Lake Bosse Oaks

January.February 2013

 

Come and Sit a Spell           by Debi Walter

The other day as we were leaving our home we noticed an elderly couple sitting on our new wall by the sidewalk. They were taking a needed break from their trek around the block. It made me smile for this is one of the reasons we wanted to put a wall there--to provide a place for folks to stop and “smell the roses.”

I rolled down my window to tell the couple how they had made my day to see them enjoying our wall. I knew immediately by the look on their faces that they didn’t speak English. They immediately stood up and started walking away from me.

I felt horrible. They must have thought I was telling them NOT to sit on our wall! The worst part was there was no way to correct the misunderstanding. I had no interpreter.

It made me realize what a gift it is to communicate with others. How often do we face misunderstandings and rather than try to make it right, we stand up in our hearts and walk away? It is better, by far, to share observations honestly and work to resolve the conflict. Who knows the person with whom we’re struggling may have been trying to encourage us all along, and we simply didn’t understand them.

So, we invite you to come and sit a spell on our wall. We promise our smiles will be there to welcome you, and to never shoo you away. :-) 

 

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival.” - C.S. Lewis

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President’s Corner

It’s a brand new year and our newly elected board had it’s first meeting on Monday. They elected the new officers for 2013, and for the first time three of the four officers are former Presidents. What a testimony to our community. Congratulations to:

President: Ethan McCain 

Vice-President:Angelo Intravaia 

Secretary: Donna Kress 

Treasurer:Gail Byrd, serving since 2008

Thank you seems inadequate to say for the number of hours they’ve volunteered on our behalf. Our neighborhood is certainly the better for it! We are grateful for your willingness to serve us again.

This is our 15th year of publishing the Lake Bosse Sun. In that time we’ve had a number of great presidents. For those of you who have been here that long you’ll remember. For those who haven’t, you’ll be amazed at how our board has managed to work together all these years!

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“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”  

 

Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

 

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Hey Kids, young and old alike! President’s Day is next month, so below you’ll find some interesting facts you may have never heard. Have fun sharing these with your friends and family members. 

• The smallest President was James Madison (Presidential term 1809-17). The fourth President, Madison stood 5 feet, 4 inches (163 centimeters) tall and weighed less than 100 pounds (45 kilograms).
• The tallest President was Abraham Lincoln (1861-65). He stood 6 feet, 4 inches (193 centimeters) tall.
• The heaviest President was William Howard Taft (1909-13), who sometimes tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms) during his tenure. After he became stuck in the White House bathtub, Taft ordered a new one installed. The replacement was big enough to hold four grown men of average size.
• The oldest President ever elected was Ronald Reagan (1981-89). The 40th President took office at the age of 69.
• The youngest elected President was John F. Kennedy (1961-63), who reached the White House at 43. But the youngest President to ever serve was Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09), who was elected Vice President on a ticket with President William McKinley. In September 1901 a deranged anarchist shot McKinley twice in Buffalo, New York, and Roosevelt assumed the top office at 42.
• Benjamin Harrison (1889-93), the 23nd President, was the first President to attend a baseball game. He saw the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Senators 7 to 4 on June 6, 1892.
• William Taft started the tradition of the Presidential "first pitch" of baseball season. The event took place on April 4, 1910, during an opening day game between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics.
• Since Taft's first pitch, every President but one has opened at least one baseball season during their tenure. The exception: Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).
• George Washington (1789-1797), Thomas Jefferson (1801-09), and John Adams (1797-1801) were all avid collectors and players of marbles.
• Virginia is the birthplace of the greatest number of Presidents. It boasts eight. Thirty-one states have never claimed a native son as President.
• Teddy Roosevelt was the first President to travel abroad while in office; he visited the Panama Canal in 1906.
• Richard Nixon was the first President to visit all 50 states.
• In 1943 Franklin Roosevelt made the first Presidential flight.