The eight scriptures I will use in the following weeks are the ones shared at the Baccalaureate Service by the seniors with Pastor Deborah Gooden.

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:19-21

As I type this column, I have just come from Eads graduation at the gym for the Senior Class of 2026 — nine really nice young men and women. There were six boys and three girls, many of whom amassed thousands of dollars in scholarships, and some are yet to be determined.

Nancy McCracken Walker played the processional as the graduates and dignitaries walked onto the stage and special chairs for the graduates. Superintendent Glenn Smith moderated the program and invited Lexi Shotton to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and welcome the large crowd in attendance. Then Mr. Smith introduced the school board members on stage: Darci Weeks-Johnson, Jessica Sierra, and Whitney Barnett. Karsten Buller delivered the salutatorian address after being introduced by Brian Bolander, who then introduced Kara Wilson, the valedictorian, who also delivered a fine speech to the audience. Mr. Smith read the students’ names; Principal Eder read the scholarship awards and amounts, and many of those that were given by local groups or individuals who made the award. I had the pleasure of giving Tailee Weeks-Johnson, Lexi Shotton, and Kara Wilson’s scholarship from the Eads Chamber of Commerce. I used this opportunity (after prayer) to explain why all the graduates were wearing Hawaiian leis. Lexi Shotton’s great-grandmother, Betty Shotton, had enjoyed the hospitality of one of these men years ago after a traumatic flight to Hawaii. Now, after these many years, his family members have been coming to the Shotton farm southeast of Haswell to visit and hunt prairie dogs. Thus, they are well acquainted with Connie Shotton, daughter-in-law of Betty Shotton. After graduation, the three men who flew here from Hawaii came to meet me and give me two leis. One is a necklace of shiny black nuts. I need to ask Curtis Canopin of Eads, who spends winters on his home island of Hawaii, how to spell this nut name. Steve Shotton and his wife, Dee, came to my home this evening to tell me the names of those nice men who flew here from Hawaii: Ephram Lum, Spencer Keliiaa, and Alan Cody.

Eric Murdock led the changing of the tassel, followed by a warm farewell address by Tailee Weeks-Johnson. After tossing their mortarboards in the air, they retrieved them and walked to the back of the gym to greet their family and friends.

An article will probably follow about their scholarships or work plans.

It was a chilly day but sunny, so several of us went to the Eads Senior Citizens Center noon meal. The residents were pushed by office staff or other workers at Weisbrod. I was escorted by Jose and JoAnna Ramos, who flew here from California where they work. They came primarily to attend the kindergarten graduation of his niece, Nicole. I was surprised to see them! He brought me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers from our local sweet florist, Trista Tuttle. Jose had sent me two dozen carnations for my birthday, May 3. I am so blessed!

Gail Voss worked extra hard last week shopping, breading, and cooking the chicken fried steaks for the Eads Senior Citizen lunch. People seemed to really enjoy that lunch! There were so many good vegetable dishes, relishes, and mashed potatoes and gravy, too. The people seem to have a good time selecting their plates of pies and desserts before lunch.

There was a short business meeting and an interesting interviewer, Shannon Alder, who asked us questions about the needs of our county to report to the Southeast Colorado Development District. These responses will apparently give them insight on the needs of our communities. Another reason is that if a group from a county applies for a grant and doesn’t get it, then another group can share those funds. (I hope I expressed that correctly.) In other words, I think it is an effort to share funds for the counties that could use them to make life better where we live. We shall see.

It was so good to see and visit with Gary and Jan Burrows of Oklahoma, who came to lunch. His mother, Lorretta Seibel, was so happy to share her table with them.

Two times lately we have had the opportunity to watch the video of the young Texas man who came to interview our resident, Orville Mousel, who lived at First View west of Cheyenne Wells. This dear man is 105 years old and can walk around steadily with his walker. Orville is so interesting to listen to when he can hear your lead questions. Orville was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed by the Japanese, but survived!

The Blooding sisters, Areta Laird, Mary Eikner, and Sylvia Weeks, flew to California to an 80th birthday party for their sister, Micki.