West Georgia Woman Magazine February 2017

Woman Complimentary

February 2017

West Georgia

TM

Ammie Beamon Against All Odds

Heart Disease in

Women

How Kids Learn by Example 1

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This publication is dedicated in loving memory of

Tristan Alexander Brooks May 15,1993 - September 17,2015

He will remain forever in our hearts...

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Changing our Name, Not our Focus

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What’s inside...

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Against All Odds

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Finding Valentine's "Happiness"

by Starting Within

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Facts About Heart Disease: The #1 Killer of Women

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Eat Your Way to a Healthy Heart

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"I'm Going to be Just Like You When I Grow Up!"

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Ever After

57

Local Happenings

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The Single Woman's Secret to Surviving Valentine's Day

In Every Issue:

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36

Daily Fare

53

Womentality

44

Celebrate Her Success

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Kidz Korner

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Experience a New Kind of Love

As we enter the month of February, I'm offering up a challenge to you, and to myself. We women tend to forget about our health and well-being during the everyday struggle of just living life. We tend to put others before us because we are naturally caretakers and the nurturers of the home. My challenge to us this month is to take some time out to practice some self-love. Not the narcissistic kind, but the kind of love that focuses on our well-being and happiness.

There are many ways we can begin to practice self-love and here are just a few: Have compassion for ourselves as we struggle through the trials of everyday life. Accept who we are as human beings and realize we can't come through every time for every person who needs us. Realize that we have strengths and weaknesses that make us the unique people we are, and accept those strengths and weaknesses.

Finally, know that no one is responsible for our happiness except ourselves, and take steps today to create the life we envision for ourselves. When we practice self-love, the rest of the wonderful things we wish for such as true love, happiness and inner peace will hopefully follow, because we will choose to accept only the best for ourselves.

These things aren't easy, are they? I intend to try my best to practice more self-love, and I hope you will too. We deserve it.

In This Issue I met our inspiring cover feature Ammie Beamon under unusual circumstances last year. Although I was familiar with her story, I had never met her in person and never thought I would, honestly, because I didn't know who she was. You see, my fiancĂŠ Dan is a police officer for the city of Carrollton. He was the day-shift patrol sergeant with the police department for many years, until he moved into the criminal investigative division.

On Jan. 2, 2014, he told me a story of a young woman who had been brutally attacked in her home, while her children were only a few feet away in the next room. His description of the crime scene, and subsequently finding her in the state she was in was chilling and quite disturbing. After going to the scene that day, he told me he couldn't believe she was still alive, and she probably would not make it.

Fast-forward to 2016. Dan and I were grabbing a bite to eat at a local restaurant before going to see a movie, and an outgoing and friendly young woman was our waitress. When he saw her, he immediately asked to shake her hand, which I thought was odd. Then he said to her, "I was there that day. I was one of the responders who found you." Then he looked at me and said, "This woman is a survivor, and she needs to be in your magazine."

I knew instantly that this beautiful and vibrant young woman was the one he had told me about that January day in 2014. "You were there?," she asked him, and he said "Yes. I didn't think you were going to live." Then she said "I thought I was dying too. When I was lying there, I knew I was dying. But all I could do was just thank God for letting me live as long as I had and I thanked him for the life I had lived." Her words gave me chills all over my body and brought tears to my eyes. I immediately asked for her contact information, and asked if she would be willing to let us tell her story in West Georgia Woman magazine. Ammie graciously agreed to share her story.

She told us what she was doing with her life now, attending school, making good grades and taking care of her children. After listening to this vivacious young lady talk about what had happened to her, and then talk about her plans for the future, I was amazed at her poise, grace and cheerful demeanor in spite of the tremendous challenges she had faced since that fateful day when she almost lost her life. I asked if I could give her a hug and I told her how happy I was that she was still here with us. She is truly a survivor. I know you will enjoy reading about Ammie and her remarkable story on page 10.

Please remember to never take one day on this earth for granted. Tell those important to you how much you love them because we are never guaranteed a tomorrow. Take care and try to give yourself some love this month.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Publisher

Finding our voice. Knowing our value. Making a difference.

TM

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

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Volume 2 • Issue 4 February 2017

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Zachary@westgeorgiawoman.com Angela Brooks Dailey, publisher of West Georgia Woman magazine, has lived in West Georgia most of her life and has a deep love and appreciation for the area. She received her B.B.A in management from The University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga., and is a Civil and Domestic Relations mediator and arbitrator registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. She lives in Carrollton, and has two wonderful children, Zachary and Sydney Dailey.

Angela enjoys reading, spending time with her children and extended family and loves to watch Sydney play soccer.

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Photos by Keith May 10

Against All Odds 11

Mother of Two Survives Brutal Attack and Chooses Forgiveness

T

his isn’t just a survivor story. It’s a “thriver” story. Ammie Beamon proves you can survive adversity and make the choice to be a stronger person because of it.

Ammie, now 27, lived through a brutal domestic violence attack two years ago. The attack wasn’t from a significant other; it was her first cousin, who gave no reason why he hurt her.

The mother of two young children has taken that horrible time in her life and let it give her power, rather than take her power away. She found a new direction for her life, currently attending culinary school so she can make a better life for herself and her kids.

“I was always cooking with my Grandma,” she says. “I’ve always been a creative person. Culinary school lets me bring both those things together.

Before the attack, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I had to go through that to find what was always in me. I was so scared before that I didn’t see that I should pursue it.”

The brutal attack that almost took her life taught Ammie an amazing lesson in forgiveness. “To heal, I had to forgive,” she says. “My situation is different because it was my cousin, somebody I grew up with, somebody I trusted. It made me realize that people are just people. It doesn’t matter if they are family or not. It’s crazy that this happens.”

She relates that although she still doesn’t know the reason why her cousin attacked her, she had never seen that side of him before. “In the end, I want him to be OK. When he was younger, he was abused by an older woman. Maybe something is wrong with him because of that. I can’t judge him – what if he just went crazy in that moment? I have to forgive him to move forward.”

The Attack On Jan 2, 2014, the night of the attack, Ammie remembers it being a normal night. She was playing cards with a neighbor, and it was hot in the house.

She opened the door, and her cousin was standing there. “It scared me because I didn’t know he was there, and thunder boomed at the same time,” she recalls. “I screamed.”

She says she noticed her cousin had a gun, but she didn’t think much about it, even though he

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By Shala Hainer

didn’t normally carry a gun with him. And although it had been a couple of months since she had seen him, they usually spent a good bit of time together, so it didn’t seem odd for him to come visit.

After falling asleep in the living room watching a movie, Ammie woke up and went to bed, leaving her cousin on the couch. “There was no warning,” she remembers. “I woke up being punched in the head. I told him to wake up. ‘It’s me, what are you doing?’ I said, thinking he was sleepwalking or something.”

He continued to punch her, and she finally fought back to get him off of her, kicking him in the crotch.

It stopped him for a moment, but Ammie was dazed from being punched so hard.

“I don’t remember much clearly after that,” she says. “I remember being on the ground and feeling like it was a dream. I tried to get up, and he came back in, he was stepping over me, and I saw he had a knife.”

She tried to grab the knife but cut her hand in the process. Then everything turns a bit hazy. “I don’t remember much when he was cutting me. I don’t remember being scared. I remember thinking it didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would. It stung. I felt like my neck was wet.”

She didn’t know the extent of her injuries at that moment, but the officer in charge on the scene, City of Carrollton Police Det. Sgt. Dan Keever, said her throat was cut wide open, almost from ear to ear. She also had multiple, deep cuts elsewhere, especially on her arms and hands.

“The wounds were so deep and open it was unbelievable,” said Det. Sgt. Keever. “Det. Sgt. Chad Taylor who took photos at the hospital said you could see her spine through her neck. You wouldn’t expect anyone to be alive from the scene we saw. The mattress was saturated with her blood.

The floor had blood all over it.”

Ammie says she must have passed out, then woke up without her cousin in the room. She got up and sat on the bed. “I saw myself in the mirror and I thought, ‘Wow.’ That’s when he busted the door back open and came in with a big machete,” she says.

She was trying to keep a level head, noting as many details as she could – such as that the machete was red – so she could tell the authorities if she lived. She wanted someone to know who did this

to her. He was screaming at her, asking where her and one thumb to move them to find her phone. “I phone was. tried to say to call 911, but he couldn’t hear me. I “I tried to say ‘I don’t know,’ but I couldn’t really sighed, and hung up to call 911, and tried to say my make the right sounds,” she remembers. “He started address.” hitting me with the machete, and knocked me off Because her throat was cut, she couldn’t speak the bed, and I cradled up. I was thinking, ‘Wow, well, but the 911 dispatcher began to ask yes or no this really hurts.’ But I knew it would stop hurting. questions.

