mess August 2010

The
The monthly Newsletter of Grace
December 2010
Volume # 2010
Issue #12
Council Members 2010
Darcie Barman
Nicole Mea
Sandy Holz
Rick Robertson
Deb Searle
Gus Hartig
Steve Wheat
John Orlowski
Karen McNamara
Pastor Jack Traugott
845
973
845
845
845
845
845
973
845
845
477-0315
853-1336
477-3230
783-3454
544-1592
987-8568
477-9254
853-2552
699-9544
477-3384
In case of emergency,
You may contact Pastor Jack at the church
at 845 477-3384 or
Council President John Orlowski
at 973 853-2552
Grace
Evangelical
Lutheran
Church
25 Waterstone Road
PO Box 394
Greenwood Lake, NY 10925
845 477-3384
Rev. Jack Traugott, Pastor
email:
[email protected]
2010 Officers
(Elected Positions)
President
John Orlowski
Vice President
Karen McNamara
2010 Appointed Officers
Treasurer
Secretary
Dick Anderson
Janey Santarpia
2010 Appointed Positions
Appointed Committee Chairs
Altar Guild
Bulletin
Cleaning
Coffee Hour
Communications
Cradle Roll
Flower Fund
Fundraising
Lectors
Memorials
Property
Sunday School
Sunshine
Synod Liaison
VBS Director
Worship & Music
Darcie Barman
Diane Bramich
Karen McNamara
Sue Toscano
Janey Santarpia
Lisa Orlowski
Lorraine Mitchell
Scott Santarpia
Karen McNamara
Edna Brodersen
Gus Hartig
Lorraine Mitchell
Edna Brodersen
Ron Bonnier
Sue Toscano
Pastor Jack Traugott
Accounts Receivable
Financial Secretary
Nicole Mea
Nicole Mea
The Messenger is published monthly and
is
distributed without charge to members
and
friends of Grace Lutheran Church.
We have an all volunteer staff, as follows:
Janey Santarpia, Editor;
Becca Rocke, Copy Editor;
Janey Santarpia, printer;
Mary Ann Schechter, Delivery Person;
John Schechter, staples, folds & stuffs the
Messenger in the envelope
and Alexis Schechter, who helps a little.
All copy is due on the 15th of the month!
Volunteers are always welcomed!
PAGE 2
Worship Schedule
Sunday, December 5
Sunday, December 12
3rd Sunday of Advent
9:30 am Sunday School
9:30 am Communion Service
Sunday, December 19
4th Sunday of Advent
9:30 am Sunday School
9:30 am Communion Service
Friday, December 24
All are welcome to worship with us!
2nd Sunday of Advent
8:30 am Sunday School Rehearsal
9:30 am Worship Service with
the Sunday School Pageant
refreshments to follow.
Christmas Eve
Nativity of Our Lord
6:45 pm Carols
7:00 pm Communion, Choir & Candle
Service
Sunday, December 26
First Sunday after Christmas
No Sunday School
9:30 am Communion Service
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Bits & Pieces
Calendar
Council Notes
Cradle Roll
Donations
Editors Stuff
Fundraising Committee
Games & Puzzles
Pastor’s Message
Prayer List
Sunday School
Volunteer Lists
Worship Schedule
Page 6
Everywhere
Page 21
Page 4
Page 8
Pages 7, 19, 20,
Page 2
Page 5, 18
Pages 16, 17
Page 3
Page 9
Page 8
Page 22
Page 2
EDITOR’S PAGE
Raina Update: She has a plastic pipe that
starts just under the flap in the back of her
throat and it goes down to the bronchi. She can
breath just like we do now. And she talks in a
whisper. Now she is a typical 11 year old. She
never shuts up (oh, thank you, God) and she can
run and talk and be happy. She will have another
surgery December 2 to change the long tube for
a shorter one. Then they will monitor the scar
tissue. And there will be more surgeries. But she
can breath and talk and run. And even be a brat.
And it’s all a great gift.
In the rest of the world...I found lots of
old, mushy kind of Christmas stories for this
issue. I think we’re all ready for an old fashioned
kind of Christmas. Lots of love and family and
friends and maybe not so much emphasis on presents. I like the first 3 much better myself.
