West Georgia Woman Magazine Issue January 2023

Carroll EMC offers the Lineman School Scholarship to aspiring electrical lineworkers.

To be considered for the scholarship, individuals must meet eligibility requirements and submit an online application by the deadline.

Graduating high school seniors or undergrad students could be chosen for one of 15 $1,000 Walter Harrison scholarships to use at any two- or fouryear university or technical school in Georgia.

Carroll EMC selects one semi-finalist to compete at the state level.

Carroll EMC annually selects local high school students to receive an all-expensespaid, weeklong educational trip to Washington, D.C., as a participant in the Washington Youth Tour.

Students must be at least 16 years old by the trip departure date.

West Georgia Technical College President Dr. Julie Post

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Same "Old "Lang Syne

Out with the old, in with the new. That's typically the mantra when it comes to celebrating a new year.

I'm writing you this letter on Christmas Day (when you publish a monthly magazine, deadlines take precendence over holidays!) and my family has disbursed after the Christmas carnage this morning.

This weekend, something old and uninvited crept its way back into our lives – COVID-19.

Yes, it's the gift that keeps on giving and screwing up our holidays. I'm sure many of you can relate.

In December 2020, I wasn't able to celebrate Christmas with my son, Zachary, for the first time in his life because he had COVID, and I was devastated.

When Zach called me to tell me the news that he tested positive, I was determined to not let the big C ruin our Christmas this year. There was no way I was going to miss my granddaughter's very first Christmas!

Everyone in my family has already had COVID in the past, with me and my daughter, Sydney, being the last ones to get it in late June/early July 2022. So I told Zach to bring his wife, Jordan, and little Chelsie over anyway on Christmas morning. Of course, we tried to be as safe as possible, wearing masks and sitting 6 feet apart.

Sadly, 10-month-old Chelsie began running a fever during our celebration and we had to cut it short. The dreaded COVID attacked the most vulnerable member of our family, in spite of Zach and Jordan wearing masks around her after he tested positive. She most likely caught it before they even knew he had it.

COVID-19 is the one old thing that I wish would go away and stay away for good.

In This Issue

Our feature this month is West Georgia Technical College President Dr. Julie Post. If you haven't met Dr. Post yet, you should. She is one of the most down-to-earth, intelligent, kind and humble people I know, and she is a true asset to WGTC and our community.

On page 10, learn more about Julie and how she's taking technical education to new heights under her leadership.

Are you ready for a career change? Tired of the same old daily grind? On page 22, learn how you can find your dream job and have the career you've always wanted.

As a former victim of female "terrorists," I've experienced the devastation of being betrayed by other women. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can support each other instead of tearing each other down. Just think how strong we would be if we were all in the business of supporting one another. It truly takes a village. On page 26, learn how you can do your part to help support women in your community.

Do you ever feel as if you can't catch a break? Perhaps you've suffered a heartbreaking loss such as a breakup, layoff or a frightening health diagnosis. You are not alone. On page 33, learn how you can not only survive, but thrive during challenging circumstances.

Thank you for reading West Georgia Woman magazine. We are honored that you allow us into your homes. See you next month!

Happy New Year!

Publisher

Photo by Keith May

Making a difference. TM

West Georgia Woman is a voice for and about the women who live and work in West Georgia.

Our mission is to engage, inspire, and cultivate a cohesive community for all women in West Georgia by sharing our hopes, our dreams and our lives.

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Finding our voice. Knowing our value.

WGTC President Dr. Julie Post stands in front of the new $66 million Carroll campus. The campus has four buildings totaling almost 150,000 square feet on 38 acres. This campus replaces the old one that has served Carroll County since 1968.

By Amanda Thomas Photos by Zachary Dailey

Higher Learning

WGTC

President Dr. Julie Post is Taking Technical Education to New Heights

Soon after Dr. Julie Post started a new position at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, Ga., she received some advice that would shape the rest of her career.

Dr. Trina Boteler, who hired her two months earlier, encouraged her to get a doctorate.

“She said, ‘You’re going to be a college president one day. You’re going to need it,’” Julie recalls.

The year was 2005. And little did she know her mentor's words would come to fruition in 2021 when she became the president of West Georgia Technical College and moved to Carrollton. She is now responsible for leading the college and its students to new educational heights.

