FORUM
I thought I
would havo tho
holiday Muoa
Mica
James
Guest
Columnist
My maternal grandmoth
er passed away close to
Easter and, as death usually
does, it created a new normal
for me. Much of my life was
consumed by her in recent
years, and I became extreme
ly anxious about what the
holidays would be like with
out her.
For weeks, I had rehearsed my responses to those who
may offer invitations to their homes for dinner. I prepared
my son to do something we have never done before ... eat
Thanksgiving dinner at K&W [caferteria]. He was actual
ly excited about it but I am sure it made my grandmother
turn in her grave. She was not going to be here to taste my
desserts and tell me what she told me every year, "Baby,
you did a good job. Don't stop baking."
I was going to be able to dress normal because she was
not going to be here to make me turn the heat up. 1 really
just wanted to stay home to assure I had time and space to
grieve.
The saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh, tell
Him your plans." I ended up at my client's house caring
for her while her daughter visited with family. Because
those close to me know how important family is, they
were shocked to learn I chose to work. I must admit, I
was shocked myself, but I kept hearing my grandmother's
voice singing, "Only what you do for Christ will last."
As those words resounded, the anxiety dissipated and
energy was infused. I became excited about baking items
I only bake twice a year. 1 even rearranged my schedule
to make sure everything was baked ahead of time to deliv
er to my son's teachers, family and friends.
I ultimately realized my grandmother prepared me for
such a time as this. I was raised Seventh-Day Adventist
and my family ate together EVERY Saturday after church.
Even if I didn't attend church, the expectation was that I
went to Momma's house to eat. Hors d'oevuers, main
course, dessert, Russian tea and rolls, ALL HOMEMADE,
were on a fully set table every week. Guest pastors, their
families and anyone my grandmother decided to bring
home were welcomed. In fact, when my grandparents
added on to their house, they didn't expand the living
quarters but rather the dining area because she loved cook
ing and entertaining.
I thought I would have the holiday blues, but I am
thankful for the traditions my grandmother instilled.
While she is sorely missed, a day or two out of the year
will not overpower the years of memories I have with her
and the rest of the family surrounded by food. The knowl
edge, love and recipes shared around the table every
Saturday have empowered me to begin my own holiday
traditions.
As I determine what those traditions are, I am remind
ed and admonish you to remember: "Only what you do for
Christ will last."
Micha James is a freelance writer in Winston-Salem.
She is also a proud alumna of Winston-Salem State
University who is passionate about helping and empower
ing others. She can be reached via
michalavae@gmail com.
White evangelicals are fading, powerful, baffling
James A.
Haught
Guest
Columnist
Overwhelmingly, 81
percent of white evangeli
cals voted for Donald
Trump - a twice-divorced
vulgarian who calls women
"pigs" and "slobs," brags
about extramarital affairs,
and boasts of grabbing
females by their private
parts. He rarely attends
church. Nonetheless,
strong evangelical support
propelled him to the White
House.
Can anyone explain
this bizarre contradiction?
Does it mean that evangel
icals care little about sexu
al morality and family val
ues taught by their church
es? Are they more devoted
to Republican conserva
tivism than to their church
maxims? This paradox
smacks of cognitive disso
nance, the confusion suf
fered when opposite beliefs
clash inside a person.
A few white evangeli
cal Americans renounced
Trump, but the vast major
ity comprised his biggest
fan base. I hope that a pro
found scholar will explain
what impelled fundamen
talists in the 2016 election.
The outcome showed
that white evangelicals still
wield enormous political
power, even as they dwin
dle in U.S. society. Many
studies have outlined the
retreat of religion. Here's a
capsule summary:
Since World War II,
churchgoing has declined
in America and many faith
based laws have ended.
It's no longer a crime for
stores to open on the
Sabbath. It's no longer
illegal to buy a lottery tick
et or a cocktail or a maga
zine showing nudity.
Mandatory prayer was
removed from public
schools. Desperate women
and girls were allowed to
end unwanted pregnancies.
Gays were allowed to
elude prison, and finally
allowed to marry. Birth
control was legalized for
all couples. It's no longer a
crime for unwed couples to
live together. It's no longer
a crime for movies and
books to present sex.
Teaching evolution is
allowed in public school
biology classes.
These social transfor
mations rebuked the "reli
gious tight" allied with the
GOP. White evangelicals
feel that the ground is
crumbling beneath them.
Worse, young people are
leaving churches.
A new book, "The Ertd
of White Christian
America," by Robert
Jones, head of the Public
Religion Research
Institute, says that
Americans who say their
religion is "none" have
become the largest seg
ment in the United States.
They now constitute 25
percent of adults, com
pared to 21 percent who
are Catholic and 16 percent
who are evangelical. The
secular tide is sure to rise,
because 39 percent of
adults under 30 have no
church affiliation.
In a .Washington Post
interview a few months
ago, Jones said the retreat
of faith has been "swift and
dramatic" in recent
decades, first eroding
mainline "tall steeple"
Protestants, then Catholics
and finally evangelicals.