Grace is filling up the pews! How exciting
for all of us. More people in the pews means I
can sing at the top of my lungs again and I won’t
throw everyone off key...as much.
The Fundraising committee needs more
help. If you want to help Grace out of its financial hole volunteer! Costs you nothing but some
time. Try it.
The Cleaning Committee needs some extra
help. Make it your special gift to Grace.
The Council needs a new secretary. If you
can take notes and like to know what’s happening
at Grace , try it.
Don’t forget to come early on Christmas
Eve. It’s my favorite service. The lights go out at
the end when all our candles are lit and we sing
‘Silent Night’. Wow! It’s so powerful. And then on
the ride home from church I start listening for
the bells....
Hey, you’re never to old to believe in everything that’s good.
Merry Christmas to you all,
Your Editor, Janey
Contact me at: [email protected]
PAGE 3
Pastor’s Message for December
As we prepare for the seasons of Thanksgiving and
Christmas we prepare to give thanks for our blessings and for
the gift of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
At the end of the story of Christmas we are told of the
visit of the Wise Men or Magi. Astrologers in the East (probably a thousand miles away) see something in the sky. They
notice that it is a new star and that it has a special meaning because of its position in
the heavens. They interpret it as a new King will be born in Israel.
Convinced that their reading of the star’s appearance is correct they plan and
execute the long journey by caravan. They want to see this new king and come and
worship Him. They acted quickly and with abandon. In a short time they were on their
way.
When they arrived they told King Herod about their discovery in the sky and
asked where the place might be where he was born. The king did not know but people
in his court remembered a Bible passage in the book of Micah, which told of a future
birth in Bethlehem.
The Magi/Wise Men were told of this and given directions and were sent on
their way with words from the King - “ Go and search diligently for the child, and
when you find him bring me word, that I may also come and worship Him.”
So they continued on their way to the little town of Bethlehem. They searched
until they found Jesus - in a stable.......lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling
clothes.
They then gave four gifts to Jesus.
•
They gave the gift of GOLD - a precious kind of currency. It was something of
great value and would pay for expenses for quite a while into the future.
•
Another gave frankincense - this was expensive - worthy of a King - wonderful
smelling. Frankincense could be used in worship to symbolize a person’s prayers rising
to the heavens.
•
Another gift was Myrrh. It was a precious gift and therefore fit for a King. It
was only later in history that this gift was also used in the process of embalming a
body after death.
•
Everyone who made the journey, brought his very best. The fourth gift was the
invisible gift that each one brought. They brought their gift of worship. “They fell
on their knees and worshipped Him “. Only after they worshipped did they offer the
gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
On Friday evening, December 24th, we gather together at 6:45 pm for carols
and then 7:00 pm for Worship. We sing Praises. We give Thanks. We listen to the
Birth story and we receive the Christ into our hearts and souls. O Come All Ye Faithful. Come and Worship. Amen.
Faith, Hope, Love, Joy and Peace in Jesus Name............Amen
Pastor Jack H. Traugott
PAGE 4
NOTES FROM THE November COUNCIL MEETING
- Rick Robertson suggested we get some more hymnals since our Sunday
service attendance has increased. Pastor Jack will check a source that,
hopefully, costs us nothing for 30 more hymnals.
- The Fundraising Committee is working hard on the Murder Mystery Dinner and then will
focus on December 11 for the Tree Decorating Party and Caroling.
- Sunday School reports that rehearsals for the pageant are underway for the Pageant on
December 5.
- Janey Santarpia has resigned her position as Council Secretary as of December 31, 2010.
She has been doing this job since December 1996. It’s time for someone new.
- Darcie Barman has volunteered to take over the job of decorating the outside porch
bulletin boxes from Janey Santarpia also. She will have the teenagers create the monthly
decorations as part of their community service time.
- The council approved an ad to be placed in the Warwick Dispatch for our Christmas Eve
services.
- Mike Linke will return to play the organ on Sundays until the middle of May, 2011.
