The best days of life ahead for grads
It's graduation week for high schools in Kootenai County and hundreds of young people are launching into adulthood. Commencement speeches will inspire and provoke thought.
In thinking about what words of wisdom I'd pass along to the graduates the first thing that came to mind was that anyone who tells a teenager that high school are the best years of their life is lying or delusional. I heard those words spoken in recent weeks by a soon-to-be graduate and I thought what a disservice we do to perpetuate that myth of the best days/glory days lasting just four brief years in an entire lifetime. The better and best is out there to be discovered and experienced.
I wasn't much for listening to advice at that age, preferring to blaze my own trails, make my own mistakes, learn and move forward. From the perspective of having lived 45 years since my 18th year and looking back, there's not much I would change. Every misstep resulted in lessons learned and progress made. So here's my advice to the members of the Class of 2015 that will serve them well in life ... be kind and know that happiness, discovery and the desire to learn do not have an expiration date.
Tomorrow, Honor Flight veterans will be returning from our nation's capitol. The World War II, Korean War and Vietnam veterans from North Idaho and Eastern Washington will arrive at Spokane International Airport at 6:50 p.m. The public is invited to come welcome them home in the main (Delta, United, Southwest) terminal of the airport. www.inwhonorflight.org
VFW Post 889 is holding a parking lot sale on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., after collecting sale items for months. If you love finding good deals and the bonus of having the sale proceeds benefit veterans, their families and veterans programs, then 406 N. Fourth St. is the place to go on Saturday!
The second Inland Northwest Beerfest is Saturday from 1-7 p.m. in the parking lot of Nate's New York Pizza on Hwy 41 and Mullan Ave. More than a dozen local craft breweries from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana will showcase their beers. Entertainment throughout the day and profits from the event will benefit the local Blue Star Mothers organization.
I've heard from quite a few people who are attending the Antiques Roadshow event on Saturday. I'd love to hear from you after you've had your treasures appraised for a follow-up.
Ninety-seven percent of people trying out a new pen will write their own name. I might be in the 3 percent who don't. I usually test out a pen by making swirly loops.
'Tis the season for those who own RVs and travel trailers to put them to use. As an FYI, in both Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene any vehicle, including RVs, can only remain parked on a city street for 24 hours. The bad guys tend to take note when people are loading up getting ready to head out of town, making your home vulnerable to burglaries. If you're going to be on vacation you can also contact either PD so they can make patrol officers aware that the homeowner is out of town.
Happy birthday today to JoAnn Nelson (75!), Scott Osburn, Matthew Huthinson, Kathy Larson, Devin Heilman (30!), Sharon Timmons, Susan Mensching and Matt Boseth.
On Thursday, Natalie Wyant, Lynsie Odd, Jay Sadler, Kirk Dady, Jessica Downs and Nikki Downs will celebrate. Evelyn Bevacqua, Harold Appleby, Jr., Joel Semanko, Helen Elder, Dale Rounsville, Ron Hodge and JaNee Newby have birthdays on Friday.
On Saturday the partiers will be Dallas Dixon (13!), DeDe Tondee, Don Wilhelm, Kim Normand and Wendy English.
On June 7 my better half and best friend Bert along with Brad Corkill, Rick Alden, Susan Lewis and John Hough are blowing out the candles.
On Monday wish Tammy Rickard, Dustin Pilcher, Argonne Dotts, Jaymie Starr, Emma Hoffman, Dave Haugen and Ted Pryor a happy birthday. Tuesday birthday boys are Paul Deckon and Darrell Hull.
Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.