A magazine

A RHM PublicationVol. 1, Issue 10/Feb./March 2014

A sister publication of Alice24-7.com

Postal CustomerAlice, Texas, 78332

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PAID GULF COAST

MAILING SERVICES 78469

2 a Magazine February/March 2014

A publication of Real Hometown

Media, LLC.201 E. Main Street, Alice, Texas, 78332,

361-668-6397

Nicole D. PerezPublisher/Editor

Tony MorrisPublisher Emeritus

Brenda PoeWriter

Anthony RuizWriter

Rey CastilloWriter

Aaron LopezMarketing

Victoria MorrisMarketing

Lois StephensOffice Manager

Contributing Writers:Dr. Jason Bradford

Pastor Kathleen KasperBilly Scoggins, R.N.

Distributed bi-monthly by Alice24-7.com.

©2014 Real Hometown Media, LLC

Contrary to popular belief, acne is not the result of eating

greasy foods. It is generally caused by hormones that stimulate glands in the skin to produce an excess of an oily secretion known

as sebum, which helps shed old skin cells and keep the skin soft.

When too much oil is produced, the pores in the skin can become blocked and dirt, bacteria and cells may build up.

This blockage forms a

pimple. Acne tends to run

in families and can be triggered by hormonal changes or stress.

Research does not indi-cate that chocolate, nuts and greasy foods contrib-ute to acne.

Did you know

?

Submitted by:Elaine Montemayor-GonzalezCounty Extension Agent-FCSJim Wells County

Eating a family dinner together improves nutri-tion! There is a solid link between nutrition

and improved health. Nutrition is not only related to health in the short term, such as improved immune func-tioning, but to long-term health as well. Both adults and children benefit from improved diet quality.

Research demonstrates that people who eat at home more frequently have better quality diets than people who eat out frequently. When meals are eaten at home, calcium, fruit, vegetable, whole grain, and milk intakes increase. Also, soda and high-fat food consump-tion decreases compared to when meals are eaten away from home.

In addition to the nu-tritional benefits of fam-ily dinner, there are social benefits as well.

When asked, children and even teens say that they enjoy family dinner. Research associates higher levels of emotional well-being and fewer inappropriate weight-control behaviors with a greater frequency of family meals.

A secret to minimizing stress

when it comes to planning and preparing dinner is to keep a well-stocked pantry.

A well-stocked pantry may contain foods such as: frozen, canned, or dried vegetables and fruit; rice, pasta, cornmeal, crack-ers, bread, or tortillas; canned or dried beans; canned tuna fish, chicken, or salmon; soup; oatmeal and/or breakfast cereal; and pea-

nut butter and jelly. Other staples to keep on hand may include: cooking oil, eggs, cheese, flour, sugar, herbs, and spices.

Successful family dinners need to be planned. Perhaps not all family members are available at the same time due to work sched-

ules. Start slow, but strive for at least three family dinners a week. Many of the social and health benefits of eating family dinners can be seen when families have at least three family dinners a week.

The MyPlate approach to menu planning is easy. MyPlate contains five food groups: vegeta-bles, fruits, grains, protein foods, and dairy. A food item from each

of these five food groups should be represented at any meal. Even when eat-ing a casserole or another mixed dish, a food item from each food group should be included.

When planning your family dinners, take ad-vantage of familiar fam-ily recipes. Keep meals simple, and make only one item that takes extra or long preparation.

You want to be able to enjoy your family dinner relaxed, not exhausted from cooking.

Try freezing leftovers for an easy reheat on a really busy day, or make double your recipe and freeze half.

Remember, a main reason for having fam-

ily dinner is to connect with and enjoy family. Minimize distrac-tions by setting a few rules. Keep the television off, do not take phone calls, and leave all other electronic devices off the dinner table. Keep family dinner family time.

Family dinner, family time

When someone says this six letter word, eyes fall

downward, hearts skip a beat in pain and words are too hard to speak - Cancer. In the fight against cancer, silence is the last thing needed and that is why the American Cancer Society Jim Wells County Relay for Life continues to grow in support every year.

The Jim Wells County Relay for Life is set for April 11-12 at the Alice High School practice field.

Co-Chairs Bertha Rodriguez, R. David Guerrero and Lee Lozano have pushed teams over the past eight years to support Survivors and Caregivers and the mission to find a cure for cancer - raising close to $1 million in Jim Wells County alone.