But before becoming president of a college, she was a girl born and raised in Reading, an outer suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.

An Education in Life

While growing up in Reading, Julie attended Catholic school from grades one through 12.

“We were your typical Catholic family,” she recalls. “I was the youngest of five children.”

Her late father, Gary Schoenberger, was a bluecollar worker and entrepreneur who started the family business – Schoenberger Tile and Marble –about 40 years ago. The company is now run by one of her brothers.

Julie’s mother, Barbara, who helped support the business, mostly stayed home and cared for the family. Growing up as the daughter of a businessman, she and her siblings often pitched in and helped support the family business.

“I helped with the office stuff in and out of high school and college, doing payroll and things like that,” she recalls.

Her father instilled in her the value of hard work and dedication. But he wasn't all work and no play.

He enjoyed celebrating Christmas.

“He put a strand of lights on any and every available space, and we had a front yard full of characters – from a life-size Santa and all eight reindeer to a full-size manger scene,” she says. “He’d buy a live tree every year, and we’d have a ball decorating it while listening to Christmas music.”

“My father was very into Christmas, and I carry that with me,” she says.

As a teen, Julie attended Mount Notre Dame, an all-girl Catholic high school. She was a member of the dance team, flag corps and various ministry and community service programs.

But that's not all.

“I was a baton twirler, and I taught lessons for the baton corps,” she says.

She was also on the swim and dive team.

“My mother was super supportive of all the 8 million activities I was in,” she says. “She was always helping to create costumes, props and everything for all the activities I was involved in.”

As graduation neared and it was time to choose which field of study to pursue in college, she knew what she wanted to do.

“I knew I wanted to be a business education teacher,” she says. “I wanted to be a high school teacher.”

She came to this realization thanks to her love for computers and two of her teachers who taught business education.

“I liked the courses I took and thought, ‘I want to teach this,’” she recalls.

After graduating from Mount Notre Dame High School, it was time to begin the next stage in her academic career.

“Both my parents only earned their high school

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diploma, and my father's mission was that he would be able to send me to college and fully pay for it,” she says.

And that's precisely what he did. Julie attended Northern Kentucky University, just across the river from Cincinnati and about a 30-minute drive.

“I only lived on campus for one semester,” she recalls. “I drove all the rest of the time because, after that first year, I worked almost full time all through college until I started student teaching.”

She worked for Modern Office Methods, a company that sold copier, fax and mailing machine equipment.

“I would go in and train companies on the new machines they purchased,” she says.

Because work took up a lot of her time, she wasn't involved in as many activities as she was in high school. But she did join Delta Zeta Sorority. In 1995, she graduated with a bachelor of science in business education.

After graduation, she began her seven-year career as a high school business education teacher in the suburbs of Cincinnati. She taught 9th-grade business education courses, including career exploration, various levels of computer applications, keyboarding and personal finance.

She taught at Madison High School from 1995 to 1997. She spent the next five years at Lakota Freshman School. Because the school district was so large, all the 9th graders went to one school.

There were 1,200 9th graders in one building when Julie taught there.

“That was an interesting experience to be in a building with so many 9th graders,” she recalls.

Her teaching style was about transparency, and it still is.

“I’m very transparent, authentic and very real with students,” she says.

She could joke around with them but also knew how to get them focused. She loved helping the

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students, who she describes as being in the middle.

She explains there are three types of students – the high-achieving ones with families and other people supporting them, the ones who are just trying to get through high school and get a good job, and those in the middle.

“Those in the middle don't have the family saying, ‘You could go to college. You could be very successful,’” she explains. “I appreciate working with those students and trying to get them inspired to be able to go on and develop a path and a plan.”

She also immersed herself in school activities outside of the classroom. She was a department chair and head of the social committee.

She also developed the parents’ newsletter.

In 1998, Julie’s father passed away, and she felt she lost one of her biggest inspirations.

“He and I were very close,” she recalls. “I feel my work ethic and drive came from the example he set for me while growing up. My mom was the nurturer and the supporter. But he was always the one that inspired me to work hard.”

So that's what she decided to keep doing as she pursued a master of arts in teaching at Marygrove College. While the college was based in Detroit, Mich., she was able to take the courses without attending class in person.

“This was like a correspondent program with a study group,” she explains.