- Rick Robertson & Gus Hartig will work together on the octagon window in the sexton’s
house when they replace it.
- The Crafty Ladies requested that the new solar lights stay on a little longer.
- Wayne Winters has been changing light bulbs at Grace as needed.
- Next meeting will be December 14 at 6:30 pm.
Thank you to all of you who
The Cleaning Committee currently has 5 wonderful
participated in the Operation
teams. They each have one week to clean Grace in time
Christmas Shoe Box collection.
for Sunday services. They rotate so that now each crew
I was proud to deliver 41
cleans once a month or almost once a month.
shoeboxes filled with treats
But it would be great if we could get at least one more
for children around the world.
team. Then, each team would only have to clean once in six
Thank you again,
weeks! It never seems as difficult if your turn is so
Sue Toscano
seldom.
Please give it some thought and if your heart can see it
happening , please contact me, Karen McNamara, at
845 699-9544
Thanks for thinking about it.
Confirmation Classes
On Wednesdays
7 th Grade 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
8th Grade 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
PAGE 5
Thank you to everyone who helped
“spruce up” the
outside of Grace by
raking leaves or by
“shining up “ the inside of our church.
We appreciate all the Girl Scouts, Boy
Scouts, Cub Scouts, Sunday School
kids, church members and parents
who came out to lend a hand and do a
good deed.
Sue Toscano
Fundraising Committee Ongoing Project
We have Shop Rite gift cards for
you to purchase. You then take the card
and shop just like you always do and at the
checkout you present the card. We have
$100, $50, & $25 denominations to start.
When you use these cards Grace
gets 5% of the card’s value. Since we all
shop every week or every other week this
is a great way to continue to support a
fundraiser and do what you always do in
your daily life.
Sandy Holz will have the cards on
Sundays at Grace or you can call her at
845 477- 3230 and make other arrangements to purchase them.
Thanks to all the helper’s, bakers,
crafters and buyer’s that came to our
Craft Fair/Bake Sale this year.
With your help we did well.
The quilt was won by Anneliese
Romahn, the Tree Skirt went to Joan
Devine, the baby outfit went to Marian
Kwolek and the Christmas tree went to
Kathy Romano.
Thanks again,
Inge Beckenbach for
The Crafty Ladies.
Our Coffee Hour after church services has
been wonderful! Thank you to all who have
volunteered and looking forward to keeping
this time for fellowship a great tradition.
The sign up sheet is on the table in the
narthex.
Sue Toscano
Now that we have only one service Coffee
Hour just became much easier. You can
come in a little before service, make the
coffee and set up the table (don’t put food
out until service is over) Now everyone
comes out of service at the same time and
we all can enjoy the fellowship of the drink
and food and then you and your partner
clean it up and go off on your merry way
knowing that you have contributed to our new fellowship
program and made some folks
happy, too.
Please sign up at the table in
the narthex.
PAGE 6
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31
31
December
Steve Wheat
Betty Gjertsen
Morgan Bladt
Dennis Winters
Kinsey Sammer
Kaitlyn Ratsep
Alexa Jo Anastasio
Randy Vance
Jeremy Bender
Curt Hyers
Mary Ann Schechter
Jake Kelm
Ellie Guarriello
Walter Carroll
Mayra Skeete
Laura Sanders
Mackenzie Demay
Tristan Searle
Cassie Searle
Anthony Anastasio
Keith Garley
Jason Bladt
Norman Cairns
If you or someone in your family does not have a
birthday or anniversary listed and you would like to
be, please email the information to me at
[email protected] or write a note and
drop it in the collection plate or just send a note
to Grace. Also, if we have the wrong date, don’t
hesitate to let me know so that I can correct it.
December
31st
Lisa & John Orlowski
You never know who you are
sitting next to in church. We
have a celebrity sitting
among us. She is a very talented Mom, Sandra Frawley.
She was tired of having to
carry her baby in the car
seat and a pocket book or her phone and
wallet stuck in the seat. So, Sandra designed a special bag to attach to the car
seat. She entered her idea
in Huggies ‘Mom-Inspired
Grant Program and she
won. The new bags will be
in production very soon.
