George Singleton writes of the importance of making and keeping New Year's resolutions

George Buster Singleton

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Simple resolutions are easiest to keep during the new year” was originally published in the Dec. 31, 1981 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

As the last days of the old year come with the morning sun, a certain sadness grips the heart like the passing of a lost love.

Gone are the days of spring and budding flowers. Gone are the lazy evenings and the summer sunsets. Gone are the fading colors that go hand in hand with Indian summer. And gone forever are the happenings of the past year.

The new year comes to us fresh, like a new flower, unspoiled and radiant. The old year passes, tattered and tarnished, fading into oblivion. And with this passing go the mistakes and neglects and errors of our transgressions.

We wipe the slate clean. We start anew. Many look forward with anxious anticipation to better ourselves with the coming of the new year. Others coast along with little thought of what’s in store for us in the coming months.

Those of us who make New Year’s resolutions most times forget what they are. Many times the new year’s coming is given no thought whatsoever.

What if each individual in this great nation would make certain vows this year? Think of the changes that would take place. Life would never be the same. Our world would be a better place for all.

The simple resolutions are the easiest to keep. Some like these could be mentioned, if no others come to mind:

“I will treat everyone with respect until I am treated with the same. I will give thanks each day for the privilege of being allowed to live in this country. I will use only what I need and waste nothing. I will help preserve our resources so that our children’s children will have a more abundant life. And above all, I will have compassion for the less fortunate and will do what I can to make their lives more meaningful.”

The coming year holds much promise to those who will receive and accept. Only you can make the difference. The decision is yours. What will it be?

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)