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Hats off to volunteers

Without a draft, youíve got to know that all those men and women in the military, those overseas mopping up the devastation and grief of the Iraqi war are volunteers.
Those who lost their lives - they were volunteers.
Those who remain missing? Yes, volunteers.
Volunteers are such a big part of the human experience that itís possible that the world would cease to exist without them.
Volunteers help families in distress, mentor children without fathers, make meals, sew quilts, drive senior citizens to doctor appointments, make posters, protect our wildlife, clean our roadsides, paint houses, build houses, teach children to become good citizens ... the list goes on and on.
Some of you shared your tributes to volunteers this week. I know there are many, many more to be thanked for their kind and generous donations of time and talents.
My dream is someday to gather all the volunteers in the county for one massive picture to show the world just how many people are involved in volunteering. If we did that, I know Iíd have to devote the entire center spread to the photo and then, youíd see tiny little faces peering out of this mass of humanity.
Wouldnít that be the greatest photo of all?
If you are a volunteer out there, consider yourself thanked and appreciated this week, when the nation honors you, and every week when you give of yourself so freely. We couldnít get along without you.
Now, a word on the Presidential Adult Active Lifestyle award that I encouraged everyone to try back in February. My ouch has turned to aaah and my energy level is up. Could be the results of moving about more often, even though I did not earn the award this time.
Several of you have turned in your log sheets and Iím impressed with your activities and the amount of time you spent being active. I will order the certificates and patches for you. Congratulations.
Others of you, I know, participated and perhaps were like me and didnít make it all the way. The most important thing is that we tried. Personally, I was doing a good job of being active for at least 30 minutes a day, and I saw some results. Then a virus in the fourth week sent me to bed for several days and it was all I could do to get to the medicine cabinet, much less be active for any length of time. But when my blood pressure and cholesterol levels were checked recently, the numbers were down from the last two years. And while I have always been in the normal range of these tests, lowering the numbers was satisfying. So, I consider my attempt to earn the Presidentís award a success. And Iíll be trying hard to keep on being active. For you others who didnít return your logs because you didnít make it everyday, donít worry, keep trying. Habits are hard to break, if we develop this good one, we canít lose, can we?

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