There are some very nice
folks in our church…talk to
them. You will be so surprised.
Look for the newly created
Birthday and Anniversary
cards coming your way.
We needed to find a way to save
money for Grace and at the same
time continue to congratulate you
on your special days.
We think we did it.
You be the judge.
PAGE 7
Many thanks to those who provide information for the newsletter
and a very special thanks to those who volunteer their time and energy each month to ensure it is written, proofed, printed, collated,
stapled, folded, stuffed, labeled and mailed on time!
The November issue of news was gathered, typed and retyped by me from October 10 thru
18th. I printed 220 white mailing envelopes on October 18th. Becca proofed it Monday, October 18th.
I made the corrections on Monday, October 18 & Tuesday, October 19 I printed 228 copies on my
home printer. Don Santarpia dropped off the printed copies and envelopes at the Schechter home
Thursday evening, October 21 for John Schechter to staple, fold and press tightly and stuff the copies into the white envelopes with some help from Alexis Schechter and Mary Ann returned them to me
on Saturday, October 23rd.
I labeled and sorted on Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24 and filled out the
forms for the Post Office and then we had to wait because it was the weekend. Don delivered 209
copies of the November newsletter to the Greenwood Lake Post Office between 10 and 12 noon on
Monday, October 25. I emailed 60 copies on Sunday, October 24.
I hand delivered 2, John Schechter hand delivered 4 and 14 were placed in the narthex for
anyone who would like one. A total of 285 were distributed.
Please remember that you need to get any info you want in the newsletter to me by the 15th of the
month and so long as I get the info on time I can push to finish the newsletter and get it out on time. So,
if you all continue to deliver the news to me I can deliver the Messenger on time to you !
Thanks everyone.
The
If you have any questions about this newsletter address them to me -Attn. Janey Santarpia, at Grace Church, or email:
[email protected] or [email protected]
Notice from the Financial Secretary
As our fiscal year is drawing to a close, I am requesting that everyone gather their
non-cash receipts and submit them for inclusion on their year-end statement.
You can mail them to Grace, put them in my office mail slot, or place them in the offering
plates on Sunday. PLEASE PUT YOUR NAME ON YOUR RECEIPTS!
The books will be officially closed on 12/31/10. Any submissions received after that date
will not be captured for the 2010 donation record, but will be stored for recording in the following year.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Nicole Mea
1. Replace radiator cover in basement.
2. Seal Parking lot. [Not til spring]
3. Paint parking spaces on both lots. GS Done
4. Repair cement walkway to basement BS?
5. Fix Porch steps BS?
Please remember that this donation should be
separate from and added onto the weekly amount
you usually give. We will need approximately
$40,000 to cover the construction costs.
$40,000
$35,000
$30.000
$25,000
$20,000
$19,000
$18,500
$18,400
$18,300
$18,200
$18,100
$18,000
DONATIONS from:
$12,087
PAGE 8
December 2010
Hi Everyone
We are happy to welcome four new students within the last month to our
Sunday School.
As I write this, we are in the middle of Christmas Pageant rehearsals
and the pageant will be held on December 5th. Sunday School will host coffee
hour on that Sunday. I am asking parents to bring an item for the table, i.e.
juice, cupcakes, brownies, etc. If everyone brings one thing, we will have a wonderful feast.
There will be no Sunday School on December 26th, but we will return for classes on
January 2nd.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Lorraine Mitchell
Cradle Roll Welcomes Grace’s youngest members
Mommy Anniversary
It was about a year ago that I wrote a story in the Messenger about what it was like to be
a mother when you don’t have a mother. I explained that although I have missed out on
the joys of sharing motherhood with your own mother, my mom taught me to be strong,
independent and smart.
When I began my adventure with motherhood my mom was alive and she cared for me
when my first child was born, she was extremely matter of fact on how to care for a baby,
how to keep a house, visitors, nutrition and rest. When one child turned into two children,
her advice was about sibling relationships and nurturing their respect for each other and
juggling every day tasks and management. Then, that was it. My mom took her final cruise
ship to heaven and I was left with all her knowledge she taught me. My mom seemed to
have left an audio playback message in my head and when I’m struggling with motherhood
and I ask myself what would my mom do.... my brain already has a message answer for me.