After that, I don’t know how I got up – I remember Det. Sgt. Keever says the dispatcher said she standing up in front of my bed, and looking at my believed the victim had her throat cut and they hands – when I put them up, they were just open, couldn’t understand the address. “They have a you could see bone. If I do survive, I thought my system where they can give you an approximate hands would be gone. I tried to open the door, location where the call is coming from,” he says. but my right wrist was broken. I felt about to faint “We moved to that location and started checking and laid on the bed. I did try to write his name on the homes there. We were knocking on doors, trying the bed, but I couldn’t really see. I prayed – not to to figure out where she was.” save my life, but I wanted to talk to God. I knew he The dispatchers spent about 20 minutes had gotten me through lots of stuff, and I thought researching the call, trying to get an address to this time we just can’t do it. I had some strange send help. “The dispatchers checked the phone thoughts. I thought about my school teachers – like number it was coming from, reviewed the database when your life flashes before your eyes. I thought to see if a call had ever come in from that number about my children. I was sad for them because before and chased angles like that to see if they I didn’t really have anything to leave for them. I could pinpoint her location,” Det. Sgt. Keever wanted to leave them something so they would be recalls. “They eventually ended up calling a previous OK, like my momma did for me. I prayed for them, employer, McDonald’s, and somebody there knew that God would protect them for me, and that they her address.” would be OK. I thought about my mom who had Ammie says that call was meant to be because passed, and my grandma, and I got happy. I was they actually reached a good friend of hers, Celiz. going to get to see them again. I felt peaceful, if now is my time to go. Then God was like, ‘Nope! I told you you wouldn’t know the time and place!’”

Ammie woke up and thought that maybe it wasn’t her time to die after all. She lost consciousness again, but the phone rang and woke her up. She didn’t know where it was, but she followed the sound and realized it was tangled up in the sheets. Her hands were cut so badly and she had so Charron Hartupee (left) and DJ Perkins (right,) Victoria Falcon, Lisa Warren and Melissa Smith (not pictured) with Carroll County 911 were the dispatchers on duty that day. These dispatchers were many broken bones instrumental in helping the City of Carrollton First Responders find Ammie. When the initial 911 call that she couldn’t came through, call taker Lisa Warren was diligent enough to realize the unintelligible sounds she heard grab the sheets, so during the call could possibly be someone in trouble. Lisa later learned Ammie could not speak due to the severity of her injuries. she used her teeth

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Her friend was able to give them an exact address.

“We had already checked the address and knocked on the door, but all the blinds were closed and the door was locked,” says Det. Sgt. Keever.

“We couldn’t tell anybody was there. When we checked it again after getting the address, one of the blinds was up in her bedroom. We believe she was able to move over and raise the blind somehow.”

Ammie says she remembers trying to open the blinds at some point, but her wrist was broken and she couldn’t get them open as much as she needed to. But it was enough.

“Officer Krish could look in and see her at that point,” Det. Sgt. Keever remembers. “The apartment front door was locked, so we had to force

our way in. We didn’t know if the suspect was still there or not. She was moving, and she was looking up at me.”

He says Officer Krish started breaking in the window, but Det. Sgt. Keever saw that the glass was falling on her, and she had multiple open wounds.

“We didn’t want to make that worse, so we went to a different window.”

“While I was on the phone, I heard them at the door,” Ammie remembers. “The police were looking for me. They busted out windows to break in. Glass fell on me, and it was kind of heavy. I didn’t know glass could feel so heavy. They ended up coming in a different window.

“I was happy they were here. I knew it was over. I was scared I might die on the way to the hospital. I

Some of the city of Carrollton Police Department's finest who responded to the scene that day. From left to right: Officer Chad Krish, Corporal Chad Cook, Detective Sergeant Blake Hitchcock (Lead Investigating Detective), Detective Sergeant Dan Keever (Patrol Shift Officer in Charge), and Sergeant Kurt Catudal. Other City of Carrollton officers who responded to the scene that day (not pictured) were Officer Rob Holloway, Officer Erik Jeffries, Officer Michael Busch and Corporal Edwin Ivey.

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had heard my children one time while I was laying in the bed after my cousin left. My son was a baby – about 6 months old. He wasn’t even crawling yet.

He would usually wake up for his bottle, but this night he didn’t.”

After the police secured the scene, made sure the children were safe and unharmed, and the ambulance arrived to help save Ammie, she had one of her worst moments as a mother.

“When I was coming out of the house, I could see the police were getting the children,” she remembers. “I was afraid for them – I couldn’t do anything for them. I was helpless. For a parent, there is nothing worse than not being able to get to them and help them.”

She said so many thoughts were running through her head, but mostly, it was relief her cousin had not attacked her children. “I kept replaying what I could remember, wondering what I could have done differently. What if I could have run? But would I have run and left my kids? No. Any day, I would rather it be me than them. I could take it over them. No cut would have been as deep as my kids getting hurt.”

The Aftermath She was rushed to the hospital, where she was very close to death. Ammie doesn’t remember much about those first few days.

“I was drugged up most of the time right after in the hospital,” she says. “I couldn’t talk for quite a while. No one could understand what I was saying.

I fell asleep in Carrollton hospital and woke up at Grady. I looked at the nurse and she said, ‘Hey, honey, I thought we were going to lose you.’ She was so nice.

“The hardest part at first was not being able to communicate,” she recalls. “I couldn’t because I had a tracheostomy. I couldn’t drink water. I had to wait for them if I needed to rinse my mouth or spit because I couldn’t push the nurse button. I couldn’t really use my hands at first, but one nurse taped the suction tube to the TV remote so I could hold it and move it to my mouth when I needed it.”

Ammie didn’t see any family or friends around, so at first, she didn’t know if anyone knew where she was. But it wasn’t long until she had a constant stream of visitors – or as constant as the ICU would allow.

“Seeing my friends was so much help,” she says.

“They kept me in the loop and made me feel better.

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Her aunt was caring for her children, and it helped Ammie to know her kids were all right. Many aunts, uncles and cousins visited, but her father couldn’t.

“My dad was in prison at the time,” she says. “He died the next year. When I talked to him about what happened, it was the first time I heard him cry.”

Ammie experienced an awesome outpouring of support. She even had people she had never met – family members of friends, for example – who came to sit with her, read her scriptures, pray with her and just be there for her. Family from as far away as Milwaukee made the trip to Atlanta to offer her support.

She spent five weeks in the hospital before going to stay with her aunt and uncle in Carrollton, Ga. “I was told I couldn’t go to rehab because nothing was wrong with my legs,” she says. “I still had the trach, but no breathing machine. I had tons of bandages. My Aunt Sheena asked me and the kids to stay with her while I healed. I wanted to do something for me and my kids. They were the first

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flashback to her attack.

But she pushes forward, stays strong in her faith and never forgets there are people who love her and children who need her.

Ammie says she hasn’t talked to her cousin since the attack, but she eventually made the decision to continue to talk to his mother. “It took a while, but I talk to his mom,” she says. “I love her.

This is my aunt. It’s not her fault. It was a hard From left: Ammie's Aunt Karen, her cousin Niecy holding Ammie's daughter Arria'marie, Ammie holding her son decision, but I thought Braylon, her Aunt Sheena, cousin Bre and cousin Tay. Ammie lived with her Aunt Sheena and cousins during her about how this incident recovery and Ammie says they were a huge source of support for her. tore my family apart – that’s what it felt like. I thing I wanted to see when I got home from the thought about one cousin, his sister, and what if she hospital.” was sick? Would I go to the hospital? Well, yes. But The transition was difficult at first. Her physical some of his family would be there. How would I feel? limitations sometimes seemed overwhelming. “I I would hate to have that be bad. I want to be able remember that I wasn’t strong enough to pull my son out of the crib while he was crying – I just cried,” to laugh with them.”

She made the conscious decision to separate she says. “My aunt came in and helped.” her cousin’s bad act from her feelings for the rest Her Uncle Dennis helped her with her medical of her family. She had experienced the power of needs as well. “I just love him,” she relates. “He family support while she was in the hospital, and she took care of me. He changed my bandages and wanted the rest of her family to always have that. stuff. An uncle might help you tie your shoes, but “Some people you have to cut off, but as far as you don’t usually get close to uncles like that. I family, I wouldn’t want any animosity or any feelings learned more about him, too. He used to work at the like that,” she relates. “We can all be together like VA hospital so he knew how to take care of me. It we used to.” wasn’t a problem for him.”

She has taken the last couple of years and used Her aunt and uncle have two daughters, and one them to paint a positive outlook. She says it’s a offered up her room to Ammie. “They didn’t even choice – she could dwell on the bad that happened, have to ask her,” Ammie says. “She was so good and she chooses to look forward instead. with my kids, playing with them and doing their “I have PTSD because of it,” she says. I go back hair.” and forth – I’m positive, but I’m not always good.

Her physical healing took quite a while. “I left the I feel like my life overall is better because of it – I hospital in February, and was back on my own by learned to talk to God. I pray to help me find my October 2015.” path. You have to ask for help. You can call God Her emotional healing took longer – it’s still an whatever you want to, but it’s a higher spirit, and if ongoing process, but Ammie says she finally began you put good things out, good things will come in.” to feel emotionally better in 2016.

Ammie says acts of kindness toward her have helped her stay positive. In one instance, she wanted The Healing to get a tooth that was broken in the attack fixed, but she didn’t have transportation. Her Aunt Karen There are challenges. Not every day is good. helped by taking her to get the dentist. “It helped Ammie still suffers from PTSD, and she never knows me grow again. I always loved my smile – I’ve got a when something she sees or hears might trigger a

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doesn’t define who you are. You can still be strong, even if you weren’t strong then. That doesn’t mean you can’t be strong and do more.

If anything, it can make you better. It can drag you down if you let it and make you worse. You can let it be worse or choose to make it better.”

She credits her faith for helping her through the difficult healing process. “Take care of yourself. Put God first. If not God, then Allah or Buddha – the higher power, this spirit, this energy that is in all of us. Speak good to yourself. If bad thoughts come in your mind, just dump it out. I literally turn my head to the side Ammie's late mother's Bible has three generations of highlights. Her and pull out that worm. Visualize pulling it out mother's in ink, Ammie's in yellow, and Ammie's daughter's in lipstick. and throwing in the trash.

