How lucky can we get? The weather forecast for the weekend was for freezing drizzle and snow on Sunday. Sunday morning arrived and there was a very heavy fog. We had had some freezing drizzle during the night and there was a light coating of snow over it that made roads treacherous for those early birds who had to travel at that hour. However, by noon the fog had lifted and the sun came out for a while.That was just what we needed for in that short time the snow and even most of the ice melted. I haven’t heard the forecast for the coming week but whatever happens happens regardless if we were planning on it or not. Just remember to think positive as we are another week closer to spring!The Steen Opportunity Extension Club had their February meeting on Tuesday afternoon at the Henrietta Boeve home. Lunch was served by Bernice Aukes. February is Heart Month. Consequently the lesson for the day was titled "Tips For Your Ticker," which was presented by Winnie Scholten and Cena Mae Tilstra.Word was received here recently that Dries Bosch is a resident of Bethany Meadows Alzheimer’s Unit at Brandon, S.D. We wish him all the best.The Steen Reformed Church RCYF will attend the "Dare 2 Share" meeting on Friday. Those planning to go must have their reservations in by Thursday evening.Wayne Baker, son of Vern Baker, has joined the U.S. Marines and he left Tuesday, Feb. 23. We wish him all the best.Those attending the Hymn Psalm and Hymn Sing at Tuff Home in Hills on Tuesday afternoon were Milton Bonnema, Mildred Keunen and Jo Aykens. The World Day of Prayer will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, March 4, at Hills United Reformed Church. Cora Klay from Luverne will be the speaker. She and her husband have been missionaries in Ghana, Africa. All women of the church are encouraged to attend. Those attending the Christian Women’s meeting at United Methodist Church in Rock Rapids last Wednesday were Henrietta Huenink, Joan Hoogeveen, Lucy VanWyhe and Winnie Scholten. H-BC Elementary School will host a school readiness program beginning Feb. 28 at the H-BC Elementary School. The School Readiness program is a public preschool program for children 3 1/2 to 5 years of age and who are not yet in kindergarten. Contact the school for more information or call the school at 673-2541. February is the birth month of two of the greatest Americans. The dates on which they were born are now remembered and honored. We have remembered the dates of their births because they (Washington and Lincoln) will live as long as there is an American alive to recall their words and deeds. They placed principle above privilege; patriotism above politics and love of country above all personal gain. The greatest gift to a people is its great men, men whose progressive ideas sprout, bloom and bear fruit. The United States of America is exceedingly fortunate in having early in its history two men who will always inspire its sons with steadfast devotion to the common good and sympathy for their fellow men—George Washington, the aristocrat, and Abraham Lincoln, the man of the people. As great mountains loom higher and higher among the surrounding hills, so do these men rise above their contemporaries as our distance from them increases. We learned about George Washington last week so this week I will share some facts about Abraham Lincoln. One of the things that has surprised scholars about Abraham Lincoln is how, as a man of the people without the education of the schools, he should have been able to write English that is marvelous in its clarity and majesty. The Gettysburg Address and the second inaugural speech passed into the list of classics in our language. One explanation is the source from which Lincoln’s language style came. Lincoln learned his speech. As a boy and man he possessed and read the Bible until the spirit of its simple dignity passed into his own words, and phrases were fixed in his memory for effective use when he was an adult. For example, the following words were written by Lincoln and I want to share them with you today. "Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American to the lisping babe who prattles on her lap.Let it be taught in schools, in colleges and in seminaries.Let it be written in primers, spelling books and almanacs.Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls and enforced in the courts of justice. In short let it become the political religion of the nation,And let the young and old, the rich and poor,The grave and the gay of all sexes, tongues, colors and conditions, Sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars."This was written by Abraham Lincoln and expresses very well his ideas and ideals that made him so great a person!
