After a busy season starts to wind down and your thoughts are on a new year and new goals, the best thing you can do for your mind and body is simply take a break! Sit down, take a few deep breaths, and reflect on where you’ve been and where you would like to go.
Jacki King, the women’s minister at Second Baptist Church in Conway, Arkansas, first felt a call to ministry as a college student. She decided to follow it, giving up her pre-med major and her spot on a college softball team for ministry training at a small Bible school with a mostly male student body.
It’s going to be a long month. The holidays are over, it’s cold outside and I’m already bored with cleaning out my closet.
Yesterday, when I sat down at the computer to write my column, I looked around and saw pieces of Christmas everywhere. Shreds of wrapping paper, curling ribbon, priority boxes, laundry, and unopened mail are scattered across the room.
BERLIN – The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that he’s worried about the omicron and delta variants of COVID-19 producing a “tsunami” of cases between them, but he’s still hopeful that the world will put the worst of the pandemic behind it in 2022.
NEW YORK – Eric Adams will take his oath of office in the wee hours of New Year’s Day to become only the second Black mayor of the nation’s largest city. New York’s mayor-elect said Wednesday he will hold his swearingin ceremony at Times Square on Saturday, shortly after midnight, right after the traditional ball drop and amid thousands of New Year’s Eve revelers.
One positive side effect of the coronavirus pandemic was a spike in participation in active, outdoor and fitness activities. According to a 2021 study by the Outdoor Industry Association, “Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, more Americans have turned to the outdoors, some for the first time and others for the first time in many years.” h More than 60% of those who started or resumed walking, bicycling, fishing or running/jogging intend to continue even after restrictions lift. Walking and hiking saw the biggest spike, followed by running, cycling and camping, but participation in just about every outdoor activity – from skiing to kayaking – grew. Meanwhile, purchases of home fitness equipment such as exercise bikes and treadmills saw 170% growth during the pandemic, according to a study by ResearchAndMarkets.com. h As the travel industry rebounds and Americans start vacationing again, there is increased interest in active trips. Companies specializing in active travel such as Butterfield & Robinson (butterfield.com), Backroads (backroads.com), DuVine (duvine.com) and G Adventures (gadventures.com) are reporting record bookings for 2022 and beyond.
Even with any pre-Christmas rush of food handouts, Community Services League’s pantries continue to be wellstocked to serve those in need. “We are doing pretty well; we had a lot of year-end food drives,” said Cindy Isabel, chief development officer for CSL.
Coach Adam Jones had a ready explanation when asked how his Blue Springs boys basketball team made a 54-39 victory over Kearney in the opening round of the William Jewell Holiday Classic look so easy.
Local libraries have shorter hours this week because of the holiday. Kansas City Public Library branches will close at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday this week. They also are on closed New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and the Sunday after New Year's Day. Mid-Continent Public Library branches will close at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and will be closed New Year’s Day. Branches normally open on Sundays will be open for the Sunday after each holiday.