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Evergreen Outreach

By Charlene  M. Jett
This week's Evergreen Outreach started out right, with the Rev. Jim Fackler in charge. And, of course, it is his “masterpiece” – a 3-inch-thick joke book that he has hopes of selling! All kidding aside, a very big thanks to him and Donna Smith (our pianist). They got us started on our two E.O. songs, while everyone ate the cookies that Sharon Mueller baked. Thank you Sharon! Our entertainer for the day was Dave Korte, with his guitar, from Highland. He is affiliated with Korte Construction.
We sang "Happy Birthday"  to Neva Hoffman, Edith Simmons, Shirley Bonette, Edith Elliott, Peggy Lippold, Bill Brown, Violet Kessler, Russell Osborne, L.J. Carter, Lucille Geibel, Ben Hunter, Robert Montgomery, Charlene Jett and Tina Sewell. That put  smiles on a lot of people's faces.
Our devotions were about saying “yes” to God. Fackler raised the question about what if Mary had said "no" to God? What if she had said ”I’m too busy cleaning” or ”I’m too busy cooking”? Our world would have turned out VERY differently! What if she had her headphones on all the time? I think we would be in big trouble if we didn’t listen to God. Fackler told us about how important it is to be happy.   Loving God gives us peace, then follows happiness and cheerfulness. This prolongs our lives and decreases the negative stress and bad chemicals that can damage our body.  Bad chemicals can damage our heart, lungs, immune system and brain. Happiness can decrease the amount of pain medication you may need. Happiness will increase the quality of your life, and joy is a true gift from God.
Korte started his singing and playing with “Back in the Saddle” and then jumped into a Hank Williams favorite, ”Hey, Good Looking.” This got more voices out and hands clapping. Then he sang an old-time favorite, “Five-foot-two, Eyes of Blue,” which many knew. Then we started our Phyllis Rames dance, and were ducking and going in circles. It’s amazing how much fun you can have with friends! So much like recess used to be in school.
Korte played many more songs, but I especially liked a story he told. It was about a man who was looking for a “rose” – a certain kind of woman. He passed by a great “orchid” – a different kind of woman. He didn’t realize his mistake it until it was too late. Korte’s collection of country songs lifted our spirits and put smiles on everyone's face.
Our pinochle table consisted of Richard Kruenegel and Shirley Locke playing against  Ruth Ann Scott and Mary Woolsey. Each team won one game. We were missing several  friends, including Peggy Lippold, Randy Schukar and Beulah Brown. I also caught Rosamund Hobler playing hookey from E.O. Just because you are out of sight doesn’t mean you are out of mind.  We think of you often and smile when we do.
Our prayers and thoughts are with you all, and we still want to share the joy of E.O. with everyone. God bless everyone until we meet again – next week.
 

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