Out and About – Week of May 30th

Monday was Memorial Day, a day to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. There were several parades in St. Joseph County, which, hopefully, many of you attended. The parades, by tradition, or respect, were silent, which means that you shouldn’t have heard any sirens. In Three Rivers and Mendon, there was an honor guard which fired a twenty-one-gun volley. My point here is that Memorial Day is not just a time to fire up the grill on the patio, but more importantly, it’s a time to reflect on the true meaning of this special day. Oh yes, it’s also that time of the year when the gentlemen can wear their white dress shoes. I’m not sure if they still make “white bucks” anymore.
On Saturday, May 21, the Three Rivers Lions Club held their annual White Cane drive, and they wish to thank everyone for their generous donations. This fundraiser makes it possible to provide eye care to those in need right here in the Three Rivers area.
The Lions Club also takes in used glasses, which are sent to a club in the Grand Rapids area to be cleaned and refurbished for use in countries where proper eye care does not exist. Individuals continue to ask where these collection points are located, so I’d like to list nine locations here in Three Rivers. They are: Lowry’s Books; Commission on Aging; the Specialty Clinic at TR Health; Sussex Vision, August Optical; LA’s Coffee Cafe; Fred’s Pharmacy; City Hall; and Meijer Optical.
I’ve spent most of my life doing things in a way that would please others. I don’t deal well with confrontation, so I usually agree with most people, just to avoid them getting upset with me. I recently came across something that I’m planning to take into serious consideration, because no one should be someone else’s puppet. I’m sure there are others who might benefit by thinking seriously about the following:

You Don’t Owe Anyone
You don’t owe anyone for justification of your priorities.
You don’t owe anyone gossip material just to fit in.
You don’t owe anyone a “yes” when you want to say “no”.
You don’t owe anyone an explanation for why you love someone.
You don’t owe anyone a debate.
You don’t owe anyone the meaning of what you believe in.
You don’t owe anyone a change in your appearance.
You don’t owe anyone friendship, if it’s not mutual.
You don’t owe anyone an answer that isn’t the truth.
You don’t owe anyone anything that goes against your gut instinct.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman