November 6, 2008

I am late getting my blog written this week. Excuses. Excuses, Excuses. What can I say? I’ll not say anything.

This week we had Election Day. And a busy one it was. I was at work at the City Hall polling place by 5:50 a.m. I know I signed my initials, “ME” at least a thousand times from when I started at 6:15 a.m. until I finished at 1:30 p.m. I was one of three who verified that a voter was registered and then had them sign their name in the book. We had a long line of eager voters ready to do their civic duty when we opened the doors at 7 a.m. In the first 2 ½ hours we had at least 250 voters. When I left at 1:30 the number 764 was on the counter on the ballot counter machine. I vote in a different ward, and I was voter 710 there. This morning Georgia told me that they finished their work and she was home by 10:15 Tuesday night. There were 300 new registered voters in our Ward. And I think heard that all but 173 registered voters in that Ward did not vote. WOW!
I am glad the elections are finally over. I was so tired of all the negative ads.

Last Saturday, we had a Spaghetti Supper at the Motherhouse. It was another successful event. For me one of the best parts {after the spaghetti}, was to enjoy how our guests just sat and visited with one another. Such a good social time together. We knew we would have a big crowd, when we were starting to fill the second dining room by 5 p.m. We welcomed 572 guests. Proceeds from the event benefit St. Francis Music Center and Health and Recreation Center. Thank you, to all who helped with the event. This will be our last food fund raiser until after the kitchen renovation is completed. Stay tuned for an update in the future.

The lead article in our Community Newsletter has some “Tidbits from Archives”. One of them is: “November 4, 1958: Feast of St. Charles Borromeo--Coronation of His Holiness, Pope John XXIII. We watched it on T.V.” I smiled as I read that because now watching something on T.V. is hardly news.

I was in error. Last time I gave a wrong number about the number of youth served at the Children’s Home. “There have been at least 20,000 youth served at the Children’s Home and thousands of staff who have served in the mission of service to youth overt the last 85 years.” (From talk given by John Krueger, Division Director, Catholic Charities of St. Cloud, Director of St. Cloud Children’s Home, October 24, 2008.)

“They” told us that we could experience all four seasons this week. So far we’ve had summer and spring, I think we’re suppose to get fall and winter tomorrow and the next day with possible snow by the weekend. Most of the leaves on our trees are now down. One more raking should do the trick.

Last Sunday the Associates from the West Central Region sponsored a fund-raiser breakfast in Morris. Some of us who worked there through the years went for 8:30 Mass, brunch and to support them. It is always so good to renew friendships and see friends from past years. At the Mass each person from the parish who had died during the past year, was honored by having a family member light a candle after his/her name was read. On our trip to Morris, after we got past Sauk Centre we ran into thick, thick fog. What a surprise. There was no indication of fog before that.

Peace and blessings,
Sister Mary Lou