Thursday’s Senior Luncheon

RED, WHITE AND BLUE

The parish hall looked quite patriotic decked out in red, white and blue, as did the 80 guests attending the June senior luncheon. 

This month, we celebrated all of the American holidays that line up from Memorial Day to the 4th of July. The stage, tables and walls were decorated with flags representing the SIX branches of the US military – Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines AND our newest branch, the Space Force.  

Deacon Greg opened with a prayer of gratitude to all who have served in the armed forces. Bobbi Cawdrey, our musical coordinator, led the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner.” John Ohle directed all veterans to head for the chow line, and that they did.  San Diego Catering Co. provided the all-American hamburgers, macaroni salad, chips. Mounds of delicious blueberries, grapes, strawberries, watermelon and cherries disappeared quickly. Lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and pickle slices were piled onto the hamburgers with the gusto of troops back from a 3 week bivouac.  

Remember those patriotic songs elementary teachers used to teach? Well, they were resurrected by Bobbi right after lunch. To kick off the patriotic sing-along, Bobbi sang a medley of military songs, as veterans on stage waved each military branch flag to its respective tune. Deacon Greg delighted the audience as he took the Navy flag for an exhilarating race around the room. Seven more classics from American celebrations of yore were sung by the crowd. Where memory came up short, Bobbi’s lyric sheets, printed in LARGE FONT, saved the day. The voices were proud and strong.  Banners exclaiming “God Bless America” echoed the final lyrics being sung by the crowd.   

Please join us next month as we highlight MLB All-Star Week on July 18th at 11:30 in the parish hall. Wear the colors of your favorite baseball team. Ball park favorites – all beef hot dogs, peanuts and do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes are on the menu.