December 2020 Issue

Aiken Bella PDF

Palmetto Bella PDF

Aiken Bella PDF

Palmetto Bella PDF

Monthly Articles

100 Christmases | Palmetto Bella

100 Christmases

I walked into the old farmhouse that housed four generations of the Jenkins family. Suddenly memories of Christmas Eve flooded my mind. I remembered so many details of that special night that made me laugh and shed a tear, but mostly, my heart swelled with gratitude. Uncle Bill was standing in the doorway with his fancy video camera with enough lights to illuminate a football stadium. So what I did I get for Christmas that year? Retina damage… I remembered my grandfather — we called Gumpa. He sat in his old burgundy chair with the wooden arms. It was his corner, almost a sacred place. He had a bird’s eye

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Palmetto Bella | The Ancient Traditions of Yule

The Ancient Traditions of Yule

Yule, also known as Yuletide, Yulefest, and Winter Solstice, has many traditions that are present in current day religions. If you like history as much as I do, come on an exploration journey with me. First, what is Yule or the Winter Solstice? Solstice is derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). During this time of declination, the sun appears to be standing still. This year, that the solstice occurs on December 21. After this day, the days get longer until we reach the Summer Solstice. In ancient times, Yule was celebrated by the Germanic tribes of Northern Europe in anticipation of the return of

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Holidays and the Gathering Spirit | Palmetto Bella

Holidays and the Gathering Spirit

 Celebrations have social and emotional motivators Grandma Anderson made delicious meatballs with a secret ingredient called Rusk that is no longer found in stores. She taught my brothers and me to play Rook, which may explain why I still get the creeps when black birds soar overhead. Grandma Harper made prize-winning potato pancakes and stuffed cabbage. She taught us how to play pinochle and we would dance around the table if someone got what she called “a thousand aces.” My mamma was the most creative in the kitchen. She ventured away from traditional meat and potatoes and delighted us with recipes from our South American lifestyle. Gold Coast Stew served

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Just As I Am | Palmetto Bella

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

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To Keep Christmas Well | Palmetto Bella

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

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How much do you know about employee benefits? | Palmetto Bella

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

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Celebrate with a Piece of Cake | Palmetto Bella

Celebrate with a Piece of Cake

Everyone knows that 2020 has not been a piece of cake, but perhaps one thing that could help us all in this difficult time IS a delicious piece of cake. As the holidays quickly grow near, it’s time to gather with loved ones and bring some cheer. Think about those memorable dishes and traditional recipes you made with your mother, father, sibling, or grandparent. What great moments to remember while creating something that brings comfort and happiness on a particular day! After a bit of turkey, dressings, ham, salad, or green bean casserole, let’s take a stroll to the dessert table. Just a piece of cake can make any celebration

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OPEN - HANDED Generosity | Palmetto Bella

OPEN – HANDED Generosity

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across water to create many ripples.” MOTHER TERESA As we enter yet another month of the COVID-19 epidemic, I look around in wonder at the generosity I see in our community. Not only on the front lines in the ER, hospitals, police force, etc. but the dedicated service workers who continue to show up to keep a job, knowing they may be risking their own health as well as that of their families. What intrigues me the most is the generosity of those who daily continue to carry on the work of their churches and organizations manning the

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HOW TO Celebrate the Holidays WITH SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS | Palmetto Bella

HOW TO Celebrate the Holidays WITH SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS

In 2008 I finally figured out that the health problems I had been experiencing for over a year were due to food allergies and sensitivities. There were a number of foods that caused my symptoms, the primary ones being gluten grains (wheat, rye, barley), corn, soy, and milk. I began to feel much better during the summer after I eliminated these foods. During the fall I began thinking about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday meals that would be coming up. I could not eat the traditional turkey dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, or my mom’s pecan pie. Even the canned cranberry sauce was off-limits for me because it

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