Opinion

The start of a new year always brings a pause. A moment to take a breath, look ahead and think intentionally about what comes next. After the rush of the holidays and the full calendar of December, January often feels quieter. The pace slows and the noise fades a bit. But quiet does not mean still.

Some people truly enjoy cold weather and they are entitled to their opinion. However, for many others, myself included, the ongoing cold spell in Missouri feels less like a natural seasonal change and more like a disruption to everyday life.

As Missouri farmers and farm families look to 2026, planning and budgeting for health insurance and child care is essential.

Some people move through Christmas with an ease that feels almost unreal. The season starts and they seem to fall into it without hesitation, as if the decorating and planning and celebrating come with instructions the rest of us never received. From a distance, it all looks effortless.

Some weeks move in a blur of responsibilities, long days and quiet pressure. You handle the things that must be done and keep going because that is what life expects from most of us. Work does not slow down when you need it to. Families do not pause their needs.

It starts with the sound of a crying baby. A woman’s voice trembles as she tells whoever answers the phone that her newborn hasn’t eaten since last night.

Family is the thread that stitches our lives into something meaningful even when those stitches aren’t always neat or perfect. If there’s anything this past year has taught me, it’s that time with the people we love is the most sacred currency we’ll ever hold. Once it’s spent, it’s gone.

Some people move through the world with minds that sit quietly in the background. They hear a phrase like “imagine an apple” and nothing happens. No picture, color or scene. Just a blank page. When that discovery made its way across social media a while back, it created an entire wave of confusion.

The Richmond News, Nov. 28, 2025 Ruby Jean Watkins (nee Hagy) passed away peacefully Saturday, Nov.

It starts with the sound of a crying baby. A woman’s voice trembles as she tells whoever answers the phone that her newborn hasn’t eaten since last night.