Happy New Year!

Personally, I don’t make resolutions because if I’m resolved to do something – I am going to start making changes right away and not wait for the new year. True confessions: I weighed myself for the first time in a long time today, and my suspicions were confirmed. I’m up about eight pounds. I was avoiding the truth or the facts because I didn’t want to deal with them until after the holiday.

Waterfront Mission is spreading joy and compassion this holiday season by offering Christmas Lunch to those who are hungry or alone on Wednesday, December 25th, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at both the Pensacola and Mobile Mission locations.

Santa Rosa County Animal Services is temporarily closing all cat adoption operations at the shelter facility until Friday, Dec. 27 due to illness.

We are less than a week away from Christmas and under two weeks until 2025, and me, I’m here trying to wrap my mind around the fact that time has flown by like a sprinter.

This is a repeat from last year – but it has been a year, so perhaps you don’t remember. However, the content of this column is worth remembering. This column is inspired from a sermon from my home church, First Baptist Orlando. I love Christmas for many reasons, but first and foremost because we are celebrating and recognizing the significance of the birth of Jesus. How does the world celebrate Christmas? By giving gifts and acts of kindness to one another to demonstrate our love for others.

Tallahassee – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced record-breaking visitation numbers in 2023. Tourists to Florida were found to have spent a record $131 billion in the state—an increase of 5% over 2022—in addition to $36.9 billion in local, state, and federal tax revenue. Florida remains the premier travel destination of the nation and the world.

The cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless will open on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Ferris Hill Baptist Church, 6848 Chaffin St. in Milton. Those who would like to stay at the shelter must arrive between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Only service animals (with verification of rabies vaccination) are permitted to stay with guests. No one will be admitted after 8:30 p.m. unless brought in by law enforcement. The shelter closes at 7 a.m. each morning.

There are many commonly used words in the English language to which are affixed a prefix or suffix. As commonly used as these compound words are, the same word, without the prefix or suffix accessory, is rarely used, if ever. For example, you might be overwhelmed by the price of eggs at the grocery store, but have you ever been simply whelmed? Whelmed is a legit word that means, “to engulf, surge, or bury.” The rising cost of those eggs might make you feel disgruntled, but when have you ever been gruntled by an egg price? Yes, it too is a legit word that means, “satisfied.”