School board meeting was on Wednesday as Superintendent was granted Monday (usual meeting) to have one more day in California with family. Tuesday was the next day but there was a track meet that some of the Board wanted to attend. So, Wednesday was the night of the meeting.
The FFA presentation was one of the best presentations ever given at a meeting. The two students had everything down pat as to what FFA was about and how it affected their lives. They received applause at the end of their presentation.
I stopped off at the Library on Friday to get some information on the Marcus Golf Club. I still didn’t find out where people were golfing before they bought some land from the Christensen’s. I expressed my regrets to Librarian Beth as she is leaving for another place where husband is going to teach. She really will be missed.
Then it was Prom night. We arrived at 15 minutes to 6 o’clock. At 6 o’clock, people started going into the school. They couldn’t go into the gym for a half hour but the amount of people waiting was making for a crowded situation. As soon as the gym door opened, I put my $3 down and hurried to the stage. I found a place right in the middle of the bottom seats. All was fine until about 10 minutes before the Grand March, someone came and sat on the stage right in the spot I had counted on. I did get some pictures but had to avoid her head.
I was glad as to how the couples went down the middle, to the right, and then to the left before exiting. But, the King and Queen was another thing. They were never together for a picture of just them or in the center of the rest of their court. I was not going to chase them down, so hopefully someone did get a picture of the two of them together. As soon as their names were announced, down came the stage people onto the floor to take pictures of their relative or friend before they went to eat.
A good many of the dresses were black, ivory, or even green with sequins. There was one orange formal. One had red and black incorporated in the dress_unusual but she looked fine in it. I saw two dresses that had a divided bodice and shirt. A good many of the dresses had “leg” exposed. No girl wore a corsage but on her wrist. (There wouldn’t have been any place for a corsage on the dress!) The guys didn’t all wear tuxes. Some had a suit and neck tie on. No matter what any of them wore, it was “their night” and they all looked great! I understand there was an “after Prom place” but I don’t know where it was. Thanks for those who made this available so our young people could have a safe place after the Prom.
It seems that the school at Remsen and Marcus have many more than usual events happening before the last day of school. After May, there will be not so much going on.
I see in Friday’s paper where the ELCA Western Iowa Synod met in Sioux City. This time the meeting was different. Bishop Lorna Halaas stated that the church should do more than simply hold a series of business-type meetings at the Sioux City Convention Center.
There are 120 congregations that would be at this yearly assembly. She didn’t want it to be the usual: Begin with worship, go through organizational work, approve a budget, maybe make some changes to the constitution, mark anniversaries and remember local church leaders who had died. She wanted to meet needs of people who are in the community and to meet our neighbors.
The Synod organized a variety of service projects around town that would be organized by non-profit agencies and area churches on Saturday. There would be between 12 and 20 people that would do work at Camp High Hopes, Community Action Agency, First Lutheran Church, Gospel Mission, Lutheran Services in Iowa, Mary Treglia House, Ronald McDonald House, SafePlace, Sioux City Public Library, S.C. Railroad Museum, St. John Lutheran Church, St. Thomas Episcopal Church and United Lutheran Church. At the last place on the list, volunteers will make beds for the “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” organization that is helping to get beds for kids in need.
Volunteers will spend the day at Camp High Hopes to clean buildings, paint and stain outdoor benches, declutter areas and prep shade shelters. There are about 235 people that will be attending this year’s assembly. Some come from as far away as Creston and Forest City. Halaas wants those that attend to know what it means to be “the church” in this present time and how the church can be a welcoming place.
How well I remember some of the yearly meetings that the Ladies’ Aid (now called WELCA) had. They were in Des Moines and were generally three days long. One hot night, we were in a church for a meeting with no air conditioning, just the windows open with no air coming through. All of a sudden, a group of people came running up the aisles to the front yelling, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” The lady I had come with suddenly got up and left. She was so emotional that she got a migraine headache. She went to the car and thank heavens I knew where the car was. (Even though it was June and past Easter, this group had done this presentation before and wanted to do it at this meeting.) It did leave a lasting impression.
This was just one of the meetings. We usually gave a report on what the 3-day meetings were about to our local ladies’ aid group. Cameron wasn’t in school yet and went with me to one of the local ladies’ aid group meeting where Marion Hansen stood up and told about the meetings. After she was done speaking, Cameron stood up and said, “Marion, my mother will not be going with you next year. We have need for her at home!” Of course, the ladies laughed but he really meant it. Things were not done when I came home. I don’t know what they used for dishes as the sink and counter was piled up with used ones. Some of the laundry had been done but I don’t know if Clorox was put in the washer instead of soap, because the kid’s underwear sure smelled like Clorox. It took a few more washings to get this out of the underwear. When I told Floyd what Cameron had said, he said, “I agree with him. You don’t need to be going to those meetings! Three days is too long to be away from them.”
The group that helped in Sioux City didn’t have to go to out of state on mission trips like I did twice. They could find things to do right in our own area. I do know that the trips I made, made me feel that if I thought I had it bad, there were people that had it worse and for some there would never be anything different.
Now because of a fire under a bridge, there is a fence there so the homeless cannot take up residence there. It was thought that someone cooking had caused the fire. Some people are homeless not because they want to be and then there are those who are homeless because it is their way of life.
Sioux City could be loosing the ball team, Explorers, if they don’t replace the plastic seats that have been there more than enough years. The owner is threatening to leave Sioux City if they aren’t all replaced. Officials say they cannot replace but a few at a time as they cannot budget for this. They can increase wages for the officials but can’t see that a lawsuit could be worse if someone would get injured or losing the ball team to another city. This wage increase is not going to stop and sadly enough, the ones on a fixed budget are the ones that are going to suffer while the others don’t care.
Remember in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost loved ones to death, how their lives will be changed, those who have health problems with some terminal, those who are trying to make ends meet even though they are working, encourage others who are not working to find a job even if it isn’t what they are used to doing, be with those in Ukraine who are asking for help from an enemy country before it is too late, and encourage those who are still distanced from friends and family to build a bridge instead of a wall. Count your blessings.
I will leave you with this quote from Annie Besant (1847-1933) English philosopher: “Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared