Girls night out and building community

Last Saturday I went to a Chocolate Pampered Chef party.   It started when I called to invite this neighbor I had never met to my Mary Kay Facial party and she invited me to hers.   There were about 10 women there and I met Two more new neighbors who I invited to my party.  People are really interested in making a connection.  Getting a “phone list” or “directory” of people in Glastonbury Village (name of our housing development) is one thing they are interested in as well as just meeting people and maybe doing a few community events together.

On Thursday I had my Mary Kay party and 7 women came, everyone I invited plus one who invited another neighbor.   We ranged in age from mid 20’s to late 70’s.  Tanya was also a big hit, she is one of the girls also.  One neighbor, Joy, is planning women’s self defense classes.   I handed out a sheet of paper to each of them and encouraged them to fill it out (name, address, a little about their family) and said I would start putting together a directory.  I gave them the one I filled out about Bob and I so they could learn about us.

One of the things I put on the form was “What do you have to offer the community?” and “What do you need from the community.”  So for Bob and I, I said we could offer computer network help, computer help, info on blogs, websites, publishing books and would be willing to house sit, take care of plants, pets, etc.   I said we needed a kitty sitter and a high school or college student to help Bob with yard work.   I also said I wanted to host a spa day this winter.   That was a big hit.   Several of the women made good use of our massage chair.   I asked if now we could go from being referred to as “the house with the big basement” to “the house with the massage chair.”  They said no, we were now “”the house with the big basement and the house with the massage chair.”  The women are from all over – California, Indiana, SC, NY, etc.

Also, last Tuesday morning, early, the neighbor Kathy who first asked me to coffee, called me again and asked if I wanted to meet her in Greenville while she waited for her daughter.  I said yes and we got to know each other better plus I found a nice new shopping center. 

I think I will have fun with this new group and maybe even find someone to go walking with or do yoga or tai chi with!  If any of you have ideas for us please let me know.

Remember the Veterans who fought for you

Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. No matter what you think about the politics of the various wars and conflicts our country has been in from World War 1, World War Two where my dad  Randy/Harold fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the Korean War, Vietnam where Bob served  and our current conflicts we must support those who are fighting for us.  Bob is still hurt over the names he was called when he returned home from Vietnam.

All the veterans and their families have paid a terrible price so that our country can be free to voice our opinions about these wars.  Say a prayer tonight for all those soldiers and their families who have fought and are fighting for our freedom.

This history comes from wikipedia.

Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed on November 11. However, if it occurs on a Sunday then the following Monday is designated for holiday leave, and if it occurs Saturday then either Saturday or Friday may be so designated.^[1] It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

The holiday is commonly printed as Veteran’s Day or Veterans’ Day in calendars and advertisements. While these spellings are grammatically acceptable, the United States government has declared that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the possessive case is the official spelling.^[2]

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting the President issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday; “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’. In 1953, Al King had the idea to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I. So he began his campaign to turn Armistice Day into “All” Veterans Day. King was an Emporia (KS) shoe store owner actively involved with the American War Dads during World War II. King had promoted his notion so much that the Emporia Chamber of Commerce decided to get involved. With the help of then-U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, also from Emporia, a bill for the holiday was pushed through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954.^[3]

Congress amended this act on November 8, 1954, by replacing “Armistice” with Veterans and it has been known as Veterans Day since.^[4]

Veteran comes from originally meaning a person of long experience or skill. Derived from the latin term veteranus, after the American Revolution the word veteran came to be associated specifically with former soldier of old age who had fought for independence. As time went on veteran was used to describe any former member of the armed forces or a person who had served in the military.