page 1 - Mature Living in the Southeast

feature storyBy David TootleAfter twenty years of parenthood,Edie and LamarSmith of Reidsville find themselveswith an “empty nest.”Their two sons, Taylor andSteven, are students at the Universityof Georgia in Athens,while Mom and Dad adjust toa new phase of life without theboys at home. Edie, the pharmacistat Vidalia’s Buy $martPharmacy and Home Medical,says the dire predictions oflonely times she heard fromfriends may have been exaggerated.“They said, ‘Oh, it’s goingto be horrible, just horrible,’”Edie recalled, “but we’ve beenso busy, we haven’t had muchtime to think about it. Lamar,by nature, works fourteenhours a day, and I’ve beenworking on getting this (Buy$mart) started. We see eachother at night, and it’s been nicejust being together. Now wecan be kind of spontaneous. Weave a house at the coast; if weant, we can just go downhere and get away.”She added that she feels the24Empty nest, full slateBusy schedulefulfilling forlocal pharmacistMature Living Winter EditionEDIE SMITH PREPARES A PRESCRIPTION AT BUY $MARTPHARMACY IN VIDALIA.boys were sent away prepared,and that this has helped calmthe parents’ normal anxieties.“Lamar accused me ofspoon feeding the boys growingup, and I’m sure I did,” sheremembered. “I made sure theydid everything that came along.My philosophy was that if youthrow enough out there, they’llfind something they’re interestedin. Both of them werealways busy, always doingstuff.”Then, when the time came,Edie says she sent them outwith her blessing.“I said, ‘Guys, I feel reallygood about where you are.You’ve gotten some great exposureand had some great opportunities,but now you’re onyour own.”The Smith sons were notthe only ones who had beenbusy those twenty years. WhileEdie speaks of her boys andhusband as being energetic andambitious, she too is somethingof a dynamo. She took offabout ten weeks for the birthof each child, but has otherwiseremained constantly involvedin the work world and in communityaffairs. Her story beganin Taylor County, Georgia.Edie was born in Butler, asmall town between Maconand Columbus, and grew up ina family where her father wasa funeral director and operateda private ambulance service.She was the fourth generationof her family born in TaylorCounty, and thefirst to leave.“Daddy stillasks when we’recoming home,”she said with asmile.She attended asmall privateChristian school,Mauk Academy,through theeighth grade. Itwas about fivehundred yardsfrom her grandparents’house,out of which hergrandmother operateda post office.Her grandfatherowned a general storeacross the street.“I got to go to their houseand eat lunch every day,” sherecalled. “Then I would goacross the street and get ahoney bun, and go back toschool.”Edie remembered a “brushwith fame” as a youngster. Heruncle, who was in politics, arrangedfor her and other famcontinuedon page 26