with Dot Patterson
Greetings from Hickory Corner!
The hustle and bustle of Christmas is over. Everyone has been busy with shopping, decorating, cooking and holiday gatherings, and now it is time to start putting away the decorations. I hope all of you enjoyed Christmas but also remembered the Reason for the Season – the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.
My daughter Cindy in Illinois had a Christmas Eve gathering at her home, and I was able to Facetime to see and chat with my kids, grandkids and great-grand kids. I was blessed to have Christmas Dinner with my sweet niece Dianne and husband Lynn Connor. Dianne cooked a good meal, and we had a nice visit. Their daughter April and husband Randy live in Atlanta and Facetimed us with their two little girls, Savannah and Caroline, who were so excited on Christmas morning. Precious memories that will last forever.
Some families gathered early for their Christmas celebrations. JoAnn Clayton and family held their Christmas gathering at the HCC Center on Saturday, Dec. 17. JoAnn said around 60 family members attended. What a great way to kick off the week before Christmas!
New Home Church held their Children’s Christmas program on Sunday, Dec. 18. The kids did a great job acting and looked like they were having fun. I sure enjoyed watching them perform.
I received a Merry Christmas phone call from my first cousin, June Smith and her daughter. June lives in Dyersberg at Canterberry Place. She would love to hear from her friends in Henderson. June is a retired school teacher from Chester County Schools and a very sweet lady. I miss her, and I hope to be able to visit her after the New Year.
Are you ready to welcome the year 2023? I am sure many will be making New Year’s resolutions. The New Year provides us with a good opportunity to change and be better. “We cannot go back and start over, but we can begin now, and make a new ending.” – unknown
I pray that the New Year will be a good one for all of you and a good one for America. If you want to share your New Year’s resolution, please call me.
Recently, I was going through cards that I had saved over the years and found one from a dear friend sent to me in 1970. That was over 52 years ago, and the poem on the front of the card still rings true. So, with the new year rolling in, I wanted to share it with all of you.
“God Grant Us Hope and Faith and Love” by Helen Steiner Rice – “Hope for a world grown cynically cold/Hungry for power and greedy for gold/ Faith to believe when, within, and without/There’s a nameless fear in a world of doubt/Love that is bigger than race or creed/To cover the world and fulfill each need/God grant these gifts to all troubled hearts/As the old year ends and the new year starts.”
My prayer for all my readers is that you will have a new year filled with health and happiness and may God Bless you as you trust in him.
Remember in prayer Richy Butler, Ladelle Clark, Mildred Smith, Martha Autry, Ann Morrison, Bonice Martin, Peggy Whitman, Peggy Lard, William and Eddie Luttrell, and Donna Lynch. Continue to pray for each other, our country and our world. If you would like to add or remove a name from our prayer list, please call me.
If you would like to rent the HCC Center for a special event, please call Nancy Patterson at 608-1159.
I need your support for this article. Please call me with tidbits and news at 989-3315. You can share your vacations, birthday, anniversaries and much more. I would love to hear from you.
Make it a great week!
