George Singleton shares his thoughts on life, changing of the seasons

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 “Cycles in life are like season changes” was originally published in the Oct. 28, 1982 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

These cool mornings with a touch of chill brings to mind that the time is ripe to make plans for the winter to come.

As I travel around the countryside, a certain amount of sadness awaits because the things that were green and beautiful are beginning to turn in the autumn sun. Nature has begun to prepare for the winter ahead.

Then I take a second look, and the sadness is replaced by the awe of seeing a miracle take place before my very eyes. The dark green colors turn to gold with the same splendor and luster as before. No harsh or bold contrasts to meet the eye, only the soft golden blend that only the Master Painter is capable of creating.

The steady turning of colors is as though a giant brush is being wielded across the hills by the gentle hand that strokes ever so gently. And the soft winds sigh across the hills with just a touch of cold air to remind all that nothing is for certain.

Man to a great degree is like the seasons. If one compares the cycles of life with the changes of seasons, it is much the same.

The days of autumn would be compared to middle age, when the hair is gray and a certain amount of caution has replaced carelessness. Things are looked at in another perspective. Youth has faded and what was once a challenge has become an obstacle. The pace has slowed and the once foolish thoughts are being replaced by patience and wisdom.

And plans are being initiated for the seasons ahead, when the winter comes and the evening of life is approaching.

So it is that autumn is the time for reviewing the past summers and looking ahead for the winter to come, to gather for the storehouse for the cold winter’s evening. The summer is past. The harvest is ended. The winter of life is at hand.

(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 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.)