Lifestyle

Simpatico
Simpatico

Simpatico

Thu, 02/02/2023 - 5:00am

Writing is hard. I find myself in a constant battle of wills with my own psyche. That sounds too judgy. That makes zero sense. That will set off a cataclysmic avalanche of yawns. Yet, 2023 is turning out to be my “year of the higher power.” I have committed to grow in a relationship with God. In doing so, I find myself praying on purpose. Rather than waiting until my molehill of issues reaches Vesuvius despair, I am making prayer a common occurrence, even, or especially, when things are good. The thing about God is, He tends to respond. I am finding out that the response is seldom going to result in anything easy and breezy. My higher power asks me to do difficult things. Today, the one-year anniversary of my mother’s death, I would rather stay in bed and watch the raindrops fall from the leaf clogged roof gutters than face the world. But, I asked Him what to do with all of these big feelings today. The answer felt less like a gentle wind and more like a gut punch. I need to write about my mom today. So, here we go.

Did You Know?

Thu, 02/02/2023 - 5:00am

The Appalachian Trail is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the trail stretches across 14 states from Maine to Georgia. The total length of the trail is 2,192 miles. Millions of visitors traverse all or a portion of the trail every year. Many thru-hikers attempt to hike the entirety of the trail in a single season, beginning either at the trail head at Springer Mountain, GA or Mount Katahdin, ME. Those who have hiked the trail estimate it typically takes five to seven months to do so in its entirety. Most hikers can average about three miles an hour and will travel between 12 to 24 miles a day. The highest elevation of the trail can be found at Clingmans Dome on the Tennessee/North Carolina Border. The lowest point on the trail snakes through Bear Mountain State Park in New York. Although the AP trail is a very long hiking trail, many day hikers do portions of it only and still can respectfully say they’ve hiked the AP trail.

Pone
Pone

Pone

Thu, 02/02/2023 - 5:00am

My friend’s mother, Miss Sylvia, is making cornbread. Her house is alive with the smell. The seventy-two-year old woman cooks cornbread the old-fashioned way. An iron skillet in the oven. Lots of butter.

Sam Houston State University Announces Fall 2022 Dean’s List

Thu, 02/02/2023 - 5:00am

The students listed on the Dean’s List of Academic Honors at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, are undergraduates who have achieved a grade point average of at least 3.5 out of a perfect 4.0 in all work attempted while enrolled in not less than 12 semester hours. The university would like to recognize the following students for earning the honor for the Fall 2022 semester.

Sam Houston State University Announces Fall 2022 President’s List

Thu, 02/02/2023 - 5:00am

The students listed on the President’s Honor Roll at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, are undergraduates who have achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average in all work attempted while enrolled in not less than 12 semester hours. The university would like to recognize the following students for earning the honor for the Fall 2022 semester.

The Art of War
The Art of War

The Art of War

Thu, 01/26/2023 - 5:00am

The wind was the kind of cold that makes your legs seize up mid step. There you are, walking, barely. Out of nowhere, the gust seems to touch your bones. You want to squat down and hug your knees. Let the cold have your back. But, the structure is just up ahead, so you walk on, saying curse words under your breath and wondering what made you think you could do this. You aren’t alone. There are others suffering your fate: cold, defenseless, without hope. You all gather at the structure, strangers called to a common pilgrimage, searching each other’s faces for answers that won’t come. You aren’t gathering at the base of Mt. Everest. You aren’t waiting for the gun at the Iditarod starting line. You aren’t victims of an avalanche. You’re just a group of people, in January, waiting outside a random old house for an estate sale to open at 9 am.

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Forney Messenger

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 936, Forney, TX 75126
Physical Address: 201 W. Broad St., Forney, TX 75126
Phone: 972-564-3121
Fax: 972-552-3599