The Alvin Advertiser (Alvin, Tex.), Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 11, 2019 Page: 4 of 14
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Editorial/Opinions
Columns
A
DAVID RUPKALVIS - publisher@alvinsun.net
Some of the best blessings are in disguise
Letters to the Editor policy
4
4
9^
Government Access
St 3K
ADVERTISER
Published on Wednesdays
like most things, surprisingly
simple. I just have to remember
to be grateful. Here I am, well
Don’t
don’t
DONNA HOPKINS - officemanager@alvinsun.net
STEPHEN COLLINS - sportseditor@alvinsun.net
JOSHUA TRUKSA - reporter@alvinsun.net
BRENDA GROVES - ads@alvinsun.net
KOBIE LEE - advertising@alvinsun.net
BETTY CRAWFORD - classifieds@alvinsun.net
LINDA KNIGHT - composing@alvinsun.net
SHERI SAENZ - circulation@alvinsun.net
The Alving N
Published on Sundays
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Be Prepared
by Cameron Peters
The Postscript
by Carrie Classen
President
Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
(202)456-1414
comments@whitehouse.gov
U.S. Senator
John Cornyn
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510-5922
(202) 224-2934
5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 980
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 572-3337
Fax: 202-228-2856
comyn.senate.gov/pubhc/
U.S. Senator
Ted Cruz
B40B Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D. C. 20510
(202) 224-5922
808 Travis Street, Suite 1420
Houston, Tx 77002
(713) 718-3057
cmz.senate.gov
U.S. Representative
Randy Weber Dist. 14
1708 Longworth
House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2831
weber.house.gov
U.S. Representative
Pete Olson Dist. 22
2133 Raybum
House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5951
Governor
Greg Abbott
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, TX 78711
Info and Referral:
800-843-5789
Opinions: 800-252-9600
governor, state, tx.us/contact
State Senator
Larry Taylor Dist. 11
RO. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512)463-0111
174 Calder Rd. Ste. 151
League City, TX 77573
281-332-0003
State Representative
Dennis Bonnen
Room CAP 1W.6, Capitol
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0564
122 E. Myrtle
Angleton, TX 77515
(979) 848-1770
dennis.bonnen@house.state.tx.us
State Representative
Ed Thompson Dist. 29
1400 N. Congress Ave.,,. 1N.7
Austin, TX 78701
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768-2910
(512) 463-0707
ed.thompson@house.state.tx.us
6302 W. Broadway, Ste. 220
Pearland, TX 77581
281-485-4855
olson.house.gov
PAGE 4A, THE ALVIN ADVERTISER, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
This page is recyclable *7
My Turn
by David Rupkalvis
570 Dula Street, Alvin, Texas 77511 • (281) 331-4421
This page contains opinions and comments. Editorials express The Alvin Advertiser viewpoints. Other items which appear
are expressions of those whose name appear, and may or may not reflect The Alvin Advertiser opinions. Comments on
subjects of general public interest from readers are accepted. All letters must be signed, home address and phone number
given and conform to published standards limiting in length to 500 words, be in good taste and good reason. Please, not
more than 500 words. All letters will be subject to editing in content and length. The use or republication of any material of
The Alvin Advertiser is strictly prohibited without the express consent of the management.
is it possible I am getting
anything done without working
like mad to do it?
Part of this, I am convinced, is
because I don’t actually have to
start from scratch, as I thought I
did — at least not completely.
By middle-age, we’ve all picked
up a skill or two — even if it
doesn’t always feel that way,
even if those skills look quite
different from the new thing
making we’re trying. It’s amazing how
transferable these skills turn out
to be.
I call this getting “credit for
time served,” and it’s a
wonderful thing. But it makes
me feel a little woozy sometimes.
The cure for the dizziness and
■■i AMEMBER
2019
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
It was not pleasant for us and
certainly not pleasant for her,
but it helped. She learned to
cope with things and we learned
to watch, listen and be better
parents. Today, our daughter is
doing much better and is almost
back to the child we had for
years. We are the lucky ones.
My in-laws were not so lucky.
Their daughter suffered with
depression for years, but like
most people they chose to ignore
the issue rather than face it. And
their daughter tried to cope in
different ways. Just in her young
20s, she was married twice, had
a young baby and seemed to be
happy.
But the outward appearance
was a lie. Several years ago, she
took a gun and left the house,
leaving only a short note for her
husband saying he could do
better. For two days, she moved
around town before going to a
• Physical Activity-School-
aged youth are recommended to
achieve a minimum of 60
minutes or more of physical
activity throughout the day.
