Rotary Informer

Four Way Test:  Thank you Jeff Wynder

Invocation:  Thank you Randy Evans on your beautiful poem on the subject of marriage

How to A Paint Marriage

He paints the curve of her mouth when she smiles, 

and the squint in her eyes when she laughs.

She paints how he looks when he hums a tune

to the wind’s music.

He pictures the flowers he placed in her hair, 

the day rain kissed them.

She pictures the sunny stories he whispers

to her in the warm night.

He watercolors the tones of her skin and hair

with the beauty of her world.

She watercolors his glowing face when he sees

the blushing clouds of evening put the bare sun to bed,

and the tiny sigh, the sigh she barely sees,

when he looks up to fathom the infinite moon and stars.

He brushstrokes the complexion of her hopes and dreams,

the shapes of her ambitions, and the palette of her desires.

She brushstrokes the hues of his interior mind, contours of his body, 

and the angles of his repose, awake and asleep.

They draw and shade the lost spaces of what they separately were, 

and charcoal landscapes of new territories to be traveled together. 

Their art never covers the expanding white canvas.  

Unfinished space opens every day, no matter how filled in 

with something very like love, faith, sorrow, and joy.

They create a marriage in a boundless sea of color harmonies, 

spilling outside the lines—never forgotten, never finished, never framed, never hung on a wall—never a still life.

They find new friends, explore sand beaches, forests, fields, 

mountains, lakes, waterfalls, rivers,

and keep close who and what they treasure.

They fashion the artwork of marriage—dabs of love, splashes of passion, etches of friendship, sketches of caring, squiggles of fun—loud, free, and overrun with dogs and cats.

They paint a life as theirs, the gift they give each other, 

like a temple built to last, even when grass grows up 

between the stones.

                                                  —Randy Evans

Howard Richards led us in “America the Beautiful”

Visiting Rotarians:  There were no visiting Rotarians

Calendar Winners:  Please click here for the winners: Link

Life Events:  Our condolences to fellow Rotarian, Dennis Myers, for the loss of his father, George Steele.

George "The Animal" Steele had an impressive professional wrestling career.

After gaining a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University and a master's degree from Central Michigan University, Myers became a teacher, amateur wrestling coach, and football coach at Madison High School in Madison Heights, Michigan. There he would eventually become a member of the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame.

Myers was a devout Christian. He attended the First Baptist Church Merritt Island, and lived in Cocoa Beach, Florida with his wife Pat.

George came to speak to our group some years back and and impressed us with overcoming challenges and accomplishing many great things in his life. Our hearts go out to you and your family Dennis

Song of the Week:  Rotarians were regaled by the beautiful voices of the Petoskey High School Madrigal singers. They sang selections from “Jersey Boys”, “Santa Fe”, “Hamilton” and “Les Miz”.  Petoskey High School’s upcoming spring musical will be the very challenging “Les Miz”. Given the beautiful voices Rotarians heard today, this will be a musical not to be missed

Inductions: There were no inductions this week

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Great Lakes Orchestra:  Dibby Smith announced an upcoming event. “Day of Music”. Students playing strings and brass will be invited to work with orchestra members. The culmination will be a concert on Saturday, February 18^th, 3:00 pm at the Petoskey Middle School

Paczki Eating Contest:  See Rob Rogier if you are interested in taking part. Two volunteers are needed for this event sponsored by D&W Grocery, February 28^th at 10:00 am. The Club has a potential to win $350.00

Raffle Tickets PRCCI:  Please see Jane Millar with your $20.00 to purchase a TICKET. February 28^th is the deadline. 30% of the proceeds will go the first prize winner, 20% to the second prize winner

Board Report:  President Cartwright informed the Club of the following Board initiatives:

• Attendance Policy - The Board is reviewing and attempting to align our policy with actual practice

• Diamonds & Denim partner for 2018 will be McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital

• Athletics Committee – Angie Cranney will be organizing future sporting events involving Club members

• Strategic Plan – the 5 year Strategic Plan will be reviewed at the Club Assembly on April 19^th.

PROGRAM:

Rotarian John Van Etten told the story of his involvement in the Vietnam era Rescue Bat 21 Bravo. This was an extraordinary tale of survival and bravery. For the full story see story Link. It is worth the effort to click and read

Next Week’s Program:  Paula Brown: Brave Hearts Estate. Brave Hearts Estate is a 238 acre ranch that was donated to Operation Injured Soldiers. For further information check out the story Link