We had just one visiting Rotarian today - Dr. Ray Lange from the Rotary Club of Lake Havasu City, AZ. Our club guest was today's speaker Sheila Shuster.
Since this is the week of Memorial Day, President Len asked all military veterans present to stand and be honored by the club. They were: Navy: Len LaFlesch, Murray Hiatt, Bob Benjamin; Army: Mike Dungan, Bob Crow, Steve Lewis, Aaron McDermid; Air Force: Jim Erickson; Marines: Matt Ruppert.
Bob Benjamin read a very moving tribute to Navy Commander Bob Flynn who had been one of Benjamin's flight instructors in 1965.
Commander Flynn's A-6 Intruder was shot down near the Vietnam-China border. He was captured by the Chinese and interred in a prison near Beijing. He spent 2,030 days alone in continuous solitary confinement, longer than any U.S. military service member in history. Flynn credited his faith in God for keeping him sane: "I figured out what I had to do to do my job. I had to remember God, duty, honor. country, family and self. Without God, there's nothing, OK? Without God I couldn't do my duty. And if I couldn't do my duty, there was no honor. And if there was no honor, I couldn't face my country. And if I couldn't face my country, then I'm no good to my family or myself. So I worried about God and the rest fell into place."
"Thank you" Bob for taking time to prepare this tribute and "Thank you" to all you vets who served our country so well in its time of need.
Our speaker of the day - Sheila Shuster - was introduced by President Len. Her topic was "What were You Thinking?" and her aim is to give us some creative ways to cope with life issues. Fear of change is one of the biggest obstacles we face. For example, many people procrastinate about going to the doctor because they fear that what they find out will change their lives.
She had these words of advice:
1. Stop believing - most of our worries never come true. Worrying too much negatively affects our health. So stop believing your worries are going to actually happen.
2. Stay Here - make a conscious effort to stop multitasking, texting, looking obsessively at your cell phone. Keep your mind and attention on where you are now and what you are currently doing.
3. Start Floating - Give up the urge to drive, drive, drive and move to the passenger side of the car. Plan and then see what happens. Let go and enjoy living and the moment you are in.
Nearby Rotary Clubs that might be useful for meeting makeup attendance. You can find the meeting times and locations for Rotary clubs throughout the world by going to the Rotary International website (www.rotary.org) and clicking on "Club Locator" in the upper right corner of the screen.
Mesa East Rotary Club: Mondays at 12:00 p.m.
Superstition Springs Golf Club, 6542 E. Baseline, Mesa (16 miles)
Gilbert Rotary Club: Thursdays at 7:00 a.m.
The Henhouse Cafe, 3244 E. Guadalupe Rd., Gilbert, AZ (20 miles)
Mesa West Rotary Club: Thursdays at 12:10 p.m.
Hilton Phoenix East-Mesa, 1011 W. Holmes Ave.,Mesa (24 miles)
Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club: Wednesdays at 7:00 a.m.
Banner Health Business Center, 525 W. Brown Rd., Mesa
Tempe South Rotary Club: Fridays at 6:45 a.m.
Friendship Village, 2645 E. Southern Ave., Tempe (26 miles)