Make a family activity calendar
at home and motivate each other
to be active together. Enjoy the
outdoors and take a walk, ride
bikes, build a garden, practice
stretching or play a basketball
game in your driveway. Engage
in a friendly competition with
other families and see who can
“Walk Across Texas” first. For
more information on a free
eight-week physical activity
program, visit http://
wal kacros stexas. tamu. edu/
• Healthy Nutrition - Always
plan out your meals before
grocery shopping to limit the
temptations of unhealthy foods.
Choose more fruit and
vegetables as snacks throughout
the day and make them half of
your plate for meals. Drink
plenty of water to avoid
dehydration and limit sugary
beverages. Remember that when
Letters Policy: Com-
ments on subjects of gen-
eral public interest from
readers are accepted. All
letters must be signed, in-
clude a home address and
phone number, conform
to published standards, be
limited in length to 500
words (with some excep-
tions) and be in good taste
and good reason. All letters
will be subject to editing in
content and length. While
we do allow writers to challenge elected officials, no letters will
be accepted that take issue with a private individual or private
business. We also limit the number of letters that will appear on
one related topic.
During election season, letters supporting or opposing issuess
on the ballot are encouraged. However, no letters will publish
closer than 10 days before Election Day. A limited number of
letters supporting candidates for office will be accepted.
While we will make every effort to publish all letters we re-
ceive, the Alvin Advertiser reserves the right to deny publica-
tion of any letter.
The use or republication of any material of The Advertiser is
strictly prohibited without the express consent of the manage-
ment.
Letters to the Editor can be emailed to publisher@alvinsun.
net or they can be mailed or dropped at off at our office at 570
Dula St., Alvin, Texas 77511.
scrolling social media or playing
video games may also lead to
lack of sleep for some children,
which is also a risk factor for
obesity. There is a cycle of
events that all lead to the
development of obesity. Over
the years there has been a trend
of inactivity and easy
accessibility to inexpensive,
high calorie foods and empty
calorie beverages.
How can we help support the
healthy growth and development
that children need to become
healthy adults? It is most
important to be a healthy role
model for your family. Making
health a priority and caring
about the quality of the food that
your family eats, and how much
activity they get is really the
first step. Seek out help and
resources so that you feel
supported when making changes
for yourself and your family. Try
making some of the following
changes and look at these helpful
resources from Texas A&M
AgriLife Extension
Alvin
Click here
to view
our website
=—7
Till next time,
Carrie
Carrie Classon’s memoir,
“Blue Yarn,” was released
earlier this year. Learn more at
CarrieClasson.com.
fun and exciting. The reason I
get to do it is not because I
deserve it or have worried
enough, but because the world is
filled with new, fun, exciting
things. And for this I am very
grateful.
I take a moment to remember
that I have far more blessings
than I could ever recognize.
Nearly every time something
does not go the way I expect, the
result ends up better than I could
have imagined. Nearly every
disappointment I encounter ends
up opening up a possibility I
would never have had the
courage to consider.
Now, instead of panicking, I
am working to train myself to
recognize these blessings when
they show up at my door.
“Oh, it’s you!” I want to say to
them when they show up,
wearing yet another unexpected,
slightly preposterous costume.
“I’d recognize you anywhere.”
come.
No one was responsible for
Carri’s decision. Her mind told
her she had no value and the
world would be better off
without her. No one else made
that happen.
I don’t know if anyone needs
to read this, but no matter who
you are, your life has value. No
matter how bad things may look,
you mean something to this
world.
When you can’t find hope, try
to remember there is hope.
When you feel helpless,
remember there is help. If you
feel like your life has no value,
don’t lash out. Day or night, call
or text 1-800-273-8255 and
someone will be there to help
you.
For the rest of
attention.
depression,
hotel, calling 9-1-1 and killing
herself.
In her mind, there was no
other way.
I was at work when I got a call
from my son. He found out
before my wife did and he
wanted me home before she
learned. I raced home and
walked in the door to my wife
crying helplessly. And there was
nothing I could do. I hugged her
and held her and she wept.
To this day, I will catch her
crying if she sees something or
reads something that makes her
think of her sister.
Cam couldn’t see it, but her
life had immense value. Her
husband, her son, her sisters and
brothers, her parents continue to
grieve. They lost a piece of
themselves for no obvious
reason. And they will have a
lifetime to try to figure out why,
to look for answers that won’t
The unwanted rise in childhood obesity
Over the past four decades,
the rise in childhood obesity has
significantly impacted many
children, adolescents and adults.
