The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Give Me December Off!

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor/Publisher

8 December 1999

As a true American, I can go along with Lady Liberty's plea of:

"Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry," but I also need to add a clause that asks a special request, and that is to:"Give me December off!"

What is it about this time of year that makes us feel that to be good, we need to do it all while meeting the expectations of all those around us. It is totally impossible.

I've decided if we are to take care of the affairs of the holidays, we really must do it by taking the month of December off.

The colleges and professors get a nice long Christmas vacation, ...right?

The school kids and their teachers have Christmas vacation into the new year.

The farmers must have their crops in by this time of year, so they should have a little more time on their hands.

But the majority of working people, especially working parents, are caught in a "catch 22," type situation.

For myself during the holidays, there are:

The list goes on and on at both work, home, church, school, and community until I feel like making that trip to Ellis Island to have a talk with Lady Liberty.

She welcomes all with open arms... but after years of living on her terms in this land of liberty, we find that the tired, the poor, and the hungry are not only those coming from other countries, but they are those living on these American shores.

I am hoping for a better America in the next century. I am hoping for an America that has put a handle on the rising cost of health care.

I am hoping for lower income taxes so 20% or more of our income does not go to pay for taxes.

I am hoping for a lower percentage on property taxes and a better way to fund our schools.

I am hoping for more time to spend with those I love, and with community endeavors I believe in.

I am hoping we will all work harder in this new era, for a better America.

I hope we work for good ethical leaders in Washington we can be proud of.

I hope we can stop supporting X-rated movies, gambling boats, and liberal politicians who have no idea of how Lady Liberty was able to take care of so many people in need, and help them.

I hope for a new wave of moralism and a renewed spirit of caring for our fellow men.

I hope there is a renewal in our American creed: "One Nation Under God."

In the year 2000, I hope we will all get back the proud feeling that many of our early Americans carried when they were asked to serve their country during World War I and II.

May we all begin again to salute our American flag with pride as it passes in parades through our streets, or as we hail it during the playing of our national anthem.

This has been a hard time of year for me since the passing of my only uncle this Thanksgiving.

As Harold Isaacson ended his 89 years here on the earth, the family reflected on what his life meant to each of us.

He was a proud American who cared for his wife and two children well. He had farmed the land right up until the final month of his life.

He believed in a life of hard work, paying his bills, and his taxes.

He believed in caring for his family, giving back to his community, and ethics in his work and as a neighbor.

He believed that a conservative approach to government, school, and home life would assure it's future.

Where some might laugh at his strong views on moral issues, Uncle Ike would find they would not be laughing long when the truth of immorality came full circle.

For some, my uncle's intolerance of many issues may seem harsh, but he could see the end results to tolerance, and it was not good.

He wasn't harsh, but had a soft heart in helping others who were working hard to help themselves.

He never complained about his lot in life no matter how hard it was, or when illness struck his family.

December and the Christmas holidays were part of Uncle Ike's family as they are your's and mine. They are part of the American Dream.

In December, my Uncle always took time for the family and for holidays. Besides for feeding livestock, a few minor chores, he took December off.

If there was a way around it for me, I, too, would follow in his footsteps and take December off.

But for now, I guess I will have to play out the role of the tired, the poor, and the hungry while we print the final four issues of The Quill for the 20th century. The news must be told.