Greetings from the Garland Senior family! Hope all is well. The weather seems to be a bit drier and we are thankful for that. Whatever the weather, it’s good because it’s God working and we don’t understand. As I’ve said so many times, there’s a man that can work when no man can hinder and hinder when no man can work, and that is no other than God.

I hope all my readers aged 65 and older have gotten your vaccine. If not, please call the health department and make an appointment today or reach out to your medical providers for more information. Better safe than sorry! I took the vaccine and haven’t had any problems at all. I see in the news that Sampson County is out of the red! Hope we can keep doing better by staying safe and wearing our masks, along with good hand washing practices and social distancing.

Again, I’d like to remind you all that if you know someone in need of meals, please call the Sampson County Department of Aging or Garland Senior Center and someone will assist you in getting the meals started. We want to give special thanks to Mrs. Ida Parker for assisting our seniors with their tax needs. For help with your taxes, call Mrs. Parker at 910-564-4060. She is a very busy lady, swamped with her own personal tax business, but is always willing to help older folks that need her. Mrs. Parker is such a nice lady and we want to stay considerate of her busy schedule as she helps us with free tax assistance for the elderly.

I do want to encourage our Garland Senior Center folks that are still shut in due to the COVID-19 to stay as healthy as you can and do some chair exercises, eat and drink healthy. Call your friends once in a while to check on them, share good news. Give me a call and let’s chat. Doing word searches, reading our Bibles and praying for each other are always good. I’d like to encourage everyone to stay healthy and happy no matter what might be going on in our world today, or in our tomorrows, God is always with us. Together we stand, divided we fall. All things work for good for those that love the Lord.

I’d like to take a moment to reflect on February being Black History Month and all the wonderful leaders throughout our beautifully rich history, we are so thankful. We appreciate all the work and sacrifice our leaders have done for us and all the wonderful contributions that’ve made to our world. Also, Valentine’s Day has come and gone but that loving feeling is a year round sort of thing. Love is God and God is love. A feeling like no other and one to be celebrated every single day of the year. I love you!

Here are a few ole time remedies I want to share. For a sore throat, gargle with salt water. For a cold, take three 666’s that tastes bad, but helps a whole lot with a cold. Cod liver oil, castor oil, a slice of onion on the bottom of our feet to detox, as well as ease a fever. Corn starch is good for cooling down and it’s also good for removing stains. Be sure to make lots of homemade soups because they’re so good for us, especially chicken soup. Turnip pot liquor full of black pepper for headaches and colds. If you have any doubts about natural cures and home remedies, talk to Mary E. Smith. She is a firm believer in natural medicines and has made me a believer and she can make a believer out of you too! Sage is Mary’s go-to natural cure for just about anything. She sure loves that sage. Hoping to get back on track soon and see all my seniors, my friends, my senior center family. You are all missed and as soon as Governor Roy Cooper gives us the go-ahead, we will be back here doing our thing. Hope that is soon! As always, LIVE, LAUGH and LOVE without limits!

O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me. — Psalm 30:2

I took my troubles to the Lord, I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer. — Psalm 120:1

Marie Faircloth is the director of the Garland Senior Center.