Ammie tries to meditate daily, for at least 10 minutes when possible. She says she tries to sit big, wide-open mouth, I can’t help it. She helped me and think of nothing, which is harder than it sounds, a lot by taking me. And she’s always happy to hear but it helps keep her centered. “I love nature, so I sit from me, which makes me feel good.” in my yard in the grass – I try to make it 10 minutes, Ammie and Det. Sgt. Keever saw each other but my kids don’t always let me. I like to sit in the by chance at a Waffle House in 2016, and it was a sunlight, or I’ll sit down in the shower (I like the rain). happy reunion. “I didn’t spend much time with her I imagine that I’m somewhere where it rains more. that morning to be able to recognize her, but when And then I’m not even mad the kids opened up the I saw her scars, I knew there was no other person bread and ate it all. I just calmly move it up higher in this world who could have those injuries than the next time.” person I met on the call that day,” Det. Sgt. Keever says. “I knew it was her. I asked her if I could shake her hand, and she looked at me oddly. I told her I had met her a while back, and I explained I was one of the officers who responded to her call.”

Det. Sgt. Keever was impressed with Ammie’s resiliency. “She had such a great attitude,” he recalls. “I was just amazed at how well she seemed to be doing. Wow, that’s a total transformation from what I witnessed. That was just shy of two years after the incident. And to hear what she had gone through to recover, it was amazing she was doing so well. I was glad to see it. She had gone through a Medically lot, I knew.”

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Her Advice Ammie knows that her situation is different from most domestic violence situations. Many are longterm, but not as violent.

“Abuse isn’t always hitting or even touching – it can be a power somebody has over you,” she says.

“Sometimes if you let other people in charge of your stuff, they can take over.”

She knows all women have the power to overcome domestic violence.

“Don’t let that rule you,” she advises. “That

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Ammie says her children are one of the reasons she works so hard to move past the attack. “My children help me so much. All the time. Every day. I probably wouldn’t be working this hard, even caring about myself, if I didn’t have my kids with me. I think I would be doing worse if I didn’t have these kids.”

For Ammie, talking about the incident has helped her heal as well. “It can feel like a sigh of relief when you share your story,” she says.

“When you go through something like this, you’ll be working on it for a long time, maybe forever,” she relates. You gotta keep trying. Something will come up that brings up a painful memory. I drown out the negative, but it still troubles me sometimes. If I think

about ‘what if?’ the rest of my life, I’ll never be able to do what I want to do.”

Ammie said she never got the chance to properly thank the first responders for trying so hard to save her life. “To the 911 dispatchers who kept trying to find me, and the police who wouldn’t give up, and the paramedics who treated me, I say thank you. You helped me, and I appreciate it.”

She gives credit for her strength to her faith.

“People tell me I’m strong, but it wasn’t me, I’m a nobody. I’ve never heard about anyone surviving this kind of thing. God gave me this gift.” (Publisher's note: "Nobody" is not a word I would ever use to describe this amazing young woman.) WGW

19

Facts About Heart Disease: The #1

T

Killer of Women

here are very few women who believe they are at risk for heart disease, but heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. More than one-third of all women in our nation who die each year die of heart disease, even more than from breast cancer.

Atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the arteries, is known to cause strokes and heart attacks. This plaque buildup can start as early as the teen years and early 20s, which is why you should begin protecting your heart from disease early.

The risk of having a stroke or a heart attack increases with age, especially after menopause. It

20

is always a good idea to have your blood pressure and cholesterol monitored by your primary health care provider on a regular basis. When your blood pressure or cholesterol is high, you are at a higher risk for having a heart attack or stroke.

If you do have high cholesterol or blood pressure, your health care provider may ask you to make some lifestyle changes to regulate this. Your health care provider will also look at your family history and your medical history, to see how much you are at risk and decide on the best treatment plan for you, which may include medication.

Heart disease is often preventable in some

Is your heart in the right place?

Let’s get down to the heart of the matter: You’re busy, life is hectic and you don’t take the time for yourself that you deserve. And this is just one way that life wears on your cardiac health.

Join Tanner Heart Care for our special luncheon:

Saturday, Feb. 18 • 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Venue • 150 Stone Street • Villa Rica, GA 30180 next to the Olive Tree restaurant

Bring a friend to this special event, enjoy a special luncheon and learn more about the unique heart health concerns women face — all from some of our region’s foremost cardiac experts.

Guest speakers will include Dia Smiley, DO, and Shazib Khawaja, MD, with Tanner Heart & Vascular Specialists. The renowned Thomas H. Dorsey Birthplace Choir will also perform.

Heart disease isn’t exclusively a men’s disease —

Space is limited for this free event. Register to reserve a seat for you and a guest. Please share this event with your friends so they can register, too.

To register, call 770.214.CARE or visit www.tanner.org/heart.

it occurs at a similar rate in women. And unlike men, women tend to wait longer before realizing their symptoms could be related to their hearts. Don’t let time slip by; register now to learn how you can start improving your heart’s health today.

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21

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623 DIXIE STREET – CARROLLTON, GA women. There are some lifestyle changes you can make that can help you lower your risk for heart disease.

• Don't smoke. Women who smoke have more than twice the risk of having a heart attack than non-smokers. The chemicals in cigarettes can cause shrinking in the coronary arteries, when then makes it difficult for the blood to circulate through the body. Smoking increases the likelihood of blood clots, which can result in a stroke.

• Keep your weight in check.

Women who are overweight often have increased levels of triglycerides (a type of fat stored in the body to use for energy, and too many can be bad for you) and cholesterol, as well as higher blood pressure. If you maintain a healthy weight, you will lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, and you'll decrease your risk of developing diabetes. Losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can make a significant difference.

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• Avoid certain fats in your diet. You should replace saturated fats like butter with olive oil, tub or liquid margarine and canola oil, but all fats are high in calories, so they should be used in moderation. Limit your intake of fatty meats, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, convenience foods or fast foods that are high in fat, palm oil and full-fat dairy products.

Too much of any kind of fat can lead to more weight gain.

• Exercise regularly. Exercise reduces your risk of heart disease, decreases your bad (LDL) cholesterol and increases your good (HDL) cholesterol. Try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise five days a week.

• Limit your alcohol intake. Women should not drink more than one drink each day, which is the equivalent of 1-1/2 ounces of 80-proof liquor, 4 to 5 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer.

• Eat more fruits and vegetables. A moderately active woman should be eating a minimum of two cups of fruits and three cups of vegetables every day. Studies have shown a diet high in vegetables and fruits decreases the risk of heart disease and lowers blood pressure, according to tanner.org's heart health library.

• Increase your fiber intake. Women should eat 6 to 9 ounces of grains per day, and half of those should be whole grains. The

Dr. James Cullison

West Georgia’s Only Urologist Board Certified In Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery

soluble fiber in whole-grain breads, oatmeal and other whole-grain foods will help reduce your LDL cholesterol levels.

Always speak with your health care provider to find out the best diet and exercise plan for your individual needs. Heart disease can be preventable in some women, so talk to your doctor and start making positive lifestyle changes today. By protecting your heart health early, you can increase your chances of being here longer for the ones in your life who matter most. WGW

Bladder Issues Shouldn’t Keep You From Doing the Things You Enjoy Most in Life.

Carrollton • Villa Rica • Wedowee • Bremen

770.834.6988 • WGUrology.com

23

"I'm Going to be Just Like You When I Grow Up!" 24

By Sara Anderson, LPC

G

ood earth produces good gardens.

Rich, fertile earth, tilled, watered, weeded, all with a loving hand produces bountiful harvests or gorgeous flowers of sumptuous colors. Tossing seed on rocky ground produces nothing, gains nothing. People, too, are the products of rich soil or rocky. Certainly, weeds do grow among roses, and the long-lived bristlecone is immovable from the barren slopes and crevices that hold its roots. But people are the products of loving or notso-loving hands. How they turn out – how we turned out – depends on those around them.

To carry the garden analogy just a bit further before leaving it, there is a fertilizer that makes children into strong, loving, responsible adults, and without it leaves them forever stuck, feeling lonely and disconnected from others, and always searching for a way to belong. Sometimes belonging is impersonal, such as connecting only through social media, text, or online video games. Other times belonging means to fall into the wrong crowd. These children need the help and support of adults who are around them.

Children benefit from good role models. Through their relationship with their adult role model, a child benefits from feeling connected, listened to, heard and seen.

Connection is what helps kids grow.

Children learn how

25

to be in relationship with one another through the relationships they experience from their role models.

A role model who spends time with a child, nurturing the relationship, and encouraging the child as they try new and different activities helps the child to seek out connection with others and within their communities.

Children who don't have these connections struggle to find their place in the world. No fathers, no uncles, no aunts, no family friend, no teacher, no coach to whom any of these kids can look up to. They are seeds in need of rich soil.

What is the fertilizer?

Good role models. How does any one of us become that good role model? The obvious answer is, who made a difference in your life? Who, when you were young, did you look at and say, "Someday I'm going to be like ...?" It may not have been just one person, either. There may have been many people whom you admired.

What is role modeling, after all?

