“I know the plans I have for you, says the lord, plans for your welfare and not your harm; to give you a future with hope.” Jerimiah 29:11 NRSVU

The above scripture from Jerimiah is one of my favorite guiding verses from the Bible. I have learned there is always hope.

Bill Barnett of Eads was honored last week with funeral services at Praise Community Church with Lane and Deborah Gooden as pastors. He and his wife, Lucy (Schneider), raised their children, Marty (Betsy) and daughter, Suzette (Barry) Koch on a ranch south west of Eads. Through the years, Billy and Lucy have enjoyed attending many ball games and performances of their children and grandchildren as they attended the schools in Eads as well as traveling to many surrounding schools and colleges where they attended. Bill was in the class of 1955. He was an outstanding athlete and polite mannered student as I remember him in our small but good class of 1955.

Judy (Uhland) Weeks was honored last week with a large family 80^th birthday party in their country home west of Eads. Judy’s granddaughter, Jordyn Weeks, who is a senior at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, decorated Judy’s cake with pretty roses for her whole family to enjoy with homemade ice cream. Some of my most vivid memories of little dark-haired Judy, who was five years old when she contracted the Polio virus in 1949. A few days later, September 7^, 1949, at age 12, I was sent to St. Mary-Corwin Hospital to be quarantined, also with Polio. A few days later, Judy’s high school sister, Shirley Kay, was transported to the Pueblo Hospital, and then their high school senior brother, Jerry, contacted Polio and joined us in the hospital. Each time, the paralysis continued to worsen, with Jerry surviving in a big loud iron lung machine. Those were worrisome days for our families, town, and nearby communities because no one in those days knew what made them so sick or, really, how to best treat the severe pain and fright for the future. But with increasing faith, and remembering there is always hope, we survived and grew; particularly for Judy and me, since we have remained near this wonderful community of Eads. Happy birthday to Dear Judy Weeks, a good cook, cake decorator, parent, grandmother, and singer!

Congratulations to Lane and Deborah Gooden of Eads who celebrated their 44^th wedding anniversary last week. They met in Kansas College, where Lane was an outstanding basketball player from Pritchett. Deborah was a pretty, fashionable coed from New York and also a citizen of Puerto Rico. They were married during Christmas break. Their college classmates and families and friends came to Puerto Rico for the ceremony. After graduating, they came to our Haswell School to teach and coach. What a blessing they have been to our school system as educators until they retired. Now, as a retired couple with two children and nine grandchildren, they are busy ranchers and certified pastors of Praise Community Church. We are so glad they don’t sit in their rocking chairs.

Brady Buck of Wray had a very serious brain operation January 14. Please join us in praying for the complete recovery of this husband of our Jordon Barnett and their two precious little toddlers.

Sarah Ferris, organizer of the first Sunday night Bingo at the Eads Senior Citizen Center, reported that they had a fun night with some new players. Teacher-coach Justin McLoud came and really added lively humor to the evening.

Congratulations to coach-educator Sara (Houser) Crawford, wife of Mike Crawford, who was honored by receiving the Melvin Hendrickson Service Award at the annual holiday basketball tournament in Lamar in December. She is a very dear deserving person for this award.

Congratulations to Ella Splitter of Sheridan Lake, a high school student at Plainview, who wrestles with the Lamar Thunder team. She won the champion in her division.

I so enjoyed the photos last week by Braylynn (Peck) Eder of Eads that she took and posted on Facebook of the boys and girls basketball teams. Eads won all the games with Evangelical Christian Academy of Colorado Springs. I also liked seeing the fans there, especially our former school superintendent, Robert Woods. He was in the front row with his daughter, Leanna Collins. Another former educator, coach, and principal who still likes to go to local ball games is Bill Woelk and his wife, Charlotte. They have been to Lamar Community College basketball games this season, and have seen Porter Spady, 2024 Eads High School graduate, who plays on the LCC team.

Families and friends, let me remind you that Valentine’s Day is less than a month from this reading. I have seen lovely displays of boxes of candies, toys, dolls, and gorgeous cards here in Eads, but you can also find some in other nearby towns. There are two nice flower shops that I know of in Lamar which I like to do business with. Plus, Burlington and Cheyenne Wells have shops. The best deal for me is from Safeway, where my personal shopper, Lizabeth Hulteen, brings me three or more bundles of flowers frequently to enjoy and arrang for our dining tables.

I encourage you to check the schedules of the local schools to watch and support the sports games, Knowledge Bowls and other civic and social events.

Happy Days ahead. There is always hope.