Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 12-19-17

Editorials/Columns
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verything! . . . or that’s what one of our Editorial
writer remembers when years ago, he was con- fronted by a public school classmate on the playground who, with fist balled up, screamed at his playmate, “MY MAMA AND DADDY TOLD ME THERE AIN’T NO SANTA CLAUS AND IF YOU CALL MY FOLKS A LIAR, I’M GONNA BUST YOU IN THE NOSE!”
So, our fellow journalist, who was at the time, only nine-years-old, held back his tears, shut up his beliefs, but remembered humiliation for the next fifty years of his life. So, what’s wrong with believing in Santa Claus?
Could it be somebody told you that the real ‘Santa Claus may well have been legendary Norwegian St. Nicklaus who was known to give gifts to little boys and girls, having only a cursory relationship to the story of the Christ Child?
Or is it the possibility that our rendition of Jolly Old St. Nick was born on a backroom drawing board of New York’s Fifth Avenue? Who cares when compared to a little boy or girl’s gleeful smile at Christmas time? So, what if we saw Mama kissing Santa Claus!
Indeed, nothing is sadder than seeing children cel- ebrating Christmas while their parents stand in the background, nursing a wounded wallet. Whose fault is it . . . Santa Claus? Just how much does a Christmas smile cost?”
Who says you have to go into debt to bring joy to a child’s heart? For, as you believe, the child believes . . . nothing more or less. Is that so difficult to understand, Santa’s Helper?
Santa Claus is fictitious. So is winning the Lottery next Saturday. But we dare anybody to tell us not to be- lieve. Besides, another name for St. Nick is Love, Hap- piness, Joy, kindness, forgiveness, and free-spirited giving. At least for one day, we can believe in the will of those words even if it’s dressed up in a red-woolen suit.
So, MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY . . . FROM THE FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN AND SANTA CLAUS!
A Junkie For Profit
f you’re reading this
right now and have been wondering what kind of sec- ond career you could go into after retiring in the next 10- 15 years, I think it would be wise to look into investing in things like assisted living fa- cilities, drug counseling cen- ters, addiction clinics or mental health facilities.
This is mainly due to the fact that the “junkie” or “rock star” lifestyle that en- courages the heavy con- sumption of all forms of narcotics is reaching an all time high among 18 to 34- year-olds. It appears as though “getting high,” by any means possible, is the new trend of the day.
From popping pills like Percoset and Xanax to snort- ing Molly (MDMA), smoking Tunechi (K-2) and drinking lean (cough syrup), people are putting enough man- made toxic chemicals into their bodies to make crack cocaine seem like a gateway drug.
And, unfortunately, it all
translates into an entire gen- eration of young people po- tentially having an undeterminable amount of health issues as they began to age.
Memory loss, psychosis, kidney failure, rapid tooth decay, the inability to men- tally focus, diabetes and even erectile dysfunction are just some of the things that a large number of individuals in their 20s are experiencing as a result of their heavy drug abuse. All of them ail- ments and conditions that only deteriorate over time.
The worst part about this growing epidemic is that al- most none of these kite rid- ers who regularly poison their systems acknowledge that there is even a problem.
If they have a seizure, ex- perience a psychotic episode or go into cardiac arrest, it’s not interpreted as their bod- ies saying “Hey man. Chill out. You trippin’.” To them it’s just an indicator that they were in possession of some powerful “s—-.”
With that being the case it seems to only make sense, for those of us who can read the tea leaves, to prepare for the inevitable medical crisis that’s going to come from the overwhelming presence of millions of disabled 40 and 50-year-olds who will be living amongst us over the next two decades. A popula- tion, with special needs, that will require a significant amount of assistance to maintain.
Of course, some will con- sider finding financial op- portunity in a potential health apocalypse a form of misery profiting. And, to a certain extent, that may very well be true.
But since there are people out there who will continue to destroy their bodies, re- gardless of the long-term consequences, it really leaves someone with an en- trepreneurial spirit no choice but to make money off their stupidity.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can write to Mr. Barr at: Clarence Barr 43110-018, Oak- daleF.C.I.,P.O.BOX 5000, Oakdale, LA 71463; or email him at barr6502@gmail.com.
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What’s Wrong With Believing In Santa Claus?
Thank You
mpowered Greetings.
“Thank You” are two words that mean a lot, but often shared too little. The month of November heightens our awareness of being thank- ful as we celebrate Thanksgiv- ing. We sit at the table sharing stories and good food with our family, friends and colleagues. We may even go around the room having each person voice at least one thing they are grateful for.
There’s a church song that says, “Count your bless- ings, name them one by one. Count your bless- ings, see what God has done. Count your many blessings, see what God has done...” Counting your blessings is a reflection of gratitude. It creates a sense of optimism and satisfaction in your life.
This is a great time to show gratitude. However, it is even greater if we would live life daily with an attitude of grati-
tude. A simple “Thank You” could brighten someone’s day, which will in return brighten your day. When a person ex- presses thanks to others it helps them combat depression and stress. It gets you off of thinking about what’s wrong and redirects your focus on what’s going right. Be sure to tell somebody “Thank You,” not for the extraordinary things they do, but for the or- dinary things they’ve done. You’ll be healthier and hap- pier as a result and they will, too.
“Thank You” doesn’t just improve your life for a mo- ment, but when practiced reg- ularly it improves your health, your emotions, your personal- ity, your opportunities and your social engagements with others for a lifetime. If that wasn’t enough, improvement in these areas could have the impact of improving your fi- nancial flow.
In my Mother Hayes
voice, “Tell the Lord “Thank You”!” (Mother Maureen Hayes is one of the mothers in my local church that I am thankful to know and serve under).
Saying “Thank You” in one area of your life runs over into other areas such as increasing your productivity and meeting your goals because you have more energy since you are not drained from concentrating on burdens, thus enabling you to make more money, create a happier marriage, build better business and growing min- istry with great morale.
I’ll close by saying “Thank You” to the Florida Sen- tinel Bulletin for allowing me to share this column on a weekly basis. “Thank You” to all of you that take time to read this column. “Thank You” for reaching out to me by phone calls or through social media. I am always excited to see you’ll as much as you’ll are excited to meet and converse withme.IdowhatIdobe- cause of you!
Let’s continue to stay con- nected. Call me at (813) 591- 3026 or follow me on social media. Facebook Fan Page: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach To Women; Instagram: Selphenia; or Twitter: queenofsuccess1.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
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