The Relay for Life movement has taken over the nation, with communities coming together to honor cancer survivors, promote health and wellness to reduce cancer risks, and to raise money for research to one day end cancer. The American Cancer Society helps save more than 400 lives a day through the fundraising efforts of the nation.

Joining the JWC Relay for Life is even easier with online registration and fundraising

tools. Rodriguez said that over the past few years the event has grown beyond her imagination with more than 40 teams participating.

The event features a Survivors’ Lap, Luminaria Ceremony and lots of fun and games to raise money throughout the overnight walk.

The Survivors’ Lap is when all Survivors take the first lap around the track, celebrating their victory over cancer for another year. The Luminaria Ceremony takes place after

dark, to remember the ones who have lost their battle with cancer and support those who continue to fight. Lights are placed in personalized bags and placed around the track as a glowing tribute.

The first Relay for Life took place in May 1985, when Dr. Gordy Klatt walked and ran for24-hours around a track in Tacoma, Wash. He raised $27,000 to help the American Cancer Society fight the nation’s biggest health concern - cancer. A year later, 340 supporters joined the overnight event. The Relay for Life movement has grown into a worldwide event, raising nearly $5 billion to fight cancer.

For more information on how to join and form a team, check out Facebook under the Jim Wells County Relay for Life.

Relay for Life in Alice April 11

February/March 2014 a Magazine 3

Story by BRENDA POE

Visit itsaboutalice.com and watch the progress of our

Westside Development

Continually working to improve the quality of life in Alice, TexasLarry Martinez

MAYOR

Michael EsparzaMAYOR PRO-TEM

Yvette Terrell JohnsonCOUNCILWOMAN

Frank HinojosaCOUNCILMAN

Raul ChapaCOUNCILMAN

For more than 25 years, Carmen Garza has been working the circulation desk at

the Alicia Salinas City of Alice Public Library. She is a familiar face to the library’s regular, and a friendly face to all who step through the door.

“I don’t want to leave,” Garza said. “I still want to help and I still want to be here every day.”

A lifelong Alice native, Garza has been married to her husband, Eddie, for 51 years, and has three children, Mike, Eddie and Theresa.

“They’re all my joy,” she said.

In the 1980s, Garza became active with school organizations, even serving as the president of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at Noonan Elementary School.

“I’ve had several offices at the different schools where my kids went,” she said. “I remember Mr. Hutchinson, he was the principal at Noonan, he would always ask me if there was an opening, like as a paraprofessional, if I wanted the job.”

Garza said at the time, she never had the confidence that she could tackle a 8-to-4 job. She said she had felt like she

did not have the education to handle anything more than volunteer work.

Then she learned about an opening with Community Education Center in a program that was part of the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 (JTPA).

“I would recruit students to get their GED, and then take them out to find jobs,” Garza said. “The first one that I took to find a job was Joe Gomez. Right now, he owns Vincente’s Family Barber & Beauty Shop. I was so very proud of him.”

Garza said she worked with the center for about a year

when she met Alice Public Library Director Alicia Salinas


Story and Photo by ANTHONY RUIZ

(361)664-3421www.edwardsfurnitureco.com

119 N. King St. Alice, Texas

Your place for Springtime home decor - wall decorations, pillows, knick knacks and more.

THE LEAGUE of Extraordinary Ladies

League members include Mellie Smithwick, Kookie Gutierrez, Bertha Rodriguez, Brenda Gonzalez, Barbie Wymore, Lelia Keliehor, April Anzaldua, Seana Towler, Shirley Dennis, Wanda McDaniel, Maureen Bergmann, Ruth Ferrell, Veronica Cantu and Georgia Uribe.

uu Page 15



The dictionary defines love as: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another

person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend; sexual passion or desire; a person toward whom love is felt; affectionate concern for the well-being of others.

Love can certainly be all of this, but there is more to what love is than how it is defined in dictionary. You see, the above definitions point out that love greatly involves our feelings and emotions. Unfortunately, our feelings can be fickle and because they can be fickle, they can’t always be trusted.

To know and understand what love is, we’ve got to go to the Source of love and learn what love is from His perspective. The

Source of love is God. In fact, ‘God is love.’

The most wonderful description of what love is can be found in 1 Corinthians 13. This familiar passage of the Bible is often used at weddings but a wedding isn’t its context. The context is actually one of correction. Paul writes to correct the Corinthian people.

