.................SPECIAL RECOGNITION...................

..............................FOOTPRINTS ON THE HEART..............................
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our hearts to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom.
Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts AND we are never, ever the same...!!!
(From a poster by Flavia)
There are five SPECIAL LADIES out there on the Plains of Eastern Colorado who richly deserve all the credit and recognition they can possibly recieve for their contribution of correspondence to a weekly newspaper that has been covering the Pikes Peak Region for over a hundred years...!!! They are namely: BETTY RAGAINS and CHRISTINE NEKL who keep this 'ol Colorado Native farm boy informed of what's happening with all my friends and neighbors by writing the....RUSH "33".....NEWS items!!! Quoting from the July 16, 2009 issue of this weekly rural newspaper where she and two other correspondents acknowledged and replied (in their respective news columns) to a letter I had written four of them and sent (via "Pony Express")in which I had mentioned a fifth writer....from Brush Colorado....I quote; "Thanks to Lyle Schmeiser for the great letter! Reserve Champion, huh? I guess I can live with that considering your family homesteaded in the Rush community. However, my maternal grandmother was one of the homesteaders in that community whose roots were planted in Miami Oklahoma, thus the name of the school. Does that score me any points"?!...
Unquote...What an HONOR, what a PREROGATIVE that would be, having the MIAMI-YODER SCHOOL ....named for your family and you!!!....AWESOME....and that was none other than...JEAN MEINZER....who writes the Edison News column!!! Then we have NETA DAY who keeps us apprised and sometimes surprised with a very entertaining column of what is happening with the Hanover News items. And last but not least is the lady who keeps us posted with the Ellicott News, LINDA THOMPSON..................!!!

SPECIAL FRIENDS..................CLARK AND LAURIE WHITCOMB.....................
Way up there in Calgary Alberta Canada....whom I had the HONOR....the distinct privilege....the pleasure of meeting and getting acquainted with during the short period of time I was PRIVILEGED to live in THE BIG SKY COUNTRY of MONTANA...!!!
..................................EDWARD AND MARY GANSTER........................
Winter Garden Florida USA...Co-Founders of Operation Safety 91...whom I was extended the HONOR...the PRIVILEGE....of meeting and ultimately joining several other 1st RESPONDERS Chaplains in partnering with this vitally important worthwhile organization....!!!
................................FRANKIE AND CINDY GALLO............................
Ocoee Florida...BELOVED Friends whom God placed in my pathway upon my arrival in Orlando Florida in or about the year 2002. In addition to Frankie being the founder of THE GATHERING LAKESIDE Frankie is credited with helping me set up this blog and quite often using gentle words of persuasion/encouragement has managed to keep me writing... writing the stories that he delighted in reading....reading stories of "The Good Old Days"!!!