A group of professional people posed
this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds,
"What does love
mean?"
The answers they got were broader
and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got
arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got
arthritis too. That's love." - Rebecca - age 8
"When someone loves you, the
way they say your name is different. You know that your name is
safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on
perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each
other." - Karl - age 5
"Love is what makes you smile
when you're tired." - Terri - age 4
"Love is what's in the room
with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
- Bobby - age 5
"If you want to learn to love
better, you should start with a friend who you hate." - Nikka
- age 6
"When you tell someone
something bad about yourself and you're scared they won't love you
anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they
still love you, they love you even more." -Matthew -
age 7
"There are two kinds of
love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both
kinds of them." - Jenny - age 4
"Love is like a little old
woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know
each other so well." - Tommy - age 6
"Love is when your puppy licks
your face even after you left him alone all day." - Mary Ann
- age 4
"Love cards like Valentine's
cards say stuff on them that we'd like to say ourselves, but we wouldn't
be caught dead saying." - Mike - age 8
"You really shouldn't say 'I
love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say
it a lot. People forget." - Jessica - age 8
God Bless these
children and the parents that are raising them!
Email received from our
friend, Rev. Charles Fullmer
Several years ago, we became
involved with the Dominican Center at Marywood in Grand Rapids, MI
when they asked us (the Collecting Consort) to share our music and
stories in the form of a concert at their center.
We were impressed by these
people and their dedication to their work. As a result, I (Gary)
enrolled in their Spiritual Formations class last year. They have done a
wonderful job of accepting this Congregationalist/Methodist/Presbyterian (and a few
other affiliations through the years), into their spiritual
explorations.
Recently, the Dominican Center
sent me a tribute to several of the sisters who have dedicated their
lives to the work of this institution. One of them is Sister Henry
Suso Lerczak, OP.
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Sister Henry Suso Lerczk,
OP |
To mark her 75 (that's correct)
years of service, she penned these beautiful and insightful words
that touched me deeply.
As shadows have become
longer and the evening breezes more gentle, I put aside the heat of the
day and try to see myself loved by you, dear Lord, with gratitude for
the long life you have allowed me to live within your dwelling.
In the words of St.
Catherine of Siena I say:
"Beauty above all
beauty
Wisdom above all wisdom
Wisdom itself
Food of Angels
A fire of love to humanity"
Thank you Sister Henry, for
sharing your moving perceptions of LIFE.
For those of you feeling a need
for some special spiritual assistance or a personal prayer, call
the Dominican Center sisters. Their Prayer and Listening Line
Ministry Team is available to all regardless of religious
affiliation. Call them between 2 - 5 PM or 7 - 9:45 PM at
(616)454-2424, and find out what wonderful and accepting people they
are.
3/23/01
A couple of weeks ago,
the earth was laid bare of its crystal cover by the warmer temperatures.
The view through my (Gary) window reminded me of something worn out and
left over from a previous time.
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The red
pine beautifully embossed by an early spring snow. |
Then, I awoke one
morning to find this gentle airy white substance sifting downward.
Dead blades of grass, and other refuse seemed to be using their warmth
to call these crystals to their presence, their fibrous coarseness being
coated with a special kind of beauty.
At the same time, the
sidewalk beside my window was puddled, and drawing the flakes into a
changed state of liquid life. Nature's challenge was not enough to
hold back the coming of the growth season.
Last week, we received
the opportunity to celebrate the achievement of spring. Bright
sunshine and temperatures in the 50's greeted our desired change.
It was celebration
time when Anne returned home from work. Before the evening
dominated, we journeyed across the stream and through the woods,
hoping to witness signs of birth. The only growings (that we could
see) were the lichens commonly dubbed "British Soldiers".
Minus their red coats, they were pushing up dead leaves with the dull
green strength of their heads.
The next evening,
pleased again by the gentleness of the late afternoon's warmth, we took our
lawn chairs and a small glass of wine to the top of the incline above
the swamp. We gazed beyond toward the lake as the sun disappeared
into the setting clouds to our west.
We had hoped to see
the sand hill cranes who had been emanating their primitive calls from
the lake's edge. However, the best we could fair were two or three
couples of returning geese as they left the lake, announcing their
departure and stretching their wings toward the setting sun.
