Out and About – Week of November 23rd

I am thankful every day for many things, but this week we have set aside a special day when all of us should spend time reflecting on our many blessings. Let this Thursday be a special day for us all to be especially thankful for all that we have. I thank those few stores that will be closed on Thursday so that their employees can spend the entire day with family.
Remember also that Thanksgiving Day is a holiday, which means there will be no mail, the banks will be closed, and your friendly garbage person has the day off. If your trash is normally picked up on Thursday, it will have to wait until Friday. In other words, Thursday and Friday’s trash will be a day late.
I hate to be redundant, but I mention this several times a year, when a holiday involves gifts or food. I will not let this Thanksgiving be an exception. As you’re planning your Thanksgiving festivities, please remember those friends and neighbors who don’t have families nearby. Invite that senior citizen, living two houses away, to join you for dinner, or at least take a plateful of food to them, and while you’re there, visit with them for a few moments. It will mean a lot. If you have relatives living in an assisted care facility, take the time to stop by for a visit. Please don’t let them go unforgotten.
I firmly believe that we all have something more to learn. Very few people know everything. If you have progressed through school and have gone so far as to obtain a PhD, you still have more to learn. Throughout my years of volunteering with Lions Clubs International, I have received a lot of training. I’ve attended leadership institutes and training seminars. About two weeks ago, I spent four days at the Faculty Development Institute northwest of Chicago, at the Schaumburg Hyatt Regency. The days consisted of eight hours of intense training. Upon completion, those students could return to their clubs and train and teach others. There were forty Lions in our class, which was split into two different sections. These forty students came from all over the United States and Canada, with only three of us from Michigan. I felt very privileged to have been chosen to attend. I was given a three-day notice, because my wife and I were told that we didn’t make the cut about a month ago. They called and said that someone had canceled, so I had the opportunity to be a part of the training.
Those who have put forth the effort to climb the “Education Ladder” deserve a lot of credit and have my utmost respect for sticking to their desire to succeed. I was never a very good student, so this training required me to pay attention and take advantage of the opportunity presented to me. I’m sure my parents would be proud to know that I have become a better student as I’ve aged.
A final word on being thankful. I am thankful for my health, my family, the opportunity to volunteer and help those less fortunate. I am especially thankful for the opportunity to write this column every week and for you readers who continue to take the time to read it.
See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman