Well the weather has really been showing itself this past week, hasn’t it? God is great in all He shows us!! We can definitely say spring is just around the corner. The weather has us all talking about the old days and getting our gardens ready.

We have had a good week at the center. Seniors had a great time on their monthly shopping trip. It’s a great time to get out of town and just be away for a while.

I want to give a special thanks to Four County Electric. With all the hectic things going on sometimes, I get a little late with thanking those who do so much for the center. But I did want Four County Electric to know that we did appreciate all the good advice and free goodies they brought to the center. Everyone really enjoyed your visit. We hope you come back soon.

Some reminders: Goshen Medical will be here on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m.. Please feel free to come join us. If anyone is interested in our project “Sundresses for Haiti,” contact the center to find out how to get involved. I am sure there is a spot for anyone who wants to be part of this great ministry. Don’t forget about the Easter egg hunt sponsored by Garland NC Step Team Committee for all children to attend on April 1, beginning at 11 a.m. in the Garland Park. For more information, contact Shelia Smith at 385-5107 or Garland Town Hall at 529-4141.

How many of you know what “Poke Salad” is? Or Pokeberry bush? It will be sprouting up all over within the next few weeks. It has the deep purplish/red berries on it that are very poisonous. But did you know that you can eat the young tender leaves while it is less than 4 inches tall, but once it gets bigger it becomes poison. Old timers used the ground roots for rheumatism or arthritis. The berries have been used to dye material. How many of us would take the time to do any of this now? It’s much faster to run to the doctor or buy material already dyed. We take life today for granted and don’t remember how hard it “use to be.”

According to Wikipedia, “Spring and “springtime” refer to the season, and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, and regrowth.” Who doesn’t look forward to a time when spring gets here and you are able to start digging in the dirt to get the garden started — a time to start cultivating? Who doesn’t look forward to changes in life — at the moment they occur we may not understand the change but down the road we do. Most, if not all, of us look forward to “change” or a rebirth in our beliefs or spirit.

Some of the purposes of the Garland Senior Center is to inspire, foster, and culitivate “spring” in all those who enter the center; whether it’s a senior, a volunteer or a visitor. It’s guaranteed that anyone who enters the center for any reason will leave with a greater understanding or a spark for appreciating life through classes offered and interaction with others. Everyone at the center plays some role in someone’s life whether they realize it or not. Spring doesn’t only happen in the center. It happens in everyday life — all year long. The simplest and smallest things mean the most sometimes. We don’t realize how much we touch other people. We may not know the stranger we pass on the street but we greet them with a smile or a kind word that “makes their day.” Or we may not realize how our actions or inaction influences others we don’t even know are watching us.

With whom will you foster spring this week? If you stop and think about all the lives you touch and the lives you have the potential to touch, you might just be surprised. While you are sitting “under the shade tree” this week remembering the past, think about what you can do for someone’s future by fostering “spring” in their lives and in yours as well.