Opinion

By Jessica Williams
Hernando Sun

At 16 years old, I watched my father be lifted into an ambulance only to see his lifeless, tall body a short time later in a cold hospital room. After they removed the breathing machines, my mother removed his wedding ring from his limp hand. She gave it to me to keep. It would be the last time we would see him and I would never hear his voice or be comforted by his warm hugs again. The next day I returned to school because I desperately wanted to feel normal.

Two years later, I was failing college.

by ADON TAFT

It’s time for a return to normality in the Sunshine State. 

Beginning this weekend, the Governors of Georgia and South Carolina—based on the most recent scientific data—are re-opening the economies of their States.  Florida should safely follow our neighbor's lead and do the same.

The other week I watched a video on my phone about some guy who put aluminum foil on his kitchen counters to prevent his cat from hopping up there.  I’ve spent my life with cats, recently reluctantly, so the brief recording was only mildly interesting; I’d seen cats react that way from many other situations.  And I can assure the videographer (or should that be phoneographer?) that his cat will quickly learn to ignore and walk around, and even on, the foil.

In times of crisis, we often find strength as a nation. Neighbors helping neighbors. We do what we can, and we focus on what we can do to help others. We may go shopping for friends who are scared to go out.

Currently, we are too focused on what others are doing or not doing. The college spring breakers are ignoring social distancing. That person is touching their face. Why are you going to the park? We are focusing on the wrong things. We are focused on finding blame with everyone. We are all aghast. We seem to be growing apart rather than coming together.

I don’t know what rose Shakespeare was referring to, but it’s been my experience from ten years in the Garden Center at Exwork that most of them don’t have a fragrance, and some even stink.  Maybe it has to do with the panicked efforts of venders to reduce cost, so they created roses without scent because they took less time to grow. No one at Exwork could or would verify that.

By Jerry Cowling

Special to Hernando Sun

The Bible says there are angels around us unaware.  One of them, Hazel Wells of Dade City, recently received a special Congressional Certificate of Recognition for her 25 years of experience in outstanding and invaluable service to the community from the office of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

Hazel has her own angel unaware because she doesn’t know who nominated her for the honor.

As an adolescent, many of us heard the phrase “go to college”. Repeatedly our elders and friends as well as family would constantly state the same expression throughout the years.  The rise of higher education in the United States has demonstrated that the younger generations are taking this advice and achieving their goal of a college degree. Yet, in many blue-collar areas and professions, younger generations have determined that university level schooling is not only a waste of time, but they actively criticize those who pursue it.

by ROCCO MAGLIO
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