It's true ... you're never too old to learn. My daughter-in-law Helen taught me two new things I want to share with you. She brought me a box of Debbie Meyer green bags. Skeptical, I bought seven bananas and put them in one of these bags, hoping they would last a week. On the seventh day, we ate the last banana, and it was as good as the day I bought it. Convinced, I have put oranges, lemons, celery and other perishables in these bags, and the results have been fantastic. And they are made in the USA.

The second lesson learned: Meow-Meow, our cat, sleeps in a chair on the screened porch where I have put his large cushion and covered it with a soft blanket to keep him warm. After washing the blanket, he would not sleep in the chair again. Having raised cats, I asked Helen and she said to take the clean blanket, wrap it around me and then return it to his bed. This I did and the next night, he was once again curled up sleeping in his bed.

The event is three weeks away, but mark your calendar for Tuesday, April 23, when the velvet voice of Dr. John Younginer will introduce you to the local television icons, Jim Davis (Channel 6 and 26) and Lee Sheridan (Channel 12 and 26) as they take you back to the "olden, golden" days of television in the CSRA. The fun will begin at 11:30 during the METTS meeting at Grace United Methodist Church. Get your reservation in early for this lively event.

It was a rainy, cold day for the first in a series of sermons for Lent at the Lutheran Church in North Augusta ... but the powerful sermon by Dr. Bob Fuller from Fairview Presbyterian Church made the trip out in the cold worthwhile. This Wednesday, we look forward to hearing Dr. Jimmy Adams from Grace United Methodist Church at the same location.

Comments continue regarding the subject of being ignored, rejected or hurt by individuals, especially in churches. Sometimes we may not think when we fail to reach out to others, but the hurt can last a lifetime. When we betray a friend or fail to be a friend, words we say that are not true, innuendoes that can ruin a reputation, jealousy of someone's accomplishments, all may seem small but can change someone's life. Let's all think before we speak hurting words, but be generous with our words of greetings.

Mary Carolyn Davies puts it best in her poem "A Prayer for Every Day:"

Make me too brave to lie or be unkind. Make me too understanding, too, to mind

The little hurts companions give, and friends, The careless hurts that no one quite intends.

Make me too thoughtful to hurt others so. Help me to know The inmost hearts of those for whom I care, Their secret wishes, all the loads they bear,

That I may add my courage to their own. May I make lonely folks feel less alone,

And happy ones a little happier yet.

May I forget What ought to be forgotten; and recall

Unfailing, all That ought to be recalled, each kindly thing,

Forgetting what might sting.

To all upon my way, Day after day,

Let me be joy, be hope! Let my life sing!

E-mail mradacj@aol.com/ 803-279-8704