COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Dear Abby: In 1985 I met a lovely divorced lady with two adorable children. The three of us got along well. A year later I married into this family. Until then I had no children of my own.
The kids had regular visits with their father. The first Father’s Day after I married their mom, we arranged for them to spend the weekend with him. When they returned home that Sunday night, they were exhausted and off to bed they went.
I did some thinking about the idea of celebrating holidays and realized there are holidays in every month except August. (Even a rodent gets his day in February.) My family and I discussed it and came up with the idea for a Step Parents’ Day on the second Sunday in August. When that day arrived, we all went to church and then to brunch. The kids gave me cards and a nice gift. It was a wonderful day, and it became a tradition every year after that.
I wrote a letter about it to our mayor. He sent me back an official-looking document with his signature proclaiming the second Sunday in August to be Step Parents’ Day in our city. It was gratifying.
Abby, your readers in blended families may want to observe this special day, too.
Stepdad in Ohio
Dear Stepdad: Your letter made me smile. When I went online to learn more about it, I discovered that, for more than 20 years, there has been a National Stepfamily Day observed on Sept. 16. You may want to consider adding it to your calendar because it’s a day that celebrates ALL members of the blended family, not just the parents.
Dear Abby: My future sister-in-law, “Leta,” and her daughter came from overseas to visit for a few weeks. It was their first time in the U.S. They had never met my family, and I decided a bowling excursion would be a good way for them to meet my sister “Eileen” and her family. We all had a great time.
Later that evening, Eileen texted me saying a friend of hers was recently diagnosed with lipedema and Leta may have it as well, based on her body type. I ignored the text but didn’t think to delete it.
A few days later my fiancee saw the text. Now she’s furious with my sister. My fiancee says Eileen was “rude and judgmental,” and she shouldn’t judge someone she just met because Eileen isn’t in the medical profession. Eileen says she was only pointing out something she had noticed and wanted us to know in case my future sister-in-law ever complained about it. Was my sister out of line to do it?
Stuck in the Middle
Dear In The Middle: Not knowing Eileen, I won’t accuse her of being rude or judgmental. Her motive may have been pure when she mentioned her concerns in light of her friend’s diagnosis. While your fiancee had a point when she said your sister doesn’t have the expertise to make a medical diagnosis, the text that upset her was meant for you, not her, and she shouldn’t have been reviewing it without your permission.
Contact Dear Abby at www. DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. TODAY
The annual Rome Shrine Club Telethon will be held today. The event will be televised on Comcast channel 4 throughout the weekend and will feature Southern Gospel singing groups. All net funds raised will go to pay children’s medical expenses and research expenses at Shriners Hospitals.
The BRIDGES series presented by First Baptist Church of Rome will be held today. Admission is free. Author and educator Ruby K. Payne will present three sessions as part of the BRIDGES series titled “What Every Church Member Should Know about Poverty” from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall at First Baptist Church; “Bridges to Sustainable Communities” from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. and “Emotional Poverty: How to Reduce Anger, Anxiety, and Violence in the Classroom” from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Rome City Auditorium. For more information visit www.fbcrome.org.
The Rome Fire Department will be performing mandatory hydrant flow testing through Saturday in North Rome.
MONDAY
The Ridge & Valley Storytelling Guild will host “A Time to Tell: A Time for Adult Storytelling” on Monday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Oostanaula Room at the library, 205 Riverside Parkway. The theme will be stories about a gift. Come share a story or come listen to others tell their story. For more information email TerrellShaw@me.com.
The Georgia Mountain Music Club meets Mondays from 6-8 p.m. at the Charles C. Parker Senior Center, 1325 Kingston Highway. Members and guests perform bluegrass, country and gospel music. All acoustic instruments are welcome. Visitors are welcome to attend the free program. For more information call 706-584-1724.
TUESDAY
The 525 Chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart will dedicate a new monument at Myrtle Hill Cemetery, 20 Myrtle St., at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in observation of Purple Heart Day. The monument honors 22 local soldiers who were killed in action during the Vietnam War including Lesley S. Ayers, Alexander B. Blanton, James A. Brock, William L. Covington, Donald W. Dixon, William W. English, William E. Finley, William R. Fowler, Johnny E. Gantt, John D. Gollahon, Judson Hall, Albert J. Hayes, Joseph Hillman, Thomas S. Jones, Richard L. Justine, William G. McGinnis III, Joseph S. Prince, Tommy O. Segars Jr., Johnny W. Sitten, Eddie L.
Spivey, Leroy B. Webb and Larry K. Wheeler. The public is invited to attend. For more information contact Cmdr. Archie D. Armer at 706-634-1749 or by email at purpleheartrome525@ gmail.com.
WEDNESDAY
The Gary Tillman Memorial Clocktower 5K Road Race and 2-Mile Health Walk will be held Aug. 18 at 8 a.m. starting at Heritage Park. Registration for the 5K is $30 and the health walk is $25. Preregistration will close Wednesday. Proceeds will benefit the Family Resource Center. Visit tillmanclocktowerrace.org to register.
Rome-Floyd Parks & Recreation hosts free bingo at the Charles C. Parker Senior Center, 1325 Kingston Highway, on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. Call 706-234-0383 for more information.
To list an event email RomeNewsTribune@RN-T.com or call 706-290-5252. To have an event listed in Roman Record as well, please send it at least 10 days in advance. Not seeing your club or meeting date? Check the Clubs & Meetings calendar every Sunday.