Flowers? Jewelry? Chocolates? They all make sweet gifts for your partner this Valentine’s Day. But how do we make love last all year? 

In the movie, Hitch, actor, Will Smith plays Alex "Hitch" Hitchins, a Love Doctor or "professional dating consultant," who works with men to help them learn how to successfully attract and interact with women. 

At one point in the movie, Hitch finds himself struggling with his own romantic relationship as he exclaims, "Why is falling in love so hard?"

Falling in love is the easy part. It’s staying in love that’s hard. 

That’s probably why most movies focus on the romantic stage of relationships, not the inevitable other two stages that almost all long-term relationships go through. As the director of the SMART Couples Project at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, my staff and I often meet couples in our SMART Couple’s classes who are trying to navigate their way through these latter two stages of their relationships.

The first stage, according to Dr. Jeffry Larson, is characterized by romance and passion. It typically starts when the couple begins dating and can last through the first several years of marriage.

During the second stage, the couple may become disillusioned when they realize happy and stable marriages require hard work. Balancing work, school, children and finances can distract them and decrease the amount of time they’re able to spend time with each other to communicate and nurture their friendship.

In stage three, couples decide whether they would like their marriages to continue. By this stage, more than 40 percent of marriages split.

Those who choose to remain with their partners tend to adjust to married life on one of two pathways—with contentment or with resignation. Those in the latter group resign themselves to the idea that their marriage won’t get much better. But a growing number of couples have decided to work on their relationships by developing new knowledge and skills. Couples on both pathways are finding their way to our SMART Couples classes to learn some of the best-of-the best research-based information and skills available for couples.

Studies show that most couples reported being glad they stayed together even after experiencing serious trouble, especially those who were willing to work on their relationship together.

For those who are willing to work towards achieving contentment in their marriage, I and other researchers recommend four strategies.

• Read relationship enhancement books together. 
• Use research-based online resources such as
• www.smartcouples.org for reliable relationship information.  
• Attend relationship education classes. 
• Seek out marriage counseling. 

Taking these steps shows our partners we are willing and committed to take the time and energy to invest in our relationships.

For more relationship tips or to sign up for a SMART Couples class in your area, go to www.smartcouples.org.  Online classes are also available.

Victor Harris is an associate professor of family, youth and community sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Why Is Staying in Love So Hard?

Bartender-turned-thought-leader of the Democrat Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (or “AOC,” as the left so affectionately calls her) has turned her considerable intellect to opining on climate change. With the precision that can only come with $100,000 of student loan debt for a dubious liberal arts degree from a party school, she said at a climate forum in D.C. that global warming “will cause the world to end in 12 years.”

To pay for all she wants to do to solve this climate problem, she would like to tax people at the “tippy top” at a rate of seventy percent. Socialism is a creeping normality in the Democrat Party. Keep in mind, Mussolini and Hitler came up as socialists; it’s an easy sell.

If socialism has worked so well for Venezuela, North Korea and Cuba, I see no reason we should not hear AOC out on this one. I think her term “tippy top,” aside from showing her intelligence on all matters economic, is also Dolly Parton’s line of blouses.

Socialism has worked wonders in history everywhere it has been applied. It entrenches the power of brutal leaders like Kim Jung Un and the Castro brothers. And it always leads to provocative questions by the citizens subjected to it, like “Is it safe to eat a cat?” or, “What is the best way to prepare a horse over an oil drum fire?”

As record snowfalls come and the polar bear population is the largest it has ever been, AOC points to so-called “scientific models” that help confirm humanity’s demise in 12 years. These are the same computer models that predicted the Y2K Armageddon and gave sub-prime collateralized mortgage bonds a AAA rating.

The left wanted to ban the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” not so much for its rapey vibe but because it cast doubt on global warming. 

