The last hoots and hollers have been lifted, and we have a new class of alumni here in Richland Springs. Our students are very blessed to be able to attend a baccalaureate as well as a graduation ceremony.
They are treated to multiple ceremonies that show them how special they are to this community. Friday’s graduation at the First Baptist Church was no exception. A packed house of 200 family and friends as well as teachers and administration showered the graduates with love and scholarships. Sponsors, Mrs. Barker and Mrs. Sutherland, have worked with this group for years, and the kids showed their love and appreciation with a surprise gift of flowers. Speaker for the evening was Mrs. Barker. The kids chose her because they felt she knew them better than anyone else. Her speech was touching and humorous, and did indeed show her knowledge and love for the individual students. After dinner at the Feedlot, the students headed for their evening lockdown at the ranch. Our prayers and hopes go with them as they venture into new territory.
I had a little “I wish” moment on Friday. I wish our churches were that full every Sunday. I wish it were important for everyone to attend one of the local churches. Covid has made it easy to skip going to church in person. Attending in your pajamas, with a cup of coffee, is much easier than getting dressed and attending in person. According to the polls, our country is becoming less Christian, less likely to read the Bible, and less likely to go to feel the need of God. That does not bode well for our system of government. Our Founding Fathers recognized that without God and a strong moral foundation, this type of government cannot survive. I believe the next few years are going to be testing times for our country.
We had a lovely Memorial Day service at church today. I’m sure that theme was carried out in churches across America. We played the newest version of Lee Greenwood’s song, Proud to be American. Watching the service members from different branches and different cities, brought tears to my eyes. So many precious lives have been sacrificed to give us the freedoms that make this nation a beacon to people fleeing oppression and communism. Although socialism and communism have an appeal because of their promise of stability and equality, their promises are empty and lead to enslavement. I pray we will never get to the point of believing the government can take care of us.
A new administrator has been chosen for our little school district.
Mr. James Womack's family consists of his wife, Mindy, his oldest son, Evan, of Fort Worth, his middle son, Connor, who will be a freshman, and Hunter who will be entering the 6th-grade. Mr. Womack is a 19-year veteran educator who has served schools within Fort Worth, Arlington, Loraine, and Graford ISDs. We are looking forward to many changes over the next year.
Some of the STAAR results came in on Friday. The hard work that our students have put in this year helped make the results better than I had anticipated. Even though we were told they were just a benchmark to see where students in Texas were, there was quite a bit of anxiety as to how far behind we might be. I would like to have had all of us ace the test, but I can live with the results that have come in so far. I am immensely proud of the work that was accomplished by both teachers and students during this challenging year.
Friday was a challenging day in more respects than receiving STAAR results. We were surprised with the announcement that both Linda Morris and Delores Mask were retiring. We will feel the loss of Mr. Fowler, and our English will struggle with the retirement of Mrs. Hall, but our entire school rests on the talents of these two ladies.
They are the glue that keeps our crazy world stable. I cannot imagine our school without these stalwart ladies. Their retirement reflects the way they have managed all these years. They keep everything going quietly behind the scenes. They don’t promote themselves or their work. They just do. There were quite a few tears shed when we heard the news. I know we will survive, but it’s going to be tough going for quite some time.
I’m excited about next week’s service at First Baptist. My youngest grandson, Bryson, will be playing a special. He will graduate on the 8th of June and is already signed up for classes at Texas A&M in Corpus Christie. He is a talented musician and excellent student.
I’m so pleased that despite his shyness, he is willing to come and play for his granny. So, if you see this ray of sunshine in the Richland Springs area, it is this granny beaming with pride. I love to see my grandchildren heading out for their future blessings, but I also know, I will see less of them as they work to capture those blessings.
Please keep the soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedoms we hold most dear today. Pray for our first responders who face danger every day. Praise God for the rain even if it means mosquitoes. I can buy more spray. We have several in the community who are fighting cancer. They and their families need constant prayer.
Please keep your children reading over the summer. We do not want to undo the progress we have made this year. My prayer is for peace and order to be restored in our nation. Most of all, pray for our precious troops and their families.