Sunday morning we awoke to a dense fog which made visibility very difficult and driving almost impossible. Later on that day the fog lifted. And when I was out doing chores, I discovered a bright yellow dandelion smiling up at me. So, spring is here!Last Sunday we received about two inches of rain, which turned the lawns into a brilliant green carpet of grass changing our landscape quickly. I don’t have any flowers blooming as yet, however, my winter onions are waiting for me to bring some into the house. Mother Nature knows that first things need to be first!Time goes by so rapidly I can hardly believe the school year is coming to a rapid ending. The Junior/Senior Prom will be Friday, April 22. The theme for prom this year is "Dreaming of You."Henrietta Huenink attended the Baptism service for her great-grandson, Brian Greme, at Reformed Church in Lester, Iowa, on Sunday morning. Brian is the son of Dan and Lois Greme. Grandparents are Wayne and Norma VanWyhe of Lester. Harvey and Gertrude Rozeboom and Mildred Paulsen enjoyed dinner together Saturday evening in Sioux Falls. They also enjoyed some shopping time following the meal. Wayne Randall, Long Prairie, and son, Matthew, from Minneapolis, Glen Paulsen and family, Sioux Falls, and Melvin and JoAnn Paulsen met at the Luverne Pizza Ranch Friday evening where they enjoyed supper together. Melba Boeve and Cheryl and Leah Hup attended the Tri-State Art Show Sunday afternoon in the Forester Community Center in Rock Rapids, Iowa. Thursday evening Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, will observe their 50th anniversary with a Jubilee Concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington Pavilion at Sioux Falls.The Hills-Beaver Creek 2005 senior class will be on their senior trip to Valleyfair on Friday, May 20. Attention Parents! Early dismissal from H-BC Elementary School will be at 1:13 p.m. Friday, April 22. Did you know that April 25 through May 1 is National TV Turn-Off Week? This was in the school news but I think we could all observe it.As I was thinking about our lives today, I ran across this article about "Friends." As I read it, I decided we aren’t as friendly anymore like we used to be. Maybe we need to remember what a friend is and also what creates a good friend?I hope you enjoy refreshing your memory with this article describing what we are missing. What is a Friend?By Myrtle BarkerTo ask just anyone, "What is a friend?" could bring forth a variety of replies. Maybe, such a one as this: "A friend? Well, that depends. If you’re a gal, a friend’s a guy. And then, of course, the other way around."Or still another might say: "I’m broke. Payday is a week away. Somebody slips me a few dollars. That’s a friend."Or again: "Your dog, that’s your friend." And so you tuck the query away, along with such perplexities as why do some leaves turn yellow and some leaves turn red. Or, how big is a man’s soul?One day you toss your question into boundless space. And out of the silence flows the pattern of a friend. Friendship is a fragile something marked, "Handle with care" — yet as sturdy as dependability and as rugged as loyalty. It’s softly tender like love, and forgiveness, and hope — yet as hard as truth and as firm as faith. Friendship is believing, when all others doubt. It’s remembering, when all others have forgotten. It’s rejoicing in another’s good fortune, weeping for another’s bad luck. It’s the man on the road to Jericho who goes where another is — and supplies what is needed, whether it’s a word of encouragement or praise, or an invitation to come take a walk. Somehow, a friend is intuitive and can sense a longing, and can come up with the right prescription to heal a headache, or comfort a hurt heart. A friend is someone whose spirit is nourished by the identical food that feeds our own; someone with whom we can find companionship even in silence, or with whom we can share differing convictions in tolerant understanding.Because a friend looks upon you with affection and considers you something special, you put forth a mighty effort to live up to the ideal. You are better —Just because you have a friend.
