May 2, 2008 By Steve Barrett 6 min read

n You know, it’s amazing how fast an editor’s desk can pile up in just a couple of days. I admit I am not the most organized person in the world, nor am I a “neat freak…one visit to my office would quickly confirm this, as I am somewhat regarded by the Messenger staff as one who enjoys clutter (which is a nice way of saying “slob”). Between the piles of newspapers, photos, books, faxes, mail deliveries and Gatorade bottles, it’s surprising that I can find anything at all. (I’m thinking about putting a photo of my office desk on the back of a milk carton, since I haven’t seen it in quite some time.) Once in a while, when the clutter gets a little too much and the piles of papers get a little too high, I have to do what all journalists must do on occasion…clear off the desk, sort through all of the piles and actually THROW THINGS AWAY, which is something I have a difficult time doing, as I am a bit of a “packrat,” one of the many names that my wife calls me. (I could share with you some of her other names, but I remembered that this IS a family newspaper.)

So, just before starting this column I got into a cleaning mode and I began sorting – no make that WADING – through the piles on my desk. And in my cleaning, I found a few items of interest that I thought I should share with you readers. So here goes…

n I received quite a few letters and emails responding to my column I wrote a few weeks back in which I talked about my recent painful experience of having a kidney stone removed. I described just how agonizing that ordeal was, a pain that I would never wish even on my worst enemies.

Apparently that pain was something that a lot of readers endured as well, because I couldn’t believe how many people wrote me to offer their best wishes, express their sympathies and even share their own kidney stone horror stories.

One reader said that when she was younger she went through the excruciating pain of kidney stones every spring and fall for two consecutive years. Ouch.

Another reader told me he went through the agony on three different occasions, while another said he had to have two separate stones removed just two weeks apart. My father even reminded me that when he was my age he had to deal with eight stones at the same time.

Interestingly, almost all of the men who wrote me about their stone ordeals shared the same sentiment, that going through that was the male equivalent of childbirth. (I remember when I was in the hospital and a nurse told me that in her lifetime she had kidney stones and given birth, and when I asked her which hurt more, without hesitation she said the kidney stones were much worse.)

So I thank all of the readers who took the time to write me, but I think I speak for all of them when I say that I hope I never have to go through that experience again…

n Here’s another neat item I found on my desk: Students in six different fourth-grade classrooms from Waynesburg Central Elementary School recently battled it out in an intense war at the school. Now before anyone gets upset that these kids engaged in some kind of violent activity, I assure you that this was a peaceful and friendly battle, one that raised a large amount of money for a really good cause.

The students participated in a “Penny War,” in which the goal was for classrooms to obtain the highest number of points by donating pennies – which were positive points – to their respective jars, while nickels, dimes, quarters and bills – negative points – were deposited in the other classrooms’ jars to help them lose. The “War” was a huge success, as the classrooms raised more than $2,500 in just six days. All of the money raised was then presented to the Humane Society of Greene County. The kids who were involved in this special endeavor deserve much applause for their efforts…

n Hey, here’s something else that crossed my desk: Don’t forget about the 10th annual Greene County Relay For Life, which takes place this weekend at the Waynesburg Central Raider Field of Pride. The event will celebrate its milestone 10th anniversary, and organizers are hoping to raise enough money locally to reach an overall total of $1 million in donations from Greene County over the past decade.

Just so you know, here is some important information about his year’s Relay: Registration will once again begin at 9 a.m., followed by the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. After the opening ceremony, cancer survivors will be invited to participate in the traditional survivors’ lap.

Another local Relay tradition will continue this year, as a group of cancer survivors will once again participate in the annual Rock-A-Thon at the Rolling Meadows Nursing Home.

This year’s Relay will also feature a new “Fight Back” ceremony, in which participants will be encouraged to sign a pledge to help in the ongoing fight against cancer. And throughout the 24-hour Relay, there will be a reception for cancer survivors as well as a wide array of family-oriented activities, sporting events, contests and live music.

The evening’s activities will include the traditional luminaria ceremony, which will feature special music and the reading of names displayed on the luminaria bags in honor of those who have fought cancer.

The event will conclude once again with a Sunday morning sunrise service followed by a special ceremony for caregivers.

The Messenger is a proud supporter of the annual Relay, and we hope to see you there throughout the 24-hour event. If you’re planning on being there, be sure to smile pretty because we’ll be taking lot of photographs for Relay coverage, which will be featured in next week’s Messenger.