family – The Grip

Children’s wants should never be more important than a family’s needs

April 27, 2018 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

This editorial column by Maria McCoy was previously published in the print edition of The GRIP. A few weeks ago, my family decided to eat a little later than normal. We met at Applebee’s and unfortunately, there were only two waitresses there, so the wait for our food was pretty long. Upon leaving, my 16-year-old […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles, Top Stories Tagged With: children, family, Griffin, Lifestyles, Maria McCoy, parenting, Personal Growth, Priorities, relationships, spalding county

“I know” always stops the flow

April 27, 2018 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

This editorial column by Dusty Takle was previously published in the print edition of The GRIP. “I know.” I can remember growing up responding to my parents with “I know” when they would say something to me. Every time, my dad would say, “Don’t say ‘I know.’ Say, ‘yes, sir’ or ‘yes ma’am.’” I had […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles, Top Stories Tagged With: Dusty Takle, faith, family, Griffin, Lifestyles, parenting, Personal Growth, relationships, spalding county

Missing Spalding teen Aubrey Carroll returns home

April 17, 2018 by Sheila Mathews 4 Comments

STAFF REPORT ::: Aubrey Jayce Carroll, the Spalding County teen missing since May 2016, has been located and chose to return to his Georgia home. According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, a joint effort of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Texas Rangers led […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Aubrey Jayce Carroll, family, FBI, Griffin, Lt. Mike Morris, missing child, reunited, runaway, Sheriff Darrell Dix, spalding county, Spalding County Sheriff's Office, Texas Rangers

Marriage means giving what your spouse can’t and hitting 100 percent together

November 28, 2017 by Sheila Mathews 2 Comments

This editorial column by Maria McCoy was published in the most recent print edition of The GRIP. I hear people say it all the time – marriage is 50/50. I used to get really irritated and say to them, “No. Marriage is 100/100.” I was wrong, y’all. So incredibly wrong, and I apologize for leading […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles, Top Stories Tagged With: family, Griffin, Lifestyles, Maria McCoy, marriage, relationships, spalding county

Whatever you do, DON’T. GIVE. IN.

October 2, 2017 by Sheila Mathews 1 Comment

This editorial column written by Dusty Takle was previously published in a print edition of The GRIP. For the past six months, I’ve watched a very close family friend navigate through his third bout with cancer….his second with bone cancer. For those of you who’ve experienced or watched someone go through this kind of pain, […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles, Top Stories Tagged With: Dusty Takle, faith, family, Griffin, Inspiration, Lifestyles, Love, Mike Thompson, perserverence, spalding county

Don’t be the dinosaur your children’s lives

September 15, 2017 by Sheila Mathews 1 Comment

This editorial column written by Maria McCoy previously appeared in a print edition of The GRIP. My seven-year-old acted out at the sitter’s house the other day. She was angry, and she was screaming at the sitter. When I got home, I addressed the situation with her. I wanted to make sure she understood that […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles, Top Stories Tagged With: children, family, Griffin, Lifestyles, Maria McCoy, parenting, relationships, spalding county, stress

Decide what, who, how and do it

September 14, 2017 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

This editorial column written by Dusty Takle appeared in a recent print edition of The GRIP. Decide. The word decide came alive for me not long ago. I was sitting up in my bed, scrolling through social media and came across a video on positive thinking posted by a dear friend. In the video, several […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles, Top Stories Tagged With: creating, Dusty Takle, faith, family, Griffin, Lifestyles, possibilities, spalding county, vision

A health care solution must be found

August 18, 2017 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

This editorial column written by Maria McCoy previously appeared in the print edition of The GRIP. In the days prior to my Dad’s unexpected death, he spent five days in ICU at a hospital in Florida. You see, my dad had a heart attack on Monday, June 26. It was allegedly a “minor” heart attack. […]

Filed Under: Health, Top Stories Tagged With: family, Griffin, health care, Lifestyles, Maria McCoy, spalding county

Live around the banquet table

August 18, 2017 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

This is an editorial column written by Dusty Takle that previously appeared in the print edition of The GRIP. The church I attend and serve has focused the entire year around the banquet table. Our initial scripture that inspired the theme was from Luke 14:23, So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the […]

Filed Under: Religion, Top Stories Tagged With: Dusty Takle, Encouragement, faith, family, Griffin, Lifestyles, religion, spalding county

Parenting. It only gets better.

August 7, 2017 by Sheila Mathews 3 Comments

This editorial column was written by Dusty Takle, and previously appeared in print. Before I began parenting during the teen years, some parents told me, “Just wait. You think parenting is hard now…..” I always wanted to respond, “Do you not remember what it is like parenting two- and three-year-olds? That’s hard.” I never responded, […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles, Top Stories Tagged With: Dusty Takle, family, Griffin, lifestyle, Lifestyles, parenting, spalding county

Don’t underestimate your value

June 9, 2017 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

The following is an editorial column by Maria McCoy that appeared in the last print edition of The GRIP. This is going to sound harsh. I don’t intend for it sound that way but I DO hope to get through to someone. I see and hear it every day. Most of the time it’s a […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles Tagged With: domestic violence, family, Lifestyles

Embrace each of life’s “last times” – the moments that will never come again

January 8, 2017 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

MARIA MCCOY – COLUMNIST ::: The funny thing about “the last time” is that you rarely ever get the opportunity to know, understand and appreciate that it’s the last time. One minute, you’re buying Iron Man dolls off of a Christmas list and by the same time the following year, you are looking at a […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles Tagged With: child rearing, children, family, Lifestyles, Maria McCoy, Memories, motherhood, spalding county

Five family members injured in Sunday afternoon wreck

November 29, 2015 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Five members of one family were injured in a Sunday afternoon wreck at the intersection of North Expressway and Highway 92. Three of those injured were children, the youngest being only one-week-old. According to Sgt. Matt McFarlan, of the Griffin Police Department Uniform Patrol Division, the wreck occurred when a driver […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: baby, children, Egleston, family, Griffin, Griffin Police Department, Highway 92, North Expressway, spalding county, wreck

Keep calm and eat bacon

March 18, 2014 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

DUSTY TAKLE ::: In England, tea is the answer to all life’s woes. In my world, it’s bacon, but when bacon isn’t available, I have to make a choice to be calm. I have to choose calmness. I have to choose peace. We can choose to be calm at any given moment. We have trained […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles, Religion Tagged With: calm, children, Dusty Takle, faith, family

Think on these things

January 12, 2014 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

DUSTY TAKLE ::: 8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from […]

Filed Under: Lifestyles Tagged With: Dusty Takle, family, religion