“The RoseBouquet”

or function at noon today. Dad and I are not great party-goers and our social life is quite limited, but since I am quite involved in volunteering for Western Tract Mission, when we get invited to the staff and volunteers Christmas lunch we make the effort to go to the city.

There will be an extra twenty or so volunteers because today is collation day. I’m on the Reflections committee which produces our mission’s quarterly newsletter by that name. My particular role is to put all the 16 pages together on the computer, arranging the text and graphics as seems best to me, and then sending it off to Globe Printers. When they’ve done their session of desktop publishing on it and have it typeset for the presses, they send Anna, another committee member, and myself a proof to check over one last time.

I notify them of any changes we see, and give the okay to take it to press. About a week later, 3000 copies arrive at the office in the city, and the volunteer folder comes in to get all the sheets through the folding machine. Then Helen calls the list of collating volunteers to tell them which day will be collating day. They come in, sitting around a large U or square of tables, and in half a day, those Reflections are collated, addressed and bundled to go out in the mail.

So now when it’s time to throw a Christmas party, Arnold, our Director, orders in some KFC and we gather around for a party, some singing and readings, and visiting.