HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-06-09, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2011. By Perry Chuipka
Trinity and St. John’s Anglican
Churches in Blyth and Brussels
An old man walks into a bar, sits
down, and starts crying.
The bartender asks, “What’s
wrong?” The old man looks at the
bartender through teary eyes and
between sobs says, “I married a
beautiful woman two days ago.
She’s a 25-year-old natural blonde,
intelligent, a marvelous cook, a
meticulous housekeeper, extremely
sensitive to my wants and
needs, very giving, my best
friend and intensely passionate in
bed.”
The bartender stares at the old man
for a brief moment and says, “But
that sounds great! You have what
every man wants in a woman, so
why are crying?”
The old man looks at the bartender
and says, “I can’t remember where I
live!”
How many of us have forgotten
something and then said, “Oh
another senior moment.”
Whether God made it that way or
not, we are all getting older, not
younger. But I want to suggest that
getting older can be better if we look
at that way.
Take a look at how our society of
today views older people. Let me use
some words that I have heard on
radio and seen on TV to describe old
age. “Elderly, tough, long-lived,
used-up, grey, senile, dated, stale,
veteran, worthless, dried-up, frail,
withered, mature, faded, lasting,
wrinkled, yellowed, useless, wise
and venerable.
Most of them have a negative
connotation but let me pick out some
of the positive ones: wise, enduring,
lasting, veteran, mature and
venerable.
As we grow older, we do get more
aches and pains, but we also get
wisdom. We have out lasted our
youth, we are veterans with valuable
experience. We have also matured to
the point where we are better for it.
We have endured the hardships of
this life and we are stronger people
because of it.
Now think of the things that get
better with age. Trees, wine, cheese,
violins and antiques to name only a
few.
Did you know that the Kusu tree in
the southern part of Japan lives to
over 200 years? That the Arbol del
Tule tree in Mexico, is believed to be
2,000-3,000 years old? They have
survived floods, lightning, disease
and other storms of life.
Have you ever stood near a huge
tree and felt its respective presence,
felt the sense of peace that it gives
you? As a tree ages, it still gives gifts
to us. So it is with us as we age. We
may not always feel like we have a
gift to offer through our aches and
pains but we do. We can offer our
experience, our endurance and our
refined love that has lived through
many things in life.
Take a look at wine. A Chato
Decante made in 1986 cost $480,
one bottle made in 1921 will cost
you $2,200 and one bottle made in
1878 will cost you $11,550. The
increase in price with age is because
the older the wine the better it tastes.
So it is with us, we get better with
age when we use those gifts we have
been given along the way. Aged
cheese has much more flavour than
cheese that has just been made as
well.
Take a look at violins. The best
made violins reach their prime from
age 40 to age 90. Throughout this
period of their life the music from
these older violins is just beginning
to sound good and will get
even better as it ages. Finally,
antiques are important because they
link us to our past and these old
items almost force us to tell stories
about the past. They remind us to
relive our most valuable stories of
who we are.
If I am honest, I am growing older
with each passing day but I don’t
have to look at that as a negative
thing. Old age can be seen as getting
better with age.
So let me return to the elderly man
who is becoming forgetful in his life.
He did something about it and got a
hearing aid to improve his hearing. I
realize we cannot always do
something about the changes that are
happening to us as we get older,
but maybe we can change our
attitude. Maybe we can say,
“getting old is not always easy but it
can get better when I look around
and see all those things that by the
grace of God I got through in my
life.”
In that light, life really doesn’t
look that bad, in fact, it looks pretty
darn good. Maybe this getting old
process by our creator was meant to
help us look for the better in life...
maybe.
By Margaret E. McMahon
Eleanor Elg welcomed the
members to the Gravelridge WI Hall
for their seventh District Annual on
May 25.
The theme for the day was “Here’s
to Your Health”. There were 67 in
attendance. The ratification of the
district directors was done by
Margaret E. McMahon and all 12
branches were installed for the
2011-2012 year.
Sandra Brears and Eileen Ament
conducted the In Memoriam service.
Sandra read a verse and Eileen
placed a flower in a vase for each of
the 11 deceased members this past
year. Mary McTavish introduced
Jeff Sager who is Platoon
Commander with the Perth County
EMS and is the PRO as well. Jeff
spoke on emergency medical issues
facing seniors. He said how vitally
important it is to have your medical
information visible so when the
EMS responds to your emergency
call it helps them to know what they
are dealing with. Information that
should be near the phone includes:
your name, fire number/your house
address. There is a Cool Aid package
available where you can list
medications and medical conditions.
All 911 calls go to the police, fire
and EMS people.
Jeff also suggested leaving a light
on outside your residence at night
time so emergency people can locate
your dwelling more readily and it
cuts down on response time if your
address is visible, i.e. no shrubs
hiding the house/fire numbers.
Winnie Trachsel thanked Jeff and
presented him with a gift as well as
a donation to the Sunshine
Foundation.
Darlene Harding gave the Board
of Directors’ report in which the
members were asked to send letters
supporting the FWIO Advocacy
campaign against the closure of
Ontario small abattoirs and meat
processing plants. Canada Comforts
is in need of cloth diapers 27"x27".
The new two-year theme for FWIO
is Back to Basics “the modern way”.
The FWIO Provincial Conference is
being held in Ridgetown June 8-10,
2011 and the FWIC Triennial is
being held in Sydney, B.C. June 12-
16, 2012. Provincial Scholarships
have been united into one called the
Federated Women’s Institutes of
Ontario Scholarship. The topic of
the essay for next year is “The Effect
of Climate Change on Agriculture”.
Darlene also spoke on the Country
Heritage Park at Milton. This year
the FWIO theme “Back to Basics” is
being implemented. The committee
is focusing on knitting and is asking
for any older items like knitting
books, needles, etc. for their display.
If the history is known it could be
added as well. For the children who
visit there is going to be corking or
spooling as it was originally called.
The list of dates for helpers for the
July and August weekends was
distributed. There is going to be a
Farm Fun for Kids day, antique
tractor show, heavy horse field day,
civil war, and a corn festival day and
Oct. 16 is the Heritage Fall Festival.
A ladies’ night out is being held
again this year and the theme is
Huron-Perth WI holds annual meeting
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
June 10th ~ Community Fundraiser for Japanese
Relief ~ upstairs Blyth Memorial Hall at 7:00 pm
June 12 ~ Do prophets profit?
Please join us for worship
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
Church Office: 519-357-4883
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, June 12
Rev. Perry Chuipka
www.nabcom.ca/church
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
June 12: Acts 4:23-31
PENTECOST - Communion
Evangelical Missionary Church
“Encountering
the Living
God”
50-Day
Spiritual
Adventure -
Week 7
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, June 12
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact:
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Chris McMichael 519.482.1644
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
Sunday, June 12
Ethel United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, JUNE 12
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
9:30 a.m.
Sunday School
10:30 a.m.
Morning Worship Service
Guest Speaker:
Rev. Eugene Neudorf
MISSIONS EVENT
Sunday, June 12th
at 7:30 pm
Fellowship Hall at Huron Chapel
Come & hear about Missions in
Papua New Guinea
Missionaries Dave &
Deb Rodges will be
sharing as well as
Jim & Marilyn
Campbell
Coffee & Snacks
will be served.
From the Minister’s StudyWith age comes wisdom, other benefits
Continued on page 20