“Heavenly Father, we thank you for this beautiful day. We thank you for the blessing of living in the Texas Hill Country. It's just the best part of the best state in the best country. We thank you for Rotary and what it means to all of us — 'Service Above Self.' We thank you for this Rotary Club here in Kerrville. We thank you for this food. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
Following the prayer, Rotary members joined in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
After that, George Eychner — our bandmaster — announced the members observing birthdays in November and we collectively sang
"Happy Birthday" to those members standing around the room.
Taking the podium next was Charlie McIlvain, who introduced visiting Rotarians, our Rotary exchange student, Javi, and Rotary members, who in turn introduced their guests for the luncheon at the Inn of the Hills.
Of course, Charlie had to impart with us another joke. "We've probably all been in airports with flight delays from time to time. And now they have determined there is a new disease related to all that ... it's called 'terminal illness.'"