“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Matthew 5: 8

Those who attended the third Wednesday lunch and meeting at the Eads Senior Citizen Center last week enjoyed those delicious turkeys that the late Joe Schmitt’s daughter and granddaughter, Marsha and Pam Mousel, brought down from Denver earlier this year. The guest savored the potatoes, dressing, and side dishes that Gail and President Sylvia Blooding served, along with those foods that Tom Barton served. After lunch, Pam and Marsha took meals out to Kiowa Creek Estates to Orville and Rita Mousel. I am glad their relatives and friends keep watch over them because Orville is 103 years old. He is one of the few survivors alive who was in the bombing at Pearl Harbor. During the business meeting seniors were reminded of the monthly brunch December 7 and the noon meal and business meeting December 20.

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Darci Weeks-Johnson, who has been a school board member for nine years, showed me some photos of the progress of the company that is restoring the gym floor. We are certainly looking forward to going to basketball games on our own home floor after the whole volleyball season of matches away from our home court. The Eads Eagle fans are really looking forward to seeing games on the home floor, which has been completed, and it is beautiful! Current board members are Ralph Berry, Keith Crow, Jessica Sierra, Shawn Kraft, Holly Mitchek, Dustin Uhland, and Darci Weeks-Johnson. We do thank these people who have served diligently for many years to maintain high standards for our school and the children and teenagers.

Shirley Nelson certainly enjoyed her homemade angel food cake with ice cream on her 77th birthday last Monday. She said this has always been a family favorite. We remembered how we used to whip egg whites by hand.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the annual Veterans Dinner hosted by American Legion Post #125 in the Kiowa County Community Building last Saturday We have noticed through the years that Roland Sorensen, Dan and Jan Richards, and Areta Blooding-Laird have filled the leadership roles for organizing the annual dinner. It began in JJ’s Restaurant meeting room, then the whole restaurant. For several years, they have scheduled the dinner in the community building on the fairgrounds. This is a great arrangement since people from all over Kiowa and Cheyenne County can come. This year, Carole Spady and Michelle Nelson, both from the Haswell Chapter of Quilts of Valor, were there to tell a moving biography of three military service member and to present them gorgeous patriotic quilts. The recipients were County Commissioner Butch Robertson, Darul Fredrick, and the Eads Major, Joe Shields. Bradley Roe of La Junta, who works for the Arkansas Valley Medical group, spoke about the many services offered to veterans, particularly in suicide prevention. The other speaker was Cindy McLoud the Kiowa County Economic Development Foundation, who gave an update on grants and progress that has been made on restoring the American Legion Building with updated features. Commander Dan Richard asked for a moment of silence to remember the three veterans who died this year: L. D. Nelson., Denis Weber, and Pete West of our county.

Our hearts go out in sympathy for the tragedy for Karl and Sarah Eikenberg, whose family home on Rittgers Street in Eads, suffered a major fire. A GoFundMe page was set up and had raised nearly $12,000 by noon Friday. Praise Community Church is accepting donations of clothing, and there are donation cans in most of the stores, as well as an account set up at GNBank to benefit the family. They have young twin sons about seven years old, a daughter about age 10, and a teenage son. This loss is a type of grief added to the loss of Karl’s aunt, Marlynn Eikenberg, who was buried in Haswell last Tuesday. All the chairs available and bleachers at the Haswell community building were filled, and many had to stand during the funeral service for this precious lady, who was so dear to many people.

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Jeanne (Richards) Sorensen at Plains Network Services has been a computer tech for others and me for many years. Other people providing computer support are Shawn Kraft, who is the front end manager at Kiowa Pharmacy, and Denise Nelson, Business Education teacher at Eads High School, who sent Colin Nelson as a volunteer helper. He is a junior and a good instructor.

Often times we hear locals remark, “who are those people?” The answer may be that they work at Love’s, windfarm, or hospital. In fact, there are a number of nurses and CNA’s who work at Weisbrod Hospital for weeks at a time. Two who we especially find entertaining and responsible are Rhonda Warn of Jacksonville, Alabama, and Sakethia Slaughter of Pine Bluffs, Arkansas. Dr. Dennis Bartha and Joe Zinger have been traveling here from Denver for years so that we have physical therapists at Weisbrod all week. Through the years, I have met people from other countries, such as Kashmir and the Philipines, who work here.

 Let us be more thankful. Peace be with you all.