December 2020 Issue

Just As I Am

“What am I here for and what’s my purpose?” It’s a question we have all asked ourselves. We feel like we have an idea of our direction until, suddenly, a detour, a distraction, a new path grabs our attention. As a musician and songwriter, I know this cycle all too well. An original song might be in the works and a vibe going until all of a sudden a new chord or a new word piques my interest and changes everything. I like to diversify my music; however, I have learned one of the best ways for musicians to stay on a solid yet expanding track is by knowing their

Creativity and Business: Candace Cotterman Thibeault

Artist Spotlight: Candace Cotterman Thibeault Balance between creativity and business is a rare quality in an artist, but Candace Cotterman Thibeault makes it appear natural and fun — just like her paintings. Intrigued by art since childhood, Thibeault’s talent was recognized by teachers and peers throughout her formative years in Gilbert, South Carolina. After completing high school, she left the small town to attend Capital University in Ohio, where she obtained a Fine Arts Degree plus degrees in Public Relations and Art Therapy. After college, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and purchased an art gallery and frame shop. Thibeault became a small business owner and operator while simultaneously pursuing a

To Keep Christmas Well

“…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well …” It is among the closing lines from Charles Dickens’ classic story, “A Christmas Carol.” It may be one of the best remembered and most cherished sentences in the book. “To keep Christmas well,” I suspect, implies different things to each of us. But in the language of the day when this book was written, it meant to observe, or to honor, or to celebrate something. To actively remember. Perhaps in this year of rather lopsided “celebrations” — with their often double-edged experiences and wobbly sense of imbalance — I have found myself searching for

Fall of the Berlin Wall, Part II | First Person Account

My sister Ursula lived in Berlin. By 1989 she was chief oboist in the Theater des Westens, taught a number of oboe students, substituted at the Berlin Opera, and owned a woodwind repair shop. And she was in Berlin during the time when the Iron Curtain separating East from West began to crumble. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a foregone conclusion once Hungary opened its borders to Austria, which permitted more than 13,000 East Germans to board trains and flee to the West. On Thursday evening, November 9, 1989, the Wall “fell” when the border between East and West Berlin opened. In her words, continued: Nov 12 Sunday

Rocking Around the (Metal? Holly?) Christmas Tree | Cabinet of Curiosities

Have you ever watched A Charlie Brown Christmas television special and wondered about the metal Christmas tree lot that Charlie Brown visits? Did you know that cutting down a holly tree almost became illegal in our area? Let’s explore this curious affinity for metal Christmas trees and an early effort to save the holly tree in the latest episode of the Cabinet of Curiosities! The History of Christmas Trees When imagining our ancestors and how they may have spent Christmases a few hundred years in the past, many of us picture a happy family around a large, decorated tree, with a blazing fire in the hearth and children playing at

9 Financial Tips from a Wall Street Enthusiast

1. “Pay taxes on the seed, not the harvest.” When you invest in Roth IRAs and 401(k)s, you pay taxes on the money you contribute. Because you already paid the tax, no tax is collected when the money is taken back out. 2. Convert IRAs into Roth IRAs. Make after-tax contributions now, and you will enjoy tax-free withdrawals during retirement. 3. Convert 401(k)s into Roth 401(k)s. Make after-tax contributions now, and enjoy tax-free withdrawals during retirement. As an added bonus, companies often match some or all of the money you invest. 4. Utilize 1031 exchanges on Real Estate. There is a 6 month window to prevent payments on capital gains

Gearing Up Your Health in the New Year

2020 isn’t going to win any awards for the difficult and unpredictable year it’s been, with its controversial presidential election, pandemic, economic hardships, racial tensions, and widespread fear and uncertainty about health and quality of life going forward. Thousands have succumbed to a newfound virus called SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) that continues to elude medical doctors and scientists. Many of us found out that we aren’t as healthy as we thought and that we should have been taking better care of ourselves. Looking to the new year, what can we do to help our bodies become stronger and perhaps more resistant to the many pathogens out there? Perhaps

How much do you know about employee benefits?

It is the time of year when employees make their benefit selections. Many of them do not know what they are selecting, but next year thousands of dollars will be deducted from their paychecks to pay for benefits they know very little about. Many employees select the lowest premium plan without realizing that it does not cover the spouse’s prescription medications or the child’s therapy. A friend of mine recently came to me for assistance in selecting her family’s benefit plans for next year. She was handed an enrollment form to make her selections and no other information. When I started asking her questions, she could not answer them. There

Celebrating the Beauty of the Natural World through Artwork | “Outside and Around Us”

Artwork provided by Aiken Center for the Arts, used with permission Plein air painting is about leaving the four walls of your studio behind and experiencing painting and drawing in the landscape. An upcoming exhibition at Aiken Center for the Arts, “Outside and Around Us,” features plein air artwork by local artists Al Beyer, Bill Daniel, Sally Donovan, and Andrew Murphy from December 3, 2020 through January 29, 2021. For these artists, there is something about being in the environment as they paint that is important to them. It is more than simply painting outside; there is value from being in the open air. They are offered the opportunity to