Actors with high school diplomas like Leonard DiCaprio lecture us on driving SUVs as he flies super models to his yacht in his private plane. Al Gore’s factually incorrect PowerPoint presentation wins Oscars. I do know one climate change fact: global warming is the number one cause of documentaries.

My skepticism on global warming comes from three reasons:

First, for a long time I lived in Memphis, where the Great Ice Age formed the Mississippi River; the glaciers then melted and moved toward the Gulf of Mexico. This is the reason the Delta is such flat, fertile farmland. The glacial melting lasted from 75,000 to 12,000 years ago — well before Al Gore invented the Internet and SUVs roamed the land.

Second, the same environmental wackos of my youth protested nuclear power as dangerous, thus keeping us from building any new plants for thirty years. From   sheerly emotional objections to nuclear power as espoused by leftists, we ended up with all the coal-fueled plants we have now.

Third, to buy into this one has to believe that global warming is really happening (maybe), that it is man-made (unlikely), and that by giving politicians trillions more tax dollars, they can fix it (no freaking way).

Their mantra seems to be that “Everything is worse than you think, but I can fix it.” The murkier and more pretentiously moral the "crisis," the better; they then set out to solve these mythical problems of their own creation: Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, acid rain, holes in the ozone layer, Y2K, health care costs, etc. Coastal liberal elites started the drinking only bottled water trend; now they are shocked these non-biodegradable plastic bottles pollute the oceans.

They spend our money, usually with their cronies, to fix the “problems” they sanctimoniously lament. No doubt, problems that do not really exist, like climate change, are much easier to pretend they can solve.

Earth is an amazing place, and no doubt we could all drive smaller cars and pick up our trash, cool and heat our homes less, and leave this place in as good condition as we found it. Capitalism will continue to help with creating efficiencies that will protect Mother Earth.

Earth has been around more than 4 billion years; humans have been driving cars a little more than 100 years, or .000000025 percent of that time. Earth has survived famine, the Ice Age, volcanoes, wars, mudslides, wildfires, locusts, plagues, floods, droughts, asteroids, tsunamis, earthquakes, and countless boy bands as recently as the late 1990s. We will be OK.

Ron Hart is a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.

What's your view?

Write a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Why a student of history cannot buy the climate change hype

Now is the time of year to begin thinking about what flowers and plants you would like to have in your yard this spring and summer. Although I am a member of the Dogwood Garden Club, I am not the best gardener. However, I do well with plants in containers or pots.

One can find plastic or terra cotta flower pots at the dollar store, nursery or home improvement center. You could even make your own from old containers, such as a wine or whiskey barrel, which are available for purchase.

Make sure that your container has drainage holes in the bottom. If there aren't pre-drilled holes, then you will need to drill some.

Once you have drainage, a coffee filter or two may be used to cover the holes. This allows the water to drain and the soil to remain in the container. Alternately, 3/4 of an inch to one inch of coarse gravel may be used in the bottom of the container. Next, fill your container with good potting soil. I generally fill the container about halfway and then begin to plant the flowers I have picked out.

Since spring is coming, I will choose begonias, pansies, impatiens, petunias and other colorful flowers.

Once the soil is ready, gently take the plants out of the package, separate the roots and place in your pot. Space them apart to give them room to grow. Plants don't like to be right on top of each other. Once the plants are placed, add more potting soil until the container is two-thirds to three-quarters full, making sure the roots are fully covered. I generally plant one species of flower in each pot, since they may have different light and watering requirements.

Be sure to water your plants often enough. Potted plants need watering more often than those in the ground, usually once a day. Fill an old milk or juice container with water, let it reach the outdoor temperature, and avoid watering the leaves or flowers. Don't overwater.

Also, look at the instructions and make sure your plants are getting the appropriate amount of sun. Plants need to be fertilized at least once a month.

Since we are still getting cold weather and high winds, bring in your plants so they don't kill your new flowers.

Many vegetables also do well in containers, and we will learn about those soon. Happy gardening!

