To the editor: I have always enjoyed immensely the fall season. As the year progresses, I find myself once again negotiating with God. I promise to be a better person if He will only allow me to enjoy one more amazing fall. He, of course, has done His part.
As for my part, not so much. This is where I rely on God’s grace. He has never failed me. I enjoy the falling leaves about as much as I enjoy a soft snow. I remember standing in the doorway of my shop last year and being completely absorbed in the beauty of the falling leaves.
So absorbed, in fact, that I used the opportunity to call my friends and family to share the experience. It was
truly a wonderful time for me. As a guy who spent his first fifty years in the flatlands of Mississippi, I feel blessed to be in the foothills of North Georgia and to claim my amazing town of Toccoa as my own.
Moving on, my next negotiation with God will be for Thanksgiving, my second favorite holiday. I will, of course, offer to be a better person and God, in his infinite grace, will very likely allow me to celebrate another Thanksgiving. Either way, it’s all good.
This brings me to the greatest of all holidays, Christmas, the birthday of God’s son Jesus. This would entail some of my most fervent negotiations yet. I feel that I may have a slight edge, as God in His wisdom understands how incredibly important Christmas is to me. There is no other time of the year as dear to my heart. I love every minute of the season and God has already blessed me in so many ways.
Bobby Clardy
Toccoa