Actually, she left messages for all five of her daughters, its really amazing.
My point of all of this Mommy talk is to celebrate being a mom. My oldest son just turned
six and although it was a wonderful celebration for him, I’m reminded about the day my
life changed forever.
Thanks for reading!
Lisa O. [email protected]
Catch me on Facebook too, Lisa Orlowski
**Parent reminder,**
After Sunday services, please remember to police the nursery room for any toy and/or food mess
your child may have left behind.
The Cleaning Committee does not clean on Sunday nights or Monday mornings. That leaves plenty of
time for God’s smallest creatures to find what the kids left.
Grace thanks you for your cooperation.
Special Dates
PAGE 9
December 5
Sunday School Pageant
at the 9:30 am Service
Saturday , December 11
Tree Decorating at Grace and
Caroling for all and a little cocoa, too.
Christmas Eve
6:45 pm
Singing of Carols
7:00 pm
Communion,
Choir &
Candlelight
Service
We pray that good health will be restored to
the body and the mind of those we remember in our prayers
Connie Anderson
Pauline Bannon
Bridget Cirbes
Bill Clarke
Constance Costello
Gretchen Currie
Eleanor Curtis
Lori Davis
Jacqueline Decre
Marian Detro
Katherine Devlin
Anthony Dia
Mary Jane Dickson
Kate Duffy
Torkile Eikaas
Betty English
Eileen Frey
Mary Gillespie
Sherrie Greehan
Shari Hyers
Maria Jones
Samuel Jordan
George Kammerer
John Lachat, Sr.
Jean Lachat
Lucy Landri
Michelle Laplaca
Stephanie Lardner
Kate Manes
Logan Mason
Siobhan McCormick
John Meaden
Theresa Nachowitz
Noreen Nadolsky
Irma Papagianakis
Deanna Pearce
Bob Riflard
Maggie Rocke
Ester Rohner
Sylvia Salvesen
John Santarpia
Pat Santarpia
Barbara Schmidt
Arlene Scott
Annabella Scotto
Raina Searle
Elaine Shaw
Woodrow Skeeter
Julia Skyberg
Edward Smith
Sarah Lou Smith
Stephanie Thiel
Edie Thomsen
Mikey Traugott
Barbara Vandermeulen
Laura Vandermeulen
Michael Vogt
Robert Vogt
Alfred Waldhelm
Judy Widmer
Hal Weinstein
Ben Winstanley
Christine Wright,
Mary Frances Yates
and the family of
Jeff Rousseau, Sr.
and for those serving
in the Armed Forces
here and abroad
and for those who
grieve and for those
in need of prayers of
healing.
If you would like to add someone in need to this list please contact Pastor Jack or
email the info to [email protected]
PAGE 10
PAGE 11
Christmas Wishes
May the songs of Christmas
Come softly to your ear,
And tell again the meaning
Of this blessed time of year.
May all the gifts of Christmas
Be a means of sharing love,
Like the gift of Christ, Our Saviour,
Sent with love from God above.
May the joy of Christmas
May the bells of Christmas
Chime their tunes so bright and gay, Dwell so deep within your heart
Ringing out their cheer and hope That throughout the year to come
It never shall depart.
On this glad Christmas Day.
May the peace of Christmas
Fill your heart with strength anew
As you know what God gaveth
When He sent His Son to you.
May the love of Christmas
fill your heart and soul,
So peace on earth, good will toward men
Will be your greatest goal.
-By Lois Anne Williams
Greetings from Grace
Help us Help our Neighbors
Make a donation to have your GREETINGS FROM GRACE published in Grace’s
Christmas Eve Bulletin and Grace will send 100% of this donation to
the Greenwood Lake Food Pantry.
As an extra bonus, your Christmas Greeting will be on display in the narthex for all to see.
Anyone interested in participating, please fill out this sheet and mail it to Grace or drop it in the
white box in the narthex.
