Our last meeting of 2011 just finished up. Our next meeting will be on January 3, 2012.
Our new members were inducted today. Welcome to Michel and Leann.
We want to wish all Rotarians a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I shared a small poem at the end of our meeting today and said I would post it on the site.
Until next year...
THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Charles Olsen
'Twas the week before Christmas, when here at the Beef
All the Rotarians were meeting in hopes it would be brief
All the banners were pinned in a nice straight line,
In hopes that the Rotarians ‘O Canada’ would be sung fine;
by Charles Olsen
'Twas the week before Christmas, when here at the Beef
All the Rotarians were meeting in hopes it would be brief
All the banners were pinned in a nice straight line,
In hopes that the Rotarians ‘O Canada’ would be sung fine;
The Rotarians were filing in, putting their name tags on display,
With visions of the Sergeant giving no fines today;
And Eric at the back collecting all the money,
50/50 tickets being sold to everybody,
When up at the front there arose such a clatter,
I turned my head to see what was the matter.
Just then, Dennis flew into the room like a flash,
threw off his jacket, and adjusted his moustache.
I hope I’m not late or I’ll have to go
Because I don’t have a dollar for that Sergeant so and so
When, what to my wondering eyes do appear,
But Tyler up front with our guests and their gear
With a lively little character some would call an old fart
I knew in a moment it must be Art
More rapid than eagles the Rotarians came
He whistled and shouted and called them by name.
Now David, now Norm, now Cory and Kim
On Gloria, On Len, On Judy and Tim
To the table at the back of the hall
To get your lunch, Dash away dash away all
As chairs that were left in the aisles from days gone by,
When they met with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So to the back table the Rotarians flew,
Tyler with his guests and the Rotarian crew
And then, in a twinkling, I heard at the back
The pushing and shoving of the brat pack
As I drew in my head, and peered through the door to see,
And in come Gail, the past assistant DG
She was dressed all in fur, from her head to her toe,
And her clothes were all covered with fresh fallen snow;
A bundle of toys she had flung on her back,
And she looked like a peddler just opening her pack.
Her eyes -- how they twinkled! Her dimples how merry!
Her cheeks were like roses, her nose like a cherry!
She had been out all day collecting toys
For all the unfortunate girls and boys,
Now Tyler with a drumstick held tight in his teeth,
And cranberry sauce circled his plate like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, and taller than an elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
I knew he had something that needed to be said;
He handed his drumstick to Bill
and started talking about kindness and good will
About how this time of year,
is for happiness and cheer;
He sprang to the front, gave his team a whistle,
And they all left the buffet line like the down of a thistle.
But I heard them exclaim, as they strode out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
