LIfestyles

Last night I stood in the kitchen with Chad and asked him if he thinks my brain is working okay. I had had two incidents in the past couple of days of not being able to think of simple words that I was trying to use. We faced each other by the sink, and my eyes filled with tears, and he joked and then gave me a quiz on things I should remember. The good news is that I could remember the model and make of my first car, the names of people we haven’t seen in years from our distant past, and who the president was when I was born. A few moments before, I was afraid I was losing my mind, but in true Chad fashion, he reassured me and made me laugh and proved to me that I’m not losing my memory quite yet.

Small-town patriotic pride is more than a feeling; it is an experience woven into the rhythms of everyday life and passed down through a family’s generation or community. In many rural communities, patriotism is not expressed through grand gestures or national headlines but through the quiet, consistent acts that bind us together. This pride grows from a deep sense of belonging, a shared history, and the belief that one’s community reflects the best of the nation’s character. In small towns, patriotism is not just an idea. It is personal.

Director of Behavioral Health - Hamilton Hospital Heritage Senior Adult P rogram, Olney, Texas Have you ever woke up in life and asked yourself this question: “Who am I?” This is the hardest question anyone can answer in their lifetime. We are influenced by social media, public expectations, and constant comparison; many people find themselves wondering who they truly are beneath the roles they play. Yes, everyone plays roles and is an actor to some degree.