“May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE….” Romans 15:13

The Eads and Haswell senior citizen groups met at noon last Wednesday for lunches and meetings. In Eads they had beef tacos, choice of a bowl of chili and pot luck side dishes. In Haswell it was their good pot luck meal, plus both sites enjoyed choices of many desserts. In Eads on our regular date, Wednesday February 20, we will have our business meeting at 11:00 a.m. At noon to about 1:30 p.m. Luke Vocke, our Postmaster, will be serving the entrees so people can bring desserts or a side dish. Then he has invited postal patrons for a come and go meal and visiting. This is Luke’s “thank you and good-bye” before he and his wife, Emma (Parker), move to Montrose.

Last Tuesday morning when I was at Prairie Pines enjoying a Bible study with some of the residents, Teri Simmons-Castle and Cindy Newman of the staff announced that “the Mennonite Singers would be here in a few minutes.” Indeed, three young couples with a pretty dark-haired five-month-old baby girl came to sing. Hearing their acapella harmonies is always such a delight! They come from Copeland, Kansas, and go on to sing at the Weisbrod Extended Care Unit during lunch. Then after lunch at one of our cafes they drive on to Denver to serve in homeless shelters for two days.

A week ago Saturday, wrestling fans could listen on KLMR to the Lamar Tournament which is a large affair. They had four mats on the gym floor while spectators watched from above. This was an AA School tournament, but some smaller schools like ours competed. Eads, as part of the County Line Rivals with Wiley and McClave, took third place in team points so this was a super win for our team! Last weekend, Eads hosted the annual invitational tournament, which is always so entertaining. 

Eads teachers and support staff hosted the annual Knowledge Bowl in Eads last Friday.

If readers see this article before 2:00 p.m. Thursday, January 24, the public is welcome and encouraged to come an assembly in the Eads gym to celebrate the students in 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grades who won for the third year in a row the national Title I Distinguished Performance Award. 

Some local people have been attending the National Western Stock Show in Denver including the Eads FFA Chapter Wednesday, January 23. Jonah Schofield and his mother, Jennifer, went at an earlier hour so he could be at the meeting place to receive his second grant to buy a beef breeding animal. He explained to me last year that he applied for this great opportunity. Maybe this is a way for him to start a herd. Congratulations to a hard-working young man! Laura Negley, President of the Kiowa County Farm Bureau, worked at the state chapter booth during the stock show this week.

WE, Women Empowered, are sponsoring a Spaghetti supper Thursday, January 31, in the multi-purpose room at Eads High School from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. This is an effort to raise money to grant a scholarship to a deserving young woman this spring. People can eat there or call ahead to Chelsea Davis at 719-688-3871 for delivery in town. 

It is rather surprising to see so many new adult faces about town. Where I notice it most is as parents wait at the school yard for their children to come outside at 4:00 p.m., and especially at the children’s choral concert. This reaffirms the need for more housing in and around Eads. There are many parents who would like to raise their children in a small town and around such a fine school as we have.

January 13, I was only able to hear the last part of the Grief Workshop by the Lamar Hospice group. Every minute was worthwhile! This is why I encourage people to go to Prairie Pines from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on the next five Sundays to hear the presentations and discussions. The speakers were so enlightening! JoDell (Wilson) Rogers, former Plainview graduate, shared some new ideas. The speakers emphasized that grief is not necessarily related to death, but that grief could also come loss of a relationship or a divorce. Grief can come from financial problems, drug or alcohol situations, foreclosure, health problems, or loss of a job. I was surprised to see many unfamiliar faces of men and women who must have been from other towns. Every person alive carries some kind of burden or grief, so here is our chance to be more attuned to the hurts of other people and maybe make a positive difference in their lives as well as our own life.

Congratulations to Gail and LaDonna Crawford of Eads who celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary. They had such a happy time in December with all their whole family at a mountain resort.

Rene’, Delores Rector’s daughter, came from Denver to bring Delores and her twin brother, Tom Price, to the Eads senior citizen lunch. Tom is another one of the new residents at Prairie Pines. It was so good to have Nola Engstrom back with us. Nola was accompanied by her son-in-law, John. John and his wife, Jura, are new residents in the former Eder home.