Shriner’s Supper Club By Alaina Loughridge - Photos by Wen McNally 34 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JULY 2017 By Hollie Sessoms What Summer Can Teach Us There are lessons in nature, if only you stop and listen for them. There are lessons in moments in time. There’s a reason the seasons change. Pay attention to those changes and how they move you. Change is what makes this life interesting. The warming weather has much to teach. 1. Slow down. It’s difficult to move hard and fast when the weather is hot and smothering. Have you ever tried to run in the heat? It ain’t easy. Summer’s hot weather is a reminder to make like the Eagles and Take it Easy. You can speed things up a bit in the fall. 2. Find your joy. It’s hard to ignore the things that bring you joy when you have the sun beating down on your face and leftover salt from the ocean drying on your skin. Joy is right at your fingertips in moments like that. 3. Live the day right up to the end. Summer days are good, but summer nights are a delicious, divine gift. Savor them like a pineapple popsicle, one juicy lick at a time. 4. There is enough time. Let each moment be what it is and nothing more. There will be time enough for worries and stresses, trying to navigate this crazy world. Right now all you have to worry about is right now. 5. Choose your friends who will spend these wonderful days with you wisely. You only get a limited number of sun-soaked, long, lazy days of summer. The people you surround yourself with at this time determine what kind of summer you’re going to have more than anything else. If you surround yourself with people who are bitter and complain, you’ll more than likely find yourself feeling bitter and complaining. Surround yourself with people who love and appreciate and you’ll find yourself loving and appreciating. 6. There’s no room in bliss for self-consciousness and fear. Do your abs fall short of a six-pack? Do your arms jiggle when you wave? Has your chest been compared to a bird? Does a bulge of skin appear at the waist above your bathing suit? I’m only going to say this once—who gives a damn? It’s not worth wasting glorious days of summer being hung up on perfection. Too many lives have been squandered like this. Your body knows when you hate it. Poor body. Love it and it will love you. You have a rich life out there just waiting for you to free yourself from fear and go grab it. Be bold and take it this summer. 7. Exhale. Sometimes we hold our breath so much we don’t even realize it until we’re given the chance to breathe it all out. Summer gives you that excuse, that reason. Let go of all that anxiety and breathe in something fresh. Something new. I promise that things aren’t as dire as they seem. Promise. 8. This too, will end. One of the things that makes summer so amazing is the knowledge that it’s short-lived. The transitory nature of it forces you to suck out every last drop of wonder. Don’t leave anything in the bucket. It’ll be filled again next year. The Beachcomber has inspired me to get out and about and discover what is going on around Tybee that y’all need to know about. Every month I learn something new and this month it is all about the Shriner’s Supper Club. I knew we had a Shriner’s group, but what I did not know is they have a Tuesday Night Supper Club that is open to one and all. I am all about food, as well as organizations that help others, so let me give you the scoop! The Tybee Island Shriner’s Supper Club was chartered in 1980; founded by Frank Nelson who knew that a Shriner’s chapter would be a perfect fit on Tybee. Frank approached the city about a potential building site at Fort Screven across from the lighthouse. At that time, it was simply a pile of rubble, but Frank saw the potential. Leasing the concrete from the City, the newly formed Club went to work. We now have a beautiful building with a spectacular view!!! I decided to drop in one Tuesday night and check it out. The red door opens at 5pm to one and all. A $10 donation covers the dinner, which is extensive and delicious. There are games and raffles as well. It is a great place for just hanging out, meeting new people and enjoying the camaraderie of everyone around you. One and all were very open and more than welcome to sit with a stranger, soon to be new friend, or renew an old acquaintance. The Club supports itself with its membership fees (a mere $10 a year), but the main funds come from renting out the facility for weddings, conventions, birthdays, family reunions, etc. Like I said, the view is just flat out phenomenal and the building is large enough to support any event you may be entertaining with family and friends. All extra funds go directly to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children, which is what the Club is all about: Helping children and their parents through the most difficult times. The Supper Club is open every Tuesday (barring any major event) to one and all. I highly recommend bringing a friend and an appetite. Sit at a table where you know no one and make some new friends. Play a game, enter a raffle and have fun. If you are interested in renting the facility for any event, please call David Cornelius at (912) 786-7081. In the meantime, I will meet you at the Red Door to the Shriner’s Supper Club!
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