All the fun stuff!

Cheers to You Lori Howard

Tax time for seniors has taken on a new meaning of “So sorry, I have no time for the frivolous

conversations of days gone by right now”. Hmmmmmmmmmmm!

I have now found myself with great people to write about, but there is no time for them to

share their stories. So, as luck would have it (you lucky people), rather than saddle you with 70+

(oh so fascinating) years of my life, I thought I’d condense my story telling into

one “Day in the Life” (much like the 1967 Beatles song) …… of

Lori Howard City Councilmember/Vice Mayor in San Diego County California. ********

It was a normal Saturday morning in mid -1990something, around 7:00am when the telephone rang.

I fully expected the Mayor to request me to substitute for him at yet another worthy event. “Come to

the Convention Center basement entrance as soon as possible (he said), I’ll have a badge and a guard

waiting for you… I’ve got to go… I’m having breakfast with Jimmy Carter”… CLICK!

Well, that was a new one I thought…!

I quickly got dressed and followed the directions given to me only to find the Convention Center eerily

quiet for “an event” being held at this facility.

I was, indeed met by a guard and swiftly escorted to a room with about 50-75 people. Coffee, water

and muffins were readily available, and slowly the faces in the room began to look oddly familiar to me…

Colin Powell was speaking at that moment… (ok … WOW!)

Teddy Kennedy was across the room, (oh my!)(not far from with the Mayor and Jimmy Carter), Gov.

George Deukmejian (California), Maya Angelo(Poet) were both there. At one point even Lilly Tomlin got

up and provided some humor (*but frankly, she was a downer when she was not performing ). Valerie

Harper, Joan Kroc (McDonald’s heiress), Michael Eisner (Disney), Mrs. Sadat ( President Anwar Sadat of

Egypt) and Prime Minister Menachen Begin’s daughter (Hassia) of Israel were there representing their

men who shared the Pulitzer Prize for ending the 6 day war with a peace treaty. What a power room, I

was looking at! I was in awe!

I had lunch with Hassia that day (oh, just another day in the life of Lori… ). Hassia thanked me for

allowing her to speak directly to me when it was her turn to speak to the group about the trials of war

and working through peace. She shared with me that she was not comfortable with speaking (publicly),

but that her message needed to be spoken. Apparently, I became the “crutch” she needed to get

through the moment. Who knew that just by sitting there and listening with interest ,I had played such a

pivotal role in the days’ events. Both Mrs. Sadat and Harrisa were lovely lunch companions and I was

finding all the “superstars” (of the day) pretty normal to be around.

As we walked to another room for another speech after lunch, I couldn’t help but notice the playful

banter and exchange between Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher walking in front of me. They

were like two old school chums who hadn’t seen each other in ten years and were picking up just where

they had left off. I had always thought that a smile on Thatcher’s face would surely break that tough

British façade of hers! Not so! It was such a pleasure to witness a full-on belly laugh with Gorbachev by

Thatcher’s side and a moment in time to cherish!

(***Writers note: Mikhail Gorbachev’s birthmark on his head could have easily been described as an

inkblot, an exaggerated map of Argentina or an advanced version of connect the dots but his kindness

and humanity shined with everyone he interacted with that day, from the server who served his lunch

to a world leader he chatted with to Thatcher to… me.

The day of world leaders, Hollywood Stars, Politicians and Business tycoons was a day I will never

forget…

What the Consortium was all about, and why was it called? I do not know to this day… but what a day it

was for this little hick gal. Glad I answered the phone that morning… who would have known…Did we

help World Peace?

If you know of any senior who would like to be interviewed, please give me a call- (559) 683-7650 Lori Howard

Welcome to Sierra Senior Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of senior citizens in the Eastern Madera County area. Our mission is to organize and promote education, nutrition, health, and overall well-being for our cherished community of seniors.

We go beyond just fostering well-being; we strive to create bonds of friendship, goodwill, and mutual understanding among our members, extending these values to all seniors in the region. At the heart of our mission is the commitment to open communication and the sharing of experiences.

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Join us in our journey to build a thriving community where every senior citizen can flourish, connect, and enjoy the richness of life. Welcome to Sierra Senior Center – where every moment matters!