December 20, 2007

I'm just saying . . .
Christmas and caring go hand in hand
By James Cook, Times Editor

As you read this column, Christmas is coming at us very quickly. In fact, next Tuesday we will celebrate the holiest of holidays. It will be a time of joy, gift giving, family and friends. It will be a time of love, caring, good food and memories.
At least for most, it will be.
I can’t help but think of the ones who will not celebrate much, if at all. Some will not celebrate by choice or religious belief. But my heart aches for those who can not celebrate due to circumstance or means.
I only hope that they will be remembered by someone and maybe someone can show them a little love, much like God showed us by sending His son. Christmas means a lot of different things to different people, but I believe that many know the reason for the season. And if you do, then remember to help your fellow man.
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Speaking of helping, I want to thank everyone who stepped up this season to help others. I have seen small children bring in canned goods to help make food baskets. I have witnessed “anonymous” donors try to help families who were in need but did not want to ask for help. I have seen hard hearts, drop the facade and reveal the warm heart behind the mask.
But I think one of the nicest things I’ve seen so far was the help Kim Thomas gave to a lot of children last Friday. Ms. Thomas, who probably did not want any recognition, but I felt like she deserved it, called me and asked where she could make a donation to help children who only want to stay warm. In last week’s column I wrote about how some of the children who sent in Santa Letters for the paper, only asked for new shoes, gloves, hats or coats to stay warm. It must have moved Ms. Thomas.
When she called, she was on her way to Winchester to pick up toboggans and gloves to donate to kids who need them. Just as fate would have it, Friday was also the day that the Powell County High School Clubs were holding their Christmas Party for some of the needy children from each elementary school. After a few phone calls, Ms. Thomas brought the items to the Times office and with the help of Glynda Bowen and Anthony Molihan, the items were passed out to children at each school who needed them.
I was there covering the event and the children loved their toys and gifts. But I saw a few look at the gloves and hats and could not wait to try them on.
Thank you Ms. Thomas and thank all of you who have taken the time to help. Ms. Thomas asked me how she and her daughter could help year round. I know there is always a need. But if anyone wants to join them in helping keep the Christmas spirit going all year, please check with Pastor Molihan, the Food Bank and the school’s resource centers. They know where the need is and can help make sure it gets to where it needs to go. God Bless all of you!
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Someone asked me the other day if I still believed in Santa. My response was, without hesitation, YES.
You see I know what the reason for the season truly is supposed to be and I celebrate that. But I also believe in the Christmas spirit and all that Santa encompasses. The goodness and wholesome values, the teaching of right and wrong, teaching us how to treat each other and loving unconditionally, the way Santa does. Reminds you of the real reason for the season, doesn’t it?
I have had the honor of wearing the red suit and helping the Jolly Old Elf. It is a humbling experience, one you will never forget. It changed me and I know it changed me for the better, as did making the decision to follow God.
However, if I could be so bold to make a quick Christmas List for a few here in Powell County I would love for Santa to: Find a way to bring more revenue and no new tax to the fiscal court to help alleviate budget woes; more state and federal money to help our officers to continue to fight the war on drugs; a consensus of those who can make things happen to work together to bring more industry and tourism to the county; the funding that the cities need to improve the infrastructure to help us all; and the wisdom and guidance from above that as an editor I need to make sure the paper is one you can be proud to call your hometown newspaper.
One last thing. I have truly enjoyed being back and I consider it an honor that you allow me the chance to keep you informed and keep you up to date on local events and news. Our owner was praying for someone to come in and I was praying for a chance to come back home. Now I want to thank Teresa, our staff here and in Irvine, the local officials and officers who have been so helpful and you – the readers – for welcoming me back.
I am looking forward to 2008 and hoping to make the paper more exciting and better for you and the community. I could never thank you all enough.
From me and mine, to you and yours - Have a Merry Christmas!

View from the Mountain...
Mommie Katie's sassafras tea
By David G. Griffin, Times Reporter

Several weeks ago I found an old glass bottle filled with sassafras bark chips. Those chips are from one of my excursions into the woods with my grandmother. They are at least 50 years old but still retain the characteristic aroma of sassafras bark. The smell alone is a walk down memory lane.
Mommie Katie loved sassafras tea. She took me with her as a young boy into the woods behind our house to find young saplings. (On any walk into the woods my grandmother knew precisely what she wanted and where to find it.) She knew exactly which saplings were mature enough to cut in order to get chips that contained the right flavor for her tea.
It was a delight to take walks into the woods with my Mommie Katie. She used that small thicket of wooded property to accent her wonderful cooking. She allowed me to join her as she looked for country greens and the sassafras chips.
It was also a bonding event for us – even though I did not recognize that at the time. Mommie Katie was a wise and wonderful woman, and she used those walks to instruct me about things that she considered important. I probably learned more from her than I realized both about the woods and about life.
There was a special recipe that Mommie used to brew her concoction of tea. The bark chips had to steep on our wood burning stove for hours and hours to meet her specifications. A pound of the chips made enough concentrated tea for many cups of her brew. The concentrated tea was kept in the refrigerator so that she could dip out just enough to make a cup whenever she wanted or to share one with a friend.
She also had a special way of turning the concentration in the refrigerator into a large mug of the tea which she shared with her lady friends in the neighborhood. Mrs. Charity Barnes particularly loved the tea and often requested a cup when she visited our home.
I cannot remember whether anyone else in the family loved her special potion. But I do remember Mommie Katie pouring me a cup when I was about 10 years old and, to her surprise, I did not especially care for the taste. I guess you had to develop a liking for the flavor of sassafras tea.
Sometime in the early 60’s, an article appeared in the local newspaper stating that sassafras tea contained a carcinogen called safrole. It was supposed to cause liver cancer. The article went on to explain that even though the plant had a pleasant flavor and had been touted with some reputation as a useful tonic, the drug should not be used internally. After that time, I never saw Mommie Katie making the tea again.
I certainly don’t suppose it caused any damage to Mommie’s physical constitution because she lived to a ripe age of 100 years. On the other hand, one might question whether her love of that tea actually served to increase her years on this earth.
As I recently discovered, sassafras tea can still be purchased in the United States, without the cancer causing agent. One company, called Pappy’s Sassafras Tea, explains that their product is still brewed the old-fashioned way from bark chips but is safrole free, caffeine free, sugar free, contains 0 carbohydrates, and has less than 1 calorie per serving. I would venture to guess that it is not as tasty as Mommie Katie’s home brew.

(You can reach me at mtnman@mis.net Thanks for your continued response to my column. I cherish every one.)