Methodist Church congregations. Only St. Paul and St. James remain in the United Methodist Church fold as other local congregations are moving to the
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The Abilene Interfaith Council will honor National Native American Heritage Month at its November meeting. The program, “Native American Spirituality,” is free and open to the public. It will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in the Furr Welcome Center on the McMurry campus. McMurry sociology professor Jerry Hollingsworth and practitioners Shawna Hayhurst and Icie Mitchell will lead a
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Jerks and others of assorted intellects were jolted by a recent piece of news that is bound to reach front pages sooner than later. It’s one thing to consider the Energizer Bunny, hear commercials challenging us to “start something,” and marvel at the growing list of battery-powered mechanisms. Most of us may have self-inflicted
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By JIM NICHOLS Larry was a runner on the track team of a university in Oklahoma City. He was a distance runner with a slight build, and he reported that it was difficult to run at certain times of the year. He said he had been told that the physical location of his university was at the point of highest
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“My Little Boy, Your heart is now learning to feel many new things…” The poignant beginning of a children’s book about working through grief sets the tone for what’s to come. It should also serve as a warning to grab a box of tissues before reading too far into it. The book, Love, Mom, was written and illustrated by Abilene sisters
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Spirit Of Abilene 