The group consisted of five students, who were all teachers, and they met in the area weekly. During the meeting, the advisor would call them, and they would discuss whatever they were studying that week.

“The rest of the time, we’d be watching videos and having discussions,” she says. “That's how my whole master’s degree was done.”

In 1999, she graduated with her master’s degree, and it wasn’t long before she started thinking about the next step in her career. While she didn’t know

exactly what she wanted to do, a series of events would lead her to the path she’s on today.

A New Opportunity

In 2002, Julie’s husband was offered a job in Georgia, and the couple moved to Dacula in Gwinnett County.

“It was an opportunity to figure out what I want to do when I get here,” she recalls.

She was also pregnant when they moved, which would give her a little extra time to think about it. She admits moving was tough.

“I've never not lived around my family, so it was hard, and then I was pregnant when I moved, so that made it even harder because nobody was around,” she recalls. While she missed her family, there was something she didn't miss – the cold.

“I love the South,” she says. “I don’t miss the snow. I don’t miss the cold. I don’t miss the consistently and constantly overcast days in the Midwest. I don't miss any of that.”

In 2003, she gave birth to her daughter, Haley. That same year, she took a part-time job in higher education as an adjunct professor at Lanier Technical College.

She also worked for a publisher, analyzing curriculum in textbooks and aligning it with current standards. In 2004, she added another part-time position as an assistant to the chief GED examiner at Gwinnett Technical College.

“Those three part-time experiences allowed me to stay at home with my daughter when she was born and still be able to get out of the house and speak to adults,” she recalls.

Being able to spend more time with Haley meant everything to her.

“My daughter is my life,” Julie says. “She’s what drives me to perform and set a good example. She always has and always will be the most important thing to me.”

The two have always been very close and speak to each other via FaceTime almost daily.

“We've been going on girls trips since she was about 10,” Julie says.

And just like her mother, Haley participated in many activities as a child, including soccer and gymnastics.

“She was a very active child – very competitive,” Julie says. “It was great to watch her go through life early, experiencing a lot of different things.”

Now, Haley is 19 and studying criminal justice at Valdosta State University.

“She wants to go into criminology and work for the FBI,” Julie says. “I’m very proud of her. She’s studying abroad in London this summer, and I'm excited to visit her while she’s there.”

A Calling to Higher Ed

When Julie taught her first college course, she was swept in because the students who choose to continue their education are there because they want to be.

“They want to learn,” she says. “I had students from age 70 down to 17, and I loved the mission and purpose of technical education. I've not turned back since then.”

While she was working part-time at Gwinnett Tech, they had an opening for a full-time position as a curriculum and academic research coordinator. She applied and was hired in 2005.

“I was really excited about that,” she recalls. “It gave me the opportunity to work full time under an amazing woman who I still credit as part of the reason why I'm where I am today.”

That woman is Dr. Trina Boteler, who encouraged Julie to pursue a doctorate in workforce education.

She also credits Donna Brinson, who hired her to be an adjunct professor at Lanier Tech, and Sharon Bartels, who was president of Gwinnett Tech while she was there.

Sharon gave Julie every opportunity to grow. She sent her to events to speak because they needed representation, and Julie needed to be more of an extrovert.

“She would give me a department with problems because she could see that I was the kind of person who fixed things,” Julie recalls. “That is how I got all

Julie, right, with her daughter, Haley. Photo courtesy of Dr. Post.

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the experience I needed.”

She says Sharon, Trina and Donna are probably why she's president of WGTC today.

“They got me started and hooked into technical education and supported me through the entire journey,” she says.

Over the years, she held multiple positions in Gwinnett Tech’s Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE). She became the director of institutional effectiveness in 2005 and executive director of institutional research and effectiveness in 2010.

During this time, she worked to improve the college's programs through college-wide planning, research, accreditation and organizational support. She faced a new challenge in 2012 when she was selected as vice president of student affairs, where she led all support services.

These services included the Gwinnett Technical College Behavioral Intervention Team (GBIT), admissions, advisement, assessment banner services, counseling, disability services, financial aid, graduation, recruitment, registrar, special populations, student life, veterans affairs, the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

In 2013, she earned a doctorate in workforce

education from the University of Georgia (UGA). The University Council on Workforce and Human Resource Education awarded her with “Outstanding Dissertation of the Year” for her work on “The Role of Dual Enrollment in Educational Achievement of Technical College Students.”

