May 29, 2018 • Page 4 By Daris Howard shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Marie Dave Says We had just moved into the house where we now live when we met Marie. She was a sweet widow, a little grandmotherly lady that our children soon referred to as “Grandma Moon.” Marie was fiercely independent. Though she only had a small social security check to support herself, she was determined to pay her way through life. She raised a nice garden and tried to supplement her income in any way she could. I did what I could to help her. Every spring, I ran my tiller down the street and tilled up her garden. My children excitedly came with me. The minute they saw me roll the tiller around to the front of the house, they knew where I was headed and hurried to join me. While I tilled, Marie sat in the chair she kept on her front porch, the children sat on the lawn, and Marie told them stories. Sometimes, when I stopped by with extra meat or milk, she would share her stories with me. Our visits always ended the same way. As I prepared to leave, she would always ask, “So, how much do I owe you?” I always answered the same, “Marie, the stories you share with my children are pay enough.” Or I might say, “Milk was two for the price of one, so I couldn’t just leave the extra gallon there when I knew you could use it.” The reason I gave for not accepting her money was usually not 100 percent factual, but I knew she couldn’t afford meat or milk or other things like that. I hoped God would forgive my untruths, but I knew if she thought I purchased something extra for her, she would never accept it without paying me back. My good wife also prepared extra food for our meals and sent it with the children to Marie and had them tell her it was leftovers. Marie always looked for ways to do something for us, so a person had to be careful. I made the mistake one day of telling her how beautiful her one lilac bush was. I love lilacs, and it was different from any I had ever seen. It had smaller, thicker pink flowers that gave it a smokey look. The problem was, the minute I mentioned it was pretty, Marie wanted me to have it. “Oh, I couldn’t take it, Marie,” I said. “It’s so beautiful right here, and I love to see it when I drive by your house.” Marie told me it was a special lilac, one that had been handed down through generations of her family. It wasn’t very big, but she carefully tended it. I was only able to convince her to keep it by promising I would accept the first baby plant that grew from its roots. Most lilacs put out a lot of starts, but this one almost never did. It was years before it did, and during that time, Marie always insisted, “You feel free to take some flowers if you want, whether I’m here or not.” And she was happy the day she showed me a baby lilac under the bush that I could plant in my own yard. She told me that officially made me part of her family. As the years went by, Marie grew older and more feeble. Sometimes my children would go to visit only to run home to get me because Marie had fallen or had something else happen. I would rush to her aid, and we would get her help. She would get better and would scold me, telling me she was ready to go join her husband, Les. But one day when I ran to Marie’s home and found her gasping for breath, I knew she wouldn’t come home again. I made her as comfortable as I could until the ambulance arrived. The last thing she told me was that even after she was gone, I should stop and pick bouquets of lilacs. Marie left us that day to join Les, and her home has since fallen into disrepair. But her little lilac has thrived and grown into a big bush. Its flowers open a little later than the other lilacs, and stay a little longer, so it’s almost always still blooming on Memorial Day. And that’s the day I like to stop and pick a bouquet of flowers from it. I pick them to lovingly place on the grave of a sweet little lady that touched my life and the lives of my family. The Perfect Truck for Your Spring Yard Jobs 2014 Chevy Silverado C1500 W/T, V6, Auto, Power Locks Priced Right at $10,500 605-665-3720 • Yankton, SD It Takes Two Dear Dave, My husband has an old car that has become a real sticking point between us. He bought it for $2,400, and it needs about $4,000 in repairs and restoration. Together, we bring home $50,000 a year, and I feel like this car is interfering with our ability to save money and pay off $35,000 in debt. We already have two decent cars we drive to work, so what should I do about this? Stacy Dave Dear Stacy, There are lots of guys out there who like shiny toys — especially cars. I get it, because I’m one of them. But these kinds of things are luxuries, and stuff like this should wait until the household and finances are in order. The family should always come first. Dumping money into this while you two are struggling financially doesn’t make sense. On top of that, it’s causing problems between you two on a deeper level. I’m sure your husband isn’t a bad guy, so try sitting down with him and explaining how it makes you feel. Let him know what it’s doing to your finances and your marriage. You might even write the financial side down, so he can see exactly what kind of shape you two are in and where the money is going. Once you do this in a kind, but concerned, manner, it may be a real eye-opener for him. On top of that, you might consider giving him a little incentive to get on board with the idea of getting your finances in order. Suggest that once the debt is gone, and you’ve got some savings in place, there might be a little extra cash on hand to help get that car up and running. Good luck, Stacy! — Dave