April has been an interesting month. I'm only in my second month of retirement, but I've already attended two meetings of the local historical society. The first one was the regular monthly board meeting. It's actually open to anyone, which is nice since I am able to learn more about the organization at these meetings. The second one was much more fun. It was my first quarterly tea.
Quarterly teas aren't held every three months, but they are held every quarter, hence their name. First quarter is in February, second in April, third in September, and fourth in November. It's not like dressing up to go to high tea at the Ritz. There is tea (and coffee and punch). There is also a variety of food, provided by different service organizations on a rotating basis. The highlight is a speaker telling everyone about the history of El Monte.
The speaker at this tea was El Monte Councilman Juventino "Jay" Gomez. He has a heart for veterans, having served our country in Viet Nam during the turbulent Sixties. He also has a son, grandson, and other family members who served our nation in various military conflicts over the past several decades, so is well acquainted with answering the call to serve and protect.
Gomez spoke movingly about patriotism and what it means for our service personnel, veterans and civilians. Most Americans love their country, but relatively few are called to serve in the armed forces. While we can never understand that special bond of comrades in arms, we can appreciate the sacrifices they have made for us. We can offer thanks to them for their service. More tangibly on a municipal level, El Monte provides a variety of programs and other services for our veterans. Banners on our city streets name our veterans. Last year saw the opening of our first housing project for homeless veterans. More housing is on the way. There will always be more that we can do as individuals and as society to support our veterans. It was good to be reminded. Thank you, Jay!
Next month we will install officers and directors at El Sombrero Restaurant. Yet another first for me...
