It was a busy weekend: cooking for two days for our night of service at the Emergency Shelter, attending Marilyn Bauer's beautiful celebration of life, attending the Catholic Charities gala.... I should have been dog- tired Sunday night -- but I wasn't. I was energized. I felt appreciated. Bill Rowe had texted me about how much the homeless enjoyed my soup. Wow.
President Deb's delicious soup!
An awesome kitchen crew (Deb Philpotts - photographer)
When we had delivered the soup on Sunday, I darted back and forth across the alley of the church trying to keep warm and dry while helping to bring in the food. When Mark and I got back in the car to head the gala, I had a deeper appreciation for the shelter of my car and its heater as I counted 22 homeless persons in line to get in. They waited patiently without umbrellas -- getting wet, hugging the building for respite from the wind. How seldom do I utter a word of appreciation for my car, my home, my office? At the gala, the appetizer choices were endless, and the filet mignon and lobster ravioli were quite good, but I found myself criticizing the addition of tarragon to the ravioli and the tasteless crust on the dessert. Hmmm, do I appreciate the food I am given?
As I got ready for bed, the image of one man in the middle of the line at the shelter, crouching low -- squatting actually, wearing a hoodie pulled tight around his head -- returned to me and saddened me. Then it was replaced with the images of many of you -- heating up food, cutting bread, carrying things to and fro -- smiling under your masks and serving, serving, serving. Thank you. Your service is appreciated.
We do a lot in our Club, and we have high expectations of ourselves and others. Often, we feel guilty that we aren't living up to those expectations. Please know that every minute, every dollar, and every item you donate is appreciated.
This week, join me in thanking our shelter volunteers: Al and Deb Philpotts, Darlene Heller, Robin and Roger Burke, Marty and Carole Fins, Rocco Damato, Rose Cash, and Bill Rowe. Please also thank Thea Lind, Sylvia Doyle, Rose Cash, Al Philpotts, and Carrie Madigan for cooking, baking and donating items.
THIS WEEK -- For many of us, COVID has dampened our travel and exploration of the world. Let's enjoy a virtual trip through the eyes of a gifted photographer, Kerianne Geist who has travelled throughout the United States and the world, including New York, California, England, the Czech Republic, Morocco and China.
Here is the ZOOM link for this week's meeting:
Meeting ID: 818 4176 0217
Passcode: 874702
Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbgsnRwpnX
LAST WEEK -- it was a swing and a miss for our speaker, Diane Furchner, when her brand-new MacBook computer's built-in security settings would not let her share her presentation. She's fixed that now and hopes to be back soon at a weekly meeting to present an extravaganza of beautiful moments spent in nature that will encourage us to jump into spring.
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