By David Daggett on 11/24/2008 7:54 AM

Giving Thanks Safely

     Our Lewis & Daggett family wishes you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. We also hope you and your family are safe, so we will share with you a few safety tips we have researched for the holiday.

     Home fires are the number one most frequent calls to fire departments, and cooking fires are the most frequent reason. Thanksgiving is the day with the highest number of home fires with three times more fires than on normal days. The leading cause of fire is unattended food on the stove or in the oven. Stay in the kitchen while cooking food. Pot holders and towels should be kept away from the stove. For more tips see www.firesafety.gov

      Food safety can easily slip with large meals and lots of leftovers. Be careful to thoroughly wash hands and counters after touching raw turkey, and other meats. Be sure to keep hot food hot, and cold food cold until the leftovers are safely put away.

Take care when carving the turkey. We don’t take out the family carving knives very many times during the year, so we usually are not in good practice using them. Please be careful carving the turkey and ham, and keep those knives out of reach of youngsters.

      Choking hazards are increased during big holiday meals. The very young and the very old are particularly susceptible to choking. Eat slowly and enjoy the meal. Only encourage talking after food is swallowed. Remind children to take small bites and not to talk with food in their mouths.

     Take care of your pets too. They may like a little turkey, but please be sure the little pieces are free of bones. Turkey bones splinter causing a severe threat of choking and other damage.

     Lastly, Thanksgiving is the kick off for the holiday season. Drinking and driving seems to go way up making our roads more dangerous. Please join our L & D team and encourage safe sober driving as well as being defensive and courteous on the road.

     Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

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By David Daggett on 11/17/2008 7:52 AM

Special Parkinson’s Event

     Special community events in support of needy causes are part of the Values and Culture here at Lewis & Daggett. Sometimes these special causes are close to the hearts of our folks here. Support for Parkinson’s Disease research is one of these extra special causes.

Mrs. Brown with her four daughters on her birthday.

     Karen Googe, our firm administrator, and her family fought Parkinson’s disease for many years with their late mother, Inez Brown. Mike Lewis’ mother-in-law has Parkinson’s and at 87 continues to be valiant in her fight. We have been fortunate to have known both of these ladies. We respect and admire the dignity these ladies have displayed in their fight, and in their lives.     

     Karen and Mike's families feel that education and research are a very important part of coping with this debilitating disease. For those who have never experienced anyone going through the stages of Parkinson’s, it can be quite overwhelming to the family if the effects of this disease have not been communicated properly.

     Our L & D Team is supporting the efforts of A Touch of Class Beauty Salon in King, North Carolina to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in memory of Inez Matthews Brown. This special event will be held on Saturday November 22, 2008 at 513 South Main Street in King, North Carolina.

     Tonya Wood, the owner of the salon and granddaughter of Mrs. Brown, will donate all proceeds of the day to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. No appointments will be necessary - first come, first served with the salon opening at 9AM and remaining open until the last customer is served.

     Lewis & Daggett will contribute free specially designed T-shirts, stadium cups, and other gifts for those who come to the salon during the event. Our firm has a special interest in this dreaded disease, and we are very happy to play a small role in this fund raising effort.

     Please come out and join us in supporting this cause. For more information, call A touch of Class at 983-6446. Members of our firm will be at the event all day to lend support, encouragement, and a hand. We thank WXII 12, King Lawn and Garden, and Ad Color for joining us in our efforts.

 

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By David Daggett on 11/10/2008 7:52 AM

Post Election Hope And Promise

     Election day has now come and gone. We have all read all of the articles, and continue with our daily activities. Perhaps now is a good time to look at some lessons learned and look to the future with hope and promise.

      There are so many aspects to this past election that a complete treatise on the subject could be written. Let’s leave most of the opinions and analysis to the commentators and pundits. Instead, let’s focus briefly on a few seeds of thought and information that are lessons for us all.

      Participation – Last week’s elections set records for the highest amount of participation in history. This means the important right to vote is still valuable to our citizens. Further, it means that we all took an interest, listened to the issues, and were engaged in the process. Continued participation in our system will make our government even better in the future.

     Reconciliation - This season was long and tough and, at times, even nasty. However, immediately following it seems that our leaders immediately started mending relationships and putting the past behind them. With the difficult times we have coming, this reconciliation is necessary for us to successfully move forward.

     Unity – Now that the election is over there seem to be areas of unity. The main topic on everyone’s mind seems to be the economy. An election can’t decree a change in the economy. We all have to become united, work together, and do our own little parts in order to get through these troubled times.

     Example – After all was said and done, John McCain, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all came forward with positive words, well wishes for one another, and messages of hope and promise for the future of our country.

     Hope and Promise - We have many present difficulties, and yet we are still the greatest nation on Earth, and have the richest history of preserved liberties and freedoms in the history of mankind. "O’ Beautiful for Spacious Skies" seem to be as true today as when it was written over a hundred years ago. The last verse is particularly fitting for our country today.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self control,
Thy liberty in law.

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By David Daggett on 11/3/2008 6:54 AM

Our Valuable Right

~Please Vote~

     Election Day is this week. It seems like it has been a long campaign season, but one of the real positives is that it appears there are record turnouts in the number of people voting.

     The right to vote is one of the most important rights granted by our forefathers in the Constitution. The right to vote is so important that it is repeated in the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Further, our Supreme Court has recognized that the right to vote in a free and unimpaired fashion is a bedrock of our democracy.

     This political season has seen long, and at times more adversarial than we might like. However, at the same time it seems that people are more engaged in the process than ever before in our recent history. Predictions are for record turnouts. This high participation portends well for the future of our great nation.

     The right to vote is a patriotic duty that all of us are part of protecting now and for future generations. The right becomes a duty because if we don’t exercise that right, history has shown that rights can erode and ultimately be sacrificed. The right to vote is a unique hallmark of our free country so it is important for all of us to do our part in protecting that right.

     Voting also allows all of us to participate in the process. To truly participate, we need to be engaged. We need to study the issues and learn. This learning is part of our duty and perpetuates our ability to preserve our rights.

     Sometimes we take it for granted, and sometimes it sounds a bit corny, but we truly do live in a unique and great nation. When our forefathers founded the United States of America, it was a unique experience in the history of humankind. The right to vote is part of a fundamental difference that maintains and perpetuates the freedoms we all enjoy.

     Our Lewis & Daggett team encourages, in a non-partisan way, each individual to exercise their right to vote. Please be part of a process that helps maintain and preserve the liberties and freedoms we enjoy in this great country.

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