It very simply is teaching, and learning, through imitation. All learning, it can be argued, is through imitation: surgeons in med school, lawyers at mock trial, welding, all mathematics. Even in the natural world, learning is through imitation: the lioness

26

teaching her cubs to hunt. Children, though, learn everything through imitation. They learn to speak through imitation. The desire to walk is in imitation of the adults around them. For the most part, we parents don't even realize the teaching and the learning that's occurring. Eating, learning to go to the bathroom alone, and all the other rudimentary skills are learned by children through imitation. Role modeling is simply imitating the behavior of the adults, and that's where adults, parents especially, must determine what behavior they want the children to learn, and if there is a cycle of behavior that needs to be broken.

What are some things a parent can do to be a good role model?

The most important facet is your own actions.

We're all familiar with the ironic admonishment, "Do as I say, not as I do," and how very contrary it is to positive role modeling. Demonstrating good and right action is much more effective. Always presenting children a positive example creates an environment that can create strong adults; a negative environment will create adults perpetuating negative and injurious behaviors, such as violence, substance abuse, or any other potentially high-risk behavior.

Being a positive role model isn't easy. There is a lot of effort required. A lot of introspection and self-examination. It also requires time spent with your children, quality time, listening to your son or daughter ask questions that will help them grow into a good people. Time spent on acquiring the biggest and the best, or telling little lies, or time away from your family will be a reflection of your values and possibly of your children.

Some good ideas for being a positive role model are: • Live healthy. Good health is a good life.

• Never settle. Always strive to be better in whatever it is you do. And don't quit.

• Get involved with a charity. Volunteer and give to others less fortunate, and without looking for acclamation for doing so.

• Control your emotions. Live in a balance, and remember, it's all right to apologize if you make a mistake.

• Have respect for others. Some say it all starts here.

• Live it, don't talk it. Actions speak louder than words.

• Love. The best lesson your children can receive from you is your unconditional love.

We're not saints, and we will all mess up from time to time, but unconditional love creates a home environment that is always nurturing and never threatening. Positive role modeling will create a home environment that is forgiving and free from fear of failure or shame. It will also be free of many disciplinary problems that arise as adolescence

approaches. Kids remember and they know when their behavior is outside the bounds of that which they spent a lifetime learning, and because of that knowledge, they'll know that their own adolescent behavior may at times be a little lacking.

Be a good role model. Dig that soil deep and enrich with lots of love. This isn't just one crop you're raising, but a bounty of generations. WGW

Sara Anderson is a psychotherapy expert who specializes in helping kids & adults find relief from overwhelming trauma, stress, anxiety, and much more. You can contact her at Spoken Heart Counseling Center in Bremen, Ga.

spokenheartcounseling.com

夀漀甀爀 䐀愀渀挀攀爀ᤠ猀 匀甀挀挀攀猀猀 椀猀 伀甀爀 匀甀挀挀攀猀猀

匀椀渀最⸀䐀愀渀挀攀⸀䄀挀琀⸀䄀攀爀椀愀氀 匀椀氀欀猀

䌀氀愀猀猀 猀瀀愀挀攀 椀猀 氀椀洀椀琀攀搀

刀攀最椀猀琀攀爀 伀渀氀椀渀攀 吀漀搀愀礀 䌀氀愀猀猀攀猀 戀攀最椀渀 䨀愀渀甀愀爀礀 㤀琀栀 㜀㜀 ⸀㠀㌀㠀⸀㔀㔀㤀㔀

䘀攀瘀攀爀倀攀爀昀漀爀洀椀渀最䄀爀琀猀⸀挀漀洀 27

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The Single Woman's Secret to Surviving Valentine's Day

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V

alentine's Day is almost here. The official day symbolizing the love between two people.

There will be flowers, candy and balloon giving, romantic dinners for two and gifts of jewelry, spa packages and perhaps an all-inclusive trip to a couples-only resort or something similar. Yes, amorĂŠ is definitely in the air.

But what to do if you're single and have no significant other with whom to celebrate this outrageously commercialized holiday? You have no Rick to your Michonne, no Benny to your Joon or no Fred to your Ginger?

Well stop the presses, ladies, because you might just be luckier than you think. You see, single ladies have been going about this being alone on Valentine's Day thing all wrong. Instead of moping around wishing for someone to share the day with, you should be celebrating all of the wonderful things you can do without a significant other!

What's that you say? "I'm so depressed because all of my committed friends are getting flowers and jewelry and showered with attention while I sit at home feeling bad?" Lighten up, girlfriend, it's not as bad as you think. As a matter of fact, we have some secrets to share with you regarding how easy it is to survive Valentine's Day "tutto solo."

You Can Do Whatever You Want Feel like watching a marathon of "The Walking Dead" or revisiting classics like "Steel Magnolias," "Beaches" or "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?"

Well, thanks to being single, you can watch whatever you want. All. Day. Long. Watch, or do, whatever makes you happy, and enjoy the freedom of being in charge of your own happiness on this day without worrying if someone else is having a good time.

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You Don't Have to Dress Up That's right, no dress code required on Valentine's Day when you're single. Did you know Valentine's Day is on a Saturday this year? That means you can wear pajamas all day if you like, or your favorite Led Zeppelin t-shirt, sweats and those hideous (but warm) fuzzy socks your mom gave you for Christmas.

No one will ever know. And who cares if they do anyway? Heck, post pics on Facebook or Instagram of your Valentine attire. You have nothing to prove to anyone because you guessed it, you're single and loving it.

You Will Set a Good Example for All of Your Attached Friends Who are Miserable Since when is being single a bad thing anyway?

You watch your friends who are in relationship hell die a slow and painful death of complacency the other 364 days out of the year, and if you're healthy and practice self-love, you don't want any part of that.

You believe having a healthy relationship with yourself is better than being in an unhealthy relationship with someone else any day. Yes, your girlfriend may have gotten that beautiful ring you've been dying for, but she also has something else that goes along with it: Misery. Not a very good trade is it? Save your money, along with your sanity, go buy that ring for yourself and skip the misery. You deserve much better, and so does your friend.

You Don't Need a Significant Other to be Happy You are comfortable enough with yourself to know that not having a date on Valentine's Day means nothing. You are strong and independent and can take yourself out to dinner, or give yourself a nice gift or flowers if you feel like it. You realize that settling for mediocrity just because you want

You Spend Time With People Who Make You Feel Special

a date or a romantic partner is not being true to your inner self.

You know exactly what you want and need in a partner and until those needs are met, you will happily be single until that person comes along, and if that person never comes along that's OK too. Having someone to share your life with can be wonderful and fulfilling, but needing someone above all else to share your life with is unhealthy because you can never truly be happy in a relationship until you are 100 percent happy with who you are as a human being.

You reach out to others who think you're wonderful. Your parents, siblings, children, single girlfriends or your single guy friends. Make a "date" with one, or more, of these special people for dinner and a movie or have a party and rock the night away in a platonic paradise.

Once you spend some time with the people who love you and care about you unconditionally, you will naturally feel better about your relationship status.

And honestly, who needs a significant other when absolutely no one can rock out "Simple Man" on the karaoke machine with you as good as your daughter can? I mean, you were made to sing that song together.

Bottom line, Valentine's Day is just one day, and so what if you don't have a date? Whatever you're doing this Valentine's Day, please don't sit around and mope at your lack of relationship lot in life.

Take charge of your own happiness and reach out to someone you care about who will be happy to spend some time with the special, self-loving and healthy you. WGW

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A

s I sit here thinking what to write for the month in which we celebrate romance, cupid and hearts, my brain is firing off love songs like fireworks: “When A Man Loves A Woman,” “I Want To Know What Love Is,” oh, and “What’s Love Got To Do With It?,” “From This Moment On,” and “You Are My Lady.” Yes, the mood is being set. Then I click on one of my all-time favorites, “Greatest Love Of All” sung by the late great Whitney Houston. As I belt out the chorus, I have an "Ah-ha" moment. A key phrase in the song states, “Learning to love yourself it is the greatest love of all.”

Loving myself is the greatest love of all. Hmmm... that is a thought…being truly in love and finding Valentine’s happiness begins with loving oneself.

Love and romance is widely celebrated and commercialized during the month of February. Yet, many of us are not experiencing the emotions the month represents. We know of friends and watch countless sitcoms where individuals are forlorn because they do not feel loved.

We want to be loved and cared for, but oftentimes we are missing a crucial ingredient for love and romance to occur. How can we truly love, and be accepting of love, when we often do not know what true love is? How do we love authentically when we have not tapped into that which allows us to simply love?

The lyrics state the greatest love of all is learning to love oneself.

But, is this not the month where cupid is extra busy like Santa Claus at Christmas? Isn't it Cupid’s job to create the greatest love of all? We see that person, and Cupid shoots the arrow and voila!

Happily ever after.

Until we learn to love ourselves we are depending on someone else to demonstrate to us their version of love – which

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may be skewed. If we truly want to find happiness and true romance, true love must emit from the inside. Happiness begins with self-love.

The Act of Self-Love Loving oneself is a journey of conscious ongoing decisions. No Cupid, chocolate or number of roses will make this happen. It is a state where our whole being – the physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of who we are – emerge to allow us to see ourselves as we truly are.

When we begin to love ourselves, we understand who we are at the core. Learning to love ourselves begins by changing the way we think about love – a process that begins within. Self-love is not merely an outward expression demonstrated by physical acts. It is a nurturing of the soul and the very essence of who we are. It is the way in which we think about ourselves. Prioritizing ourselves to ensure that our daily actions contribute to our overall successes. Prioritizing the self involves not feeling guilty saying “no” to someone whose unplanned decision becomes an emergency for them; and then they want our involvement. Saying “no” when necessary is an act of self-love.

Self-love is not narcissism. Self-love encompasses becoming aware of who we are. It involves identifying that which makes us unique.

