Volume 3, Issue 5 May, 2012
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Ted Blevins
Drought or naught. They say April showers bring May flowers, but after the driest March in recorded history, who can say what the effect on May flowers is. Are we headed for another long term draught? We are already an inch and ½ behind normal in moisture. Time will tell.
I do know without doubt where there is a drought. It is in new membership. With all the baby boomers retiring, there should be plenty of people looking for opportunities to be in service clubs. Do we have any contacts with the Newcomers Club in Fort Collins? If so, why aren’t we asking them to come to Lions? Our membership is now below 70 for the first time in years.
Ask Alan Beatty or David Lambertson or Tobey Yadon how they get guests to come so frequently. I have found that asking someone if they have ever been in a service club or would they be interested in a service club can open the door. If there is interest, I’ll tell them I’ll pick them up for next Thursday’s meeting.
The only way we can break this draught on new membership is to get guests to meetings. Yes, I am preaching to the choir because the only choir I have is you, and you, and you, and you. Make it your personal responsibility to bring a guest to our next meeting. Please!
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Harold Einarsen
President of Fort Collins Lions Club
1990-1991
Sixty Years a Lion
I was married to Shirley Einarsen (now deceased) for 48 and 1/2 years. I have four children, 10 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.
I first became a Lion in 1952 when we lived in Delta, Colorado. Two weeks after joining I was elected to the position of Tail Twister. This turned out great because I got to know the members faster and soon knew every member of the club.
When I became President of the Fort Collins Lions Club there were 100 members. I stressed membership at every Club meeting and when I left office one year later we had a membership of 117.
A fun time was had when we were meeting at Gillette’s Café in the Northern Hotel. The food was not good and the people in the restaurant made no effort to improve it, so one day we all brought our lunch in a brown paper bag! Gillette didn’t like it and we had to pay for the meal anyway, but he got the message.
I’ve made many visitations to other Lion clubs with Tom and Irene Toliver and Ed Marvel. What a great way to meet other Lions and get acquainted. I highly recommend it!
One notable person the Fort Collins Lions Club entertained and he was our speaker that day was baseball great Don Newcombe. He was very enjoyable.
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Two Horses
Author Unknown
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.
From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.
But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice
something quite amazing….
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down,
but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear
the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound,
you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the horse’s halter is a small bell. It lets the blind
friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.
As you stand and watch these two friends, you’ll see that the horse
with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that
the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to
where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each
evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend
isn’t too far behind to hear the bell…
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives
to help us when we are in need…
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way….
Good friends are like that… You may not always see them,
But you know they are always there…
Please listen for my bell and I’ll listen for yours, and remember…
Be kinder than necessary-
Everyone you meet is fighting
Some kind of battle.
Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly…
FOR WE WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT
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Mad Hatters
The term “mad as a hatter,” made famous by Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, came about because hatters usually acquired a physical disorder after working for too long with the mercury solution used in the felting process. Breathing in the mercury fumes caused damage to the lungs, but it also affected the central nervous system and brain, eventually resulting in paralysis, memory loss, dementia, and death. In the U.S. “mad hatters disease” was known as “Danbury Shakes,” since most top hats were manufactured in that Connecticut town. In 1864, at least one country – the U.K. – decided to relieve the problem by implementing the Factory Act, which mandated ventilation in all workshops.