Where to start? I know the beginning is always a good place, but we had soooo much going on. First, we had some members return that had been absent for a while that it was great to see. It was also Cinco de Mayo. As usual, Bonnie had decorations and made the room look festive. We even all acquired Mustaches for a picture after the meeting.
President Swanson called the meeting to order and got things started. Everyone was enjoying the Cinco de Mayo inspired meal and Darryl Mount provided the words of inspiration/prayer. At the request of several, the prayer is included here:
Great God, our gracious loving Spirit of Life Itself,
We come to You today, aware that there is Love behind the universe,
Purpose running through it, Meaning in the midst of it, and Destiny ahead of it.
On this Cinco de Mayo, we thank you for the rich heritage of Hispanic culture which our nation enjoys. We thank you for the blessing of faith. You have given us minds capable of believing and trusting in You. Our desire is to live, really live life at its best. So help us, O God, to enjoy a faith fit to live by, a self fitto live with, and a work fit to live for. Show us how to make life a thing of worth and beauty. And teach us, O God, to value life, to respect every person we meet, and to be a little kinder than necessary each day. In your loving Spirit, we pray. Amen.
After a little objection from song leader, Steve Shute, we all sang You Got a Friend in Me. While Steve was a little worried, the whole club showed they had seen Toy Story and sounded pretty good. The speaker and guest from the Buddy Program loved our song choice and was happy to sing along. We then had Jim Drolet give PJ a break and handled Happy Bucks. Jim did show off his auctioneer skills before doing the rounds and auctioned off a new book from Glenn Vawter. Glen reminded John Haines that he could buy the book for under $20, but the money today was going to a good cause. Happy bucks were shared by all and some people were much happier with their bucks than others. It is always great to hear people share about their week.
For our program today, we heard from the Buddy Program. The Buddy Program has been in Aspen for 50 years and has recently made its way to Glenwood Springs. Housed in the Youth Zone, the presenters informed us of the waiting list of kids needing mentors. She asked that each of us consider being a mentor and that we tell three other people about the program. To be a mentor, or learn more, visit buddyprogram.org.
John Wells had the lucky blue ticket and informed us he would be gone for a few weeks (a graduation, and a high school and college class reunion). He said his winnings could go to the scholarship fund. If you haven't been to a meeting in a while, please join us. It is always more fun when we have a full house.