Area residents who like to garden may call Beach Campbell, 682-2691, for information on Crestview's Dogwood Garden Club.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: How to start a container garden

My favorite quote by Martin Luther King Jr. is, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Every time racial discrimination and other civil rights violations reappear after the arc of moral justice seemed to have left ignorant ideologies in the past, I try to remind myself that we are still bending toward justice.

There was another arc that captured my attention as I listened to speeches by King that led me to others by Malcolm X. The two men led the civil rights movement in the early 1960s down very different paths. However, both men followed paths that intersected only once and some would argue reversed their roles.

Both men were the sons of Baptist ministers.

King followed his father’s path into the pulpit. Malcolm Little lost his father at a young age and his mother was put into a mental hospital. He was incarcerated on larceny charges and found a purpose with the Nation of Islam while in that jail.

He dropped the name “Little” because he called it the name slaveowners gave his family.

The two men saw the inherent evil in the pervasive racism that still existed 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, but they had different ideas on how to increase civil rights for black people in America.

King chose to be a peaceful protester. He saw sit-ins, strikes and marches as the best way to make the case. Malcolm X called King a “20th Century Uncle Tom” and cast aspersions on King’s methods.

A funny thing happened to both along the way. The firehoses, beatings, arrests and slow advancement of his cause caused King to become more heated in his rhetoric as he took on the Vietnam War and other social injustices as the Civil Rights movement grew and changed.

Malcolm X left the hardline Nation of Islam and became far less incendiary in his speech as he continued on his path.

The two only crossed paths once after both attended the Senate debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Only one photo of the two men together exists. Soon after, both had succumbed to assassins’ bullets.

There are no holidays for Malcolm X. His ideas didn’t inspire a movement like King’s message of using the weapon of love to attack an enemy.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that,” King said. “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

King’s legacy lives on because he wanted to lift people to equality and not tear the oppressors down.

Because of that legacy, you can visit a monument in his honor in Washington D.C. where one of his biggest marches culminated in one of his most important speeches.

Malcolm X once said, “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.”

That is a great way to inspire action and also cause as many problems as it solves.

In his “I have a dream” speech, King said, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

He went on to say that working together was the only way to achieve the goals of the civil rights movement.

“We cannot walk alone,” he said. “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

My favorite thing about the monument in King’s honor in Washington D.C. is that it is unfinished. Surrounded by stones engraved with quotes from King is a likeness of him carved into the Stone of Hope. But it isn’t complete. Like his life that was cut short and the movement he led, it is still unfinished.

We have a holiday celebrating King and the movement he led. It is up to us to finish the work that he began.

Society is better than it was a half century ago when he was killed. It was better then than when black people were treated as property.

But the civil rights movement is far from over. Progress seems slow at times. Sometimes we take steps backward. But King’s words still ring true.

“The arc of moral justice is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Kent Bush is publisher of Shawnee (Oklahoma) News-Star and can be reached at kent.bush@news-star.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: It is up to us to finish King’s work

Today, the nation will commemorate the life and ministry of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

King was the quintessential American. Just like the colonists, he rejected the idea of taxation without representation. He believed deeply in America’s declaration that all humans are created equal and are entitled to equal justice under the law.

He wanted, demanded, that the country he loved live up to all those things the Founders said were self-evident.

In his last days, he was starting to devote more time and energy to the causes of war and economic injustice. His death in Memphis, Tennessee, was the result of his speaking out on behalf of black garbage workers who simply wanted to be paid and treated as equals.

He doubtlessly would be dismayed right now at the spectacle of thousands of government workers scrambling to stay afloat in the richest and most powerful country on Earth.

King never fed into the fear of immigrants. He never tried to pit the poor against one another, or blacks against Latinos and others; not in a country where there is enough for everyone.

In describing his prophetic view from the mountaintop, he made no mention of a wall.