ME

SelfAwareness Self-awareness helps us recognize the good attributes, the unacceptable attributes, and well, the attributes that are not so beautiful within.

As we become honest and real with ourselves during selfawareness, we must choose to release perfectionistic behaviors. The underlying emotion of perfectionism is fear. For self-love to abound, identifying our strengths and weaknesses without fear or judgment is paramount. Being brutally honest with ourselves and seeing ourselves as we are, helps us develop self-love.

When we practice self-awareness we have the choice to keep the good parts and let go of those things which are unacceptable that detract from selflove. Making the choice to keep and release those attributes of ourselves leads to self-acceptance, which then leads to inner peace, happiness and selfacceptance.

Self-Acceptance Self-acceptance is embracing ourselves as we really are – flaws and all. It emboldens and empowers us to take healthy risks. It is a state of happiness where we are comfortable with our strengths and weaknesses, yet continue to work on improving ourselves. Self-acceptance indicates we are truly prioritizing ourselves and demonstrates that we are working on achieving inner peace and happiness.

Self-acceptance supports us in loving our whole self and gives us the ability to truly love and give love to others.

No more comparisons. When we begin to love ourselves, we are able to accept others as they are. We are no longer competing, but embracing the uniqueness of each other. We are able to set boundaries with others while giving them the best of us. Self-love nurtures our soul and allows us to

nurture someone else’s soul. It enables us to walk away from those relationships which negatively impact us. We have already learned what it means to be loved and can easily disconnect from negativity.

We are already fulfilled and content with our successes and our failures. Until we begin to love ourselves, it is difficult to accept unconditional love from someone else and to find happiness.

Self-love involves the practice of self-care. It is doing the things which create happiness and peace for us, while taking time for others. Self-care reminds us of our importance and value. It incorporates those things that free our spirits, be it a daily walk in the park or a call initiated to show someone they are thought of. It nurtures each part of our being with the things that brings out the love we need. Self-care requires being intentional about doing things for yourself.

Being able to love ourselves helps to naturally affirm us. It is the energy which pushes us through life. Affirmations honor who we really are. Loving oneself entails being intentional about your inner talk, therefore it is essential that you be mindful of what you say to and about yourself. Daily affirmations and positive self-talk enhances self-love.

Focusing on our accomplishments strengths and abilities fuels our soul. It reenergizes us so we are not depleted and can continue to pour ourselves into others as necessary.

When was the last time you told yourself that you are beautiful. That those wide hips that hug those thighs makes you strut more confidently. What is your internal dialogue like on a daily basis? How positive are your thoughts about you? If you are not telling yourself you are beautiful, who else will?

You have got to be your biggest cheerleader so you are not easily swept off your feet by any voice that comes along. To find Valentine’s "happiness", it must come from within through self-love. WGW Cheryl A. Francis, Licensed Professional Counselor, is the owner of The Heart Matters Wellness Services LLC, a fullservice counseling agency. She is certified as a Mental Health First Aid Adult trainer and regularly provides seminars and trainings to the community on various mental health issues. She currently works as a school-based mental health counselor, and has partnered with the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy to train individuals in the prevention of childhood sexual abuse. Visit heartmatterswellness.com for more information about Cheryl and her work.

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Daily Fare ”Adapt these recipes to your tastes and your lifestyle. That’s what I want you to feel the freedom to do with my recipes. You are more talented and creative than you give yourself credit for!”

Julie Culpepper

Julie Culpepper is a Georgia native who lived in Carrollton for 26 years with her husband Alan and their adult children. She and Alan recently became residents of Wedowee, Ala. Julie became a personal chef after graduating culinary school in 2012 and loves working with two companies that she incorporates into her style of cooking – Branch and Vine in Newnan, and Doterra, an online source for essential oils located in Utah. For further information about contacting Julie or these companies, please feel free to contact her at : Photo by Keith May

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jculpep4@gmail.com or culpepperoilsolutions@mydoterra.org or go online to: branchandvineonline.org

Add a Little Romance to Your Meals These Red Velvet Waffles with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Glaze are perfect for a special Valentine's Day breakfast in bed or a love-filled meal for the entire family. Pancakes would do just as well if you do not have a waffle maker. It is amazing how similar they taste to red velvet cake and the texture is so light and fluffy. The vanilla beans in the glaze are a pretty addition, but you can always use plain vanilla flavoring.

Fondue is fun and an activity that you would normally consider a special occasion. However, in this special month, why not try this at home?

Bamboo skewers make an easy utensil to use if you don’t have the fancy forks. You can use a fondue pot , slow cooker or simply a saucepan on very low heat, then transfer the fondue to a bowl for service. You can do a savory fondue like the cheese recipe I included, or a sweet fondue like the chocolate recipe.

If you're short on time, you can use the processed cheese that’s easy to melt or chocolate squares for melting found at the grocery store. Either way, the point is to gather your favorite people together and have fun!

Photos by Michelle Horsley

Red Velvet Waffles with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients

For the waffles:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups milk

½ cup buttermilk 37

2 tablespoons white vinegar ½ cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs

1 ½ tablespoons red food coloring 2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup salted butter, melted

For the cream cheese glaze: 1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened 15 minutes at room temperature ½ cup heavy whipping cream 2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Raspberries and mint leaves for garnish 38

Instructions for the waffles Preheat a waffle iron to high heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl pour milk, buttermilk and vinegar together and stir. Allow to rest for 2 minutes. Add sugar, eggs, red food coloring, vanilla and melted butter. Whisk until well combined. Add dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined. Spray nonstick spray lightly on waffle iron surfaces for each waffle. Pour about 1/3 cup batter into each space, filling all the grooves.

Cook until firm but not browned.

Instructions for the cream cheese glaze In a mixing bowl, blend cheese and heavy cream until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add addi-

tional milk if necessary for a pouring consistency. Drizzle over waffles and garnish with raspberries and mint leaves if desired.

Serves 4

Chocolate and Cheese Fondue

Ingredients for the chocolate fondue: 2 cups milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips ½ cup light cream or half and half 2 teaspoons vanilla Instructions Combine chocolate chips and cream into medium saucepan and melt over low heat. Stir until smooth. Add vanilla and stir. Serve in a fondue pot or small slow cooker at very low heat

(105 degrees is enough to keep the chocolate melted.)

Dipper Ideas Any fruit chunks (strawberries, pineapple, banana, apple wedges, pears, cantaloupe, grapes, raspberries), cake cubes, brownie cubes, pretzel sticks, marshmallows Ingredients for the cheese fondue: 3 tablespoons Butter 1 ½ cups finely chopped onion ½ cup white wine 10 to 12 ounces chopped American white cheese ½ teaspoon pepper Instructions Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 15 minutes until golden. Add the wine and stir until it starts to simmer, about 3 minutes. Add the cheese in 3 batches and stir until melted. Add pepper.

Transfer to a fondue pot or other serving bowl (even a small slow cooker on low heat is great). Serve with meat, vegetables and bread.

Dipper ideas Large bread cubes, meatballs, sausage slices, cooked large shrimp, imitation crab meat chunks, ham chunks, mushrooms, broccoli flowerets, cooked potato wedges, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini chunks and pepper slices.

For portion planning, ½ pound of meat per person and 1 cup each of fruit, vegetables, and fruit should be a safe amount. WGW

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Eat Your Way

to a Healthy Heart O

ur heart is just amazing! The adult female heart weighs about 8oz. Adult male hearts weigh about 10oz. The heart is located in the center of our chest, between our lungs. Our blood vessel system is over 60,000 miles long.

The heart beats 100,000 times per day and pumps approximately 2,000 gallons of blood throughout our bodies each day. The entire blood volume takes about 1 minute to circulate throughout our bodies. We humans cannot live without a heart and can't survive without a brain. So which one gets damaged first? Usually it is the heart. The main organ of the circulatory system is the heart, which is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood throughout the body.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to love our own heart. February

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By Dr. Habiba N. Shaw

is American Heart Month, which makes it the perfect time to raise awareness of heart health for the entire family.

Since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and childhood obesity rates are on the rise, every member of the household from toddler to elder can benefit from adding heart healthy nutrients into their meal plan. Our cardiovascular health greatly depends on what we eat. Heart disease is a debilitating and often fatal condition for many Americans.

Trans Fat is Double Trouble for Your Heart Health Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated a strong link between the consumption of transfat and coronary heart disease. Trans-

fat intake may also play a role in weight gain and a host of other health conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, diabetes, and infertility. Therefore, leading public health experts and organizations recommend that consumers limit trans-fat foods as much as possible, while maintaining a nutritionally adequate diet. Trans-fat is considered by many doctors to be the worst type of fat that you can eat. Unlike other dietary fats, trans-fat – also called trans-fatty acids – both raises your LDL ("bad") cholesterol and lowers your HDL ("good") cholesterol. A high LDL cholesterol level in combination with a low HDL cholesterol level increases your risk of heart disease, the leading killer of men and women.

At the time of peak artificial trans-fat use, Harvard epidemiologists published research in the New England Journal of Medicine estimating that trans-fat was responsible for between 72,000 and 228,000 coronary heart disease events per year in U.S.A. Harvard’s Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department, estimated that trans-fat was causing upwards of 50,000 deaths annually. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration “declared war” on trans fats, putting pressure on food manufacturers to phase out their use of the fat, and many are taking heed (for example, margarine and shortening used to be full of trans fats, but now the content is down to near-zero). Here's some information about transfat and how to avoid it.

