“I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in the God my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:18

The thought for the day in the devotional booklet that Gail Voss brought up to several residents Thursday says: “I can rejoice even in bad circumstances because God is with me.” What a blessing that devotional booklet is to many people in Kiowa County and around the state and around the world! I like the word “rejoice,” and I am fond of the word joy.

People have been enjoying the photos and memories of the prom dance at Eads last Saturday night. This is probably true of all the schools around southeast Colorado. We ladies here at Weisbrod certainly did enjoy seeing all the lovely young ladies and handsome young men who took the time from their dinner hour and photo sessions to come up here on that cold night for us to admire them. This was the first time since the 1960s that I didn’t get to go see the prom festivities, so I really have appreciated the photographers who posted photos of our students. I really did miss that experience. I am so grateful to Betsy Barnett and the Theatre Council for opening the Plains Theatre for the couples and single students to “promenade” in their new gowns and suits across the stage. Kara Wilson was crowned Queen and Shaine Winder was crowned King. The Princess was Lexi Shotton, and the Princes were Connor Lynch and Jayden Self of the senior class. Tiny Ellie Davis and Weston Meardon were chosen to be the Crown Bearers.

May 1 - May Day - was so special for us at Weisbrod Health. Brenda Leon and some helpers put lovely May baskets full of festive flowers on our doors. When six of the ladies who dine in the small dining room went for breakfast, Trista Tuttle had delivered, via Colby Hill, bags of candy for May Day with tall vases of lovely orange-pink full-bloom roses with red ribbons. They were sent and arranged by Trista from Lucy Barnett’s sister, Connie Schnieder Belleni of West Palm Beach, Florida. Her kind act surely did bring a lot of surprise and joy to Lucy’s tablemates!

Gail Crawford, Eads former teacher and coach, was highly honored in Denver recently when he was inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame as an outstanding coach whose teams had won many championships and awards. Gail guided students to numerous state championships primarily in boys and girls state teams but also in football, track, and other sports. Gail was also a classroom teacher and was the high school principal for a time. He and his wife, LaDonna, raised three children: Mike, Shelly, and Monty. Gail was a wonderful fellow teacher to us who were on staff with him for years.

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Pastor Lane and Deborah Gooden are planning to host the community Baccalaureate service for the Eads High School seniors at Praise Community Church May 13 at 6:30 p.m. The Goodens’ own granddaughter, Aliyah Muth, graduates from Cheyenne Wells May 10.

Our resident, Patty Rees, and her husband, Mark, are so glad to have their daughter, Billy Jo, and her husband and daughter here who came from Tennessee to Billy Jo’s parents and family.

Lacy Lawrence, who has been a nurse in Eads for 29 years, has been saying her final good-byes this week since she and her husband are moving their farm equipment and house goods to their new home and her hospital job in Tribune, Kansas. Their two daughters will be missed in our 4-H program and the Eads school.

Tosha Brook left us this week to visit her home state of Iowa. Her next computerized assignment is in Yuma. Before she left, she bought Godfather’s Pizza for all the residents, patients, and staff—now that was a lot of boxes!

I have enjoyed visiting Juanita Stowell while she was in the hospital again. She went home over the weekend, so maybe I will get to see her and Tom again at the senior citizen’s brunch May 7 at the Eads Senior Citizen Center.

I am so grateful to my friend, Lizabeth Hulteen. She is often a personal shopper or helper for me. She has certainly enjoyed water exercises in the Prairie Pines swimming pool. It is a valued place in Eads for many area people. Let us work together to keep the Pines functioning.

The Eads Elementary School concert will be May 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the high school gym. It is always so very wonderful, directed by Monica Uhland!

How long has it been since you have tie-dyed? Brenda couldn’t find enough tee shirts, so we dyed pillowcases. Now that was a fun challenge. Those who were assisted by younger nurses made a little more typical designs of the craft—namely Nurse Jody Stolzenberger and Courtney Bellomy.

Georgetta Land Temple of Wiley came to visit us last week. We like to remember our college days at CSU in Fort Collins in the 1950s, and our 4-H days. Her husband lived here several years before he died. I noticed that several nurses who knew George and Georgetta back then came in to warmly hug her.

Thank you to my friends and family for all the wonderful flowers and gifts for my 89th birthday. It was a joyful week!