Here is an example:
Mary & George Smith
Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.
NAME:
GREETING
Please make sure all checks are made out to Grace Lutheran Church.
When we have gathered all the donations Grace Church will write
one check and send it to the Food Pantry.
Remember this is a greeting and not a memorial!
If you wish to make a memorial offering during this holiday season you can do so by
donating flowers, candles or greens in memory of loved ones.
Page 12
Who’s Your Daddy?
A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN.
One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to
enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they
noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to
table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to
his wife, I hope he doesn’t come over here. “ But sure enough, the man did come over to their
table. “Where are you folks from?” He asked in a friendly voice. “Oklahoma,” they answered.
“Great to have you here in Tennessee.” The stranger said. “What do you do for a living?” “I teach
at a seminary,” he replied. “Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you?
Well, I’ve got a really great story for you.” And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair
and sat down at the table with the couple. The professor groaned and thought to himself, “Great.
. . Just what I need. . .another preacher story!”
The man started, “See that mountain over there? (Pointing out the restaurant window).
“Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a
hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, ‘Hey
boy, who’s your daddy?” Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people
would ask the same question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’ He would hide at recess and lunch time from
other students. He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him so bad.
When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in
late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’ But one day, the new
preacher said the benediction so fast he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the backdoor, the new preacher, not knowing anything
about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, ‘Son, who’s your daddy?’
“The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking
at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, ‘Who’s your daddy’.
This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that
only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy. . .
“Wait a minute!” He said. I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now.
You are a child of God.’ With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, ‘Boy,
you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it. ‘ With that, the boy smiled for the first
time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same
again. Whenever anybody asked him, ‘Who’s your Daddy?’ He’d just tell them, ‘I’m a Child
of God.’
The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, “Isn’t that a great
story?” The professor responded that it really was a great story! As the man turned to
leave, he said, “You know, if that new preacher hadn’t told me that I was one of God’s
children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!” And he walked away.
The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over and
asked her, “Do you know who that man was who just left that was sitting at our table?”
The waitress grinned and said, “Of course. Everybody here knows him. That’s Ben
Hooper. He’s the former governor of Tennessee!”
Maybe someone in your life today needs a reminder that they’re one of God’s children! - Shared by Hank Rapp
PAGE 13
A Christmas Dream
By: The Rev. Paul E. Henderson
Episcopal Church Home Chaplain
’Twas the night before Christmas,
I had just gone to bed,
With visions of residents
Still in my head.
Another asked respite
From suffering’s curse.
He gave him the comfort
And love of a nurse.
As face followed face
In a somnolent stream,
My mind drifted off
In a beautiful dream.
One needed bravery,
She was often afraid.
He gave her the strengthening
Arms of an aide.
In fancy I floated
High into the air,
Where I could look down
On this Center of Care
To the man who wrote:
“I must do what I can,”
Were given a role
In activities plan.
The moon o’er the Church Home
Turned night into day
And there was Saint Nick
With his reindeer and sleigh
One said, “Father Christmas,’
Recover my sight.”
He led her to Chapel
And God’s inner light.
I cried: “Where’s your bag
Filled with trinkets and toys?”
He answered, “I gave them
To young girls and boys.”
To a lady whose husband
Had died the past year,
He gave merciful solace
Through a kind volunteer.
“I bring other gifts
To the people below,
Gifts of more value
Than ever they’ll know.”
But one asked for nothing
Save just one more breath
To her he gave courage
To bravely meet death.
Then, into the building
To visit each floor,
And read the requests
Which adorned every door.
To the others he said,
“I will see you next year,
When I now fly away
I will take all your fear.
On the first list he read
Just one word, “Dignity!”
He granted that wish
Through the girls in 0. T.
The second sought physical
strength just to stand.
And was given the help
Of a Therapist’s hand.
These gifts all are yours now,
You need not ask more.
You must lean on the Staff
That is what staffs are for!”
Then, I heard him exclaim
As he rose from my view,
“HAPPY CHRISTMAS, MY DEAR ONES “
YOUR FATHER LOVES YOU!”