They had become so excited about having spiritual gifts that they forgot to love.

Now the spiritual gifts believers in Christ Jesus receive are wonderful and needed, but the motivation for using them must be love.

So, what is love? Here is God’s description: 4 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset

with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. 6 Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. 7 Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. 8 Love never ends.”

Eugene Peterson in ‘The Message,’ his contemporary version of the Bible, states 1 Corinthians 13 in the following manner: “Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

uu Page 15

A More Excellent WayBy PASTOR

KATHLEEN G. KASPER

Pastor Kathleen holds degrees from Texas Tech University, Valparaiso University, and Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. She is currently enrolled in the School of the Holy Spirit. She is an avid reader and enjoys mentoring others in the Christian faith. She is the pastor of Living Word Fel-lowship in Alice and can be reached at [email protected].

What is Love?

Gar MotorcyclesGet your cycle on at

Motorcycles • Go-Karts • ATVs • UTVs • Scooters

Now installing Audio Systems

Small engine repairs(All Brands)

Parts • Repairs Service & Sales

Javier & Maricela Garcia

75 S. King St. 668-0041 • [email protected]

Walk-ins welcomeSame day appts Office surgery, x-ray facilities

Dr. D.C. Volling Podiatrist/Foot Specialist

72 N. Wright, Alice, Texas

664-1121 800-507-1121

Accepting Medicare, Chips, Medicaid, Insur.

Treating injuries, ingrown toenails, heel pain, bunions,

warts, ulcers, and wound care, from infants to adults

Step right into our office. DPM

Aching Feet?Political Adv. paid for by Cirilo Zamora, Treasurer.

Help Re-electVentura Garciafor Jim Wells County Commissioner Pct. 2

GET OUT & VOTE EARLY!

FEB. 18-28

Best of Luck to members of Alice Swim Team on

next year’s Nationals!600 Cecilia, Alice (361)664-9855

Jesse’s Auto Glass Tinting & Truck Accessories


Make the drive to Kingsville....

Where Rik Chapa can ALWAYS get you a better deal!

Call Rik Chapa at (361)396-9040Or email

[email protected]

Neessen Chevrolet, 2007 S. Hwy. US 77, Kingsville

www.neessenautomotive.com

The Jewel of Downtown Alice is your one-stop shop for antique furniture, bows, handbags, holiday decor, teas,

coffees, candles & more.

412 E Main St., Alice(361)396-4753

KEEPING YOUR HOUSE CLEAN HAS NEVER BEEN SO EASY!Wouldn’t it be wonderful to come home to a clean house, without lifting a finger? Now, you can!

SERVICE AVAILABLE

7 DAYSA WEEK

Schedule your cleaning lady today at (361) 227-5135

We Moved!Come see our

antique gallery at our NEW location!

1. Many women can’t produce enough milk to feed their infants.

FALSE. It is rare for a mother to be unable to produce enough milk for their baby. The delivery of the baby starts the process of the milk coming in, but it is the BABY SUCKLING AT THE BREAST that gets the milk flowing. The stimulation of the baby nursing causes the breasts to produce more milk, that is why a mother can feed a

newborn and then still be able to nurse that baby at 6 months. The older the baby gets, the more it nurses which in turn makes more milk available.

2. The baby needs

additional formula or water.

FALSE. Healthy, full-term babies are born with an abundance of fluid and their stomachs are very small. They need the first milk (colostrum) which is sticky and yellow to clean out their intestines and give them antibodies to help them adjust to life in the outside world. The mother needs to drink something every time she nurses, but the baby doesn’t need anything except to be put to the breast at least every two hours.

3. My baby will get fat if I

nurse it every two hours.FALSE. It is not possible

to overfeed a breastfed baby. It requires work on the baby’s part to “pump” the milk out of the breasts. If the baby does not want to nurse, it will not suck. If you put a bottle in the baby’s mouth, it will automatically swallow what is dripping out of the bottle, but that doesn’t mean that the baby is hungry. Breastmilk is the perfect food for babies!

4. My breastfed baby has

diarrhea.FALSE. The bowel

movements of breastfed babies are loose and yellow with very little odor. When a baby has diarrhea, it is usually green and has an odor. Babies are able to digest almost 100% of the breastmilk so they have very

loose bowel movements. It is not diarrhea!!!

5. If I breastfeed, my

baby will be dependent on me.