The Centers for Disease Control
states that one in every five
children in the United States has
obesity. Children with obesity
are at a higher ri sk for developing
chronic health conditions, such
as asthma, joint and bone
complications, sleep apnea and
Type 2 diabetes. They are also at
a higher risk for developing
heart disease, due to potential
high blood pressure and high
cholesterol. Children with
obesity are more likely to be
obese as adults which increases
the risk Type 2 diabetes and
heart disease, as well and many
types of cancers. Also, children
just don’t feel the energy like
they should as a child when they
are carrying extra pounds.
There are many factors that
have a major influence on
obesity in children. Eating
behaviors, lack of physical
activity, metabolism and family
genetics are the most
individualized factors; however,
home environment and social
factors play a huge role. One of
the most influential risk factors
of them all is screen time. Too
much time spent being inactive
while watching television,
Don't let your secrets become deadly
Everyone has secrets in their
lives. Some are big, some are
small, but everyone has secrets.
For far too many, the secrets
— whatever they may be — can
turn deadly. There was a time
many years ago, my secrets, my
internal fears drove me to
consider death. Fortunately, it
didn’t last long and I had a good
family and good friends.
But that’s not the case for too
many. This week is National
Suicide Prevention Week, and I
chose this often depressing topic
to write about because suicide is
very real in my life and in the
lives of many around me.
A year ago around this time,
my wife and I found out our
daughter had not only considered
but tried to end her own life. It
was obvious there was
something wrong, but it’s real
easy to write things off as “being
a teen” or something like that.
We only found out how bad
things were because she messed
up and let mom see some things
she was trying to hide. When we
found out, our daughter spent a
day in the emergency room and
then a week as a patient at a
psychiatric hospital in Houston.
They say that blessings come
in disguise.
If so, my blessings are poorly
disguised. They show up
wearing false noses and funny
eyeglasses and are instantly
recognizable unless I am being
completely thick-headed — and
it is astonishing how often I am.
I had a really bad year a few
years back when I lost my
husband and my job and my
home in rapid succession. All of
this happened while I was living
in Nigeria (which was not great
to begin with). I realized
immediately that this was very
bad news. But I also figured out,
pretty early on, that I had been
given an opportunity to start my
life from scratch.
Nearly every day since I hear
of someone else who has
overcome tragedy, a dreadful
illness, a setback or
disappointment in their life and
found new meaning and purpose
as a direct result of their terrible
experience.
Somehow, it is almost harder
to live with unexpected good
news. “What the heck?” I say. “I
wasn’t expecting this!”
Part of the challenge of
us, pay
ignore
overlook
changes in behavior. As parents,
don’t let the idea that your
children deserve privacy stop
you from being parents. Ask
questions, listen closely to the
answers and pay attention every
day. Every life has value. That’s
a lesson we should remember
this and every week.
you take your family out to eat it
is best for your kids to drink
water than any other beverage
and in turn their stomachs will
not be as full and they will eat
more of their food. Cooking at
home is of course a healthier
and more social option. Invite
your children to help you
prepare and cook a meal, not
only is this fun for them, but
they are learning about healthy
foods. To try some quick and
healthy recipes, visit https://
dinnertonight.tamu.edu
• Screen Time - Boundaries
for screen time and social media
should always be followed daily.
A good balance will help limit
inactivity. It is recommended
that children 6 years and older
should limit their screen time
from one or two hours a day.
Set automatic limits on phones
and tablets, and motivate your
child to engage in youth
development programs such at
4-H.
As parents, grandparents and
guardians we must make
positive changes for our
children. We are the most
important influencers in their
lives. The positive change for a
healthy lifestyle must come
from us. There are many things
we can do to be a health role
model for the youth.
navigating changes at mid-life is
that they don’t seem to follow
any sensible trajectory. When I
was n my 20s, things seemed to
move slowly, but in an expected
way.
Thirty-plus years later, my life
hopscotches from one thing to
the next in a way that can be
disorienting.
I started writing in earnest at
age 50.1 sold a book, started this
column and now am
plans to tour a show (with a
musician!) that features writings
from the book and the columns.
It has all happened so quickly, I
find myself feeling stressed and
out of sorts.
“What was it I was supposed
to be working on?” I ask myself, anxiety and disorientation is,
as my attention gets divided and
diverted and drawn to something
else. I worry that I am missing
something. I worry that I am not past the beginning of “middle-
paying sufficient attention. How age” starting something new and
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The Alvin Advertiser (Alvin, Tex.), Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 11, 2019, newspaper, September 11, 2019; Alvin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1251082/m1/4/: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Alvin Community College.