“I chose to get my doctorate because I didn't want any door not to be open,” she says. “I chose workforce education because I'm passionate about that, and I did it while my daughter was in middle school because I knew once she got in high school, I needed to focus on her.”

As vice president, she not only led the design of the One-Stop Enrollment Support Center but also oversaw its renovation to provide students with assistance outside the classroom. As a result, enrollment skyrocketed.

“Thirteen institutions from the southeast came to visit us and learn what we did and how we did it to emulate or replicate some part of that in their institution,” she recalls.

Julie's other accomplishments include opening the first retention department and creating the first Behavioral Intervention Team. While her staff didn't influence what went on in the classroom, she described them as bumpers getting students enrolled in college and keeping them there.

“I was in charge of 14 different departments at the college, all with amazing staff doing incredible things – generating great ideas and implementing innovative pathways to help students succeed," she says. "It was just a great place to be.”

After nearly nine years as vice president of student affairs, she started considering her next move.

“I started thinking about my daughter getting ready to graduate high school and that it was probably time for me to start looking at what I'm going to do next,” she recalls.

She remembers meeting with a department chair who was also on the dissertation committee at UGA.

“Dr. Roger Hill told me from the first meeting about my dissertation that he just knew I was going to be a technical college president,” she recalls.

She also remembers thinking, “Maybe these people are telling me something I need to pay attention to.” So she started applying for various presidential positions.

At one point, there were three openings in the Technical College System of Georgia. Julie applied to and interviewed for all three.

“When I was offered this position at West Georgia Tech, I thought this is a sign that this is the place I'm supposed to be,” she recalls.

The Role of a Lifetime

In 2021, Julie was appointed president of WGTC. Since taking on the role, she has overseen the construction of a new $66 million Carroll campus, with four buildings totaling almost 150,000 square feet on 38 acres. This campus replaces the old one that has served Carroll County since 1968.

And there are more projects to come, including a new building at the Waco campus.

“We just finished the design process,” Julie says. “And we are championing a new transportation and logistics center in Troup County that will support the inland port.”

She and her staff are also creating some unique partnerships with the University of West Georgia and other organizations.

“We have this blossoming partnership with Delta Airline's ground support equipment team,” she says. “There's going to be some cool announcements about that coming up.”

Every campus has a significant project going on, according to Julie.

“We have at least seven projects going on right now to expand programming and make changes at all of our campuses,” she says. “I can't wait to get

Reasonable

up every day and say, ‘OK, what kind of cool things are we going to work on accomplishing today?’”

Julie immersed herself in the college’s sevencounty service area, serving as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation liaison as well as a member on the Chamber of Commerce boards in Carroll, Coweta and Douglas counties. She also serves on the boards for Carroll Tomorrow, Troup County Strategic Planning Committee and the West Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA).

She describes her role at WGTC as the best job she's ever had.

“I love meeting with all the companies and helping find ways to support their workforce needs,”

she says.

She also loves that faculty who teach WGTC's programs come from the industry and are excited about sharing their experiences with students.

“I love our students,” she says. “We have students from ages 16 to 74, and they are at all junctions in their lives just trying to change the trajectory of their lives as well as everyone that comes after them. There's no better place to be.”

She also enjoys living in Carrollton.

“What I love most is that I can come to downtown Carrollton and have a lot of the small town city square perks that are great, but I can drive home to where the land is more rural, and there are farms everywhere,” she says. “I love the peacefulness.”

And when she's not busy on campus or in the community, Julie enjoys hiking, walking and reading.

But mostly, she's just happy to be doing what she loves – helping students and community members find the best paths to success.

In November 2022, Georgia Trend magazine named her to its “500 Most Influential Leaders” list. She's grateful and humbled by the honor.

“I'm very excited for West Georgia Tech to get their name out there,” she says. “I've been so busy for the last year and a half trying to redefine this college, its partnerships and its pathways. Everybody has worked so hard this past year.”

WGTC recently got its reaffirmation of accreditation. To keep their accreditation from SACSCOC, colleges and universities must prove compliance with the standards in the Principles of Accreditation every 10 years.

“We had zero recommendations,” Julie says. “That's a rarity.”

Leading With Passion

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. – Reinhold Niebuhr

Julie says the serenity prayer regularly. She wants to remind people that there are things you can't control, so you have to do the best you can with what you have.