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A late snow adds to the
black/white contrast of the end of winter |
With a special prelude
like this, I wasn't prepared for the shock of encountering the outdoor
thermometer's reading this morning. 16 degrees on March 25th?
Accompanying these abnormal digits was a slight blanket of white.
As we drove to church,
things appeared out of kilter for that sub artic temperature. The
snow on the windshield was slushy and not frozen, and the 16 degree
temperatures had failed to take the pavement below freezing, It
seemed very much out of place to witness the small flurries we usually
associate with temperatures in the teens, melting as soon as they hit the warmth
that spring had already deposited within the asphalt.
Standing inside our
church, I watched the window as squalls of snow would suddenly hit,
swirling around, obliterating neighboring houses, blowing off eaves and
down the street, only to suddenly free themselves to the penetration of
the special spring sun.
Nature seemed to be
saying "Look out! This is going to be something else.",
and then turning its back, allowing the increasing strength of its sun
to penetrate and dominate once again.
I never have been able
to hurry Mother Nature. Of course the "farmer" in me
does not want to encourage these warmer temperatures. Instead, I
wish for the hope that cool temperatures will keep my fruit trees from
blossoming until the last possible minute. I guess I want a little
of everything. Regardless, experience has taught me to take what I
get and enjoy the most of it.
These two pieces arrived email
via professional caregiver and fellow certified music practitioner,
Betty Butler.
Take the step into the
darkness
One of two things will happen
Either your foot will find footing
Or you will step off the cliff
and you will be given wings.
“Friends are angels
who lift us to our
feet when our wings
have trouble.”
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Pending
Caregiver Legislation
Contact your legislator
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I suspect you are not
the type of person who makes contact with your congressmen/women.
However, as a caregiver, you are a member of a very powerful and quickly
growing population with considerable legislative power. Join your
fellow caregivers to express, lobby and represent your caregiving needs.
Learn how you can work
together and combine efforts with other caregivers at www.caregiverscount.com.
It lists pending legislation affecting you as a caregiver.
It also contains
contact information (email addresses too) for the legislators that
represent you in Washington.
Last week I received
an email from them requesting your lobbying assistance for the following
bill that supports tax credits for caregiving families and
deductions for long term care insurance premiums.
With their permission,
I copied the following from their site. Please contact your
congressional representatives to support the efforts described below.
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Johnson
Thurman Bill
Needs Caregiver Support
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3/23/01
H.R. 831, the Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act, needs the help
of all those who log on to www.caregiverscount.com
The most immediate need is to get House members to join as co-sponsors of
H.R. 831. The goal is to get at least 100 House members to co-sponsor by
Memorial Day. The more co-sponsors H.R. 831 can attract, the better its
chances are of being included in a tax package approved by Congress and
signed into law by the President this year.
You should be in contact with your Member of Congress to urge him/her
to co-sponsor H.R. 831. (See our Advocacy Info page for more information
on contacting your representatives.) Point out that as a caregiver or
caregiver advocate the bill is vital for it provides an important $3000
tax credit for family caregivers. Point out also that the bill would
provide for phased in deductibility for long term care insurance premiums
which can also help caregivers.
Please advise us of contacts you make and results so we can in turn
inform Reps. Johnson and Thurman--you can send an email to info@caregiverscount.com.
It is expected that an identical Senate bill will be introduced next week
and we will also be working to gain support for that bill.
When you go to this site www.caregiverscount.com,
you will find they have a newsletter to keep you up to date regarding
current legislation and suggestions for coordinating with other
caregivers. Sign on, and they will keep you informed of
new legislation affecting you as a caregiver and how you can assist the
legislative caregiving cause.
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Articles at The
Caregiver Companion web site that you might have missed!
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For those of you
who enjoy Anne's expressive writing, check out:
The Wild
Grapes article from the topic Anne's
Journal, a piece of prose she wrote after our family experience of
picking grapes at a neighbor's farm.
Many years ago, we made
some simple modifications to my grandmother's home that allowed her to
continue living independently and alone until she was in her
nineties.
You can check out
these simple and inexpensive suggestions to simplify daily life and
increase safety at the article Modifying
Grandma G's Home
