The Hickory Reading Club's monthly meeting was November 13th, in the fellowship hall of Hickory Baptist Church. A bountiful Thanksgiving "pot luck" buffet and seasonal decorations such as cornucopias reminded members and guests of the importance of gratitude for blessings, simple or abundant.
Billie Ruth Brand's devotional emphasized biblical advice given against worrying and cited verses about birds' and lilies' needs being met without their worrying. God's provisions encourage mankind to seek His kingdom faithfully rather than worry about the troubles that each day may present.
Guest speaker Bryan Olmstead passionately discussed his and his wife Anthia's personal and professional dedication to a story that at first needed to be told and then demanded to be told. As a career swim coach, Olmstead's international, national, collegiate, state, and county recognitions, experiences, and training programs compelled him to write The Silencing of a Swimmer: The Untold True Story of Marina Olmstead (2020/2021). Dealing with the politics of swimming as a competitive sport producing unethical situations, this expose`, documented by Olmstead, provoked strongly contradictory responses and reviews.
