Hello fellow Rotarians.
I have been trying to attend as many East Rotary club functions as I can this year. Being retired gives me more time! Some reflections follow from my travels, as they might relate to the Rotary Family month theme for December. There seems to be an overriding theme of the natural connectedness among all people which creates a large and blessed family in our part of the world:
- Visits to the West High and East High Interact clubs reaffirm my hope that the future of the world will be in good hands. These young people are getting good leadership and guidance from their teachers, and it appears from their families as well. The students interact with each other easily and are receptive to working to serve others.
- The Solstice Tree Tour last Sunday was remarkable to me because all the hundreds of people I saw on the Mize Trail appeared happy and thankful. There were many families on the trail. The very recent and abundant snow boosted everyone’s spirits, but I sensed a feeling of community and joy among all the people.
- At our last lunch meeting I heard expressions of thankfulness that everyone in the affected areas survived the November 30 earthquake. I also heard thankfulness expressed among the members for aid and assistance we have given each other.
- We raised almost $500 to express our gratitude to the Hilton servers who are part of our Rotary family every week.
- I saw the love and encouragement given to the students at the elementary school where we hold a weekly reading project.
- There was fellowship and comradery at our Board meeting last week as the board shared food and drink in a beautiful location high above Anchorage and worked through issues to make our club work better.
- At the meeting of the Community Service Committee, thousands of dollars in grants were approved which will improve the lives of many in our community.
- At the meeting where we discussed the upcoming RYLA program it became clear how much this program depends on the close connections between people to choose the team that will participate. The benefit to the students who participate may well ripple into the world as these folks take up more leadership in the future.
Thanks to all of you for giving me a chance to see these encouraging developments, and to realize what a wonderful foundation is being built for the future. See you next year!