October 3, 2020 Issue, Page 8 of 10

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Page 8 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Saturday, October 3, 2020 —— Through the eyes of the pandemic aCoffeetine Colamn About Life ... rienced loved ones in their than ever before. By Glynda Lomax families dying from CO- People are dying right With Andy & Renie Bowman “Gratitude looks to the VID-19, unable to even and left, I could catch it Past and love to the Pres- be by their side when they next — so I’m not guar- anteed I will ever see the Don’t do that if ent; fear, avarice, lust, and drew their last breath. ambition look ahead.” As the pandemic ran beauty of those sparkles - CS. Lewis, “The on, I grew weary of hear- again. it hurts Screwtape Letters” ing about it every time I T found a new joy in qui- Who could ever have turned on the television. I et evenings in my kitchen guessed what 2020 held in stopped watching a lot of cooking up this or that or store for us? news years ago because grilling something good Even those whose busi- there is so much bad news to eat but I don’t overin- dulge all the time like I did Glynda Lomax ness it is to predict our and so little good that it’s economic future never just not great for your in the past. I have learned need, take a little time to saw the nightmare of coro- mental health to get too I feel so much better eat- enjoy those fleeting mo- navirus coming. For sure big a dose. So I only watch ing healthier and being ments life still holds for us. none of us was expecting a little world news every gentle with my body. Coronavirus has brought a national shutdown cost- evening and only about When the uncertainty home to us the reality of ing millions of jobs and the subjects I’m interested gets to be too much, I go how fast the people we several million cases of in. I need the rest of my into my kitchen. There is love and the activities we this deadly virus. brain for other things. just something comforting take for granted really can When the pandemic first I noticed one very pro- about mixing up a cake be taken away. started, and the nation be- nounced effect of the pan- or brownies and _ filling So slow down today, Andy and Renie Bowman. gan to shut down, it all demic on my life, aside your home with the fresh- breathe in those moments seemed so incredibly sur- from having to don an an- baked smell that means that bring you peace and Several years ago, Andy developed a “hitch-in-his- real. I would stand with noying mask any time I someone cares. Or I sit joy. We were never guar- get-along” as his Mom used to call it. my coffee looking out went into a store or out in down and write. I pour my Back when he was playing racquetball on a regular heart out on the page until anteed tomorrow but now my picture window at the public, and that was ... it more than ever, we see basis, while competing in a heated game he had run the losses stop hurting. peace of nature and trying slowed me down. how quickly it can be full speed into the concrete sidewall with his shoulder. It took adeadly pandem- to wrap my brain around Anyone who knows me ic to slow me down and snatched away, along with Weeks later, the pain from that close encounter still what was happening, knows I have been a ter- get my attention but now the people we thought hadn’t left and finally drove him to his doctor. tears filling my eyes as I rible workaholic for many The doctor’s examination involved the necessary that it has, though I still would be there in it with remembered safer times years. Very little slows moving and rotating of Andy’s arm to find out exactly gone by. me down, but suddenly work as hard as I ever did, us. nowI also enjoy as much Don’t wait another day what had happened internally. As Doc would lift the Carefree times we all I found myself slowing of every day as I possibly to say and do all those lov- arm, Andy would grimace with the pain. took for granted. We down and actually living can just by being present ing things you meant to do To which the doctor would ask, “Does that hurt when have no precedent for this in the moment, something in the moment I am walk- because you may not get I lift it?” deadly plague, no point I’ve never been very good ing through. Just by stop- another chance. Tomor- “You better believe it.” of reference, no way to at since I am always fo- ping for a minute when I “Then don’t do that.” know how much worse it cused on getting more row may be too late. see a thing of beauty, and The same exchange would happen again and again as might get, and we’re all done. “Yesterday is gone. To- breathing it in. morrow has not yet come. the good doctor examined, probed, lifted and pushed. floundering to adjust. Ev- Now when I walk my At the end of the day, we Finally, he told Andy that his shoulder had been se- erything looks different dogs, I think about how We have only today. Let can’t fix this pandemic. verely sprained. He needed to refrain from causing any through the eyes of the the pandemic has changed us begin.” - Mother Teresa The best we can hope for more damage by not doing anything that caused him pandemic. our world, and how it has is for our loved ones to be Glynda Lomax is a pain. In fact, it would benefit from not being used