Saturday, January 20, 2007

Snow And Rotary

Once again, I'm amazed.

This past Thursday morning was our first snow of the season. A dusting, but here in North Carolina, it sends folks into a panic. Cars spin off the roads and traffic comes to a standstill in many areas. Schools close, the stores run out of bread and milk, and the news-folk break in every five minutes with "storm" updates.

Cracks me up.

When the roads get a bit slippery in the South, the world comes to an end. Once in a while, we do get hit with an ice storm during winter. That results in the Governor calling the state a "disaster area." The whole region just ... shuts down.

So, naturally, I was due to speak Thursday morning to a local Rotary group. We wondered ... will anybody show up?

Michael and I knew we'd be there. Both of us having lived in the North, are accustomed to snow and bad weather.

The place was packed. The Gate City Rotary meets every Thursday morning for breakfast at the O'Henry Hotel in Greensboro. They're a group of Rotarians that not only put Service above Self, they put Service above Snow. What a warm and witty group of men and women! I walked in and my eyes popped. There they were, smiles and all.

The speech went well, and they bought 21 copies of my book. I donated 20% of the book sales back to the group. We drove home happy because we really had thought nobody would be there. It taught us a lesson. Never underestimate the enthusiasm of Rotary. They're in it for a reason. It's not all about lunches and breakfasts. They support each other, their speakers, and their projects.

Snow or no snow.

Blessings to you and yours.

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