Four by Four 12/15/13

1-Finish this sentence: I always laugh when …

2-What's the most useful piece of advice you've ever received and why?

3-What sight, song, sound or person makes you feel sentimental and why?

4-If you could receive a Christmas present that wasn't an object, but an action, what would it be and why?

David Perriguey

Retired business manager

David Perriguey

Olmsted, Ill.

1-I'm pretty much a recluse with a wife and three cats. The fun begins when the cats start chasing each other. They're like Mutt and Jeff; one weighs 6 pounds and the other weighs about 20 pounds.

2-When you've got a problem, give it all you got to solve it or let it go. Let God do the rest. Do what you can, then stand still. Otherwise, it's just stress.

3-Certain songs, mostly instrumental, particularly the song "Laura" from the mid-1940s, a dance tune. I've only heard the lyrics once, I think. In addition, my daughter's name is Laura.

4-I'm not real big on Christmas. But I'd say, offer me some help, like help me plow my driveway.

Mary Ann Phillips

Retired factory supervisor

Mary Ann Phillips

Morley, Mo.

1-When the Scott County Centra boys win in basketball. I go to almost every game.

2-When I got married, my mom told me "Keep God first, your family second and yourself third." That advice served me well. I've tried to do that all my life.

3-My favorite hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" because that's the way I feel about Jesus.

4-This week would have been great for a friend to come and clear my driveway. I have a big driveway.

Robert Gentry

Owner, Corner Grocery Store

Robert Gentry

Cape Girardeau

1-When I see other people laugh.

2-My uncle told me, "Mind your own business and you won't have to worry about people getting into your business."

3-The site of my dog, Brooklyn, when I get home after a long day of work. It feels good and I'm at peace.

4-To do a random act of kindness. The other day I was out trying to clear the sidewalk, and a neighbor borrowed a shovel and helped me take care of the snow. Just a random act of kindness.

Carla L. Jordan

Owner, CL Jordan Preservation and

Carla Jordan

Director, Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum, Altenburg, Mo.

Cape Girardeau

1. I always laugh when I see my beautiful retired greyhounds running in the yard.

2. Leave this place a little better than how you found it.

3. Every year the United in Christ Lutheran School kindergarten children sing to me at the Altenburg Museum. I always have to blink back tears of joy, and it is not Christmas for me until this happens.

4. All of my children around the table for Christmas. I believe it is going to happen this year!