THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 31, 1995 TAG: 9512290259
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Susie Stoughton
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Every December without fail, a week just disappears, never to be seen again.
It happened again this year, despite last year's resolution - the same as every New Year's - to plan ahead.
Worse than losing an hour's sleep in spring when daylight-saving time begins, this loss just sneaks up without any warning.
That missing springtime hour - so predictable - always returns in the fall, unlike the seven December days that never show up again.
But as Christmas shoppers check items off their lists, a panic suddenly sets in and a realization takes over that somehow, a week must have been snatched away.
How else do you explain that time runs out before the Christmas cards get written? Before that last, perfect present can be found? Before there's time to visit with neighbors and a chance to catch up with friends? Before we can reflect on the true meaning of the season and joyously celebrate in the quiet stillness that refreshes souls?
This year I won't even pretend to make my perennial promise that is bound to be broken. Instead, I'll simply try to recall lessons learned from friends written about this year. Their gems of wisdom we'd all do well to emulate.
If I could keep New Year's resolutions, here are some I'd make:
To look at the world the way Debbie Turner does.
Turner is legally blind, but she views the world through a faith that never falters.
A former city switchboard operator, she was robbed of her sight in mid-life by diabetes. She can no longer see more than small glimmers of the beauty she appreciates all around her.
Turner starts each day by thanking God for her blessings.
``It's not what I've lost,'' she said. ``It's what I have left.''
She volunteers time at First Baptist Church on Main Street, at area nursing homes and on the phone, calling people on her church's prayer list.
``There's too much living left to do,'' she said.
To make the most of special moments, the way Bob and Emily Crostic do.
They take advantage of the good times between his cancer treatments. And they value the love and support shown to them by friends, many of them long-time customers who have come to Crostic to have their horses shoed.
To cultivate a strong, unwavering faith like Sheila Baxter's.
Baxter was raised in Franklin and recently reached the pinnacle of her Army career when she became commander of a medical logistics battalion - the first woman to do so.
After this tour of duty, she plans to return to school to pursue a second career in the ministry. Her faith is one of her greatest assets, said her father, John Baxter.
To stand up for my convictions, like Pete Mays, owner of the Dutch Market in Holland.
Mays and his wife, Annette, decided when they bought the store last winter that they would not sell beer or wine, despite possible loss of revenue. Knowing that alcohol is easily abused, they decided to be positive role models for the community and for their teenage son, who also works at the store.
``I made the stand as much to show my son that if you believe something, you stand your ground,'' Mays said.
To keep my priorities straight, like Judi Delpiero.
Delpiero believes there will be plenty of time later to work outside the home. Right now, she needs to be there each day when her second-grade son, Timothy, gets home.
Mothering is something that cannot be postponed, she said, so she's started a part-time business from her home.
To maintain a sense of humor, like Jim Wagenbach's.
Wagenbach, Franklin's Fire Chief for more than three decades, was inducted last summer into the Grinnan Hall of Fame by the Tidewater chapter of the American Heart Association.
Those who know Wagenbach know he has a big heart and a dry wit.
To tackle life with enthusiasm, like the Cub Scouts who visited the newspaper office last winter.
The 8- and 9-year-olds from Pack 50, Den 6 explained that they were learning about ``goodness'' and ``love'' in their Scout activities, thanks to the efforts of their leader, Cathy Hayes.
To remember those less fortunate, the way Nancy Kriigel, Mildred Eubanks and Mildred Burgess and their helpers at The Ebenezer House in Franklin do.
The women who run the clothing closet and food pantry see the smiles on the faces of struggling families assisted by the efforts of the Franklin Cooperative Ministry.
As we begin 1996, we could all take such lessons to heart to help us go bravely into the New Year. by CNB