Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

The Pinecone | August 2025 • 9 • Reflections By Maxie Dunnam August Vesper Services 6:30pm | Performing Arts Center Two mice out for a stroll were discussing the merits of various kinds of cheeses. When they rounded a corner, they were confronted by a huge cat! “Ah, lunch,” thought the cat as he spied the mice. Just as the cat was about to pounce, one of the mice barked at the cat! The cat was so startled that he immediately turned and ran off. At that point, the mouse that had barked turned back to his companion and said, “That’s’ my second language.” People of faith, those of us in the Judeo-Christian commitment, have a second language. It’s the language of hope over despair, caring over apathy, service over selfishness, love over hate. Let’s make our language prominent in our Kirby Community. It’s the language of humankind at its best. The problem is that too often we forget our second language. Poetry & Writing Club A SECOND LANGUAGE August 7: Rev Dr Terry Minter Advent Presbyterian August 14: Pastor Wes Selecman Harvest Church August 21: Rev Dr Scott Alford Executive Pastor, Germantown UMC August 28: Summer Hymn Sing I was very surprised to receive a phone call from my sister Debbie one afternoon. I thought she would be at work and had not expected to hear from her. “Sis, I've got the most exciting news!” she exclaimed. “I just got a call from someone at Pepsi who said I had won an all expense paid trip for two to Mexico. A jingle I wrote may appear in a commercial they plan to use for the Super Bowl in 2026. I wrote the jingle on a whim. I never really expected it to win.” She went on to tell me the trip must be taken in March. Her husband was a Marine on active duty. There was no way he could accompany her. She wanted me to go with her. I could substitute for Mark, her husband. The caller from Pepsi told her she would receive the official offer for the trip by mail within five days. Then she had 14 days to claim the prize. She just knew the two of us would have a blast. Debbie and I chatted frequently on the phone and our excitement grew. Surely enough on the fifth day a package arrived for her in the mail. It contained two vouchers for airfare to Miami where we would be met at the airport and carried by private car to the port where we would embark on a five-day cruise stopping at three ports. All that day Debbie and I were on cloud nine thinking about the exotic things we would see, what we would take to wear and the food we would eat. We had heard you could eat almost constantly on a cruise. We had been told that the entertainment on board ship was wonderful. We hoped we could use the spa. What an amazing time we would have! However, when Mark came home, he read the fine print on our vouchers. In our excitement neither Debbie nor I had bothered to read the fine print on the document. We discovered we must each pay $1,500 before we could go. We could not claim the prize unless we paid first. We would be reimbursed when we returned home. The fine print never said free. It only implied it. I could hardly breathe as it sunk into my brain that nothing in life is really free. Some merchant would make a profit. After a little research we discovered that we could book the trip ourselves for less than the $3,000 they asked from us. If we didn't send the $3,000, Pepsi would be released from the contract. The whole thing was a scam. We did not go. We did not send our money. I know now it was just a way for somebody else to profit. Clubmembers were asked to write a story using certain words like; Mexico, expense, substitute, claim, knew, private, however, open, unless, never, breathe, merchant. Marilyn McCormick JOINUSAUGUST 4TH AT 9:30AM IN THE LARGE CARDROOM