Hometown Rankin - December 2015 & January 2016

publisher & Editor
Tahya A. Dobbs
CFO
Kevin W. Dobbs
Consulting Editor
Mary Ann Kirby
Account Executives
Alicia Adams
LeeAnn Evans
Rachel Lombardo
Contributing Writers
Camille Anding
Susan O'Bryan
Mary Ann Kirby
Susan Marquez
Kerri Walker
staff Photographer
Othel Anding
Contributing
Photographers
Bubba Brantley
Charla Jordan
Angie Miles
Administrative
Assistants
Alisha Floyd
Brenda McCall
Layout Design
Daniel Thomas - 3dt
Missy Donaldson - MAD Designs
• • •
This special Christmas edition marks Hometown
Magazines’ second anniversary. As I celebrate our
wonderful, exciting venture, I also reflect over the
year’s happenings that have made up life for us in 2015.
There were wonderful things that happened
along the way but it was also a year of great loss.
We attended two funerals—my grandmother’s and
father-in-law’s. Then, in October, we experienced the
loss of our family pet, Thatcher. Maybe it was that it
all happened within a relatively short period of time
–but it felt like a lot to deal with and it was hard.
However, sunshine always follows the storms,
and the July sunshine was a big part of our oldest
child’s wedding. Camea and Justin’s ceremony was
a memorable highlight of 2015.
CandyLee, our youngest, added to the fanfare
when she enrolled in summer school in order to
graduate high school a year early. She completed
her endeavor and is now a freshman at Hinds.
And while we helped get her registered in early
August, we packed Carson’s belongings to move him
into an apartment in Oxford as a junior at Ole Miss.
All those back-to-back highlights saved me a lot of
tears because there was no time to cry!
One of my favorite articles in this issue is the one
on foster parenting. My own family cared for four
brothers in the foster program for two years and saw,
first-hand, the challenges and rewards. It changed
our lives in such a profoundly positive way.
In this season of giving, God may not ask you to
become a foster parent, but He may touch your heart
to encourage a foster parent you know. Perhaps you
would consider a Christmas donation to an orphanage.
Or, like the article suggests, be willing to help parents
that foster by giving them a much needed break and
offering an occasional hand.
Christmas originated with the
greatest Gift. In honor of Him,
why not continue the giving spirit?
www.facebook.com
/hometownrankinmagazine
For subscription information
visit www.htmags.com
Contact us at info@HTMags.com
601.706.4059
26 Eastgate Drive, Suite F
Brandon MS 39042
• • •
All rights reserved. No portion of Hometown Rankin
may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher. The management of Hometown Rankin
is not responsible for opinions expressed by its
writers or editors. Hometown Rankin maintains the
unrestricted right to edit or refuse all submitted
material. All advertisements are subject to approval by
the publisher. The production of Hometown Rankin
is funded by advertising.
On the cover: Junior Auxiliary of Rankin County members Mindy Gilmore, Allison Cox, Lexie Wren, Patti Bryant,
Megan Dallas and Jennifer Salter
In this issue Favorite Christmas Memories 4
Christmas Treats & Treasures 13
The Gregg Harper Family 26
An Authentic
Christmas Journey 32
Teach the Children 44
Another Place at the Table 54
Recycled Love 58
Making Memories 94
Hometown Rankin • 5