Birthday wishes to Lizzie Foster Terry, June 22, Philadelphia; Barry Pugh, June 23, Charlotte Court House; Charlie “T Model” Jones, June 23, Scuffletown; Angie L. Shepperson, June 24, Short Pump; Willard Inge, June 26, Saxe; Sable Currin, June 27, Saxe; Sam E. Walton, June 28, Drakes Branch; Charles T. Smith Sr., June 28, Drakes Branch. I wish you many more happy birthdays!

Anniversary wishes to Robert and Ora Harris, Randolph, June 25, 39 years. They have a daughter and two grandsons. May your marriage be blessed with love, joy and companionship. I wish you a very happy anniversary.

Get well wishes to all of the sick and shut-in. I hope you are up and well soon. Get well wishes to Edna Spencer, of Charlotte Court House. She is recovering from surgery. We pray for you recovery.

Thought for the Week: Giving up doesn’t mean you are weak, sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.

Compassion

Make no judgements where you have no compassion.

The major block to compassion is the judgement in our minds.

Judgement is the mind’s primary tool of separation.

God says in Colossians 3:12, “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion, and the will to help others.

We need more compassion, more joy and more laughter. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

God’s dream is that you, me and all of us will realize that we are family and that we are made for togetherness, goodness and compassion. True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain, but also being moved to help relieve it.

News is due by 1 p.m. on Saturday. News can be submitted by calling Virginia Freeman at (434) 568-0596.

Virginia Freeman is a community columnist for The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at vstars@pure.net.