Hi everyone. I hope each of you are staying warm. The fog is so cold and dreary in the mornings … but most afternoons the sun has come out and warmed us up nicely. I am sure looking forward to spring time as probably many of you are too.
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First and foremost, I want to say “Thank You” to each of you who find a way to show kindness to others. It may be a smile, a phone call … it may be doing something special for someone who doesn’t expect it; really anything we do in a kind way is going to make a difference in someone else’s life. We live in an area where most folks are kind and very caring. We are all blessed to live in our Oakdale, Valley Home, Knights Ferry, Riverbank, La Grange and Escalon area. I know there are many who read this column who no longer live in our area. I always appreciate each of your calls sharing with me your memories of living here. For each of you who read this column, and now live in different parts of the country, I know you still feel the special blessing it was to have lived here! We live in such an amazing place; an area where the blessings of good people, kind caring hearts, wonderful schools, amazing teachers, well trained first responders and truly just genuinely great people make this a such a difference in our lives. We live in a community where a beautiful river flows near the edge of town and I am thankful each time I cross over that river … God’s amazing beauty. In our area there are many churches that stand ready to welcome each of us and many front porches still wave ‘Old Glory’ … red, white and blue are still favorite colors and for many of us, Merle Haggard and John Wayne are still our heroes.
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In this week’s column, I would like to pay tribute to an amazing woman. A brave woman who fights a battle every day. Teresa Hammond is one of the many brave and courageous folks who are fighting cancer in our area. Let each of us pray daily for complete healing and good health. Teresa or “T” as she is sometimes so fondly called, is truly an inspiration to so many of us. She fights this battle, along with so many folks, with faith, dignity and determination. She opens her heart often, sharing what she’s going through … she knows many are battling. Her words are real, sometimes raw with emotion … always with encouragement. She shares experiences and she shares an important part of this battle for her, faith, her belief in God. Teresa Hammond is a very special woman, loved dearly by so many. To all who are fighting the fight, may God bless you with his mercy and complete healing.
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We send congratulations to our Oakdale High School Mustangs, the 2025-26 wrestling team has had a tremendous season. Hard work, dedication, and perseverance resulted in the team bringing home the D1 Sac-Joaquin Section Duals Championship to Oakdale. What an amazing accomplishment. Next up, the boys compete in the VOL this Friday, Feb. 6 starting at 3 p.m., at Central Catholic. They have to place there in order to continue on to Divisionals for the chance to move on to Masters and potentially qualify for the State Meet. We are so proud of our Mustangs; congratulations to each of you.
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As always you may send information you would like in this column to me via email at: winniemullins51@gmail.com or text or telephone at 209-985-5233.
Until next time, “Happy Trails to All!”
