Page 6A- - THE SPECTATOR, Ozark, Ark.

, Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Today Is All We Have

by Clydene Overbey

MEMBERS/FAMILIES of Altus Fire Department helping prepare baskets.

Altus Fire Dept. continues tradition

by Chief Randy
and Susan Kinsworthy
What a great community
we have. What started out
years ago as a tradition to
help out our community and
give back has really grown
and made a difference.
This program went from
handing out and delivering
10 baskets to families to the
biggest yet this year. We

delivered baskets to 93 families which included wrapped

toys for 30 children.
A total of $1,340.25 was
collected to help purchase
food. Included in that total,
23 full food baskets were
donated by members of
River Valley Community
Church in Ozark to distribute in our area.
We were able to donate
15 full food baskets to the

American Legion in Ozark to

give to veterans.
Fraternal Order of Eagles
#3455 Altus donated all the
toys that were collected at
Dollar General in Altus. Ozark
Free Will Baptist Church Kendall Ross made a huge
donation in canned goods
and other nonperishables.
Marc Dietz and KDYN also
donated to the cause.
The following children
helped in collecting and distributing: Abriona and Issah
Muniz, Ketchia Holder and
Carter Morris.
Final thought for the
year, thank you to our Altus
firefighters, first responders
and board members and
families for all you do to help
make a difference in our community.
God bless each and every one of you and have a
Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year.

NOTICE:
Deadline for all news
and advertising is 12
noon Monday.
The Spectator

My parents taught me
that I could do anything I
wanted to do. They said try,
reach for it. If you fall get up
and try again. They said
dont worry about the future
or even tomorrow because
today is all we have. Do your
best today and the future will
take care of itself.
The falling is what makes
us strong, or does us in. We
can lie there and wait for tomorrow or get up and finish
out today. They taught me
to get up. There is no future
if you dont get up.
I have friends and family
who are in such a hurry to
get to tomorrow they forget
about today and now. You
can ask them to come for a
visit, but they dont have
time because tomorrow they
gotta have this or that done.
How very foolish. Look what
they are missing. I want to
live in the now. Tomorrow
will take care of itself if indeed we have a tomorrow at
all.
When I get up in the
mornings I sit as long as I
want to before I get up and
start my chores of the day. I
love watching the sun rise
over the barn right in front
of my eyes.
When I had to go to work
I set my alarm enough early
to take my time with my coffee. I would relax and not
worry about the day of work
to come. Its a habit that
probably started when I was
very young. Mama or daddy
would wake me earlier than
needed to give me dawdling time. The hurry up
could come when my work
or school day officially
started.
Now Ill admit I was one
of those hurry up kind of
people now and then, but not
as much as some I know.
I had a dear friend who
never could even be still

long enough to have a

phone chat with me. She had
been that way all her life. She
thought I was lazy, I am sure
because I took time to enjoy
today. My house wasnt always spotless but you could
eat off her floors if she would
let you walk on them. I refused to take my shoes off
every time I went in her
house, therefore we lost
touch. She died a few years
ago, still in a hurry to get
somewhere. If she had only

slowed down and looked to

today. She didnt seem to
realize the future would take
care of itself.
I am slow now because I
have to be. I neither know
nor care about the future. I
live today to the best of my
ability. That is what my parents taught me and Im still
here. Im still slow, but I still
enjoy the sunrise. When
God calls me Im ready to
go, but I sure aint gonna
hurry the going none!

Home
Country
by Slim Randles
I cant stand winter,
said Herb Collins, who had
dropped in at the Mule
Barns philosophy counter
for a quick cup. Theres
nothing to do.
Get out and enjoy it,
suggested Doc. Go skiing.
Go ice fishing. Build a
snowman. Do something.
Then youll feel better.
I dont think your advice will take, said Dud.
Herb seems to be intransigent on this one.
We all looked at Dud.
You see, he said he
couldnt stand winter, Dud
continued, which shows he
has a proclivity for intransigence on that particular subject.
We looked at him some
more.
If he were to take up a
winter hobby, he continued,
he could stop being intransigent and enjoy things
more.
Even Herb was staring at
him now.
I usually, said Herb,
enjoy a proclivity in that
direction, but winter is pretty
boring, so maybe I really
should be intransigent on
this point.
Well Herb, said Dud,
even though you might

have a proclivity this season

for being intransigent on
your attitude about winter,
you could kinda ease up
and consider a hobby. That
way youd be showing a
proclivity for transigence.
Transigence? said
Doc. I thought those were
people who lived under
bridges. You might want to
look that one up, Dud.
Dud blushed as we
laughed.
Say, Dud? said Steve,
the cowboy. Wasnt proclivity last months word?
Yes, said Dud, and I
believe Ive used it a couple
of dozen times already.
And now this months
word is intransigence,
right?
Dud nodded.
Well then, said Doc,
it looks like you are going
to have a proclivity for saying intransigence this
month. Thats a veritable
plethora of proclivity my
friend.
Dud pulled out a pencil
and grabbed a napkin.
How do you spell it,
Doc?
Spell what?
Plethora.
We just groaned. Sometimes education can be ugly.