Doris Lessenden

“Be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope you have.” I Peter 3:15

Dear Readers, if you are around me much, you have probably heard me say, “There is always ’Hope.’” Or I often say in a day, “One of my favorite words is ’Hope.’”

The last 48 hours have been a time of “testing” of my life, which is generally wonderful, peaceful, and happy. But two days ago, my electric power chair “died.” What a shock! My niece, Shannon, wiggled the toggle and it cleared. “Yea! I am free again!” But the next morning it was just … dead.

I called NuMotion in Colorado Springs, but could not get an appointment until the middle of August for my chair! When I started this journey, the smaller dealers would come to Eads that same day or the next to help fix it. We Americans do appreciate the small dealerships or stores who give us good, quick service, don’t we? Now I am praying to find a friend who will take my van up next Friday afternoon to bring it back, because I now have a relative who can take it up Thursday. So, you see, there is always hope! And I will certainly pay to have my purple power chair returned to me. In the meantime, Weisbrod’s employee, the restorative therapist Kimmi Younger, who drives from Cheyenne Wells to help us and me, and that wonderful young man, who is a talented certified nursing assistant, Robert Calvin, “fixed” up a wheelchair for me to be pushed around in so I can “survive.” Again, there is always hope!

Friday was a special day when our dietary staff cooked a special lunch outdoors on the patio, where the residents sat at tables under big umbrellas to eat lunch. Our activity director, Brenda Leon, sat Orville Mousel at a table with a shiny gold tablecloth in honor of him for Father’s Day and announced that we would also have a nice Father’s Day cake Sunday to enjoy with him. At 2:00 p.m., about eight helper-pushers took the residents in wheelchairs to the Plains Theatre to experience the movie featuring Audrey Hepburn.

About three hours later, the south part of Maine Street was bustling with activity for the third Maine Street Bash concert and booths and good food.

I was so pleased to have Jim Garner come from near the Denver area to visit me Saturday morning. He was looking forward to visiting Bill and Charlotte Woelk, his former teacher and principal. Jim updated me on his cousin, Christine Brenton, and her husband, Daryll Lovett, who lives in the Arkansas Valley. We recalled his dear parents, Dan and Evelyn Garner, and our school and 4-H memories. Jim has been traveling every summer for many years somewhere in the world to attend the reunions of Army men and women troops who at one time lived in Berlin during the occupation. That is why he enjoys these trips so much, and his good memories of Berlin. He is so grateful not to have been in the mud in Vietnam. He was stationed in Germany. As office personnel, he drove dignitaries around. He was able to obtain a four-year college degree.

Justin Lenox, an Eads educator, had a good time in Holyoke for five days at the state conference and classes for agriculture teachers who are Future Farmers of America sponsors.

The city employees for the Town of Eads have organized a benefit supper for Donte Sierra, their co-worker, of Eads. It will be Saturday evening, July 11, for $10. The barbecue will be at the Kiowa County Community Building at the fairgrounds. Donte has worked for the Town of Eads city crew for six years. He is married and has a pretty little girl who is a toddler. Any donations would really help this family cope with the expenses of his stomach cancer treatments. A account has also been set up at GN Bank in Eads for Donte.

A memorial service and dinner were held Saturday, June 20, at the Eads Senior Center for Lucille (Selby) Kelly.

I am sad for all the people from many miles around who have traveled for many, many years to enjoy “Blue Lake” in West Kiowa County and Thurston Lake north of Lamar in Prowers County to fish and play in the water and have wonderful family times or camping there. Sadly, many of the other lakes or bodies of water are drying up or have been redirected.

Remember, Dear Readers, some days we might feel discouraged about our lives on earth—but there is always hope!