for a I am a homebody by affected the lives of some Christian author and spared from it. We didn’t while. Just let it rest so it could heal. nature and not around a of the people I care deeply choose the pandemic and podcaster who resides in Andy left that day with a clear understanding — if he lot of people as a gen- about. My friend in Loui- we can’t change it. What the Ozark Mountains of did something that caused his shoulder to hurt, DON’T eral rule anyway, so that siana who lost his brother, we can control is how we Northern Arkansas with DO THAT. made isolating really easy my friend in Texas whose respond to it. We can love her two very bossy dogs. Years passed, and that story became part of his coun- for me. I stayed in more father died this morning. those near us a little deep- She wrote her first About and focused on my work As we stroll along the er, give back a little more, Life... column in 2003 for seling arsenal. As he watched pain-filled married cou- ples enter his office seeking counseling, he found him- from home while answer- lake, I stop and gaze at the help those around us in a newspaper in Dallas. ing emails from a lot of sparkles of sunshine glit- self referring back to those days of shoulder trauma. Back to his doctor telling him, “If what you are do- scared, hurting people, tering on the ripples. They some who had just expe- mean more to me now Birth announcement ing causes pain in that shoulder, you need to stop do- ing it. It can, and probably will, create more serious or Joanna Marie Rovey permanent damage than you’ve already done.” So he would tell the story to hurting couples and then add, Oilers fall behind early, “Tf it is hurting your w-h-a-t-e-v-e-r, you need to stop doing that. Long-term damage can result, if you persist in a behavior that is hurtful. Insert the words ‘your mar- riage’ in place of ‘that shoulder.” Other times, frustrated and concerned parents would bring in young Johnny or Susie, asking for help with lose at Hooker their troubling behavior. Knowing that childhood helps By Kerry Hookstra the Merritt defense came define coming adulthood, they sincerely wanted help. Contributing writer He would tell them that there had to be a trauma some- up with a safety that put Missing three main where. And it needed to be uncovered and stopped in its. the score at 50-2 going to starters, including quar- tracks, so healing can begin. terback Hagen Justus, the final quarter. In the last This needs to be heard - loud and clear: If something is happening that is causing pain, it needs to be stopped caused major problems for Merritt in their Sept. stanza, the Oiler defense tossed a shutout while ad 4 before it can create more serious or permanent damage. Joanna Marie Rovey was born September 14, 2020, 25 road trip game against Merritt scored a couple of Like his doctor said, STOP IT. in Carbondale, Illinois. She is the daughter of Karl the Hooker Bulldogs. The Find the problem, stop what is irritating it, and allow touchdowns. and Jennifer Rovey. Oilers lost 50-15 and fell healing to begin. Hooker had a_ potent Joanna weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 19 to 2-2 on the season. The Bowmans can be reached at andybowman839@ passing game with 273 inches long. Hooker opened up a gmail.com. Coffeetimecolumn.com Maternal grandparents are Bryan and Kimberly 27-0 first quarter lead and yards through the air. The Editor’s note: The News will be running a new addi- Bose of Clinton. Maternal great-grandparents are Er- did not look back. They rushed for and 87 yards. tion, called Coffeetime Column, to its Community page nestine Bose of Bessie, Oklahoma and the late Ed- added seven points in the Merritt played an un- from Andy E. and Renie Bowman. Here’s biographical ward Bose, Jr. and Mary Thome of Elk City, Okla- second quarter to go up information they provided us: defeated Texhoma squad homa, and the late Richard Thome. 34-0 at halftime. Andy has been a Southern Baptist pastor in Oklaho- Friday. The News went to Paternal grandparents are Charles and Donna Rovey Second half action saw ma and Florida for over 30 years. Recently medically of Springfield, Missouri. 16 points from Hooker but press on Thursday. retired from that field, he and his wife, Renie, now au- thor Coffeetime Column, and they write on currently relevant topics from a conservative and humorous viewpoint. GREAT PLAINS&? REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER Dr. Bowman’s educational background includes a Doctorate in Christian Counseling from Covington Theological Seminary in Rossville, Ga. Renie holds a EARLY 11n 8 WOMEN Master’s degree in Clinical Christian Counseling, also from the same seminary. She also is a Christian soloist DETECTION WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST with five albums to her credit. SAVES LIVES CANCER IN THEIR LIFETIME. Now residing in Broken Arrow, they continue their ministry as a guest speaker and soloist in various Catch It Early churches, and the writing of Coffeetime Column, which Call Us Today at 580.821.5565 is currently in over 30 newspapers throughout Oklaho- ma each week. Their family includes two married sons, five grandchildren and one great grandson. WWW.GPRMC-OK.COM 1901 WES THIRD STREET, ELK CITY ©