“Focus on how you can influence the things you can influence,” she says. “It's just like leadership. You've got to get people to buy into your vision and get excited about it. Then, give them the ability to do it. That's kind of how I've always operated.”

She has a clear vision for the future of WGTC – creating unique and innovative educational opportunities for students.

“We focus on taking students from wherever they are in life and getting them

to wherever they want to be,” she says.

In the years ahead, she plans to grow the college's academic offerings, enhance its career and technical education programs, and create more access to higher learning. She’s

committed to taking WGTC to new heights. With her passion and dedication, students will have greater access to quality education and a brighter future ahead.

“I feel so incredibly blessed,” she says. “I've had an amazing career. I couldn't be more grateful to be able to do what I do every day because of the impact it has. I don't go one day without forgetting that, and I don't take it lightly.” WGW

By Sandra Bolan

What do you want to be when you grow up?” That’s a tough question for any 8-year-old to answer, but we ask it

anyway. Sometimes in our 30s, 40s and 50s we ask ourselves that question again. As kids, we often think being a doctor, police

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officer or lawyer is a dream job. In our teens, that ideal career may shift to something else, and it may change again in our 20s. When we finally land our “dream job,” it may be great, for a while, but sometimes it becomes more of a nightmare, and we have to go back to reevaluate our career choice.

When you know you want a change, but have no idea what you want to do, it may be helpful to create a career bucket list.

Do you want to travel, live in a specific city, help others, run your own business, work with kids or animals? Plug in your parameters into Google and see what it finds. Some of the careers it finds may intrigue you.

If you want a career guide based on more than a Google search, and you probably should, one

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tried and true resource is the book, What Color is Your Parachute? It walks readers through the process of discovering and landing their dream job.

The book is designed for people entering the professional job market for the first time as well as for those making a mid-career shift.

There are also a number of online quizzes such as www.careertest.com, www.thecareertest.org and careerquiz.org to help narrow down your optimal career choices.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Almost 50 percent of people recently surveyed by the London Business

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School revealed they wanted a career change.

If this is you, ask yourself, “Why?”

Then, make a list of everything you like and don’t like about your current job. Consider everything from management style to location, hours, duties, work/life balance and salary.

The next two lists you should create are of your strengths and weaknesses. Be truthful and ask your friends for their thoughts. You may be surprised at what they have to say.

An ideal career utilizes one’s strengths and is enjoyable. What are your hobbies and interests? Can any of them become a career? For example, you love to cook. Do you want to be a chef or a restaurant owner?

Do you like to sew and be creative with your wardrobe? Perhaps being a costumer is a good career choice for you.

Anyone can be good at anything – with a lot of hard work. But why not choose a career that complements your strengths instead of highlights your weaknesses?

Once you’ve found a few options that seem appealing and realistically doable, seek out professionals in those fields and talk to them to get an honest opinion about the job’s daily struggles and rewards.

Ask them about educational requirements and how your current skills may be transferable. If possible, shadow her for a day-in-the-life experience.

Education

You may want out of your current work environment immediately, but the reality is it can take upwards of two years to make the transition. Although the industry you’re considering moving into is different, your experience may be transferable. If not, what skills are you missing? While still employed, take classes and attend workshops to get you up to speed. Does the new occupation require special certifications? Ensure you get those too. Upgrading your education while still employed will make the career shift much easier in the long-run.

Remember that it’s quite possible you’ll earn less money once you transition. You may have to start at the bottom and work your way up – again. If you’re someone whose initial career also came with a healthy paycheck, be forewarned that sometimes dream jobs come with smaller salaries, but your new career may also offer big rewards in other areas of your life. WGW

Supporting Women in Your Community

By Sandra Bolan

Women learned long ago if they want to be successful they have to create their own opportunities. But that doesn't mean they have to do it alone. “It takes a village” not only applies to raising children, but supporting women and their endeavors.

Studies show when communities provide

opportunities to women in education and employment, the cycle of poverty gets broken, and when women work, economies grow.

Unpaid Work

There’s a lot of “work” out there that has to get done, but it doesn’t pay. And women are saddled with doing roughly 75 percent of it – including child and elder care. Women also take on the majority (60 percent) of household work. All of which means women have less time for paid work.

