I am glad I live in Bladen County….many of our folks struggle when the unexpected occurs….but in Bladen, more than likely friends and family are ready to step in and do a good deed….
Two examples yesterday….The first in Tar Heel where a fundraiser was held for 16 year old Ja’Na’ Sims who has been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma.
And in Bladenboro, a fun day turned into a real fun day for the family of a 5 year old, Ayven Lennon, there was a massive turnout, the largest crowd I have seen at such an event. The last report I have seen indicates nearly $30,000 was raised to provide assistance to Misty and Toby Lennon to help offset some of their expenses. Ayven has been diagnosed with Lymphocytic B-Cell Lymphoma and Leukemia.
There were so many activities I dare not attempt to mention them all….food, auction and a gospel concert at Galeed Baptist Church featuring McCray Dove and the new Dove Brothers….and for one night only, their former bass singer, David Hester joined them for some good southern gospel music..Love to hear David sing…”There Must Be One More Miracle for Me.”
I tossed and tumbled last night…just keep thinking about Bladen County folks and how they respond….A former school teacher, Mr. Billy Fisher of Elizabethtown died in the past few days…and a huge crowd attended his funeral and as happens many times….his church family prepared a wonderful meal for his family….and we see this so many times in our area…
It’s a great place to live…and for those who want to work and will work, there are opportunities. Jobs go unfilled because of lack of training or can’t pass a drug test…sad..but if there is the will to survive, if the will to work is evident…You can do it in Bladen….Bladen Community College will provide the training…..
There is a criminal element that will not work, thrives for a while on drugs and steals to support their habit….and I applaud law enforcement for cracking down….If they continue to break the law…Lock ‘m up and throw away the key….
Speaking of death, the Clarkton area lost a dearly loved retired teacher this week….Ms. Mary Tyson Clark.
And one more death I will mention….Homer Lynn Ward. Homer’s dad was Mr. Henry Ward..and unless my memory is playing tricks, he was one of the last DOT employees to operate a ‘road drag’ …a motor grader that scrapped the unpaved roads in the county….We love to see him coming…fill some of the ruts…Now, back to Homer. Homer had some special needs…He was a huge Bladenboro Bulldog supporter. He would dress up in a football uniform early in the day on Friday and he was on the sidelines during the games. I admired Homer. He was 68 years old and living in a Retirement Center in Whiteville at the time of his death. Now…If my memory is playing tricks, I apologize.
I love calling Bladen County home.
Live your life and forget your age.
Attitude is everything. Charles Swindell
The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want. Ben Stein
If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything. Mark Twain
robert g hester
rgh4612@gmail.com
910-876-2322
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