Columns

It’s not always a good thing to be at the top of a list. In a region ranked among the best in the country for college sports, places to raise a family and start a business, there is one ranking many of us may not be aware of and one we must change immediately. Kentucky is one of the top – meaning worst – states in the nation for frequency of child abuse and deaths due to non-accidental trauma.

 During Sen. Rand Paul’s marathon of a filibuster, I couldn’t help but notice all of the ranting tweets and Facebook statuses my friends and acquaintances posted — negative and positive.

Obviously, as a writer, I’m a strong believer in freedom of speech, which sometimes gets me in trouble, but when you post obnoxious opinions on your personal social media websites, odds are you are probably offending several people.

 In your most country accent, peer into your looking glass, (mirror), and say out loud, “I am amazing.” There is no doubt in my mind that I am an amazing woman, and you know why? Because I said so!

We all have special gifts, talents and qualities that make the word “amazing” appealing to our vocabulary.

I think about some of the women who have graced my life with their “sweet aroma of wisdom, strength and compassion,” in the words of my good friend and sister, Monica Bland.

 My mom used to have a small, three-legged wooden stool. I don’t remember the stool being used for any reason, just something to set a newspaper or magazine on for a minute.

It was small and thus not sturdy enough to hold anything of weight.

But no matter if it was strong and sturdy, the three-legged stool was no good if something happened to one of the legs. It couldn’t stand on just two.

You’re probably already wondering what a three-legged stool has to do with the newspaper business.