Ramsey Postpone the Marriage? Dear Dave, My fiancé and I are planning to be married in less than a year. We’ve both been through your class at church, and the other night we started wondering if we should wait to have the wedding until we’re both completely debt-free. Would you give us your opinion? Michelle Dear Michelle, Congratulations! I hope you two will have long and happy lives together. To answer your question, I don’t think there’s a reason to wait. When two people know they really love each other, they should get married whenever they feel in their hearts the time is right. At this point, you shouldn’t be thinking about money as anything except an indicator of where you’re going. It doesn’t matter who got into debt or how, because everyone makes mistakes. But if you’re both serious about getting out of debt, living on less than you make, and are in agreement about how the dollars are going to be handled, then — where money is concerned — you’re ready to be married. Many relationship experts say if a couple can agree on four important things — kids, money, religion, and how to handle the inlaws — they have a great statistical chance of a happy marriage. I believe this, too. And make sure you meet with your pastor for some good, pre-marital counseling before the big day. With all this going for you, I think you two will be okay. God bless you both! — Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. Braille & Talking Book Library Summer Reading Program Kicks Off June 3 PIERRE, S.D. – "Libraries Rock" is the theme of the 2018 South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library Summer Reading Program. This year’s program will run from June 3 to July 14 and is open to all youth registered with the South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library ages birth to 19. Readers can participate in one of two age divisions: birth to 12 and 13 to 19. Participants will be encouraged to follow the 20/24/7 reading initiative by reading a minimum of 20 minutes each day, seven days a week and keeping track with a provided reading chart. Readers who return their completed reading charts at the conclusion of the program will be eligible for Amazon gift card drawings in their age division. All drawing entries will also be combined for a grand prize drawing for an Android tablet. Amazon gift card prizes are provided by the Evening Star Lions Club of Rapid City, and the Android tablet is paid for with donations from users of the South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library. The South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library is a program within the South Dakota State Library and is an affiliate of the National Library Service. The NLS is a free braille and talking (audio) book library service for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical disability that prevents them from reading or holding the printed page. For more information about enrolling in the summer reading program, contact Josh Easter at the South Dakota State Library at 1-800-423-6665 or josh. easter@state.sd.us. It was just one of those things. It didn’t really mean Marvin Pincus had lost his mind. Consider this yourself for a minute. Marvin had opened the mail that morning and in it was the Fenwick glass fly rod he’d ordered. Oh, it was used, of course. But there’s a feel to a Fenwick that only a man dedicated to a life of using dry flies can appreciate. The weather was gorgeous. The fish were biting on Lewis Creek. But there was a hitch. Marvin had broken his ankle the previous week and was temporarily in a wheelchair. It was his right ankle, so he couldn’t drive down to the creek. And there, in his hands, was the Fenwick. He put it together, attached a reel and some four-weight line and set it on the couch and looked at it. Marjorie was off visiting her sister, so she couldn’t help him. But there’s a pull, an irresistible draw to a fly rod. He had to cast it. Now. It took Marvin about 20 minutes to negotiate the front steps with that wheelchair and the Fenwick. Oh, he could’ve called a friend to help him, but how could he possibly explain why? Finally, he negotiated the sidewalk and then the edge of the street itself. There were no cars coming this early afternoon. Up came the Fenwick. A few swishes in the air told Marvin he’d done the right thing in ordering the rod. So he ran out some line and began casting. About halfway across the street was a large mulberry leaf. He did a double haul on the line and sent the fly toward the leaf. It took several tries before he hit it, but when he made that cast, you could’ve sold tickets to it. His fly came to rest about Open To The Public three feet above the leaf and then fluttered gently down onto its target. Marvin’s smile said it all. Then the school bus came around the corner full of kids Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon, heading home, and Marvin Sausage, Biscuits & Gravy, realized he was casting a fly French Toast rod from a wheelchair onto dry $ pavement. “Hi Mr. yelled one Children 6-10 $4.00 • 5 & Under Free of the kids. Pincus!”anything?” “Catch “A little slow today, Billy,” rd he yelled back. “Isn’t it hard to catch fish without water?” Billy yelled. “It’s okay, son,” Marvin said 209 Cedar, Yankton • 665-3562 with a grin. “I’m using a dry fly!” Pancakeast Breakf Participating Businesses Are… 7.00 All You Can Eat Sunday, June 3 • 8 - 12:30 VFW Post 791 J&H Cleaning Services YANKTON WORKS Want your REAL-TIME MESSAGE on the most visited media website in the Yankton area? Join our ‘Friends2Follow’ program! Contact your Yankton Media Representative today! 605-665-7811