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Ladonna Armstrong

September 11, 2019

Partnerships are sometimes like marriages – some make it; some don’t.

Over the summer my business partnership split up, and I am happily publishing Bella on my own now. Getting this first solo issue out has been difficult, but at the same time it has exceeded my expectations. Once again I have received an overwhelming amount of support from the community with comments like “You got this!” to “Let me know if there is ANYTHING I can do to help you out.” Bella has been everything I thought it would be, and I have been connecting with the community just as I hoped I would! That partnership is working!

Back to Basics

For quite some time, inside me, there has been a “pull” to this magazine, something I needed to do. When faced with multiple challenges over the summer, it took everything I had in the way of perseverance and tenacity to get this issue out. I had a pure love of Aiken behind my efforts and at every crossroads, I chose Bella.

I had a vision that I had to go back to basics. First, I had to define those basics, and keep them in front of me as my warrior shield for every challenge I took on. It turned out to be very simple:

God is good. He shows up, right on time.

I love my four daughters.

I love Aiken.

And right now, that’s enough.

During the summer, I also learned something about accomplishment. For my father, now deceased, I knew it was all about status and money. However, I just found out that for my mother, it means setting a goal and attaining it. I am following my mother’s example, and that’s why you’re reading this column right now.

Back to the Future

Publishing a magazine means always looking to the future one issue at a time and also looking at the big picture. I want Bella to have a multimedia presence – print, online, blogging, social media, and even YouTube. I want to expand distribution beyond that invisible 50-mile radius to draw more people into Aiken, so we can share this wonderful place we have.

Of course, there are lots of other things and experiences in life I want to add as I go along – for Bella and for myself. I have a feeling those will happen naturally.

Thanks to my Bella “Backers”

I want to thank the many people who have supported me in pursuing this dream and making it come true. I feel very accomplished right now, and I couldn’t have done it without you. There are too many to mention here, but the following were my heavy hitters, the ones that helped keep the game going:

Ladonna Armstrong

Publisher of Aiken Bella Magazine.

Ladonna Armstrong

Publisher of Aiken Bella Magazine.

In the know

The Grandma Mystique

What is it? This Grandma Thing? I’d heard other women talk about how amazing it was to be a grandmother, and, when they talked about their grandchildren, they seemed completely, almost embarrassingly, smitten. I really didn’t think that would happen to me — until it did. But, how? Why? For one thing, grandmahood is the ultimate do-over. Even the best parents are only operating by trial and error, and the errors, unfortunately, have really loud voices. By the time we’re grandparents, however, we’ve garnered a bit of wisdom and perhaps some confidence as well. We see that, despite our many flaws and failures, we’ve managed to raise law-abiding citizens who

Memorial Day

Marines in dress uniform lead the parade Senior citizens seek shelter in the shade Scouts march in step along with high school bands City officials greet the public in the reviewing stands. Just across the way among the flag-waving public stage Stands an old veteran, stooped and bearing the burden of age Suddenly he stands erect, his right hand raised in salute As Old Glory passes, he offers his valiant tribute. His left hand whisks away a tear from his eye as he recalls those to whom he never said “Goodbye.” From Flanders Field where the poppies grow To Arlington, its pristine white crosses row upon row From the flag

Shooting Down Fear

Fear of the unknown can be quite the compelling catalyst. It is easy to put a feeling on the top shelf, pushed as far back as it can go, in that out-of-the-way closet that is never opened. When it does arise, you quickly avert recognition of said feeling and wait for it to pass from your field of view. This is what the thought of holding a firearm was like for me. I was never really exposed to firearms growing up. My father hunted dove with his shotgun when I was younger. Until I moved out to go to college, the shotgun stayed zipped up in a bag, standing upright

Whatcha Gonna Name the Baby?

If I had a quarter for every time I was asked this question, I could have paid for my child’s college education. Names are interesting. Southerners love to unearth the family Bible and hunt for names or find old church cemeteries and read tombstones. Charleston people like to use street names; I can make fun of Charlestonians since I am one. Meet my son Ashley Tradd Beufain Smith. Our daughter’s name will be Calhoun Vandeshorst Lockwood Ravenel. My high school bud, Dr. George Gratzick has a great suggestion for twin boys. He said to name one twin Heyward and the other Ulysses. Just yell “hey, you” when you forget which