Greetings, it's so good to be back with you again.

We lost a couple of big ones since last time we spoke. T.J. Ogelsby, the "insurance man," and a fella who was a mainstay at Newton Package for about a quarter of a century. He was quite gregarious; he never really met a stranger. He had a good sense of humor, too. And those that knew him could tell you - he had a really big heart and was an emotional and at times, sensitive, person. He always was real supportive of me when I took over the reigns as manager years ago, and he always made a point to be helpful. He was a really cool guy, and the world will be poorer without him.

We also lost Mrs. Delia Fleming. She was a quite a woman. You always knew where you stood with her, that's for sure. While we had our differences a few times over the years in the political arena, I always had a soft spot in my heart for her, and the feeling was mutual. She was very much a mentor and a teacher to me, and I will always appreciate that.

She'd been on my mind a lot the last several weeks and while at the graveside service it all caught up to me. I, along with several others there, had a pretty big cry. She meant a lot to me. She meant a lot to a whole bunch of folks. She will be missed. Rest in Peace, Ms. Delia.

I oftentimes think about the scene in "Forrest Gump" when the momma is dying. "Death is just a part of life," she tells her son. We've all got to pay that debt, don't we? And while we know those who've passed on are in a better place once they get home to Glory, it doesn't always make it easier for us left in the earthly realm. We still naturally feel those feelings of loss. We miss them. Sometimes we may even feel remorse or regret, and that's totally natural.

It's a good reminder to always make that call. Let someone you know and love know how you feel. Live each day to the fullest, seize the day, and, y'all know, all the rest of that stuff... 

After Hours

I'm pretty excited about an event going down at Moxie Fitness this Friday, July 7. The proprietor of this place, Lindsey Moore, is offering - "Date Night: A couples yoga mini-retreat." For $35 a couple, you get light snacks and refreshments, and a beginner's-style yoga class. Sounds good to me.

Ann has always been a yoga enthusiast and has taken classes off and on over the years. My exposure has been a little bit more limited. I remember that lady on Georgia public television back in the early 80s. I used to watch it as a kid and actually tried some of the exercises. It was fun.

My thought is if I do this I may end up getting “stove up” or possibly locking up my back or something. Hope not, but I'm kind of out of shape. But, I always love a challenge, so I think I might have to give it a shoot. Either way, this sounds like a lot of fun.

Arts & Culture

Well, as some of you know, I've really been interested in covering some culture in this space. I've talked, in a few columns, about how I was working on it and that we were going to be covering some culture at some point. Finally, I talked about a croquet tournament at Oxford College a while back. Sounded pretty cultural to me, but as an alert reader mentioned to me - that was really more sport oriented.

So I decided to hit the reset button and go back to the drawing board. My first step was to define the word. Per Merriam-Webster, I found this: "Enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training...acquaintance with and taste in the fine arts, humanities and broad aspects of science."

Well, that sounds just wonderful. Now that we've properly defined the "what," I think we're going to be getting you some good culture here real soon.

That’s all that’ll fit this time around. Look for an expanded “Kayla’s Korner” on Monday at www.covnews.com talking about the big celebration on the square and a couple of other cool things in the way that only Miss Kayla can.