Broken cries

Of the Vietnamese, he said: “And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to understand and respond in compassion, my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. I speak now not of the soldiers of each side, not of the ideologies of the Liberation Front, not of the junta in Saigon, but simply of the people who have been living under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades now. I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution there until some attempt is made to know them and hear their broken cries.”

In 2019, Martin Luther King Jr. would be disappointed but hardly surprised about Rep. Steve King, who has the effrontery to say what a lot of people secretly think. For 20 years, there has been a conspiracy of silence in Congress as King has insulted, denigrated and demonized immigrants and people of color, from those seeking asylum, to those who work in the meat-processing plants that dot the Midwest because many Americans won’t.

Of the Muslims working in those plants he said: “I don’t want people doing my pork that won’t eat it, let alone hope I go to hell for eating pork chops.”

He sued the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office for posting multilingual instructions on its voting site; he has suggested electrifying the border wall because it works for livestock; and he once noted, “The idea of multiculturalism, that every culture is equal – that’s not objectively true … We’ve been fed that information for the past 25 years, and we’re not going to become a greater nation if we continue to do that.”

Last gasp

Last week, King was stripped of his congressional committee seats following a New York Times profile, in which he was quoted as saying:

“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization – how did that language become offensive?”

Given that Iowa is approximately 90 percent white, it can only stem from an inchoate fear that the country is changing.

The irony is, people who argue that Steve King is right about Western civilization couldn’t name three pieces composed by Richard Wagner, or explain how the Tudors came to power, or tell you what makes Hemingway, Michelangelo and Proust so significant.

King says he was misquoted, that his ancestors were abolitionists, yet he keeps a Confederate flag on his desk. It’s an unapologetic dog-whistle to those who refuse to let go of that last-gasp, lost cause of white supremacy.

But America always has been about moving forward. We are a nation of strivers, always looking to be better, always wrestling with our past, even as we charge headlong into the future.

Why is Steve King in trouble after all this time? Because the seeds planted by Martin Luther King Jr. in the hardscrabble and thorny soil of resistance are breaking through, bright and green with promise.

Because the children of those immigrants long dismissed by Steve King, now are walking the halls of Congress.

It’s time, America, to choose which King you would prefer the world envisions when it hears the word “America.” 

Reach Charita M. Goshay at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: America, choose your King

Here in Crestview and Northwest Florida, we generally have temperate weather, so when it gets cold for several days, it can be a shock to us.

I am so thankful I don't live in the frozen north or Midwest. If you have any potted plants outside, be sure to bring them in so they don't freeze.

This is also a good time of year to clean up your yard. Ours certainly needs it. Leaves can be raked and bagged. Limbs and sticks that have blown down during the past few months can be picked up and thrown away, as well as trimming overgrowth and undergrowth in the yard and pulling any early weeds.

Since things grow more slowly this time of year, it is easier to catch up and spruce up your yard for spring. Now is also the time to be thinking about your spring garden. Think about where and what you want to plant.

Prepare your soil with fertilizer, potting soil and other nutrients before the planting season. This will help you have a beautiful spring garden.

Our new collie thinks yards are for digging holes. We have a myriad in the backyard that Jim, my husband, will be filling in. Hopefully, she will get out of the digging stage soon.

We think she might benefit from some agility training as she just loves to run "zoomies" (racing around the yard as fast as one can, just for fun). Since she is a collie, she would undoubtedly do a great job herding sheep or goats, however, we have no livestock in our backyard.

Have you been faithful in moving more each day and eating healthier? This is a good goal for all of us and one that Jim and I are working on.

I hope that you have also taken the time to change your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries. Having fresh batteries could potentially save your life, or at the very least, save you listening to an obnoxious beeping reminder to change them. Most detectors use 9-volt batteries, which are available at any store that sells batteries.

