Carol and Harold Ward
of Thomson invited about
150 guests to share their
memories on Thursday.
The Wards presented the
program at the Sunshine
Club, which meets the third
Thursday of each month
at First United Methodist
Church of Thomson's
Family Life Center.
Vickie Howard opened the
11 a.m. program with the
familiar "This is the Day the
Lord Has Made."
The club has been meeting
since 1976, attracting up to
150 guests from 25 local
churches.
The group made a special
point to thank the kitchen
crew. Charlotte Derry
manages the staff, which
also serves the Thursday
meals at the From His Hands
community soup kitchen.
Janie Reese helps in the
kitchen, and says she has
been doing so for at least 44
years. A dozen other workers
also help prepare the meals.
The Wards told how they
finally reached their 50th
state, Hawaii, on the year of
their 50th anniversary. "That
was my bucket list, was to
visit all 50 states," Harold
Ward said.
Carol Ward said they had
gathered several hours' worth
of slides to show to the lunch
crowd and condensed them
to about two hours. After a
chuckle, she said she had
sorted the list even further.
"When I travel, I don't
like itineraries," said Harold
Ward. He said some of the
most pleasant memories are
of attractions they simply
discovered. "If I had planned
it, it probably never would
have worked," he said of
their travels.
They mentioned several
attractions they enjoyed.
A 19-story cross along
Interstate 40 in Groom,
Texas, is said to be the
biggest cross in the Northern
Hemisphere. The Kilauea
Volcano in Hawaii has an
active lava flow field. Cody,
Wyo., in May surprised them
with "more snow than I've
ever seen in my life," Harold
said.
Carol quoted the Bible
- "the Earth belongs to the
Lord" - in her description of
the couple's travels.
"We were exploring the
world that God had given us
and all the beauty all around
us," she said.
For details about the
Sunshine Club, visit http:
//www.thomsonfumc.org/
712775.
