Gwinnett’s oldest locally owned newspaper - established 1988 Covering Snellville, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Loganville
Vol. 29, No. 3
Quinlan earns national award page 3
FREE
page 7
Engaged in the community page 25
Pastor Scott Mawdesley has blended his love for writing and his love for working with leather, creating a fledgling business that promises to grow in time. Why? Its roots run deep. “Write One Line,” both the name of the company and Scott’s philosophy about journaling, rings true with a lot of people. “I began journaling as I went through about a ten-year journey of healing,” Scott said. “Daily writing helped me work through the things I needed to. I wanted to get consistent with my writing, so I would write just one a line a day if that were all I could manage. It’s not what I write, it’s that I write,” he explained. Putting pen to paper and writing personal thoughts can be a difficult thing to do, and being consistent with that writing – journaling – is important when writing is part of a healing process, a catharsis of the mind and soul. Otherwise weeks, then months and yes, even years can pass between
journal entries. When the consistency is not there, the writer may simply and quietly give up. The paper becomes a behemoth, too big to conquer. But life gets very busy, and quiet time set aside for writing one’s thoughts easily gets pushed aside to handle more hectic demands. The campus pastor at the 12Stone Church Sugarloaf location, Scott encounters hundreds of people (thousands on any given Sunday). When talking with people about journaling and its healing impact, Scott offered, “When people struggle with the consistency and habit of writing, I ask, ‘Well, how about writing one line a day?’” Over the years, he has trained many others to be consistent with their journaling, and he has seen the positive effects that the habit has
on them.
“I began journaling about twenty years ago, writing about dreams I’d had, or just my thoughts. But I found that I’d write consistently for three
See WRITE on Page 23
Snell and Marlene Buchanan
By Marlene Ratledge Buchanan
INSIDE
PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LILBURN,GA PERMIT NO. 99 ECR-WSS POSTAL CUSTOMER
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Pastor Scott Mawdesley adds his touch to each hand-made journal.
Popular ‘Run the Reagan’ Destiny race around the corner
Lots of smiles for breakfast page 33
Picture Perfect 4 Gwinnett Pulse 6 Roadrunner 26 Health & Wellness 30 Classifieds 34
JANUARY 2017
Journaling -Write one line By Carole Townsend Staff Correspondent
Real heroes
www.gwinnettcitizen.com
Runners of all ages participate in Run the Reagan.
By Carole Townsend Staff Correspondent One of Gwinnett County’s most successful community events – Run the Reagan – is scheduled for Feb.
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25, just a few short weeks away. Last year’s race was in April, but in response to runners’ requests, the race has been moved back to a February date. “People asked us to do this, because there were too many other competing events in April, such as proms, festivals and sporting events,” said Parks Mann, Board Member of Run the Reagan. The race date, however, is not the only thing that’s changed about the race this year. “For the first time,
See RUNon page 36
Did you meet your spouse or significant other and just know “this is the one”? I have to tell you a little story about Snell and me. The first time I met Snell was at a testing training session at Dyer Elementary School. This was in 1972. I had a very short skirt, very long hair, uppies for boobies and an inny for a waist! I was 22 and teaching at Duluth High School. I thought I was cute. Apparently, he was not impressed. He later told me I was too young for him. I think that was his cover story. In October 1974, we met again while administering the Governor’s Honors Tests. I was in charge of the Spanish language exams. Snell was giving American History exams in another part of the building. We met in the lobby/courtyard
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area of the building and got to talking. He told me he was from Snellville and I told him that my parents and I had moved to Snellville just a couple of years before. I asked him what there was to do in Slug City besides watching the changing traffic light. He laughed. Yeah, I wasn’t good at come-ons. Time went on, and Bubba Lawrence was an Assistant Principal at Duluth. Bubba was trying to fix Snell up with my friend Sharon Varner. Sharon was big into sports and was very active with the record keeping of the various teams at Duluth. Frances Williamson was the counselor there. One day she and Snell were talking about school-related business, and my name came up. He ended up calling me. We had our first date on December
See DESTINY on Page 38