Stay healthy, Crestview and keep walking.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: January's a good time to prepare for spring gardens

Donald Trump’s Tweet dubbing Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s billionaire founder, "Jeff Bozo" reveals more than the locker room MO of our president. Our country's roots are in England, where people of importance are knighted. In America, we now have our own version of knighthood: a nickname from Donald Trump.

Amazon is this little hidden gem you may not of heard of where you can buy things.  It’s just like eBay except the Amazon stuff doesn't show up at your house smelling like cigarette smoke and moth balls. If you order a battery from Amazon, they find it, ship it on a truck, then a plane, then bubble wrap it in a box the size of a mini-fridge, then put it on another plane and another diesel truck belching smoke to drop it at your house — all the while bragging about how "green" they are.

Amazon is also in the entertainment business. It paid Woody Allen millions to tell his story, from his childhood growing up on the playgrounds of NYC to his current days hanging around playgrounds of NYC.

When Trump and Bezos look at each other, aside from both thinking "What happened to his hair?", they see similar-style political billionaires and crony capitalists. Both capitulate to political power to run their businesses. Remember, Trump was a Democrat most of his life; he wouldn’t have made it in New York otherwise.

As in all of Trump’s bombastic bluster, there’s an important truth. He suggests in his Tweet that The Washington Post ought to have to register as a lobbyist because of its leftist and one-sided coverage, leaks and activism.

Remember how the left vilified the Koch brothers for their one-sided political activity? Had they been Dems, you would never have heard of them. The Washington Post, New York Times and the like are not much more biased, influential and worthy of scrutiny than Koch Enterprises. 

Trump also made another good point: The National Enquirer has broken as many or more important stories than the mainstream media outlets. From Gary Hart’s affair, John Edwards’ paying off his mistress with campaign money (John Edwards was tried and the jury was hung — but you know how men on a jury lie), Bob Dole’s mistress, O.J. Simpson's "evidence," Jesse Jackson’s love child, Bill Clinton's affairs… and it had the Stormy Daniels/Trump story. Can you name another news outlet that has had that many scoops? 

The Enquirer and TMZ-like outlets play important roles when leftist newspapers abdicate their position as watchdog journalists to pursue their political agendas. Tabloids have uncovered Kevin Spacey’s foibles and pedophile priests’ misdeeds where clergy were only punished by the Church with a warning: Don’t fondle little boys.

The Enquirer sees a story and money to be made — not political gain. It exposed Mark Souder (R-IN), who was a Christian radio show host, and caught him cavorting conjugally with his girlfriend in a state park. While Republicans are usually OK with drilling on public property, this outed Souder into obscurity.

The point is, like Trump with his brashness and the supposedly low-brow National Enquirer, there is often more truth in what they say than the media "elites" spew.

Trump picked a fight with Bezos and Amazon last year when he rightfully pointed out that our Postal Service subsidizes Amazon's package delivery. The United States Postal Service is a unionized behemoth that delivers CVS flyers six days a week to even the most rural American. It loses $5 billion a year, making it the most successful federal program we have.

Amazon has to have political cover since it dances in the gray area of government, not only with our Postal Service, but with drone delivery, the newspaper business, and in privacy rights with its Echo home voice commands. Americans haven’t thought through just how much of our privacy we have given up to Google and Amazon. I’m not sure if my Roomba is cleaning my house or casing the joint.

I fear the ongoing corporate cronyism of Amazon/The Washington Post is worse than The National Enquirer being paid by Trump to bury one story. Amazon just went around the country peddling its headquarters out to the city that would fork over the most money. Instead of one city, they got bought by two. Presumably by doing so, Amazon got free shipping. 

Ron Hart is a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Bezos, Trump and Crony Capitalism

Donald Trump’s Tweet dubbing Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s billionaire founder, "Jeff Bozo" reveals more than the locker room MO of our president. Our country's roots are in England, where people of importance are knighted. In America, we now have our own version of knighthood: a nickname from Donald Trump.

