Manager's Message
Ray Beavers, CEO/General Manager
One More Time
I’m continually amazed that the older I get, the more practical my life tends to be. Not to say I’m an impractical person, but what I look forward to and enjoy so much are the practical things in my life. Relationships, my spirituality, my health and my family are specifi cally what I look forward to enjoying. I have fi nally discovered the luxury of no longer worrying so much about my future or providing for my family as my three sons are sustaining themselves and their growing families. I suppose you can say I have become fully vested as a grandfather.
This awakening in my life was like a light bulb that came on one day, and by divine guidance I found that life can only be measured by our own happiness. We have to be happy with who we are and what we have done for others. For example, the thing I enjoy most every year at our annual meeting is seeing our members and interacting with them. That fellowship reminds me that what I do is not a job; it is an opportunity that I relish and happily honor. I’m happier still that my spirituality is now galvanized and that I draw peace from my beliefs and practices. My health; well, they say that when you have good health you have everything. Let’s just say this past year has been extremely diffi cult, but I’m improving every day.
As for the happiness my family brings; even though my three sons are all married and have given us fi ve grandchildren, along with the prospect of one more to be born in February, I’m now being rewarded with a replay of the joy and happiness I had when they were young. The only difference is that now, when I have had all the joy and happiness I can stand, I can tell them to go home. It’s like God gives us another opportunity to put all of our years into perspective. We have time to look at the course our lives have taken and take pride in the decisions we made, whether they were right or wrong. It is those years that have made our lives what they are today. We can’t undo time, but we can use our experiences to determine what we need to do with the time we have left. You don’t have to wait until you’re my age to practice that.
It’s like the season we are about to celebrate, Christmas. As Christmas comes upon us, we need to pause a moment and reflect, and understand that what we are truly celebrating is renewal. As a Christian, I believe the birth of Jesus Christ was all about giving us a Savior, and that through His death He would carry the weight of our transgressions. With His sacrifice, we can renew our lives and live according to God’s plan—to be happy in the true spirit of love and salvation. While you’re reading this column, I could very well be doing what I did years ago. I will be reading the Christmas Story from the Bible to my grandkids just as I did to my sons. I will also be thanking God for giving me this opportunity “one more time.”
Our larger community of United will be gathering on Thursday Oct. 13 in Glen Rose for our Annual Meeting. And folks, even though some of my fellow co-op CEO friends think I’m goofy, I really love when our Annual Meeting comes around. I feel that way for one reason; I get to see you—the members. We all work hard throughout the year to make the cooperative (both yours and mine) successful. The purpose of that immense effort is not to garner appreciation for overseeing all the poles and wire, but to see the smiles and feel the warmth of our membership. That is what it is all about, and who wouldn’t enjoy that.
Now, I know most of you attend the meeting for the prize drawings rather than to hear me speak. Sorry, but I still intend to speak, yet there will be many prizes and many lucky winners. A large contingent of you also come for the Health Fair generously provided each year by the local Glen Rose Medical Center, in conjunction with other health providers. Get your cholesterol and blood sugar checked along with other wellness screenings. You can even get your fl u shot for a relative bargain ($10) before you enjoy 45 minutes of outstanding entertainment and the brief business meeting that follows.
Our meeting is designed to give you plenty of time to visit with your friends and employees of the cooperative. When you leave, we want you to be smiling all the way home, and glad that you came. Mostly, I hope you feel like I will—that you thoroughly enjoyed getting to see so many people you really care about and have affection for—much like the rural community I still hold so dear to my heart. Come on! Take some time to join us. You will be glad you did.
