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PUBLISHER Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC EXECUTIVE EDITOR Stephanie Williams CREATIVE | DESIGN Elizabeth Beasley Stephanie Williams ASSISTANT MANAGER Nikki Anderson PHOTOGRAPHERS Eric Love Lillian Morse Burton Photography Paula Toole Daphne Walker PROOFING Beverly McClellan COVER PHOTO Daphne Walker SALES Dottie Hicks Daphne Walker CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Renée Martin Beth O’Neal Ann Owens Janisse Ray Jackson Sharpe Paula Dees-Toole Teri R. Williams Toombs County Magazine© is published bi-annually by Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC 148 Williams Avenue • Lyons, GA 30436 (912) 526-4195 All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed written authorization from the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein. Advertising is subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice. F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R keep it simple how could someone grow up in the South and never partake of the sweet flavor of a honeysuckle? It’s one of those truly Southern summer rituals that ranks right up there with playing in the branch, shelling butter beans while you’re waiting for the peach ice cream to freeze, chasing fireflies and riding bikes down dirt roads. Some things are just supposed to happen when the days get long, and the gnats start to swarm. Sipping the sweet nectar from a honeysuckle is one of those things. Recently, I discovered a friend of mine had never experienced the joy of spending hours plucking hundreds of honeysuckle blooms just to get half a teaspoon of juice, so later I asked my kids about it, too. The blank stares on their faces immediately sent me into parent guilt mode. By nightfall, I had them all in the yard looking for fireflies. I keep using the excuse that life is busier than it was when I was a kid, so there’s no time these days to play hide-and-seek by moonlight, but maybe I just need to go back to focusing on a simpler way of living. Simplicity is, after all, what I’ve always loved about the South. But simple things–those that bring us moments of pure happiness–are what we so often take for granted and brush aside in order to take on the larger stuff. I’m learning that the key to happiness is making time for people, gardens, creating art, reading books and picking honeysuckles. Investing time in the things we love makes us all happier people. We have some great stories about people simply doing what they love. Whether it’s modeling like Ashton Craft (p. 22), teaching children about farm life like Mark and Lisa Williams (p. 36), saving an old church like Janisse Ray (p. 74), or running for therapy like Joy Weaver (p. 92), there is something that drives each of us to a higher level of fulfillment. And that something is what we should make time for. Recently, I watched a program that discussed the pitfalls of social media and how being plugged in too long destroys our relationship with nature, and it really made me think. I don’t want to forget what it’s like to be an active participant in this world that we are gifted to oversee–a world where honeysuckles grow wild and problems are solved face to face. I’d rather try to keep life simple. Tonight we sit on the porch–sans phones and devices–and just listen to the chirping chorus of crickets and talk about all the amazing things God has created. Tomorrow I’ll find a honeysuckle vine and show my kids what to do with it. Have a great summer! Stephanie Williams Executive Editor Follow us on: 6 Toombs County Magazine to share a story, send a note, or just get information: reddoordesign01@gmail.com (912) 526-4195


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