- Shared by Sylvia Salvesen
PAGE 14
I’ve been a good mom all year. I’ve fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on
demand, visited the doctor’s office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of
candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping
you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter
with my son’s red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles,
and who knows when I’ll find anymore free time in the next 18 years. Here are my
Christmas wishes:
I’d like a pair of legs that don’t ache (in any color, except purple, which I already
have) and arms that don’t hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my
screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.
I’d also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last
pregnancy.
If you’re hauling big ticket items this year I’d like fingerprint resistant windows and
a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn’t broadcast any programs
containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the
crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, “Yes, Mommy” to boost my
parental confidence, along with two kids who don’t fight and three pairs of jeans that
will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting “Don’t eat in the living room”
and ”Take your hands off your brother,” because my voice seems to be just out of my
children’s hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.
If it’s too late to find any of these products, I’d settle for enough time to brush my
teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than
room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don’t mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday
season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my
conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help
around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an
organized crime family.
Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet under the
laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember
to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don’t catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don’t eat too many or leave crumbs on the
carpet.
Yours Always,
MOM..
.
P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests
if you can keep my children young enough to believe in you, Santa.
- Shared by Anne Caric
PAGE 15
”To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested
column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion.
Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”
Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .
PAGE 16
I can stand at my post through the rain and the
sleet,
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Who stand at the front against any and all,
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.”
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
” So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright,
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
”But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
”Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
feast?
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
For being away from your wife and your son.”
The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
”Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know,
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow. gone,
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
For when we come home, either standing or
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
dead,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
-Shared by Ron Bonnier
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
”What are you doing?” I asked without fear,
”Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said “Its really all right,
I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.”
”It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ‘ Pearl on a day in December,”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always
remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘ Nam ‘,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her
smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
”A Different Christmas Poem”
PAGE 17
ACROSS
1 ____and Dumah, and Eshean (Joshua 15:52)
5 And ____ ye not, but pursue after your enemies (Joshua 10:19)
9 For yet a little ____, and the wicked shall not be (Ps 37:10)
10 ____ stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins (Prov 10:12)
13 But if thou ___ that which is evil, be afraid (Rom 13:4)
14 by violating the ____ on taking devoted things (1 Chr 2:7)(NIV)
15 they would have repented long ____ in sackcloth and ashes (Matt 11:21)
16 arose about Stephen travelled as f___ as Phenice (partial word)(Acts 11:19)
17 for I ___ ___ stranger with thee, and a sojourner (two words) (Ps 39:12)
19 Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou ____, go, flee (Amos 7:12)
21 king Solomon made a ____ of ships in Eziongeber (1 King 9:260
23 and shall give the vine____ to others (partial word) (Luke 20:16)
25 of good behaviour, given to hospitality, ___t to teach (partial word)1 Tim 3:2
