This newspaper and I lost a friend last week. He fought a tough battle but is now in the presence of Jesus.

Charles Cook came in at least every week when he was in town. We’d share a cup of coffee and talk about what was going on in the community and as well as in the nation.

Sometimes he needed prayer which I was glad to offer. Other times he was off to an estate sale. If I happen to be looking for something, I could tell him and if he ran across it, he would send me a photo to make sure I wanted it. Once he brought me an album I had not asked for but in one of our conversations had mentioned mine had disappeared.

He brought us coffee which he had gotten at auction at times so we always had a supply on hand.

We shared the same view on politics and would sometimes ask each other what we thought about something.

Some days he would come in just to see if we knew about something going on in the community. 

I first met him when he was a city councilman. He always questioned things, not just taking them on the surface. He introduced himself after one meeting and asked if I had understood something he had mentioned. He was always forthcoming with information when Kristi or I asked him questions. 

He  made us laugh lots of time. He was proud of his family and talked about his sons’ and grandchildren’s accomplishments. 

Some days one of us had to help him with his phone or answer another technical question if we could. 

In the beginning he would occasionally write a column “Eagle View”. He was listed as a contributor on this page. Occasionally, he would cover a meeting for us when both of us had other meetings to attend. 

Once in a while he would bring Vera in with him.

He has served on many boards and in many capacities in the community. He was named the Chamber’s Individual of the Year.

He was a friend to the newspaper and kept us on our toes. When we made a mistake he would tease us about it.

I haven’t made a pot of coffee since the last time Charles was in the office. 

But if you know anything about Charles, you know he trusted in God and so we know where he is in spite of the void left. Our prayers are with his family. Always remember none of us are promised tomorrow so make the best of today.

***

None of what is going on in the world today, makes any sense but we know who holds tomorrow and whose side we are on. So if God is for us, no one else matters.

During this time it is important to hold onto your faith.  Don’t let anything including people steal your joy. Our joy in the Lord is our strength so be sure and let nothing steal it.

We just celebrated our nation’s birthday and the hate spewed forth by some, not only on the day but concerning the celebration breaks my heart. It’s easy to see that there are some in our country who hate it. Why they are still here, I do not know. If I hated the country I was in that bad, I believe I would go somewhere else. But they choose to try and destroy it. It is not about anything else but destroying us and setting the stage for socialism.

The silent majority is a lot to blame. We kept silent too long. Yes, we can do our part by going to the polls and voting, but there are times we need to voice those opinions publicly. We can be silent no more. 

Our faith is being tested and attacked on a daily basis. Of course the Bible tells us we will be persecuted. The leftists have been at war with America as founded for decades. It has made great progress in transforming our culture and institutions into the model they want. Leftists are activism-oriented and relentless. They pursue their goals 24/7, exhausting their less activist and less calculating opponents, and advance their agenda by sheer attrition.

They immediately weaponized the virus. The democratic party tried to bludgeon Trump with it and every other thing they can bring up. In the last four years they have done nothing at all for the American people, but have wasted time and money trying to unseat him. Instead of being mad for four years he was elected even though they tried to alter the election process, they should have been trying to work with him and get something done.

But they have not and in fact have showed where their hearts really lie. They only care about money and power. And they will lie, cheat and steal to keep Trump from being re-elected. Therefore, they do not care what the majority of the American people want. If so, they would have sat down, shut up and worked for the people who elected them.

But more than that, where are the Republicans? For the major part, the President has had to fight all these battles by himself. Oh, I know he has people around him, who believe and support him, but the Republicans in Congress should be standing up and defending him and doing everything they can to overcome the propaganda touted by the likes of Pelosi and her cronies. All of which for the most part have decades of serving in Congress.

I do not always vote Republican, in the past, I have gone on the person, but it has come down to whether you can really trust someone in whatever party they are in, to not continue the overall program of the party. It comes down to voting your morales. It comes down to choosing the more righteous of whomeever is running. Whoever we vote for shows were our hearts are. If you can support a party which believes killing babies is okay, giving taxpayer money to illegal aliens and who don’t put the safety and welfare of America a priority, it shows the condition of your heart.

Yes Trump drives the leftists crazy, makes them desperate and irrational. However, if you think without him things would go back to the way they were you are mistaken. Their goals are the same either way — undoing America. With him as president, their chances immeasurably decrease. 

We need to wake up and redetermine that we will prevent the destruction of the America, land that we love and fight for your children’s future. Don’t ever give up hope or fighting for your freedom. You are not alone.

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com