TRUE! There are many reasons a baby is dependent on its mother besides breastfeeding. The baby depends on its parents for EVERYTHING. The time spent breastfeeding a baby is such a small amount in the overall life of the mother and the infant. It is time well spent and trust me, the baby will wean and move on!!!

6. I won’t be able to go

places if I am breastfeeding.FALSE! You can breastfeed

anywhere, anytime. There is no reason to uncover your whole breast. Simply throw a light

More myths about breastfeedingWomen’s Wellness

By JUDY PERDUE

aliceobgyn.com

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10 a Magazine February/March 2014 February/March 2014 a Magazine 11


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Make the Drive to Freer.Better Service. Better Experience. Better Deals.

Come experience hometown service at 805 E Riley in Freer.10 a Magazine February/March 2014 February/March 2014 a Magazine 11


Make the Drive to Freer.Better Service. Better Experience. Better Deals.

800-741-1494And Online at www.cantuchevy.com




Men and women must alter their diets as they age. Portion

sizes that young adults might have been able to get away must shrink when those same men and women enter their 30s.

And as thirty-somethings head into their 40s, what’s on the plate requires more careful consideration than it might have a decade ago.

The same goes for men and women over 50, who must take steps to reduce their risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. One of the easiest ways to do just that is to eat healthy foods.

The following are five flavorful and healthy foods tailor-made for the over 50 crowd.

1. Apples: Apples definitely qualify as a superfood, helping reduce cholesterol by preventing plaque buildup in the blood vessels and, as a result cutting an individual’s risk of diabetes considerably. In fact, a recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that eating at least two

servings of apples per week can reduce a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 23 percent. Apples also make for a great source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C.

2. Blueberries: Blueberries help men and women maintain healthy blood sugar levels

because they are high in soluble fiber, which lowers cholesterol while slowing the body’s uptake of glucose. And despite their relatively small size, blueberries contain more fiber, vitamins and minerals per ounce than any other fruit.

3. Broccoli: Though broccoli might not have been your best friend during childhood, you may want to cozy up to this powerful green vegetable now that you have cracked the half-century mark. Broccoli is loaded with

5 foods for over 50 crowd

vitamin C. A single 3.5 ounce serving of broccoli contains more than 150 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, which can shorten the duration of the common cold. In addition, a 2013 British study published in Medical News Today found that broccoli may help prevent osteoarthritis, a degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone that is most common from middle age onward. A similar study from researchers at New York’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute published in the same publication six years earlier found that just three servings of broccoli per month can decrease bladder cancer risk by as much as 40 percent.

4. Fava beans: Fava beans are cholesterol-free and low in fat. Fava beans also may provide cardiovascular benefits and help men andwomen maintain healthy weights. Fava beans are considered “nutrient-dense,” a term used to describe low-calorie foods that boast lots of nutrients, and are an excellent source of vitamin B1, which is important for nervous system function and energy metabolism.

5. Oatmeal: Another food that might never make youngsters’ lists of their favorite foods, oatmeal is nonetheless a healthy option at the breakfast table. Oatmeal is loaded with soluble fiber, which can reduce cholesterol levels and subsequently reduce a person’s risk of heart disease. Also low in calories, oatmeal can help men and women maintain a healthy weight. Those who find oatmeal a tad too bland for their tastes can double on their superfoods by adding some blueberries into the mix, making their breakfast more flavorful and more healthy.


Visit your Hometown Jeweler today! For all your speciality gift needs!

Including engagement

rings!

www.rialtojewelry.com1601 E. Main St, Ste. 1 664-3661

220 E. Main St., Alice • 361-668-9564

Music

Full line retail music store that specializes in guitars,

percussion, and music lessons

GonzalezYour Hometown

Pharmacy & More

featuring DEMDACOdesigns for the home

301 E. Main St.Alice, Texas

664-4368

Making home-made peanut butter ensures you have con-

trol over the ingredients, po-tentially creating a healthier alternative than store-bought varieties.

It is an activity that fami-lies can do together and you’re guaranteed a great-tasting peanut butter customized to your palate.

Recipe:1. Purchase 1 bag of

unshelled peanuts or 1 can (1 pound) of shelled, raw or roasted peanuts.

2. Set aside about a table-spoon of vegetable or peanut oil.

3. Shell the peanuts, if necessary, and put them into a food processor.

4. Pulse the food processor to start chopping the peanuts.

Scrape down the bowl to ensure that all of the peanuts get finely chopped.

