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I first met Jan Rasmusssen when she attended our Columbus Lions pancake breakfast fundraiser at Mountain View BBQ in Columbus. I only met Rolland when I found them here at White Oak when we also became residents.

I respected Rolland as a fellow engineer, who as an Electrical Engineer took one more semester of higher math than we MEs did. I think that is because electrical circuits follow more closely what the math says than do the hard physical materials that MEs deal with.

I enjoyed Rolland’s dry wit in his always brief comments in greeting as we met in our dining room. Jan always got his lunch at the counter, as does Fran for me. We enjoy seeing their daughter Julie when she comes to visit.

I included Rolland among those I visited in the Medical Building, as is my custom on Sunday afternoons. He was in rehab for a while, and finally in hospice care. He was asleep the last two Sundays, so I did not awaken him, as is also my custom. His sleep indicated to me that he was at peace.   

We have lost another treasure in the untimely passing of Diane McEntee. She was a lovely little lady, active as long as her health permitted. She served faithfully and positively on our White Oak Resident Council and also on its Food Committee. She always returned my greeting with her genuine smile of appreciation. She drove her scooter everywhere, including right up to her place at the dining table. Husband Mike then dutifully parked it, and brought it back when she was ready to go home.

I learned from her obit that she was a Registered Nurse, which explains her compassionate concern for people. I also learned that we share election to the Second Wind Hall of Fame, awarded for active participation in at least three community service programs. Lastly, I learned that she will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery, no trivial honor.

To say that we have missed Diane is an understatement.  

Congress has once again laid the curse of Daylight Savings time on everybody.  I think they should not monkey with our clocks and watches. Fran reset everything except the wall-mounted clocks before I got up, so she got her part of the hassle done.

The wall clocks require a step stool for access and we don’t trust either of us on it. We ask our faithful maintenance man Timothy to take care of the clocks. When I answer his knock, he asks whether the step stool is in its appointed place in the closet. He then fetches it, mounts it and takes care of resetting the clocks!

I always wait for morning light to illuminate the road markings so I can “keep it between the ditches” as I journey to Bojangles on Saturday mornings.  I therefore find most of the gang already gathered when I get there.

I was saddened and upset by the shooting that took the life of the lovely young Talia Petoia right here in Polk County. Two of her grandmothers are fellow residents here at White Oak. Tragedies such as this happen in other places, not in our rural paradise! I have had to write about too many young people whose life ended almost before it began . . . some were just children.

From all this I have learned to cherish even acquaintances as we go through this life. When we realize that everyone we meet is someone for whom Christ died, it becomes easier to turn acquaintances into friends.