By Loretta Humble/Around the Town
I’ve been busy! Doug Humble Jr., my business partner and former husband has been in town for two weeks. That is a good thing, as we get our heads together to make plans for the future of our companies. But that means for the last two weeks I’ve been spending business hours tending to business rather than running around town taking pictures and spreading good gossip, which is my regular occupation. So if you haven’t heard much from me lately, now you know why. And it looks like I’ll still be kind of tied up doing real business for at least another week.
And then at night and weekends I’ve been socializing and good-deed supporting, besides discovering a great new friend who has accompanied me to some of these nifty things. There was the Henderson County Performing Arts Gala, The Sculpture Garden Tour, The Greencards performance at the Country Club, and the Family Peace Project Waffle Breakfast. And we had just barely caught our breath from the Cornbread Festival. Now a bunch of us at Cedar Lake Home Health and Hospice are preparing for the Relay for Life this Friday to raise money and awareness in the fight to end cancer.
Oh my goodness. Just writing about all this makes me tired again. But I’m going to sit here in my jammies this morning and spend just a few minutes telling you how good these groups are, and about how good it is to get involved with them. (I do wish they didn’t all come at one time, though.)
First, there is HCPAC, or the Little Theater to us old timers. Most of you know how great it is, but if I could just convince one or two of you who don’t know to go see just one show, I will have done you a favor, and you will be hooked. And maybe you’d like to audition for a part, or help sew a costume or build a set. They have jobs that take a lot of time or a little. You will meet fantastic, super talented people who will welcome you with open arms.
Then there’s the Sculpture Garden Tour, sponsored by the Malakoff Area Garden Club, the stated purpose of which is to raise money to restore the Bartlett House property. We never seem to make money on it, as it costs all the money we make putting the thing on, but what a wonderful thing it is! What a chance to show the world the first class art and wonderful gardens of East Texas, and what a great chance to meet and visit with the artists! This is a very tiny group that carries this off, and they are always looking for reinforcements. Let me know if you are interested.
The Greencards are a wonderful musical group, and their annual performance is the big fund-raiser for The Samaritan Project, a non-profit originated to build a local hospice house, started by our friends at Genesis Home Care and Hospice, and supported by us at Cedar Lake Home Health and Hospice, and our Nursing Home as well.
And the Family Peace Project, which provides a place of refuge and support for victims of family violence fed over 5,000 folks waffles Saturday to support that wonderful cause. This is the only group I’ve ever agreed to be on their board, because I hate board meetings, but I so love this group, and the good they do, I sacrifice myself and go to the board meetings. And as board meetings go, these are not so bad, because all the board members are super people.
These are just the groups that I’ve been to their fundraisers in the last couple of weeks. They are just a few of dozens, maybe hundreds, of groups of folks who come together to make the world better. And they do make it better, and they make us better for being a part of them. Because they give us a chance to associate with the highest class of people—people who care about other people. You want to meet people? Forget about Match Maker. Go where the cream of the crop folks are—volunteer.
Now, just one gripe before I get dressed and go to work. What is the matter with you people? Why won’t you listen to me? I wrote all that good information about lamb’s quarters, offering to share, and I thought I’d have a path beaten to my door, to get a sample, or some seed, or at least somebody would call or email asking me more about it, but noooo, not one inquiry. I’ve got this garden full of free delicious nutrition, just begging to be spread throughout the community, and no takers. Except Donna Rinn and my daughter Liz, who don’t come often enough.
Well, maybe you shouldn’t all get convinced and come at once—maybe I don’t have that much, but some of you ought to be talking to me about it. I’ve finally found something I can grow.