Up The Creek Without A Paddle
It's been an intersting year -
by Terry Toole

This is the last edition for the year 2007. To say the least, it's been and interesting year for "ye scribe" and the folks who get your Miller County Liberal out each week.

For me, it has been a labor of love. Like my 93 year old mother-in law, Uva, who helps me several days each week, the pay is poor, but the love of getting out each week is pay enough.

Last week's Christmas edition, our largest of the year, was full of Christmas greeting from everyone who is anyone. The children let their letter to Santa come by the Liberal before being forwarded to the North Pole are priceless. If you can read those letters and see all those greetings and not get the Christmas Spirit, you may as well go ahead and let someone shovel some dirt in your face.

Our crew here at the Liberal made it easy and fun getting out those 48 plus pages, and then get out this edition three days later. Time flies by when your having fun.

This year has been fast and furious. Things have happened to us that have been good, bad and very bad. The friendship and understanding and support has been overwhelming. As I told one friend, "Sometimes God wants to get our attention and remind us who is in charge." He has gotten my attention this year. I know who is in charge and hope that something very good can come from all the bad.

For all of you who don't keep up with our birthday calendar, I have attained the ripe old age of 72 on Friday, December 21. We at the Liberal usually don't do too much work on my birthday. We usually party a lot and eat too much. Since we must finish this edition and print on that same day, it might be that more work will go on than usual. We had the option to get out early so that our readers could get this edition before Christmas. We chose to try. If all works out, you should get your Liberal on Christmas Eve.

If all works as planned, you will have your January 2, Liberal on Monday, December 31. This will work the dickens out of all of us, but our crew will get a few extra days to be with their families and you will still get your local newspaper. We might miss a little news, but I promise we will catch up as the New Year starts.

Speaking of the New Year, we all have a lot to look forward to, especially us older folks.

Looking back, which we shouldn't but we do, it has been great at times and rather tough at times. I've made lots of new friends and lost some of my best to what has happened or even worse, death.

Looking to the future, which we are not promised, things will get better or worse. We never know about the future since it is tomorrow.

All any of us have for sure is the present. It is what we do with the now that really counts.

We should learn from our past mistakes although we can't do anything about what has happened in the past except maybe do better with our present. Since we are not promised the future, it's not too smart to depend on what might happen tomorrow or next week or next year.

We only have the present. We can do something about now, for that is all we have. It's what we do with what we have now will make our past and possibly our future better.

May the New Year of 2008 be your best ever, and it will as you do your best to love others, forgive your enemies and pray that He will forgive us our sins. Not one of us deserves what we get, but the Gift of the Christ Child gives us the choice. Chose wisely!

Happy New Year!