“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweet as a honeycomb, loving to my bones.” Proverbs 16:24

After a week in isolation, I was so ready to be free. But this week, my body says “not so fast … you need more healing.” My spirit reminds me, “remember, you say you are a tuff lady!” But the reality is, I need more resting time.

Tuesday at the Hospital Auxiliary meeting, we decided to hold our traditional January Bingo games January 26 at 1:30 p.m. in the large dining room. Members will bring envelopes of money for residents to choose from when they “Bingo.” The Auxiliary ladies enjoy getting acquainted and interacting with the residents. Each month, when a resident has a birthday, one of the Auxiliary members volunteers to bring a gift bag of extra gifts to the afternoon party.

Last Wednesday in the afternoon, the whole Kit Carson student body was privileged to witness the bestowing of four Quilts of Valor to four local veterans. They were Roger Evans, Archie Cloud, Amanda Plitz, and Ryan Weber. Roger is of special interest to me since he was a student at Eads High School in the 1960s, and a former neighbor. Later, he married a very dear friend at my Kit Carson church, Betsy Bergman, who has been such a blessing to him and me and the many others whose lives she has touched. Archie Cloud is often scene around Eads shops and the Weisbrod Hospital lab. He is jolly man who runs an enterprise of hundreds of breeding dogs for pet shops, I assume. His daughters live out of state, and people around our two towns still get to enjoy Archie and Theresa’s son. Amanda Plitz is an educator and librarian at Kit Carson. She and her husband, who is also a veteran, moved from the east to live in a smaller town. Their two daughters, Isabelle and Chloe, who are in grade school, were quite delighted by the photos that my veteran friend, Areta Blooding Laird, took to show me. Thank you to Areta, and a huge thank you to local quilter and artist, Mary Rhoads, who has shared her talent in such a beautiful way with these veterans and their families. The third veteran whom I, Areta, and my Pastor, Tom Barton, recognize was Ryan Weber. He was very kind to visit me afterwards, and to read aloud to me Roger’s story as written by Pricilla Waggner.

One of the best happenings for residents Weisbrod and Prairie Pines Sunday afternoon was when Pastors Lane and Deborah Gooden came with a devotion time, and we sang from the hymnals left to us the memory of Pearl Hainer. Saturday, the Gooden’s had such a good time when they went to observe three of their grandchildren compete in the area “Hoop Shoot” at Otero Junior College. Their grandson, Kyton from Eads, was in the competition.

Bob Alfano, aka “Uncle Bob” has recently been diagnosed with cancer. An account has been set up at GNBank in Eads and Lamar to help with medical expenses. Make checks payable to Kemma Alfano fbo Bob Alfano. The Eads GNBank address is PO Box 847, Eads, CO 81036.