26 according to the law of the M___ and Persians (partial word)(Daniel 6:8)
27 look of contempt or scorn
29 a man in a chariot with a ____ of horses (plural) (Isa 21:9) (NIV)
31 was the golden ____ that had manna, and Aaron’s rod (Heb 9:4)
33 wind direction
34 he leadeth me in the ____ of righteousness for his name’s sake (Ps 23:3)
36 ____ not into the path of the wicked (Prov 4:14)
40 For this ____ is mount Sinai in Arabia (Gal 4:25)
42 ___ud the son of Gera, a Benjamite (partial word)(Judg 3:15)
43 bind the ____ of thine head upon thee (Ezek 24:17)
44 My righteousness I hold ____, and will not let it go (Job 27:6)
45 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor ____ (Luke 12:24)
48 By this shall all ____ know that ye are my disciples (John 13:35)
49 Behold, I stand ___ the door, and knock (Rev 3:20)
50 we know that the law is good, if a man ____ it lawfully (1 Tim 1:8)
52 head covering
54 works of iniquity, and the a___ of violence (partial word)(Isaiah 59:6)
55 repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no ____ (2 Cor 7:10) (NIV)
57 remaineth therefore ____ ____ to the people of God (two words) (Heb 4:9)
59 saith the LORD of hosts, and I will ____ve the iniquity (partial word)(Zech 3:9)
60 belonging to youngest son of Jacob (Gen 35:24)
PAGE 18
DOWN
1 I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, ___ Lord GOD! (Ezek 9:8)
2 they smote him under the fifth ____ (2 Sam 4:6)
3 Joshua said, ____, O Lord GOD, wherefore (Joshua 7:7)
4 They left ____ Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.(Num 33:32)(NIV)
5 to ____ every man his share, and his coulter (1 Sam 13:20)
6 mark, sign
7 Aaron made an ____ for them to cleanse them (Num 8:21)
8 abbr. for year
9 a certain ____ named Martha received (Luke 10:38)
11 Peace I l____ with you, my peace I give unto you (partial word) (John 14:27)
12 having no moisture (plural)
13 The ____ of his youth hast thou shortened (Ps 89:45)
18 Blessed ____ those servants, whom the lord when he cometh (Luke 12:37)
20 To him that overcometh will I give to ____ of the hidden manna (Rev 2:17)
22 classifieds
24 to be offered, and the time of my ____ is at hand (2 Tim 4:6)
28 just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall ____ (Prov 10:7)
30 each with c___ in hand because of his age (partial word) (Zech 8:4)(NIV)
32 thou shalt not add ____, nor diminish from it. (Deut 12:32)
34 Who in times ___t suffered all nations to walk in (partial word) (Acts 14:16)
35 and ____ decked herself with her earrings and her jewels (Hosea 2:13)
37 nickname for Timothy
38 ____ siege works against it, build a ramp up to it (Ezek 4:2) (NIV)
39 Then the high priest ____ his clothes, and saith (Mark 14:63)
40 Peter followed him ____ off unto the high priest’s palace (Matt 26:58)
41 Stand in the ____ of the LORD’s house, and proclaim (Jer 7:2)
46 And ____ told Jezebel all that Elijah had done (1 King 19:1)
47 she shall shave her head, and ____ her nails (Deut 21:12)
51 was the son of ____, which was the son of Noe (Luke 3:36)
53 names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ____ horns (Rev 17:3)
56 abbr. for Greek
58 sound a snake makes
WORD SEARCH
ANGEL
APPEAR
APPEARED
AUGUSTUS
BETHLEHEM
BIRTH
CAESAR
DREAM
ELIZABETH
EMMANUEL
GABRIEL
GLORY
JESUS
JOSEPH
MARY
MESSIAH
NAZARETH
PEACE
PROPHECY
PROPHET
SHEPHERDS
ZECHARIAH
PAGE 19
Editor’s note:
The Council is looking for a new
Council Secretary. The requirements are
simple: Be a member of Grace, be available
the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm to
be at church where you take the minutes
and then type them up and place them in a
loose leaf for posterity.
If you have computer knowledge that is
even better.
Please let Pastor or any council member
know if you are interested.
If anyone would like to share a poem or
story that you wrote and is related to the
good stuff in life, is nonpolitical, and uplifts folks, please send it to me and I will
publish it in the Messenger.
www.gracegwl.com
Our web site is up to date.
Deb Searle is the person in charge.
If anyone has church information they
would like to have placed on the site
please email Deb at:
[email protected]
[Ed: I did the job for about 15 years so it can’t be
too hard. Janey]
THE
Enclosed is my donation of $______
for the Messenger.
In Memory
of_________________________________
THE
Other________________________________________
Many Thanks for your generosity!
Donations to the Messenger:
- To keep it going:
from Mary Ann Schechter.
- To keep it going
from Karen McNamara.
- In memory of Marilyn Carroll
from her family.
From_______________________________________
Please make your check payable to:
Grace Lutheran Church
Attn.: The Messenger
PO Box 394
Greenwood Lake, NY 10925
And thanks very much!
The Messenger of Grace is a ministry of our
congregation and an important part of our
evangelical program. To keep the Messenger
going we need your financial support. Funds
are needed to cover the cost of postage and
printing. All donations made will be gratefully
acknowledged in the next issue.
Many thanks in advance.
In Honor
of___________________________________
PAGE 20
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