Southern Baptists lost
200,000 members in 2014,
then another 200,000 in
2015.
A previous book, "The
Great Evangelical
Recession," by
megachurch pastor John
Dickerson, warned that
"evangelicalism as we
knew it in the 20th century
is disintegrating." He said
"a majority of young peo
pie raised as evangelicals
are quitting church," and
"in coming years, we will
see the old evangelicalism
whimper and wane."
Well, those forecasts
may come true someday -
but in 2016, white evangel
icals decided the presiden
cy. They still have colossal
power.
Strangely, they chose a
president who contradicts
evangelical morality.
Trying to fathom
America's religio-political
tides is bewildering.
James Haught, syndi
cated by PeaceVoice, is
editor emeritus of West
Virginia's largest newspa
per, The Charleston
Gazette-Mail.
Holiday meals can be healthy as well as satisfying
Ramon P.
T Jamas
Guest
Columnist
Holiday
meals can be
healthy as
well as satis
fying
We all
know what
November
means: the
beginning of the holidays. We had
Thanksgiving; Christmas and New Year's
are coming.
Quality time with the family, office or
school holiday parties and seasonal
favorites - who can resist pumpkin pie and
eggnog, right? The holiday season brings a
wide mix of emotions and stress - both
good and bad - and the temptation of nos
talgic holiday treats can add yet another
concent; holiday weight gain.
While eating and merrymaking is both
expected and encouraged during these
special moments, excessive indulgence
can lead to health issues later.
This time of year doesn't have to be
synonymous with weight gain, especially
if you approach them with a sound game
plan that addresses three important factors
to gaining weight: nutrition, fitness and
stress management. We've compiled a
holiday eating game plan with strategies
that can help you horn gaining those
unwanted pounds.
Before-eating tips
?Don't skip meals - especially break
fast - in anticipation of eating larger holi
day meals later on. Research shows people
who eat a healthy breakfast tend to con
sume fewer calories during the day.
?Have a pre-meal. Don't go to a holi
day gathering on an empty stomach.
Snack on fruits or vegetables before head
ing out the door. This will give you a slight
feeling of being full, which will help pre
vent overeating later.
?Plan ahead. Have a plan for self-con
trol, especially when it comes to your most
tempting treats. Think ahead about the
sights, sounds, aromas and feelings that
trigger your personal patterns of overeat
ing, and then make plans to combat these
beforehand so they don't become over
whelming. Practicing awareness and
mindful eating helps reduce the potential
for excessive indulgence.
?Manage stress. Healthline
(http://www.healthline.com/health/holi
day-stress-management-tips#l ) high
lights five effective ways to manage stress
during the holiday season.
?Go for healthier alternatives.
Once you are in the game
?Stay hydrated. Sipping on a glass of
cold water or ice throughout the event
helps keep you feeling full and staves off
the dehydration that comes from eating
too many high-sugar, high-salt goodies.
Dehydration can actually mimic hunger;
tempting you to eat more when in reality,
you're just thirsty.
?Practice portion control. It's nice to
dig in to your favorite holiday treats.
However, the extra effort required later to
Photo Mytechref.com
work off the calories ? or worse, the
gaining of unwanted body fat from eating
too much ? should be reminders for por
tion control. So, eat what you want, just
keep your portions reasonable, chew food
slowly and keep return trips to a mini
mum.
?Size matters! The bigger the plate
you are eating from, the more food you are
likely to eat. Use smaller plates at the buf
fet line as they can help with portion con
trol.
?Be Mindful. Eat food because you're
hungry, not because it's there. Make a
deliberate decision to control so-called
recreational eating. Eat with your appetite,
not with your eyes. Examine what's avail
able, and then decide what you really
want.
?Eat slowly. The stomach needs about
20 minutes to tell the brain that it's feeling
full. But when food is gulped down, by the
time the stomach sends its fullness signal
to the brain, you've probably already eaten
too much food and too many calories. Fill
up your plate, eat slowly and then put the
brakes on for a while so that your stomach
can send its fullness signal to your brain.
?Veg out on veggies first. Filling up on
healthy, low-calorie, high-fiber vegetables
instead of high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt
and high-caffeine treats will make you feel
full without the drawbacks of dehydration,
nervousness, weight gain and overeating.
?Share the holiday spirit - and your
food. Save calories by splitting treats with
another person.
?Enjoy yourself. They don't call it "the
most wonderful time of the year" for noth
ing! But rather than focusing on food,
allow yourself to enjoy the personal rela
tionships, meaning of the season, personal
reflections, renewed spiritual dedication,
holiday games, fun and memories you're
blessed to have.
?Remember that healthy eating is only
half the battle. You also need to stay phys
ically active.
Happy holidays!
Ramon Paolo Llamas has worked in a
variety of settings in the public health and
healthcare fields since 2005. Ramon is
currently a freelance consultant and blog
ger based in Durham, NC. He writes for
Men's Health Network. Connect with him
via 1\vitter, ?RandomRPL, or on his web
site,
https://flipaswitchblog.wordpressjCom.