Sisters salutes - 12/16/2020

• Three Sisters Lions Club would like to congratulate eighth-grade student Reina Barnes-Rubio for her winning art piece, “Circle of Peace.” Reina, with the assistance of Judy Fuentes, middle school art teacher, worked remotely to create her art piece and submit it to the club for consideration in the nationwide Lions Club competition.

The theme of this year’s competition was “Peace around the World.” Reina’s piece was submitted for statewide competition and hopefully will win the state competition and move onto the national Lions Club competition. Reina was awarded a certificate and a cash award for her winning entry.

• Karen Keady wrote:

Here in our beautiful little town many small business owners, as well as restaurants, are struggling to make it through this difficult time. What is amazing to me is the ingenuity and strength of people as they forge ahead, creating ways to survive and even thrive as we all become weary of the struggle.

I always remember what my mom used to say. Having lived through the Great Depression, she told us as kids that when things are going well it is easy to be of good cheer but when times are tough and things are difficult, that shows the true strength of character, how one handles adversity. Mom showed us how to trace our feet on cardboard to make insoles for our shoes when we could not afford new ones and our soles grew thin. I remember those lessons well growing up.

We have lost some businesses here in Sisters, hard-working people who have had to close because of this pandemic. That is a sad loss.

During my days at work, I meet a diverse group of women and men, a few of them, like myself, business owners. I see the spirit of Sisters in each and every one. On Saturday, Dan, owner of Dan’s Smoked Salmon, drove to my place to deliver at no extra charge a beautifully wrapped gift basket I purchased for a friend. In each basket he includes local goodies from Sisters Meat and Smokehouse and various other merchants. A win-win for all!

At Thanksgiving, The Open Door Gallery, owned by the Rickards family, offered a five-course meal to feed five to six people for $175, which included a second five-course meal to give to a family in need. What an amazing town we live in with such generous hard-working families.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and I think he lives close by!