Singleton tells of the possibilities that a new year brings for all of us

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 “The dawn of the new year” was originally published in the Jan. 1, 2004 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

As the clock strikes midnight on the 31^st day of this December, all mankind will break from the old year that has been full of mistakes, many errors and near misses.

Strange, how only one second will separate the old year that has passed and the new year that is about to being. Man will pass through that short element of time that has the magic to change all things.

During the span of time that it takes to blink an eye, the whole world – each and every one living – has the opportunity to start anew, if they choose. All that happened in the tired old year of 2003 will only be a memory.

Suddenly, the gates will open wide for all to seek progress and forgiveness. We can look back on our misgivings and mistakes and, as quickly as a thought can flash through our minds, we can decide and discipline ourselves for better times ahead.

Try to picture what would happen if everyone alive today chose that last second of this tired old year to chance and live a better and more fruitful life. Imagine what would happen throughout this planet within the first few hours of the newly born year, to all mankind.

We would not be concerned about the many tons of cocaine and other drugs that are being smuggled across our borders on a daily basis. And, we would not be saddened about the many abused small children who are mistreated every hour that we live.

The drug and alcohol abusers would cast aside their avenues of death and begin to seek out ways that would benefit those in need. Those who have abused or who are now abusing the beautiful, helpless babies who can’t lift a finger in self-defense, would gather up some child, any child, and hold it close and feel all the love that is there for the asking. And, each would look deep in that same helpless child’s eyes and see the beauty that is to be found there – a beauty that is so great, that it can be found no place else.

The oceans and airways would be filled with people going to the ends of the earth seeking out those people who are in need. Laughter would ring from the valleys and the high places. Happiness would abound as though the whole world was covered with a blanket of joy and togetherness.

The fields, as far as the eye could see, would be green with corn and food that would feed the hungry. Everyone would be so wrapped up in their work until one would be insulted if told to take the day off. All the ugly trash and dangerous chemicals that spoil our world and the beauty of the Creation would have disappeared.

Where once, there was only filth and ugliness, there would be beauty. Flowers and plants of beauty would cover the landscape. One would be able to travel miles in any direction and never see anything that would mar the landscape. Our forests would be allowed once again to grace our countryside. Where waste and neglect once abounded, care and beauty would rise from the rich, fertile earth.

I know that this dream of the new year coming is a bit far-fetched. But, should you smile as you read, remember that if could, and can happen. It is within our grasps. The small, short span of time, the second that separates the old year from the new one, holds the clue. Only our thoughts and actions and determination will change that which we deem possible.

I do not profess to know that which is ahead. But, I believe with all my heart that our world is fast approaching the crossroads. The point of no return waits just over the horizon. Are we prepared for what is ahead? So, until we meet again!

Farewell old year,
The time has come for you and me to part.
There are many things that I haven’t done that dwell within my heart.

But very soon the hour is near,
Just a breath or two away.
I bid farewell amid smiles and tears,
And seek a better day.

I’ll cast my eyes toward the distant skies,
And pray to the Lord above,
That the coming year will lend an ear
And seek His wondrous love.

(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.)