Faces and Places

Mother’s Day is today, May 12, a holiday recognized nationally, thanks to a joint resolution signed by President Woodrow Wilson on May 8, 1914. That resolution designated the second Sunday in May as a day to celebrate mothers and their tireless dedication to their children and families. For one Lancaster mom, this Mother’s Day will probably have much more meaning than it used to.
Patty Penegar has two children, Wylie Penegar Jr., 20, and Brooke Penegar, 16. Wylie Jr. helps her run Extreme Automotive on Lynwood Drive. Brooke is an junior at Lancaster High School.

Susan Singleton admits to tearing up whenever she goes to the grocery store.

Instead of lean proteins like fish or chicken, she goes for the meat that’s about to expire because it’s what she can afford.

Instead of brand-name products, she fills her cart with knock-off items or whatever she has coupons for. The mother of three from Columbia  worries about what she is feeding her family.

“When I go to the store, I cannot buy healthy. I buy cheap,” Singleton said.

There are many events that can be categorized as milestones in life – turning 16 or 21, getting married, having a baby or reaching a 50th wedding anniversary. But turning 100 years old is a milestone that warrants a large party, a party that draws hundreds of people.

That’s exactly what happened at Morningside of Lancaster on March 16. Around 300 guests showed up to celebrate Ted Robinson’s 100th birthday at a party held in the parking lot on the Morningside campus.

There was a time in my military life when some assignments were better than others. That’s just how it works with Uncle Sam.

Just about everybody knows the government sends a GI to some awful places. It’s a given there are some duty stations where the likelihood of getting shot ain’t nearly as bad as others. But soldiers don’t set policy, they follow orders. You go where you are sent.

It had been almost four years since my last overseas assignment.