How can others empower women on the home front? Pitch-in. It’s that simple. Do the laundry, clean the dishes, do more of the child and elder care.

While the household workload is typically shared between partners, friends and neighbors can also provide support by helping each other.

Advocate

Companies can support their female staffers by advocating for them. Speak up, celebrate their accomplishments and

when positions open up in the C-suite, encourage qualified women to apply, and campaign for their hire. This is especially important to do if you’re a woman already in a position of power within the company. Women should support and help each other instead of tearing each other down, as so many like to portray the female/female work relationship.

Mentor

Despite their success, almost half of female business owners claim the lack of mentors and

advisors has inhibited their professional growth.

Well-established men and women can volunteer to be mentors to less experienced females.

When women and girls are mentored, studies show their grades improve, they have a wider social network and more economic prospects.

Mentoring can be done through an organization, or mentors can find mentees through friends and family. When people invest their personal time in helping women achieve their goals, it gives women validation as well as provides them with opportunities to contribute and build skills.

Business Support

Female-owned businesses account for almost 20 percent of all American companies that have employees, according to 2018 United States Census Bureau data, and that number continues to rise.

However, women-owned companies accounted for an average of only $1.6 million in sales/ shipments/revenue, while male-owned enterprises earned $3.2 million, for the same 2018 time period.

That’s primarily because women are small business owners. Another study in 2017 found female entrepreneurs received only 2.2 percent of

all venture capital investments, which equated to $1.9 billion of the $85 billion dished out.

How can you support female entrepreneurs? When you shop or eat out, make a conscious effort to do so at women-owned establishments.

You can also buy from companies that, as part of their mission statement, are committed to the development of women both locally and around the world.

Networking

Historically, women have been excluded

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from business-oriented networking functions because of their bottom-rung positions within companies. But that is slowly changing – and not because more women are being invited to the events – but because they’re creating their own networks.

Female-only networking events provide an empowering and safe space for women to share and gain information on business and careers as well as education and support services.

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When successful women share their experiences, it uplifts and inspires other females to go after what they want.

Female-only networking lets women know they’re not alone.

Small Actions, Big Rewards

Empowering women doesn’t mean you have make huge donations to women-centric enterprises or fire your male staff members and replace them with women. Small things can make a big difference. Buy from women-owned businesses, read books by female authors, watch movies directed and written by women, encourage women in your circle to find their voice and help them be heard. WGW

Daily Fare

Chef Rose With

Chef Rose Isaacs is a native of Carroll County and lives in Carrollton with her husband Shawn and their son, Sebastian. She graduated from West Georgia Technical College in 2013 with a degree in Culinary Arts. After graduation, she began her career as a chef at the Carrollton Kroger Marketplace where she works in the bistro.

She is a personal chef who offers cooking lessons, baby food prep, date night dinners for two and more.

Learn more about Chef Rose at www.chefrosecooks.com.

Photos by Zachary Dailey

Greek Salad Meal Prep

"

Ingredients

For the salad

1 package (4.7 ounces) Pearled Couscous Mix

1/2 english cucumber, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained

Feta cheese, to taste

1 lemon, cut into wedges

For the dressing

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Preparation

Prepare the couscous mix according to package instructions, making sure to add in the seasoning mix.

While the couscous is cooking, prep the veggies: coarsely chop the cucumber, the peppers, the red onion and halve the cherry tomatoes.

Finely chop the parsley.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Prepare the dressing by adding all of the dressing ingredients to a mason jar.

Seal the jar and shake until combined.

Divide prepared couscous into 3 meal prep containers, and add equal parts of chopped vegetables and chickpeas.

Add a wedge of lemon and feta cheese.

Divide dressing into 3 small containers and keep separate until ready to serve.

Serves 3

Great as meal prep or a salad by itself with dinner. "

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

1 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 cup flour

1 celery stalk, sliced 1 carrot, sliced

1 pound of potatoes, peeled and diced

Preparation

In a large pot, cook onion, celery and carrots in butter until tender.

Add flour, Old Bay seasoning and thyme.

Cook for an additional two to three minutes.

Add wine and broth, then potatoes and corn.

Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in seafood and cream.

Cook fish for about eight to ten minutes until fish is flaky.

Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in parsley.

