Daily Archives: 01/10/2023
The spiritual serenity of simplicity and stillness
I was peeling a turnip the other day — it was New Year’s Day, actually — when thoughts began to occur to me.
Not that this is a rare occurrence, me having thoughts. Peeling turnips is a rarity, though.
But as I contemplated the purplish, globe-shaped vegetable in my hand, here at the beginning of a new year, it seemed as though I began to be enveloped by a serene, golden glow.
There I was, standing over the kitchen sink in front of a window that looked out upon a wintry scene of bare trees. Gray on gray.
And in the tactile sensation of slicing away with rapid but cautious strokes at the chilled root’s northern hemisphere, I thought of my grandma.
I’m not sure if I actually have a memory of her peeling turnips. But I thought of her — Grandma Porter, my mother’s mama, born in 1889. And I felt somehow connected to a time when the world was less technologically busy.
Electricity hadn’t even come to the Ozarks yet when my mom was growing up. They cooked on a wood stove and got their water from a bucket in a well, like pioneers.
Grandma was a hard worker, but kind and gentle — and never in a hurry. I don’t think she ever got mad, or stressed. She lived well into her 80s.
My mom is much like her. Except for using a walker to get around, she is exactly the same as she’s always been,
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Accomplishing His will is our purpose
It’s disappointing to God that most people are usually more concerned about what they want in life than asking Him what He requires of them. Since our eyes were 
opened in the garden, our fleshly nature specializes in the skills of compromising and justifying. Self-deception is common.
Only a few will take the responsibility to obey Him and get serious about dedicating their lives to being a living sacrifice for Him. Yes, included with the blessings of this life is being accountable.
You might have heard the unpopular verse found in Revelation 3:16 where John relays what Jesus thinks about the
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VA looking to hire more employees for PACT Act
PACT is officially up and running as of the first of the year. PACT, aka Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, extends health care and benefits to veterans 
who were exposed to toxins around the globe and who subsequently became ill with an expanded number of presumptives. The key feature of PACT is that veterans no longer have to fight to prove where their illness came from. It’s “presumed” the illness was the result of the toxins in the environment where they served.
Meanwhile, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been on a massive hiring blitz to fill positions in support of the
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Goals for 2023
I didn’t rush to create my goals for 2023, but the time has come …
One year ago I made two goals: to buy weekly food donation cards at the grocery store to give to the food bank and to continue to pick up weekly groceries for three elderly neighbors. I made it three-quarters of the year on both of those.
Food prices just got too high for me to continue to buy a donation card each week. And picking up groceries for the three
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Courier Obituaries 1-11-23
KENNETH GARY PARSONS
EASLEY — SRA Kenneth Gary Parsons, 37, loving and devoted husband since 2014 to Taylor Parsons, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at his home.
Kenneth was born on Jan. 29, 1985, in Easley, to Gary and Po Parsons. He was an avid Clemson football fan or anything sports related. Kenneth was a 3A state high jump champion in 2003. He was an Air Force veteran, serving as Flying Crew Chief 437 AGS on C-17 sircrafts. He was a member of Arial Baptist Church, and his great faith in God and family was shown until the very end. Kenneth was a loving husband and father who was always willing to sacrifice for his family. He was a highly respected, hardworking man, who above all else loved his family and enjoyed spending time with them.
In addition to his loving wife of eight years and his parents, Kenneth is survived by one daughter, born in 2016, Madelyn Parsons; one sister, Young Loyd (Robert); one niece, Brinkley Loyd; two nephews, Wilson Loyd and Beckett Loyd; his mother-in-law, Tianna Jackson; grandmother, Eloise Parsons; and his best friend, Marion Dukes.
Kenneth was preceded in death by his grandfather, Fred Parsons.
Funeral services were held on Jan. 8 at Arial Baptist Church. Interment followed the service at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Pickens.
The family members are at their respective homes.
Online condolences may be expressed by visiting dillardfunerals.com. Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
NANCY HUDGENS
LIBERTY — Nancy Cann Hudgens, 78, of Chastain Road, died on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, at her residence.
Born in Anderson, she was the widow of Doyle Rudolph Hudgens and a daughter of the late James Clinton and Rosa Owen Cann. She had previously retired from
Liberty Elementary School shooting for world records
LIBERTY — Liberty Elementary will be attempting something this year that no other school in South Carolina has achieved.
On March 30, during the school’s family night event, students and staff members will be attempting to break two Guinness world records.
The idea has been months in the making, and the school has now received approval for the attempts from the
representatives of the company.
When the attempts are successful, Liberty Elementary School — staff and
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Grand opening planned
Magic & Smiles has relocated to Pickens and will carry magic supplies for amateurs, hobbyists and professional magicians. The store will also offer a line of novelties, jokes, gags and clown supplies. The owners of the magic and novelty supply store recently announced that they will hold a grand opening ceremony on Jan. 14, at 10 a.m., in partnership with the Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce. There will be light sandwiches, snacks and free giveaways. Magic & Smiles will be located inside the Market at the Mill, in warehouse 3, booth 114. The magic shop will be the only store of its kind in a 100-mile radius. To find out more about the store, call (864) 999-4189 or visit magicandsmiles.com, or find the shop on Facebook at facebook.com/magicandsmiles or
Instagram at instagram.com/magic_and_smiles.
Courier Community Calendar 1-11-23
• Fleet Reserve to meet January 21
Fleet Reserve Association Branch 15 will meet Saturday, Jan. 21 at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast, followed by a business meeting at 9 a.m., at Chicopee United Methodist Church, 403 S. Catherine St., Walhalla. Open to all enlisted former and active duty U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard personnel. For more, call (864) 868-9397 or email tsmith4697@gmail.com.
• Veterans invited to American Legion
Veterans in the Liberty area are invited to the next meeting of American Legion Post 67 in Liberty.
The Legion meets on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Scout Hut, circle off North Palmetto Street. All veterans are invited.
Dutch oven meals — big on flavors, easy on you
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
Dutch oven cooking maximizes meat flavor and minimizes labor.
Once the Dutch oven is filled with the meat of choice, plus other ingredients, it’s simply a matter of throwing it into a slow oven and forgetting about it until the timer goes off.
These dishes are a great way to battle the chill evenings of winter. One of the best things about them is the scent that fills the kitchen while they’re cooking.
I use a cast-iron Dutch oven, but there are several highly rated Dutch ovens on the market made from other materials that produce excellent results.