Amazon is this little hidden gem you may not of heard of where you can buy things.  It’s just like eBay except the Amazon stuff doesn't show up at your house smelling like cigarette smoke and moth balls. If you order a battery from Amazon, they find it, ship it on a truck, then a plane, then bubble wrap it in a box the size of a mini-fridge, then put it on another plane and another diesel truck belching smoke to drop it at your house — all the while bragging about how "green" they are.

Amazon is also in the entertainment business. It paid Woody Allen millions to tell his story, from his childhood growing up on the playgrounds of NYC to his current days hanging around playgrounds of NYC.

When Trump and Bezos look at each other, aside from both thinking "What happened to his hair?", they see similar-style political billionaires and crony capitalists. Both capitulate to political power to run their businesses. Remember, Trump was a Democrat most of his life; he wouldn’t have made it in New York otherwise.

As in all of Trump’s bombastic bluster, there’s an important truth. He suggests in his Tweet that The Washington Post ought to have to register as a lobbyist because of its leftist and one-sided coverage, leaks and activism.

Remember how the left vilified the Koch brothers for their one-sided political activity? Had they been Dems, you would never have heard of them. The Washington Post, New York Times and the like are not much more biased, influential and worthy of scrutiny than Koch Enterprises. 

Trump also made another good point: The National Enquirer has broken as many or more important stories than the mainstream media outlets. From Gary Hart’s affair, John Edwards’ paying off his mistress with campaign money (John Edwards was tried and the jury was hung — but you know how men on a jury lie), Bob Dole’s mistress, O.J. Simpson's "evidence," Jesse Jackson’s love child, Bill Clinton's affairs… and it had the Stormy Daniels/Trump story. Can you name another news outlet that has had that many scoops? 

The Enquirer and TMZ-like outlets play important roles when leftist newspapers abdicate their position as watchdog journalists to pursue their political agendas. Tabloids have uncovered Kevin Spacey’s foibles and pedophile priests’ misdeeds where clergy were only punished by the Church with a warning: Don’t fondle little boys.

The Enquirer sees a story and money to be made — not political gain. It exposed Mark Souder (R-IN), who was a Christian radio show host, and caught him cavorting conjugally with his girlfriend in a state park. While Republicans are usually OK with drilling on public property, this outed Souder into obscurity.

The point is, like Trump with his brashness and the supposedly low-brow National Enquirer, there is often more truth in what they say than the media "elites" spew.

Trump picked a fight with Bezos and Amazon last year when he rightfully pointed out that our Postal Service subsidizes Amazon's package delivery. The United States Postal Service is a unionized behemoth that delivers CVS flyers six days a week to even the most rural American. It loses $5 billion a year, making it the most successful federal program we have.

Amazon has to have political cover since it dances in the gray area of government, not only with our Postal Service, but with drone delivery, the newspaper business, and in privacy rights with its Echo home voice commands. Americans haven’t thought through just how much of our privacy we have given up to Google and Amazon. I’m not sure if my Roomba is cleaning my house or casing the joint.

I fear the ongoing corporate cronyism of Amazon/The Washington Post is worse than The National Enquirer being paid by Trump to bury one story. Amazon just went around the country peddling its headquarters out to the city that would fork over the most money. Instead of one city, they got bought by two. Presumably by doing so, Amazon got free shipping. 

Ron Hart is a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Bezos, Trump and Crony Capitalism

What's your approach to organization? Do you plan everything and have a concise calendar of what you will do and when, or are you more laid back in your approach? As long as the important tasks are accomplished timely, is one approach better than the other, or simply a matter of preference?

There are many instances where strict organization is needed. Obviously, the Crestview and Okaloosa emergency departments have to be very organized in the running of their respective areas as public safety depends upon them. Hospitals have calendars that are scheduled finitely as operating rooms are needed by more than one patient and doctor.

We don't all need to be as strict with our scheduled time as first responders. When I taught school, if we stayed an extra day on a particular course of study, many times it helped solidify student learning and was time well spent, so flexibility worked under those circumstances.