5. Add the vegetable oil to help make a smooth butter and continue to blend until smooth.

6. Taste the peanut but-ter and mix in salt or a small amount of sweetener depend-ing on personal preference. Honey makes a good sweet alternative to sugar.

7. Peanut butter can remain fresh in a sealed container for roughly one month. It also can be frozen.

Yummy homemade peanut butter


Still a Coyote....

Johnson has found his place in KansasStory by MARK MOLINA

When you visit the Kansas Weslyan Coyote

basketball webpage, you immediately see former Alice Coyote guard Michael Johnson.

Since his arrival at the Kansas NAIA program, Johnson has become one of the team’s top performers and it has come as a result of years of being around the sport of basketball.

Whether it was playing on youth teams since second grade or being coached by his father (Benjamin Johnson), basketball has been Michael’s place of Zen and has helped him grow as a person.

“Basketball, to me, has always been kind of an outlet. I grew up loving the sport. I love to play, I love watch it and I love to be around it,” Johnson said. “It has always been kind of an escape for me—very kid dreams of playing a sport at the next level. In high school, I played pretty much every sport, but basketball is what my mind is set on and where my heart is at.” In high school, Johnson took the lead for Alice basketball in his junior season after being a role player during his sophomore season, setting his journey to KWU in motion.

At the end of his junior campaign in Alice, Johnson was a game-winning shot away

from the postseason, but he would miss the shot and Laredo LBJ would win the play-in contest.

The team’s shortcomings would fuel Johnson and the 2011 Alice squad to do everything they could to make the postseason.

“I missed the game-winning shot at the end of the LBJ game. I didn’t want to feel that way again and I went into the offseason and busted my butt,” Johnson said. “We did everything we could to make the playoffs my senior year and we beat schools like Calallen, Flour Bluff and other teams we never really beat before in order to get there. It was probably like the third time ever that the program had made the playoffs.”

After that season, Johnson’s efforts would be rewarded with all-district accolades and a trip to the state playoffs.

The work Johnson put into getting there, however, was no surprise to then-head coach George Beltran, who always felt his former player’s work ethic would be one that inspires.

“Michael is a great kid, and a very intelligent kid. He could play at any level, I think, just because of his athletic ability,” Beltran said. “He’s got great character and great upbringing. He is a hard, hard

worker. He’s going to be in the gym, day in and day out. That’s what makes him above others and I think it’s important that kids who are here now pay attention to what he’s been doing so they can emulate some of it.”

Still, getting to KWU was easy and direct. Johnson originally wanted to play at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, but Javelina head coach and College Hall of Fame inductee; Pete Peterson wanted Johnson to play Junior College Ball in Beeville before joining. That led Johnson to Salina Kansas and the KWU campus where he was recruited as a basketball and baseball player. The community won over Johnson as well as the program making him “feel wanted.”

“I ended up signing the first day I visited while I was still on campus,” Johnson said. “This is where I wanted to be and this is where I feel welcome.”

Johnson would play both for a year before ultimately choosing basketball, but that decision would be somewhat forced after KWU coach Chris Fear, who took over Johnson’s recruitment in 2011, had questions about his devotion to the team after a losing season.

However, Fear was not aware of Johnson being a dual-

sport athlete.Johnson would stick to

basketball, but not because of the early misunderstanding.

“Coach apologized for making me choose and if I wanted to play both, I had his support,” Johnson said. “I just realized that it was too much time and effort. I wanted to spend my off season in the weight room and working on my basketball skills.”

Despite the early awkwardness, Johnson, who is in his junior season, has developed into one of the KWU’s top players and at one point led the team in scoring this year. He has even become one of Fear’s most trusted options on many levels.

“Michael is a great player for us. He does so much besides scoring. He can get into the lane and pass. If I would have to pick one thing he needs to work on, it would be jump shooting, He can play the one position and up to the four,” Fear said. “ If you would have told me he was going to develop into the leader he is now, I wouldn’t have believed you. He’s a great kid and he gets it done both on and off the court.”

Johnson currently sits second in scoring with 13.5 points a game and leads the team with 68 assists in 20 starts this year.


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through one of the committees of which she was a part.

“She hired me through a literacy program grant to do workshops for literacy, teaching people to teach others how to read,” she said.

Garza said she also began working at the library at that time, learning about the profession from circulation clerk Belma Dominguez.

She said in 1988, about two years after starting at the library, she was hired full-time as the audio-visual clerk.

