Friends and Neighbors: Time to make new resolutions and keep the old ones

Good day, dear friends. Here’s hoping that Christmas Day is a fond memory for you, and that all your wishes came true.

I am among the very blessed. For what has become a Christmas tradition, my New York family sent for me to spend Christmas with them. As usual, it was a wonderful and merry time. The only disappointment: It was a warm Christmas. I can’t ever remember when I spent Christmas in New York and it wasn’t cold, if not snowy. Still, it was a wonderful time.

Now, here we are, on the last Sunday of 2015, and at the door of another new year. I think back and I realize there were many things that I didn’t get done during 2015, but I can only blame myself. As I get older, I realize even more that time is precious; too precious to waste. And while I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions, it is my prayer that I will have the stamina to finish projects that I started months ago.

This year brought with it some happy days, as well as some sad days. On the sad note, I lost several members of my family and more than half a dozen of my friends — some from childhood.

But on the happy side, I have been blessed with a reasonable portion of good health and, as I write this, I am of sound mind.

So, friends, bask in this last Sunday of 2015. Make the most of it. Be thankful and may the Good Lord bless and keep you always.

CURLEY STUDENT WINS SCHOLARSHIP

Congratulations to Danielle Antoine, who has been named a 2015 Posse Scholar, which carries with it a full, four-year, fully paid tuition scholarship from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

She is a senior at Archbishop Curley Notre Dame Prep, and was one of 1,400 nominations for the 60 Posse scholarships. In announcing the award, the scholarship officials said: “Among the hundreds of students we interviewed during the 2015 Dynamic Assessment Process, your leadership experience, intellectual energy, and commitment to pursuing higher education stood out.”

A Posse Awards ceremony will be held Jan. 5 at Jungle Island in Miami.

SYNAGOGUE BLOOD DRIVE

Sharon Scotch Glick, who is about to turn 80, has a special birthday request. She writes:

“I am so very blessed. I will be 80 years old this coming Jan. 8. It has been my privilege to be the chairperson of the blood drive at my synagogue Bet Shira for about 30 years. This mitzvah day on Feb. 28, a Sunday, it is my hope and personal challenge to motivate 80 donors as my birthday gift. Their presence will be my present for humankind.”

Congregation Bet Shira is at 7500 SW 120th St., Miami.

If you are interested in making Glick’s birthday a very happy one, contact her at 305-274-4144 and sign up to be one of the 80 people she is looking for. You will also be helping to save lives.

HADASSAH 2016 INSTALLATION LUNCHEON

Hadassah Greater Miami will have its 2016 installation luncheon at 10 a.m. Jan. 10 at the Cuban Hebrew Congregation, 1700 Michigan Ave., Miami Beach. The program will also honor “The Power of Women Who Do” and will feature Barbara Goldstein, deputy executive director of Hadassah Israel, as guest speaker. She will bring first-hand information about Israel and an update on Hadassah Hospital.

The officers to be installed: Linda S. Goldstein, president; Susan Shapiro, treasurer; Joyce Bloch, membership vice president; Sharon Blumberg, education vice president; Diane Gosler, grassroots fundraising vice president; Silvia Chudnovsky, major gifts fundraising vice president; Felicia Schwartz, recording secretary; Nancy Radlauer, corresponding secretary; and Esther Bleiweiss, Joyce Bloch, Sharon Blumberg, and Dorothy Cohn, area service advisers.

There will be a boutique, which opens at 10 a.m., followed by a kosher luncheon. The cost is $50 per person. Reservations must be made by Jan. 4. To make yours, and for more information, call 305-576-4447.

Hadassah Greater Miami includes Monroe County and Puerto Rico and has close to 6,000 members. The Greater Miami region has 16 chapters. Goldstein, “One of my main goals is to stress the importance of Hadassah’s work to the community.”

AARP CHAPTER CELEBRATES 24TH ANNIVERSARY

Congratulations to the Northwest Chapter 4686 of AARP on the celebration of its 24th anniversary.

Organized by Nancy Dawkins, who served as the chapter’s first president from 1990-93, the group recently honored Dawkins and two other founding members, Martha Day and Elry Sands, at its Christmas to Remember luncheon. Sadly, the group’s oldest founding member, Dorothy Graham, died just one day before the celebration. She was 99.

Also recognized at the luncheon were past presidents Lenora Lamb, Elaine Symonette, Lillie Williams and Diane Smithson.

The Northwest Chapter recently installed its newest president. Debra Dawkins was installed by Kenneth E. Thomas, Florida state president of AARP.

HUSBAND, WIFE TO DISCUSS DIVING

If you have never dived, but have always wondered what it would be like, Hugh and Charlie Hudson, a husband-and-wife diving team, will discuss their South Florida diving experiences at noon Jan. 11 at Miami Dade College Homestead Campus in Room F222, 500 College Ter., Homestead.

The Hudsons are both retired from careers in the U.S. Army. Rather than take the corporate track after retirement, Hugh pursued his passion for the ocean and became a master scuba instructor. He later added underwater photography to his skills.

Charlie is originally from Louisiana. She refers to herself as “an inadvertent pioneer.” She met Hugh when they were assigned to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. She is a veteran of 22 years and finished her time with a short tour in Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy.

It was while the couple served in Hawaii that Hugh introduced his wife to scuba diving. The couple relocated to South Florida in 2004.

At the luncheon, the couple will discuss the sea creatures they have met while scuba diving and will discuss the thriving marine life on the Key Largo reefs.

The lecture is free but a simple lunch can be purchased for $10 by calling Barbara at 305-230-9185.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Friends and Neighbors: Time to make new resolutions and keep the old ones."