PUBLISHER
Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Stephanie Williams
CREATIVE | DESIGN
Elizabeth Beasley
Stephanie Williams
ASSISTANT MANAGER
Nikki Anderson
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
AND MEDIA RELATIONS
Logic4Design
SALES
Dottie Hicks
Randall Montague
Daphne Walker
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Renée Martin
Beverly McClellan
Ann Owens
Tonya Parker
Teri R. Williams
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lillian Morse Burton
Ruth English
Logic4Design/Eric Love
Daphne Walker
PROOFING
Beverly McClellan
COVER PHOTO
Lillian Morse Photography
Toombs County Magazine© is
published bi-annually by
Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC
148 Williams Avenue • Lyons, GA 30436
(912) 526-4195
All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in
whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed written
authorization from the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure
the accuracy of the information contained herein. Advertising is
subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice.
F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R
the good can outweigh the bad
As always, New Years 2020 started out with conversations that revolved
around both reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future. I was
enjoying a girl’s trip in the beautiful North Carolina mountains last January when
such conversations were taking place, and I happily proclaimed, “I feel really good
about 2020. I think it’s going to be a great year.”
Pfff. Now that sentiment seems almost laughable. Or does it?
While 2020 was pretty jam-packed with one eye-rolling headline after
another, it wasn’t a total loss. There were struggles, difficult losses and memeworthy
events that we could all relate to, but the fact that we were all affected
means we were in it together.
I missed out on a few planned trips, had to deal with a husband suffering
from cabin fever, ate waaaay too much chocolate, and pondered the long-term
effects distance learning would have on my teenagers. But through the hard times,
we celebrated a wedding, welcomed some new babies into our extended family,
kept cancer at bay for another year, and really learned how to appreciate a long
walk in the sunshine. There were exciting new job opportunities, some really deep,
well-timed conversations with our kids, more time to do some things we had been
putting off, and a renewed sense of team effort in our family and marriage.
There’s no doubt 2020 was hard, but it definitely had some silver linings. I’ve
found that adversity can be a great encourager for growth and creativity. It builds
faith through humility and teaches us to be more resilient. In this issue there are
some great examples of people dealing with adversity in positive, uplifting ways.
Even with COVID-19 threatening nursing homes, Malorie Acosta found ways to
reach patients who relied on her music therapy (p. 22). Michael Johnson mentors
students while engaging people to serve our community (p. 68). Steve and
Chastity Hutchinson learned first-hand of the damage addiction can cause, and
then decided to help other people who were going through similar circumstances
(p. 80). Brittany Garcia faced a debilitating health crisis until she sought the
accountability she needed to change her life (p. 106).
The common thread in these stories is the realization that we can’t do life
without each other. Family, friends and community make us stronger no matter
what adversity lies ahead. Together we’re better.
As we face a new year, I am more aware than ever that we really have no idea
what the future holds. However, I do believe that we can face it one of two ways:
with fear or with hope. And so, with hope I will say, “I have a really good feeling
about 2021. I think this is going to be a great year!”
keeping the stories alive,
Stephanie Williams
Executive Editor
To share a story, send a note, or just get information:
toombscountymagazine@gmail.com • (912) 293-0063
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Toombs County
M A G A Z I N E
To discover more that Toombs County has to offer,
see our business index on page 127!
6 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
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