Today's Features

GRISSETTOWN—For nearly 30 years, Helen Lund had been feeding a colony of feral cats behind a building on U.S. 17.

Using her own money, Lund would trap the cats and pay a veterinarian to have them spayed or neutered and treated for rabies before releasing them back into the wild.

She bought medicine to treat the wild felines for assorted illnesses and eye problems.

She erected houses for them on the feral colony site on a vacant lot behind a Dumpster.

Sometimes, she’d take a cat or kitten home where she would tame it into a pet of her own.

Two weeks ago, I was graced with an abundance of spiritual opportunities. I eagerly accepted the gift, despite the fact both invitations demanded an early departure from my somewhat leisurely Friday and Saturday schedules.

At the time, I doubt I considered the offerings to be a call from God. I was simply responding to the graciousness of others. Upon reflection, the response was clearly not the whole story.

Mitchell and Cheryo Johnson Sr. of Waxhaw announce the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Maya Donnell Johnson, to Lamonte' Devon Smith of Athens, Ga. The prospective groom is the son of Darnell and Linda Smith of Charlotte and the grandson of the Rev. Vertis and Joyce Gause and Ola Jane Smith of Thomasboro. An Oct. 18 wedding is planned at Marvin AME Zion Church in Waxhaw. The couple will make their home in Athens.

At least four local bicyclists are getting in gear for Cycle North Carolina, a cross-state ride that begins Sunday in Black Mountain and concludes the following Saturday on Oak Island.

The participants include Steve and Stephanie Bruce, Harvey Camp and Peter Lewis of Island Hoppers Bicycle Repair on U.S. 17 at N.C. 904.

Cycle North Carolina (online at www.ncsports.org) is touted as a “mountains to the coast” ride of about 425 miles that includes nightly stops at host towns along the way.