What is Trans Fat? Artificial trans-fats are a dangerous additive in our food supply. Artificial trans-fats have no nutritional value, have great potential for harm and can be easily replaced by natural fats and oils without compromising food taste, price or availability. But most trans-fat is formed through an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil, which causes the oil to become solid at room temperature.

Trans Fat in Your Food The manufactured form of trans-fat, known as partially hydrogenated oil, is found in a variety of food products, including: • Snacks. Potato chips, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans-fat. Cakes, biscuits and most baked items contain trans-fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use transfat to help cook or flavor the popcorn.

• Fried food. Foods that require deep frying – potato fries, doughnuts and fried chicken – can contain trans-fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

• Refrigerator dough. Products such as frozen pizza crusts, canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans-fat.

• Creamer. Nondairy coffee creamer contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

• Fast foods. Many fast food items are still loaded with trans-fats Please pay attention to ingredients in food labels that indicate the presence of trans-fat, or partially hydrogenated oil.

Top HeartHealthy Foods • Omega-3s. Saltwater fish are a top choice because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s have an anti-clotting effect, so they keep your blood flowing. They also help

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Charles D. Procter, Jr., MD, FACS, FASMBS

•

•

• •

• • •

•

lower your triglycerides (a type of fat that can cause heart disease). Aim for at least two servings of either salmon, tuna, trout, sardines, or mackerel each week. A serving is 3.5 ounces.

Nuts. Nibbling on 1 ounce of nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.) per day may cut your risk of heart disease in half.

Blueberries. These are simply brilliant when it comes to nutrition. They’ve got anthocyanins, those blood vessel-helping antioxidants.

Those antioxidants give the berries their dark blue color.

Olive Oil. This is rich in heart-healthy antioxidants. It may protect your blood vessels of cholesterol, all support heart health. The as well. fiber in black beans helps lower the total Barley. New studies have shown amount of cholesterol in the blood and that total cholesterol was significantly lowered decrease the risk of heart disease. when the diet contained 3-6 grams of beta• Flaxseed. Three things that are excellent glucan per day from barley. for your heart: fiber, phytochemicals called Edamame. These soy proteins can help lower lignans, and omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed cholesterol levels. A cup of edamame also has contain all three.

8 grams of heart-healthy fiber.

• Foods Fortified with Sterols. Some Oatmeal. Oats have a type of fiber (called margarines, soy milks, almond milks, and beta-glucan) that lowers our LDL cholesterol. orange juices have cholesterol-fighting sterols Fat-Free or Low-fat Milk or Yogurt. and stanols added. These plant extracts block These can help control high blood pressure. your gut from soaking up cholesterol. They Yogurt is high in calcium and potassium. To can lower LDL levels by 10 percent without really boost the calcium and minimize the fat, affecting good cholesterol. choose low-fat varieties.

Black Beans. The black bean's fiber, Please remember that a diet high in cholesterol, potassium, folate, vitamin B6, and saturated fats, and transfats can adversely influence phytonutrient content, coupled with its lack blood cholesterol levels and put both children and adults at risk for heart disease. WGW Dr. Habiba Shaw was a member of the National Speaker’s Association, Alabama Chapter, and is regarded as an expert in healthy lifestyles. Dr. Shaw has a Doctorate Degree in Health Care Education from Nova Southeastern University and a Master’s Degree in Food and Nutrition. Habiba, a former university health and nutrition specialist, specialized in working with medical professionals and organizations that are concerned with general health and obesity. During her thirty plus year career, Dr. Shaw wrote health and nutrition related articles for newspapers, scientific magazines, and brochures, and presented seminars to major universities and colleges in Alabama. She also appeared on local television programs in her role as a nutrition expert.

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Healing Hearts

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Local Therapist Shares Her Feelings About Success

Celebrate Photos by Keith May

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HER SUCCESS

ara Anderson has more initials after her name than most people, although you wouldn’t know that by speaking with her. With her kind and calming demeanor and her genuine smile, Sara reminds you more of someone who would be your best friend or your neighbor next door. Sara is a licensed professional counselor and owns her own practice, Spoken Heart Counseling Center in Bremen, Ga. She is a newlywed, married to husband Eric Shepard who is a Georgia certified addiction counselor, and they have three beautiful fur babies: Two Chihuahuas, Mena and Zoey, and a border collie, Edna. Edna has been with Sara for 15 years and is the love of her life, and Sara considers it a privilege to care for her aging best friend.

As a child, Sara was classically trained in voice and piano, and continues to sing in a local community chorus, Clear River Chorus in Carrollton, directed by Carol Boyd. Sara plays the guitar and the West African drum, enjoys painting, swimming, walking and yoga, she recently became certified as a yoga instructor. She completed the Haralson County Chamber Leadership program several

years ago and remains a Haralson County Chamber member. She is also an active member of the Bremen Rotary club.

The Beginning Sara is originally from Glen Ellyn, Ill., an idyllic village that is a western suburb of Chicago. She spent her days as a child roller skating or walking to school every day, and during the winter the neighborhood kids would walk to Lake Ellyn, a lake at the center of town near the high school. They would sled and skate until the 6 p.m. train whistle blew, which meant their dads were returning from their work in Chicago. Sara’s father, Bill Anderson, was a corporate executive and she says most of the fathers in their village were doctors, lawyers or businessmen, and most of the moms stayed at home. “Growing up in Glen Ellyn was like growing up in a storybook,” Sara recalls fondly. “I am the youngest of three children born to my parents; there is a 10-year age gap between my closest sibling and me. I also

Photos by Keith May 45

have a much older cousin with whom I was raised. My siblings were all in college by the time I was 9, so it was just my parents and me for much of my childhood.”

Sara’s mom, Nancy Anderson, was one of the progressive mothers who worked outside the home. Nancy was a public health nurse for several years, and she would sometimes take Sara with her to her patients’ homes. Sara realized later her mom brought her with her to expose her to diversity. Sara remembers one patient who made a huge impact on Nancy and Sara’s life.

“One of her favorite places to take me was to stay with a woman named Folk art hangs on the wall of Sara's practice.

Greta, who lived in an apartment near the hospital,” she relates. “My mom therapeutic skill that is taught in master’s programs, would leave me with Greta as she visited the homes but I was fortunate to have my mother teach me this of other patients. Greta was a concentration camp as a child.” survivor. She was incredibly kind and quiet. She and When Sara entered college, her father was my mom formed a close bond, and Greta often transferred to Georgia and she began attending visited our home long after my mom quit working. I Kennesaw State University as an English Literature believe much of my interest in others began when I major with a minor in theatre. “The thing about was visiting with Greta. I did not know she survived English Lit and theatre is that both are the study the camps until I was in high school. My mom of the human condition,” she says. “Suffering, wanted me to build relationships of my own, but relationships, redemption, healing. I have always to learn to meet others where they were at. It’s a been interested in people.” During this time, her mother passed away from cancer.

After Sara’s mom passed away, Bill met a woman named Beleta (Smith Griffith) through community theater and they have recently celebrated 17 years of marriage together.

During undergraduate school Sara was actively involved in her sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon.

“

I work with children whose parents don’t know where to turn and what to try next. But when we begin to work together, they experience relief, empowerment and healing.

“

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A Bright Future When Sara graduated from college, she planned to go to law school and began working at the Carroll County District Attorney’s office in the Victim Witness program. She quickly realized she didn't have the disposition needed to be an attorney, but enjoyed working with the victims and found it fulfilling and rewarding. She did not know exactly what she wanted as a career, so she applied to the Peace Corps. She was given an assignment and was ready to go, but was devastated when she was disqualified for medical reasons due to having a severe

allergy to iodine. Most third world countries use iodine to purify their water systems.

After the initial shock of being disqualified, Sara decided to pursue a dream she and her mother had: to backpack through Europe after Sara finished college. She talked with her dad, told him her plans and received his full support. Her dad told her to save her money and he would match whatever she saved so she could go to Europe. She worked two jobs for six months, her job at the DA’s office and waiting tables, and saved everything she could and flew to Europe. “It was an amazing, solo trip that was truly life-changing, life-affirming and wonderful,” she shares. It was during this time she decided she may want to be a school counselor so she could work with children but still have time off to travel.

Another reason she considered school counseling was because of an article her dad had given her about a psychologist who made string puppets to help kids act out their difficulties. She read the kids would design and build their own puppets and create a show. “It sounded like such a perfect melding of all my interests: theater, story-telling,

helping others, art… to this day I think of that article regularly,” she relates.

Although Sara says she’s never made her own wooden string puppets – she considers herself more of a paper-bag puppet girl – she recognizes the influence that article has had on her work now.

After her trip to Europe, she returned to Georgia to obtain a master’s degree in psychology, and instead of completing a school counseling certification, she chose community counseling due to her exposure to community-based work when her mother was a public health nurse. While in graduate school, Sara was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Gamma Mu. Pi Gamma Mu is is the preeminent honor society in the social sciences and Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest international honor’s society for liberal arts; only 10 percent of academics are invited to be Phi Beta Kappa. After graduate school, Sara received her postgraduate degree in Play Therapy and has a total of eight years of higher education.

Branching Out Sara has been in this field for 16 years, and her first

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counseling job was working in a women's substance abuse program. Many of the women she worked with in the program had lost their children to foster care, some had been in prison or lived and worked on the streets and most of the women were being treated for crack cocaine addiction.

