Happy birthday wishes to Malinda Rendle, Nov. 8, Charlotte Court House; Sula Burton, Nov. 10, Richmond; Ann Anderson, Nov. 10, Randolph; Mandy Wylie, Nov. 10, Saxe; Jaden Bunker, Nov. 10, Farmville; Patrick Johns, Nov. 11, Flordia; Beatrice Banks, Nov. 12, Drakes Branch; Thomas Brooks, Nov. 13, Hopewell; Emily George, Nov. 13, Keysville; Jehmal Y. Shepperson, Nov. 13, Richmond; The Rev. James Price, Nov. 13, Scuffletown. I wish all of you a very happy birthday. Happy birthday!

Get well wishes to all of the sick and shut in. I hope all of you are well soon, up and about. You are all in our prayers for a quick recovery.

Sympathy to all of the families who lost a loved one recently. Our heartfelt prayers and good wishes go out to you in your time of need. You have our deepest sympathy. May God comfort each heart and every home.

Anniversary wishes to Edith and George Simpson of Drakes Branch, Nov. 8, 59 years of marriage; Franklin and Estella Jennings of Drakes Branch, Nov. 12, 57 years; Hassan and Tiffany Davis of Randolph, Nov. 12, 23 years. I wish each of you many more happy years together with God’s Blessings.

Thought for the week: Entry of new persons may change your lifestyle and make you happy, but those persons will never replace the missed ones that pass out of your life into their resting place. One day we shall meet them again.

AMBITION

Where ambition can cover its enterprises, even to the person himself or herself, under the appearance of principle, it is the most incurable and inflexible of passions. An ounce of hypocrisy is worth a pound of ambition, though ambition in itself is vice. It often is also the parent of virtue.

Give way to the better if way to the better there be, it exacts a full look at the worst. The tragedy is that so many have ambition and so few have ability. Basically, you have to suppress your own ambitions in order to be who you need to be.

News is due by noon Friday. Any news received after this time will not be included in this column. News can be submitted by calling (434) 568-0596.

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