“And I was scared to apply for it,” she said.

“But I asked Mrs. Salinas if I could speak with her, and I asked if I could have that position. Right away, she said, ‘Of course.’”

After Dominguez retired in the early 1990s, Garza was moved to the circulation clerk position, where she has been ever since.

Garza said she wanted to thank the City of Alice, especially Alicia Salinas, Belma

Dominguez and the late Tracy Herchap, for giving her the opportunity to work at the library.

Garza said one of her goals has always been to make people comfortable when they visit the library.

“People come in here very timid,” she said. “They feel that this is not a place for them. They don’t want to ask, especially the little ones. They’re afraid. But I tell them, ‘If you need something, we will help you.’

“I don’t want people to go away from here without some kind of information. I want them to feel comfortable, from the moment they come through the door, and know that somebody is going to help them, and not look down on them.”

Garza said she is especially mindful of the library’s younger patrons, even those not old enough yet for a library card.

“I don’t want to traumatize them because they’ll

remember,” she said. “When they’re 15 or 16, they’ll remember, ‘That lady, she didn’t help me.’ I don’t want that engraved in their minds. I want them to leave here with knowledge. That’s why we’re here.”

Unfortunately, Garza was forced to leave the library for about five months after she was diagnosed with vasculitis, a condition where blood vessels in the body become inflammed, causing nerve damage and abnormalities in the immune system.

“It got to where I couldn’t walk,” she said. “It numbed me from my feet all the way to my waist. That disease dropped me, it just took over.”

Garza said recovery was slow, but she forced herself to be self-sufficient and do things for herself.

“I learned how to do things different,” she said. “Now, I see other people who can put one foot in front of the other, and I think, ‘How blessed they are.’”

In January, Garza was finally well enough to return to the library full time.

“I’m feeling great,” she said.Garza said on her first day

back, she was worried about being able to do tasks like shelving books, and asked her coworkers to help her out. However, she soon found herself so happy to be back, she couldn’t help herself.

“I didn’t even need to use my cane,” she said. “I walked the whole library, because I was able to. That made me so happy.”

Garza said everyone in the library, from the rest of the staff to its patrons, is her family.

“These people that come in, they’re a part of me,” she said. “That’s why I want to continue.”

The Alicia Salinas City of Alice Public Library is located at 401 E. Third St. Its hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. Love never dies.”

If we are honest with ourselves, we’ve got to admit that the way we love doesn’t measure up to what love is from God’s point of view. Think about it.

Would spouses abuse one another or the divorce rate be as high as it is if husbands and wives would love each other with this passage always in mind? Would parents, step-parents, boyfriends and girlfriend abuse children? Would people keep a continual record of past offenses as ammunition for the next argument?

Would gossip or false reports

be as rampant as these are if people loved in the way God would have us love?

Would we love to listen to gossip or false reports if we truly loved as we are to love? Would we put ourselves first as often as we do? Would we brag about “our” accomplishments all the while ignoring the fact that we rarely do anything completely on our own? Would we be rude in the way we talk with others, when we drive our cars, or when we wait in lines?

Would we leave our trash behind for someone else to pick up or leave our shopping carts in parking places so that those places aren’t available for others to use? Would we be so quick to end relationships if we loved as God would have us love?

This list could go and on.

The point is that we often fall short of loving in the way it is described in God’s Word. Though we often fail at love, our failures do not give us an excuse not to try. No, this passage from 1 Corinthians 13 is our goal.

Unfortunately, it is not a goal we can reach on our own. Try as we might, we cannot love as we are supposed to love without God enabling us to love in this way. If this article pricks our consciences, then it’s time to ask God to forgive our failures and He will.

It is also time to ask God to change our hearts and to enable us to love in this way. He can and will help us do this.

All we have to do is ask Him. So, let’s be quick to ask Him to help us love in a way that lines

up with His Word and then let’s do our part as God directs.

blanket or cover over the baby at your breast and continue doing whatever you are doing. Breasts are made to feed babies, not to sell magazines or cars. If anyone is offended by seeing a baby latch on to nurse, that person needs to look away. Do not be embarrassed about breastfeeding your baby. You are giving the baby the very best start by feeding it your milk, custom made for your child!

Judy Perdue spends four days each week as a women’s health

nurse practicioner with Dr. Jason C. Bradford, M.D., at Alice Obstetrics

and Gynecology Associates.

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