“All were under-educated and had too many stories of abuse and hurt as children and adults,” Sara shares. “These were phenomenal women who worked so hard to make change in their lives; I was in awe of them. I was fortunate to be given a lot of latitude in the programming, so I was able to do a lot of creative things like music therapy, art therapy, field trips, and speakers. One time, I invited a Mary Kay representative to show the women how to choose makeup colors and use different application techniques. It seems like a little thing, but being able to nurture themselves with the makeup was so affirming for each of them.”

Sara and her dad then started a counseling practice that had three clinical sites in Buchanan, Dallas and Cedartown, Ga. They were open almost 12 years and closed that practice in 2014. Sara opened Spoken Heart Counseling Center at the same time.

Because Sara is certified in so many different types of therapy, the continuing education required is quite extensive. She is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), national certified counselor, certified professional counselor supervisor, certified addiction counselor II, certified clinical supervisor,

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1140 Main Street, Whitesburg, Ga. national master addiction counselor, registered play therapist and supervisor, distance credentialed counselor, certified clinical trauma professional, and she invests in numerous trainings that require continuing education, such as EMDR (EyeMovement Desensitization Resolution).

Each have different continuing education requirements. The LPC requires 35 hours of continuing education every two years, but because of all of Sara’s certifications, she completes more than 100 continuing education hours each year to maintain her board certifications and her license.

Her Advice Sara says the advice she would share with women interested in owning their own counseling practice would be to invest in education and training about business, get involved with the community, get a good accountant and treat your practice as a business, not a hobby. She also suggests working with the Small Business Association or with a business coach.

She suggests seeking opportunities to collaborate rather than compete. “When I opened Spoken Heart, I reached out to several other area therapists and together we formed the West Georgia Therapy Network Group which is a forum for local therapists to share information, support one another, network, and provide referral information,” she says. “This makes us all better in working with our clients.

As with any business, if I am focused on what the competition is doing, I am losing focus on my own business. I believe I bring a unique value to the community because I am board certified in addiction, trauma, and pediatric counseling in addition to being licensed as a professional counselor. There are other

therapists (and centers) who are uniquely qualified in their areas of interest. I see this as an opportunity for collaboration rather than competition.”

Sara says she has no regrets about the start-up of her practice. She says she’s learned so much about the business of behavioral health the last 16 years and one thing she believes is there is always an opportunity to do something better. She evaluates her practice, its structure and its services regularly to determine if there are ways she can improve. Sara believes this type of examination is necessary for the business to move forward.

Her Support Sara has a large network of professionals, friends and family to reach out to for advice. Her sister Amy, who is 10 years older than Sara, is also a therapist and her mentor regarding clinical skills. Because of her dad’s background in the corporate world, he has been her mentor on the business side of things and Sara has worked with a business coach in the past.

“I have had some terrific clinical supervisors through the years,” she relates. “To become licensed as a professional counselor, and to become board certified as an addiction counselor and as a play therapist, I had to do clinical supervision. The women I did my supervision with helped me define myself, my work, and apply theory to practice in ways that have been incredible. I am very grateful for those three women. I still seek their guidance and consultation. One principle in professional counseling that is emphasized in our training is to seek peer supervision. I have several colleagues with whom I consult and we provide peer supervision to one another.”

Sara says her clients have had the most impact on her professional life because she learns so much from every one of them, and the ones who have had the most impact on her personal life are her dad, her sister, her husband and her dog Edna. She also says her greatest challenge as a business owner is work/ life balance. “There is always something more I can be – and want to be – doing in my practice and for my clients,” she relates.

moments are her conversations with her child clients.

“Sometimes my dad visits my office and he is very tall with what I call 'big man footsteps,'" she laughs.

“When he enters the building, it’s easy to tell it’s him from his footsteps. Kids often say, ‘who’s that?,’ and I tell them it’s my dad because I can hear his ‘big man footsteps.’ Inevitably, they want to meet my dad, so we always do. Then they’ll ask me questions about what time my bedtime is, or if my dad will let me watch a certain TV show, or if my dad makes me eat my peas, too. I absolutely love those conversations.

One child client asked me if I also worked with adults. I assured her I did, and that I see a lot of adults, too. She said, ‘I don’t think so. You’re too fun.

Adults don’t like anything fun, so I don’t think they’d see you.’”

Sara is certified in many types of therapy that help children, adolescents and adults, and she is the only registered play therapist in West Georgia. Play therapy is a developmentally-appropriate approach of therapy for children that involves art, toys, music, puppets, Sand Tray, expressive materials and parent training.

Sara says generally therapists are trained to work with teenagers and adults, and most don’t receive training in their graduate programs to work with

Let us help you take care of the ones you love.

Call us today at 678-739-1740

Working With Kids In her practice, Sara works with children, adolescents, and adults and provides primarily individual psychotherapy, but she also works with couples and families. She loves to work with people of all ages, but some of her most favorite

‘We take care of things when you Need It Most’

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e o p le Two - t h i rd s o f p le w i t h di ag n o s a b o rs d me n t a l dis o rde n t, e m t a e r t k e e s t no e ac c o rdi ng t o t h e as e is D r o f s r e t n Ce t io n n e v e r P d n a l o Con t r children. Children’s brains are growing throughout childhood and up until at least age 11, and children communicate differently than adolescents and adults. Children communicate behaviorally, by acting out what they feel and experience, and they often have difficulty expressing their experiences through language. Play is the most common way children act out their experiences.

I work with children whose parents don’t know where to turn and what to try next,” she shares.

“But when we begin to work together, they experience relief, empowerment, and healing.

It is amazing to be a part of their excitement, to see them encouraged, and to witness their power in managing situations that used to seem so unmanageable.”

She says play therapy is a very important part of helping a child. “Because play is the language of children, and toys become their words, play therapists are trained to enter the child’s play and help the child resolve conflicts, problems, and upsets,” she explains. “Play encourages a child’s ability to resolve upsetting events. It helps children learn to regulate their emotions and behaviors. It can teach a child how to become responsible for choices and to begin to redirect themselves away from an inappropriate behavior. It builds a child’s sense of competency, which fosters resiliency, confidence and self-esteem. It helps a child try out different social behaviors and learn to engage with reciprocity and respect, thus enhancing social skills.

It gives a child an opportunity to be heard and understood, which is truly what most of us need when we enter therapy.”

Because of her specialties in play therapy, trauma and addiction, Sara was selected in the west Georgia

50

area to be contracted with Cure Childhood Cancer, which is a program that supports families whose child has a cancer diagnosis. Only a handful of child therapists throughout the state were chosen to be a part of this pilot program to provide counseling support to families of children with a cancer diagnosis. Counseling can be accessed at any time during treatment or posttreatment.

Play therapy is known for helping children, but many adults and teenagers also enjoy it. Sara says there are elements such as art therapy, music, expressive therapy and sand tray therapy that allows individuals to approach issues with some distance and from a different prospective. “In sand tray therapy, clients are able to use the sand and miniature toys and figurines to represent problems and upsetting situations,” Sara explains. “The scene created acts as a reflection of the person’s own life and allows him or her the opportunity to resolve conflicts, remove obstacles, and gain acceptance of self. My teen and adult clients love those types of therapies as well.”

Her Specialties Sara has extensive experience and training helping people who are struggling with traumatic and upsetting events, stress and anxiety and those struggling with addiction. She is contracted with a local women’s shelter to help women who have been abused and she provides clinical supervision to professionals seeking to be a registered play therapist, addiction counselor, or professional counselor. She is also contracted with the Department of Family Children Services to provide Substance Abuse Assessments and Domestic Violence Assessments to families involved with DFCS.

“Carrollton’s Prescription Headquarters”

821 Dixie Street Carrollton, GA 30117

770.832.7076 Drive Thru Service • Gifts • Free Delivery

Make Valentine’s Day Special With a Gift She Will Remember “It is estimated that 80 percent of people will have at least one traumatic event in their life, yet most do not seek formal help for this,” she relates.

“As a result, people too often use other things, such as alcohol or drugs, or they act out at work, have problems with peers, or relational problems with family members, along with things like chronic pain, medical complications and symptoms like depression and anxiety. For these reasons, I focus my practice on working with people of all ages who struggle with anxiety, stress and trauma.”

Sara does talk therapy, but also does much more with her clients, like EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing), Filial Therapy, play therapy, sand tray therapy, Theraplay ®, expressive and art therapy, yoga, and addiction counseling.

Filial Therapy, which is sometimes called ParentChild Relationship Therapy, and Theraplay® are family based play therapy models that help parents develop the skills to address their child's concerns and improve the family relationships.

EMDR is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps frozen memories become unstuck so a person no longer relives a memory each time they think about it. It's mostly known for helping with trauma, but it is also useful with such problems as relationship issues or performance anxiety.

The results of EMDR are usually much faster than traditional talk therapy which can be a huge relief for those struggling with traumatic memories.

"The thing is, most psychotherapy is talk therapy," Sara explains. "This means that the client and therapist are talking

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about memories, experiences, situations that a client has had and they work together to help the client consider new and different ways of approaching these.

"It used to be thought that most of what caused people distress is how they perceived and responded to a situation. While this can be true in some situations, this is not true of all experiences.

These other types of therapeutic techniques do not rely solely on talking to resolve problems because sometimes talking can be more upsetting and does not lead to relief or healing."

Sara is a board certified distance credentialed counselor and offers telemental health, or E-therapy, which is video-conferencing of psychotherapy sessions. This is convenient for parents who can't go to therapy because of lack of childcare, or couples who have difficulty coordinating their schedules to attend therapy together. "It is an awesome option for individuals and couples that have busy schedules," she says."When I first meet with a new client, I talk about the different options and together we make decisions about how to proceed."

