I want to thank Brother Tom Campbell for sharing his thoughts about the new year: 

Down through the ages, brilliant minds have sought to know and explain the presence of evil, and in our present societal hunger for conspiracy, the origin of COVID-19 is no exception.  

We shall always have among us, in this world, the presence of evil. So, as we ponder the new year, Brother Tom shares what it has been like for him to deal with the evil and hurt he so often sees in his profession.  

One nugget of wisdom he was given by a friend who had just returned from a special education seminar: 

One of the speakers was the father of a boy with special needs. As this speaker took the podium, he paused and said, “For years I struggled with thoughts like, ‘Why me? Where did I fail? What did I do wrong?’” He then continued with a simple story and a profound message:  

A father and son with special needs were walking in the park when they came across a group of young boys playing ball. The son asked if he could play, and the father returned that he would have to ask one of the boys if that was alright with them.  

The father was sure they would decline, but to his surprise, the young man agreed and told his son he could bat in his place.  

When his turn arrived, the team at bat had a man on third with two outs in the last inning with a tie score.  

The father was now positive the offer would be rescinded, but again to his surprise, the young man handed his son the bat and escorted him to the plate, coaching him all the way.  

The pitcher walked halfway to the plate and sent a soft, underhanded toss to the catcher. The son swung with all of his might but came up empty.  

The young man walked up and, putting an arm around the son, aided him in striking the next soft toss. Contact!  

A pitiful dribbler went in the direction of the pitcher, who picked it up and lofted it over the left fielder’s head, who in turn picked it up and threw it deep into the right field.  

The ball was tossed everywhere but home as the son worked his way around the bases to the cheer of both teams, until he finally scored the winning run and was hoisted on to their shoulders and returned to his choked–up dad.  

The speaker then confessed the lesson learned and now shared: God allows difficulty to bring out the best in us.  

As we ponder the new year, Brother Campbell says he is going to spend less time questioning why and more time looking for ways to allow these trials to bring out the best in him.  

Happy New Year!  

Morgan County Alabama 4-H Scholarship  

The Morgan County 4-H staff announces the 2021 4-H Foundation Scholarship Program will be awarding 35 Alabama 4-H high school seniors $1,000 scholarships.  

The Alabama 4-H Foundation Scholarship program is looking to award scholarships to outstanding 4-Hers attending universities, colleges and trade/vocational schools.  

The 4-H application does not ask for ACT or GPA information and will be based on 4-H experiences and program impact.  

March 1, 2021, the application period closes at 11:59 p.m. April 15, 2021, scholarship recipients will be announced.