For starters, I must apologize for not having regular news of the local area into the last few weeks鈥� newspapers as I have been in the Battlefords Union Hospital for about two weeks. Nice to be back home again. My deepest thank yous to all those who visited, made phone calls and sent get well wishes. Also a big thank you to nurses and attendants at the Battlefords Union Hospital and also to the care I got with members of the North Battleford Ambulance.
Recently there were elections, in November, for the RM of Glenside. Robert Greer returned as the councillor in the local division. In division 4 Shawn Fouhy stepped down; only one person placed their name for the position. Andrea Owen went in by acclamation for councillor in division 4. In division 2, Brent Shokotko stepped down and Kim Custer put her name down and went in by acclamation for councillor.
The RM of Glenside has had a good number of important issues to work with over the past few months. Several meetings have been held, open to ratepayers. The RM of Glenside No. 377 former office has been closed and the RM has moved in with Biggar RM No. 347 to be a combined office, which has up-to date-equipment. The old Glenside No. 377 building will be kept for historical artifacts and records.
Sympathies go out to the Harold Close family of North Battleford, formerly from Sonningdale, on the recent passing of Harold. Burial was at the Sonningdale Cemetery.
Sympathies also go to Edith Armstrong鈥檚 family in North Battleford and the family in the Lizard Lake area on the recent passing of Carl Armstrong. Carl was a member of the senior group who meet quite often at the Lizard Lake Community Centre before it closed. They will be missed by all. Burial will be at the Sonningdale Cemetery.
Winter did set in on the Prairies in a typical fashion 鈥� very cold temperatures, snow, wind, fog and freezing rainfall to leave the trees coated with frost. Road graders and other snow removal machines have all been out clearing the snow on the main streets and roads. By the long range almanac, there is more nasty weather in store and a cold Christmas season.
But what do you know? Mother Nature can be really throw herself about to bring on the sudden change of much milder days combined with melting conditions. But it did leave a lot of ice and some roads and yards like a skating rink.
We are nearly at the end of another year and I would like to send out a big thank you to all those people who filled me in on local news items throughout the year. It does help a great deal. Remember Baljennie has got very small and not many of us are left so let鈥檚 keep Baljennie alive and on the map for as long as we can. It has a historic past to many people.
Christmas break is coming up for the school children, teachers and school bus drivers Dec. 20 and goes until Jan. 6, 2015. The next break will be in mid-February 2015.
Merry Christmas! We rejoice in the sound of the words and the story of the message 鈥� on Earth, peace and goodwill to men. But we do not always feel the meaning in our hearts and put it to work in our lives. One who did was Henry Van Dyke, the late American clergyman, writer and poet whose famous Story of the Other Wise Man has brought joy and inspiration to thousands of people over the years.
Among his writings is a piece called The Spirit of Christmas and we think you鈥檒l like it as much as we did.
鈥淲e are thinking of you today because it is Christmas and tomorrow because it will be the day after and so on through the year. We may not be able to tell you about it every day, but that makes no difference, the thought and the wish will be here just the same. Because it is Christmas the world stands still for a while in reverent memory of the Christ child鈥檚 birth. Because it鈥檚 Christmas we hope anew for peace 鈥� we resolve that the Spirit of Christmas will stay with us throughout the year. Of course the Spirit of Christmas should not be confined to a single day nor is it. For all those who truly believe in goodwill to men, honour it in their heart and live it in their lives every day of the year. They cherish the continuing warmth of friendship, the ever new rebirth of the Babe who lived to teach us peace and love. And though friends may be far away or seldom met, that too makes no difference 鈥� the steady flow of hope and good will continues to bind together those who put their trust in the power of loving kindness and in all those that we mean by humanity.鈥�
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Be back again in 2015.
