Just a little over a week ago we had a beautiful white landscape following six inches or more of snow. This past week our temperatures have definitely been on the mild side and we even had some sunshine! Now we know spring is here. After the snow melted the fields were brown, and some of the grass was getting a touch of green. So, never give up on the weather for it is like the old saying, "If you don’t like our weather, just wait 15 minutes!" Personally, I think it takes a little longer than that but spring is definitely in the air.The Steen Opportunity Extension Club had their March meeting at the Cena Mae Tilstra home on Tuesday afternoon. Etta DeJongh and Jane Baker Bosch presented the lesson "Food Facts." New officers were elected for the coming year. Elected were Henrietta Boeve, president; Cena Mae Tilstra, vice president; and Etta DeJongh, secretary/treasurer. Following the meeting a delicious lunch was enjoyed by all. Scott and Ladene Marquart and sons from Gresham, Ore., spent several days this past week visiting in the home of her parents, Bill and Bertha Bosch. The Hills Christian Reformed Church Spring Auction will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1. Everyone is welcome. Guess what! Daylight-saving time begins Saturday evening. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed. Steen Reformed Church had a Good Friday morning brunch. It was hosted by the Women’s Mission, Circle four. A program was presented on the Good Friday theme and lunch was served. A free will offering was taken which was given to the Center of Hope mission.Daryl and Marie Paulsen returned home on Sunday from a business trip to Las Vegas. They accompanied their daughter, Suzanne, and her husband, Clark Meyer, to attend the four-day meeting.Easter Sunday dinner guests in the Joyce Aykens home in Worthington were Mildred Keunen and Jo Aykens, Steen, Paul and Carole Aykens and Susan Veldkamp from Orange City, Iowa. Fred Keller and his wife, Alice Aukes Keller, formerly of Ash Creek, moved on Monday to their new home which will be at Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne. We wish them lots of happy days there! Congratulations to Robert and Lorraine Sandbulte on the birth of their first grandchild. Troy Douglas Pyle was born on March 15 to Jason and Stephanie (Sandbulte) Pyle of Iowa City, Iowa. The new baby’s paternal grandparents are Clayton and Nancy Pyle, Hartley, Iowa. Robert, Lorraine, Janet and John Sandbulte traveled to Iowa City on Monday, March 19, to visit the new baby boy and his parents. They returned home on March 21. Saturday night JoAnn and Melvin Paulsen, Steen, and Laura Paulsen, Hills, met their son and grandson, Mark, and his wife, Lisa, and family from Marshall at Luverne Pizza Ranch where they enjoyed an early Easter dinner together. Easter weekend guests in the Clarence Groen home in Steen were his son, Tim and wife, Nancy, from Des Moines, Iowa. March has always been known for its strong wind and this year has been no exception. It always manages to blow from one direction or another and always at a time when you really don’t need it. So when I read this article titled "The Winds of Life," it aroused my curiosity and I thought you might enjoy it. "March is supposed to be the windy month. Its blustery gales, so tradition has it, are winter’s last gasp before giving way to gentle spring. Did you ever watch the limbs of a tree bend before a March wind? At the first violent blast, the limb leans over, letting the onslaught of air stream harmlessly past. When the gale has subsided, the limb whips resiliently back into position. Many people have this quality of reacting simply to the winds of life. When misfortune hits them, they bend before it, not permitting it to break them. When it is past, they spring up again, ready for more. During a lifetime, we are all bound to encounter certain degrees of misfortune. This is the way of life. Some encounter it to a greater extent than others, but we all experience it. As someone has so aptly put it, "It is not so much the misfortune itself that counts, but the way you meet it!"We don’t always want to think that but actually, "No truer words were ever spoken."
