Dear Friends:
I spent a wonderful weekend in Columbia City, Indiana,
with Ned and Alma Freeman and their terrific staff and friends, celebrating
Ned and Alma’s 50th anniversary of being in business as Columbia
House Interiors. The celebration included a ribbon cutting ceremony,
and I was thrilled to ride to it in Ned and Alma’s flower-decked
Hummer! I even got to drive it to the airport Sunday morning, minus
the flowers—what fun!
Pat descends from the Hummer at the ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating
Columbia House Interiors' 50th year in business.
Pat, with Ned Freeman on Pat's right and Ned's wife Alma on her
left, cuts the ceremonial ribbon in front of Columbia House Interiors.
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” so
I’ll include several that will help tell the story of my happy
weekend.
Pat with Ned, Alma and other members of Pat's Happy Hoosiers, the
local Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society, enjoy an evening cookout
at the home of Ned and Alma's daughter, Michelle Ball.
Michelle, (next to Pat) took Pat on a tour of her lovely house,
accompanied by her mother and father, Alma and Ned.
Pat poses with members of the P. Buckley Moss Chapter Trees of Life,
who traveled from Ohio to be with Pat. From the left, Ruth Block, Colleen
Jaski, Barb Jaski, Deb Weisgerber, Pat and Ginny Meyers.
Mayor Jim Fleck of Columbia City (right) presents Pat with a proclamation
in front of the courthouse on P. Buckley Moss Day, Saturday August 27,
2005. With them are Ned and Alma Freeman.
This week my thoughts and prayers are with those whose
lives have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina. One of my nieces lives
in New Orleans, and she and her husband evacuated to my sister’s
house in Texas. Her husband put everything on the second floor before
they left, and they are praying there will be something for them to
go home to. As I watch the news reports coming out of the Gulf Coast
region, my heart aches at the scenes of devastation and the stories
of loss. I am reminded once again that we must always respect the forces
of nature.
Have a happy and safe Labor Day holiday!
Love,
Pat