Serves 6

Thriving Under Challenging Circumstances

By Sandra Bolan

We have no control over our lives, no matter how many plans we put into place. But what we do have control over is how we react to those curveballs thrown our way.

How one reacts to life’s tragedies falls into two camps: surviving or thriving.

Ask yourself this: "Do I quit, limp my way through life feeling sorry for myself, or do I take the bull by the horns and fight through the grief and come out the other side stronger?

“Struggles are designed to make you better,” says motivational speaker Chris Widener.

Change is part of life but it’s the sudden changes that we find the most difficult to cope with. It takes courage to be flexible, go with the flow of the new normal and thrive under those uncertain times.

In thriving, you find meaning in your day-to-day life despite the tragedies that have befallen you.

How Can You Thrive?

The first thing to do is look at the big picture. Think of what you’re experiencing – being dumped, losing your job, experiencing a health crisis or the death of a loved one – as a chapter, paragraph or sentence in a book that is your life.

Once you’ve made it through to the other side (from grief to acceptance), the next page is blank and ready for you to continue writing your story, however you wish.

Accept Your New Normal

Once you accept your new normal, you can focus on moving forward. You will likely have to redefine or change your goals and priorities to fit your new circumstances.

Next, change your focus. Instead of wondering

“Why is this happening to me,” think about turning the circumstances into a positive.

Finding that tiny bit of positivity, in what feels like the worst time in your life, may seem impossible.

But think of this: there is always someone out there going through something far worse than you.

Helping others

Sometimes the fastest way to end the pity party is to help other people who are experiencing their own challenges.

Helping others shifts your focus off yourself to one of contribution and gratitude.

Strength

Thrivers are strong in body, spirit, mind and community. Having a strong body helps boost your

immunity, so when you experience a highly stressful situation you don’t also get sick, making things just that much worse.

A strong body also impacts your attitude. When you take care of your body, you feel invincible and able to tackle whatever comes your way.

A strong spirit is about having a connection to something greater than yourself. Believing in a higher power also enables you to be more compassionate with yourself and others.

There is a quote many people use to help them cope during hard times: “God won’t give you anything more than you can bear. He might let you bend, but He won’t let you break.”

You have more power over what and how you think than you believe. You can choose to be a pessimist or an optimist.

How do you go from pessimist to optimist? By cultivating a strong mind through the intake of positivity and strength from others through stories of inspiration – whether they be books, movies, podcasts or community meetings.

We all need people we can rely on in good times and bad. That is your strong community. Let your friends and neighbors help you get through this challenging time.

The next time your world is turned upside down –and it will happen – remember you will bend but not break. And the person who comes out the other side will be an even stronger version of yourself. WGW

Popsicle Stick Snowflake

K i d s Ko r n e r

By Jordan Dailey

Photos by Zachary Dailey

Instructions

Glue popsicle sticks together to form the shape of a snowflake.

Wrap the pipe cleaners around the sticks to cover the entire surface.

Snowman Picture Frame

Materials

Black, blue, orange, yellow and white foam or construction paper.

Permanent marker

Scissors

Tape or glue

Instructions

Cut a large square out of the blue foam.

Cut the snowman's arms and head out of the white foam.

Cut the carrot-shaped nose out of the yellow foam.

Cut the snowman's hat out of the black foam.

Cut the snowman's hat band, scarf and mitten hands out of the orange foam.

Glue desired photo to the blue square.

Glue the orange hat band to the hat above the brim.

Glue the hands to the ends of the arms.

Glue the arms to the blue square to make it look as if the snowman is hugging the photo.

Glue the head to the top of the arms. Glue the scarf below the head.

Glue the hat to the top of the snowman's head.

Glue the carrot nose to the snowman's head.

Draw two eyes and a mouth.

Habits, health history and genetics all factor into how healthy your heart is — and a sedentary lifestyle, high-fat diet and tobacco use can add years to your heart’s age. The good news is that you can make changes now to reverse that trend. Education is the key!

Take our free heart health risk assessment!

Want to find out the “age” of your heart? Our free online heart risk assessment reveals your heart’s age, your risk for heart disease and ways you can improve your heart’s health.

Take the assessment now at tanner.org/cardiac-resources.

Get a free referral!

Need an appointment with a cardiovascular specialist?

Call 770-214-CARE now for a referral or request an appointment online at TannerHeartCare.org.