If you or your loved one is in need of a counselor, Sara encourages you to reach out for help, because no one should have to struggle with fear, anxiety,

depression and trauma alone. Sara truly believes there is hope and healing for whatever difficulties you may be struggling with in your life, and she invites you to reach out to her today to begin your own path of healing.

"I have clients that have seen two or three other therapists, or more, and feel that they are forever traumatized and stuck with symptoms such as intrusive memories, flashbacks, fears and anxieties," she shares. "I have clients that come in hopeless and feel they are beyond help. I truly believe healing is possible and I love to hear how my clients are experiencing the benefit of our work together."

WGW

To find out more about Sara Anderson and

Spoken Heart Counseling Center

call 770.415.7043 or visit the website at

www.spokenheartcounseling.com

West Georgia Ambulance

Encourages all WOMEN to INVEST IN YOURSELVES!

Tips for Taking Care of Yourself During the Winter Months: •

Drink plenty of water to keep your skin and hair healthy • •

• • •

Use a deep moisturizing lotion daily Try to get 8 hours of sleep every night

Exercise indoors if you don’t want to go outside in the cold

Wash your hands regularly and avoid close contact with someone who has a cold

Watch your diet and don’t eat too many high calorie comfort foods that are high in fat, sodium & sugar

No one is worth more than you.

When you are at your best, then you can be better for those around you.

Dedicated Healthcare When You Need It Most

770.832.9689

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Womentality

Inspiring quotes by extraordinary women “The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing – and then marry him.”

– Cher "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

– Charlotte Brontë

“I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.”

– Mary Wollstonecraft

“A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That's why they don't get what they want.”

– Madonna

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."

— Maya Angelou 53

IT’S NOT A HOME.

IT’S A LIFESTYLE.

Put your trust in a Realtor who listens to ensure you find the house that fits you today and grows with you into the future.

Shala Hainer, Realtor Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers Office: 404.843.2500 Direct: 770.842.8500 www.metrobrokers.com Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Opportunity Company. Each Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated. If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers.

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Ever After “The very fact that we make such a to-do over

golden weddings indicates our amazement at human endurance. The celebration is more in the nature of a reward for stamina. . .�

Ilka Chase

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PHOTO BY LOVELY LITTLE MOMENTS

SHEYENNE NICOLE GERMAN AND ROGER PATTON RANN Were married November 26, 2016, at THE BARN at Sierra Springs

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Local Happenings

Healers and Helpers Wellness Group

This group meets the last Saturday of every month in Douglasville or Austell.

For more information, contact Cheryl at theheartmatters@gmail.com or 678.754.5840. Learn more at www.heartmatterswellness.com.

Hope For The Journey This group meets the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at the Tracy Stallings Community Center at 118 South White St. in Carrollton.

These events are free to breast cancer survivors or those currently battling breast cancer. No one should have to face breast cancer alone.

Need It Most – Mommy’s Day Out Each Mommy’s Day Out event is from 6 to 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. Locations vary. Please contact Jwyanda at 678.739.1740 or Jwyanda@icloud.com for more information.

These are free events for new mothers, mothers with children 0-12 months and mothers suffering from postpartum depression. www.needitmost.wordpress.com

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C

ELECTED OFFICIALS ATTEND POWER BREAKFAST AT CARROLL EMC

arroll EMC hosted its annual Power Breakfast Nov. 30 at the cooperative’s main office in Carrollton. The annual event serves as a way to inform local and statewide stakeholders about the co-op’s legislative and operational goals for the upcoming year. Representatives from the electric co-op industry were in attendance along with local education officers, chamber members and numerous elected and municipal officials.

During the event, Tim Martin, Carroll EMC CEO, provided a local update on the state of the cooperative and highlighted achievements from the past year. Martin discussed Member and employee satisfaction, rising expenses as well as what Carroll EMC is doing to keep its rates affordable.

“We live in the communities of the Members we serve and support local chambers, agribusiness and broadband initiatives,” said Martin. “Our goal is to continue to offer affordable rates for our Members.”

This year’s breakfast also included a panel discussion with Bill Verner, senior vice president of Georgia EMC, Clay Robbins, senior vice president of governmental affairs at Oglethorpe Power and Tom

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Parker, vice president of external affairs at Georgia Transmission. The panel answered questions pertaining to the power grid, Plant Vogtle and the future of the Clean Power Plan. Martin and Verner also discussed the new Hazlehurst Project and solar options.

“Solar is an important part of the portfolio for consumer options,” said Verner. “We are leading the way with solar power.”

Carroll EMC is a Member-owned cooperative providing electricity to approximately 50,000 homes and businesses. The co-op serves Members in Carroll, Haralson, Heard, Paulding, Polk and Troup counties. For more information visit the cooperative’s website at carrollemc.com or follow Carroll EMC on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn. Photo caption: Carroll EMC CEO Tim Martin, Oglethorpe Power Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs Clay Robbins, Georgia Transmission Vice President of External Affairs Tom Parker and Georgia EMC Senior Vice President Bill Verner served on the panel at the 2016 Power Breakfast. Photo by Carroll EMC.

CARROLL EMC GRADUATES TWO FROM GEORGIA ACADEMY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

CARROLL EMC GRADUATES TWO FROM GEORGIA ACADEMY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

C

arroll Electric Membership Cooperative produced two of this year’s graduates of the Board of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development 2016 Region 4 Multiday Training Program. Class participants represented a number of professional and nonprofessional economic development fields, including elected officials, public servants, business leaders, educators and social service providers from across western Georgia.

The Academy provided each of the graduates an opportunity to gain a unique understanding of the complexities of economic and community development on the local, regional and state levels.

Carroll EMC graduates included Carole Thompson, community relations supervisor and Jerome Johnston, chief operating officer.

“Economic development is very important to Carroll EMC because it is so important to the communities we serve,” said Johnston. “Attending this program has given me a much better understanding of what it takes to be successful with economic development. I am excited to apply what I’ve learned to help Carroll EMC be the best partner we can be in supporting the economic development efforts in our communities.”

Created in 1993, the Academy assembles a cross section of economic development professionals and resources to provide this training in all 12 service delivery regions in Georgia. The board of directors of the Academy represent public and private economic

development organizations and agencies from across Georgia. Since its inception, the Academy has provided training for thousands of professional and nonprofessional economic developers around the state, and since 1998, the Academy has been offered annually in all 12 regions of the state.

Georgia EMC and Georgia Power provide facilitators for the program, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs provides staff support to this important program.

“Our Community Development team is proud to partner with and provide facilitation and presentation services on behalf of Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives,” said Pay Merritt, VP, Community and Economic Development for Georgia EMC. “Involved since its inception, the team’s work with the Academy graduates has enhanced levels of leadership capacity and community development preparedness for continued economic development progress throughout the region. In Region 4, CED cooperative members are Carroll EMC, Central Georgia EMC, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Diverse Power, Southern Rivers EMC and Upson EMC.”

Photo caption: Carroll EMC Community Relations Supervisor, Carole Thompson, City of Bowdon Main Street Director, Brandi Shirey and Carroll EMC Chief Operating Officer, Jerome Johnston graduated from the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. Photo by Carroll EMC.

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Kidz Korner Really Sweet Valentine Butterflies T

hese really sweet, and sour, homemade butterfly Valentines are sure to be a hit for friends and family on Valentine's Day. Your really little ones may need a little more help cutting out the heart shapes for this activity.

By Charlene Brooks and Sydney Dailey

Materials Any color construction paper, foam sheets or felt Sweet and sour candy rolls Red or pink pipe cleaners Small plastic craft eyes Glue stick Red felt or construction paper 2 1/2 inch, 3 inch and 4 inch heart patterns Instructions

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Cut a small circle out of the red felt or construction paper for the face of butterfly.

Glue the small eyes to the face.

Glue the face onto the sweet and sour candy roll.

Cut two hearts of each of the sizes and glue all pieces together to make the butterfly wings, starting with the largest hearts on bottom.

Glue the sweet and sour candy roll to the center of the butterfly shaped hearts.

Take the pipe cleaner and cut two pieces about 2 inches in length to make the antennae.

Glue antennae to the top of the candy roll.

Super Cute Valentine Minions速

Instructions

T

hese super cute valentine Minions速 are a snap to make using golden cream-filled snack cakes and a few other materials, and they make delicious treats that can be taken to school parties or enjoyed at home.

Your friends and family will thank you a "Minion速" times for these yummy Valentine's Day treats!

Take the blue construction paper and cut a 2 1/4inch by 6-inch strip.

Draw the pocket designs and the buttons on the front of the strip.

Glue strip around the golden cream-filled snack cake.

Cut a 6-inch piece of black ribbon and glue around the top area of the golden cream-filled snack cake.

Glue the large plastic eye on the middle of the black ribbon.

Take the pink foam sheet or construction paper and cut-out a heart-shape.

Write your favorite valentine message on the heart and glue to the Minion速. WGW

Materials Golden cream-filled snack cakes Black ribbon Pink foam sheets or pink construction paper Large plastic craft eye Blue construction paper Black fine point magic marker Glue stick

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y a D 's e in t n le a V y Happ Word Search Word Bank Date Heartthrob True Love Roses Tenderness Passionate Lovebirds Card Fourteenth Beloved Bouquet Admirer Secret Crush Romantic

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Word search created at puzzle-maker.com

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