My sweet grandmother was late for everything, church, weddings, family dinners and so on. However, she was never late for doctor's appointments or planes. We all prioritize what is important to us.

If organization is a skill you desire, I have a few easy tips.

•Keep a wall calendar with pockets for each month of the year in an accessible spot in your house. Mine is in the kitchen. Put pet appointment reminders, checks received and other important papers in those pockets so they don't get lost, as well as having a central location for known appointments.

•If you have a steel front door as we have, buy a fabric or soft pocket with a magnet on the back and put it on the front door. That way you can put anything that needs to be mailed, checks that need to go to the bank, permission slips and so on, in it and pick up whatever you need on your way out the door.

•In your car, buy a seat organizer, with pockets in which to put important and needed papers, maps, change and so on.

•Keep a small calendar in your purse or briefcase to make notes and changes and then you can transfer the information to your smart phone later. These are available at any dollar store.

None of these tips are earth shattering, but they may make life a bit easier. I found my magnetic pockets for my front door at Joann's and the dollar store, or you could make your own. I buy my pocket calendars online.

Have a happy and organized new year!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 4 tips to help with organization

Anyone who thought that air traffic controllers, or members of the Secret Service or the FBI might walk off their jobs because they aren’t being paid doesn’t know this country very well.

If you need a reminder of who we are, look at the people who are remaining on their posts in service to the rest of us, despite not knowing when they’ll receive a paycheck.

It must be terrifying — especially if you have kids to feed and clothe — to be caught in the middle of a fight you neither started or wanted, where the only person being hurt is you.

Yet, even with all this, there are men and women who are refusing to leave their jobs because they took an oath to the Constitution — and to us.

They are 420,000 strong, but who can reasonably expect them to remain so? If a resolution is not found, some will lose their homes, their cars, their dreams for the future.

Stepping up

Recently, members of the Ohio Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth started conducting trash cleanups inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

They’re part of an army of Americans across the country stepping up to do all they can to maintain the integrity of one of our greatest resources.

This is the America that too often is obscured by politics, finger-pointing, demagoguery and willful ignorance.

This is the America we must aspire to be every day, not just when there’s an impasse.

The heroes among us are never the blowhards, the braggarts and the noisemakers.

They’re the people who do what’s right without being begged or shamed into it.

Driven by something larger than themselves, they know the inherent value to be found in working for a greater good.

It’s not possible to think of Cuyahoga Valley National Park and not think of the late Rep. Ralph Regula, a founding father of the park who convinced the Ford administration to make a $200 million investment to purchase 33,000 acres in 1974

Brighter path

He was not the kind of congressman you saw on TV every day, angling to be a future lobbyist or a talk-show host or president. Yet, he delivered for his district, time and again, by putting country before party.

Years ago, when Regula visited this newspaper (The Canton Repository), he despaired, even then, at the direction Washington was heading. He lost out on becoming chairman of the House Appropriations Committee not because he wasn’t capable, but because his competitor was a better fundraiser.

Regula’s late wife, Mary, founded the National First Ladies’ Library in downtown Canton, Ohio, which also is closed because of the federal shutdown.

What they must be thinking right now.

There’s no doubt many people go to Washington with a pure intent to serve, but too often, something goes awry; their good intentions smothered by demands for blind party loyalty, special interests and the endless need for money.

But Northeast Ohio and Stark County are a better place to live because Ralph Regula decided to take the brighter path of honor and service over self-aggrandizement.

Amid the current chaos and incompetency, we are learning America is still home to people who love their country, who are dedicated to their jobs and who are being hurt through no fault of their own.

If Regula’s legacy includes a crown jewel, it is Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He would be pleased and grateful for the ordinary people who have taken it upon themselves to protect it. 

Reach Charita M. Goshay at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Amid noise, look to quiet acts of heroism