BEACON - Happy Holidays (November 2014)

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• Holiday gifts the grandkids will remember page 9

Photo courtesy of Downtown Grand Junction

Your Guide to a Happy Holiday

Now on the web at www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

2 HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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November 2014

A new take on Thanksgiving

By Teresa Ambord

were sold, and all our worldly goods were packed onto two trucks. Then rowing up, I never gave Thankswe hit the road. The farther north giving much thought. That is, unwe drove, the fewer cities and towns til the year Dad turned my sisters and we saw, as they were replaced by me into country girls. Dad was part trees and more trees. After two and of the Silent Generation—those born a half days of driving, the paved road from 1925 to 1945 who lived through became a rock road, which wound the Great Depression or World War through even thicker trees. Finally II or both. Some say this generation we came to a stop, and Dad called was “silent” because they worked out, “We’re here!” hard and kept quiet, which was a I was stunned, because we were pretty good description of my father. literally in the middle of a forest.

He used his muscles more than his No visible mouth. neighbors, But Time no real Magazine road, no erroneously water and labeled nowhere to the Silent plug in my Generation hair dryer. “unimagiOnly my native and father could unadventurlook at ous.” They these dense could not trees and have been envision a more wrong cabin rising about the Teresa took this recent photo of her dad in front of the cabin generation, 40 years after he built it. She said it looks quite different than from the forest floor. and espewhen they owned it– “it doesn’t look loved like when we had But that cially about it, and they took out many of the trees,” she said. is exactly Dad. From what happened…eventually. his youth, Dad was always inventWithin minutes of arriving, he ing new ways to turn one nickel opened the back of one truck and into two. If he couldn’t build or fix pulled out a pre-fab outhouse. He’d something himself, he persisted until built it in our garage in the city, then he could. That usually involved duct took it apart for reassembly later. tape or WD-40, or both if a problem He’d even painted a blue half-moon was really tough.

We girls thought Dad could do any- on it. Dad was no dummy. He lived with four females. He knew that soon thing. But even we were surprised after arriving at the property, we’d be at what happened in the summer of asking where the bathroom was. So 1971. That’s when he and our stephe quickly assembled the outhouse mom, Polly, announced that they’d and dug a hole. bought property in a far-away forest, The next day, we began clearing a and we were selling everything to space for the cabin. For six weeks, move there. The plan was for Dad we lived in a 10-man tent, cooked on to build a cabin in the middle of the a Coleman stove, and hauled water woods. Many probably thought that 19 miles from town in big milk cans. sounded crazy. We girls didn’t know Dad had brought tools, of course, it then, but Dad’s health was at risk and a homemade cement mixer and because of the stress of city life and the rising crime rate there. He longed a small generator for running his for us all to have a simpler life. power tools. Whenever we needed Soon the house and businesses more lumber or supplies, we had to

G

November 2014

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doubt they roughed it quite as much as Dad did. When time permitted, they would help Dad lay pipes, wire the house, or whatever was needed.

Then one glorious day, Dad called us all into the bathroom where we stood in a semi-circle around the new toilet and cheered the first ceremonial flush.

Our carpenter friend built custom cabinets for Polly’s kitchen in exchange for some mechanic work.

Another cause for celebration!

Electricity took much longer, so on those dark fall nights I continued to do homework by lantern light. Then just before Thanksgiving, Dad came From left: The author’s stepmom Polly, father John, sister Sharon and author Teresa Ambord. in the house, called us to attention make the drive through the trees into soon as possible, we moved into the and flipped a newly installed switch. unfinished cabin, still without power There was light! Later that evening, town. or water. But at least we had walls.

To Dad, a trip to the nearest tiny we heard some terrible singing, As the holidays grew closer, the town was a delay. But to us girls, it trudging up the dark road in the building continued, though slowly. was a joy. Since there was no mail rain. It was all those friends who had delivery, we greatly anticipated going Dad and Polly were making friends helped. They were singing “Detour, in the area, including a plumber, a to the post office to get letters from there’s a muddy road ahead, detour!” carpenter and an electrician. They’d home. Then we’d go next door to They brought a cake, decorated with all built their own forest homes and Boss’ General Store for an ice-cold a real light bulb. understood the challenges, though I Coke. No soda ever tasted so good When Dad and Polly announced as a Coke from Boss’ on a we were moving to the hot day that summer. At country, I was not at all night we read by lantern happy. But a summer of ingredients : light or played cards. And roughing it, of pulling 6 large russet potatoes; peeled, sliced, and boiled until tender together as a family to day by day, the cabin 1/2 stick of butter raise a cabin out of the slowly materialized.

1 c of milk (more or less, depending on the thickness you like) forest floor, of celebrating There were setbacks in 1 heaping T of flour things we’d always taken building, of course. The 6 green onions; chopped (set aside the tops for garnish) for granted—like running biggest came when Dad Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to taste water and electricity— fell from a ladder, shatterSalt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste made our lives better, ing his leg. But even then, One clove minced garlic, or garlic salt, if you prefer forever. Never was the construction didn’t come optional ingredients : season of Thanksgiving to a full stop. While Dad A few slices of cooked bacon; crumbled (When money was tight we so meaningful, before or was confined to a chair,

didn’t have meat to add, but if we did, a little bacon or ham made since. he directed the work of

it even better.)

Dad’s generation may a teenage boy whom he Grated cheddar cheese to top after cooking be labeled silent. But unhired to help (and who imaginative?

Unadventurwas later adopted into ONCE the potatoes are boiled, drain and mash with a potato masher, ous?

Untrue.

People like our family). You can bet, but don’t worry about making it smooth. We like the texture best with Dad were not big talkers. the moment Dad’s doctor some lumps in it. Polly would make a cream sauce in the blender, They had work to do and with the butter, milk and flour, then add it to the potatoes to thicken. switched him to a walkAfter that, she’d let it heat through while she added the seasoning and they didn’t quit until the ing cast, he was right job was done and done back out there swinging a finally the onions. right. Our country is bethammer.

IT’S ALSO great cooked in a crockpot, but give it a whole day. Fill up ter by far because of that After Labor Day, school the pot in the morning before you go to work and it’ll be done when generation. started, and we were still you get home. living in the tent. With The Potato Soup Mystery WHEN you dish it up, sprinkle a little cheddar cheese and some green the nights growing cold Soon after Dad and onion tops for color, and serve some thick crusty bread with it.

Polly moved us to the and rain on the way, Dad AH… I can smell it now! beautiful Fall River Valley began to worry. So as

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 3 in far northern California, someone gave us a welcome gift. It was a burlap sack of 100 pounds of potatoes, grown right there in the valley. We enjoyed those potatoes—fried, baked, mashed and best of all—in Polly’s potato soup. The only problem with that soup was she didn’t make it often enough to suit us girls.

Then suddenly, she did. We were puzzled but thrilled when, several days a week, we’d come home from school to find a hot pot of potato soup, made with green onions and real cream, bubbling on the stove.

We ate it with a big green salad, and buttered chunks of Polly’s crusty homemade bread. It never occurred to us to wonder why, out of the blue, Polly was making our favorite meal so often.

It wasn’t until we were adults with families of our own that we figured out the potato soup mystery. The original plan when we left the city was that we’d live off the proceeds of the house and businesses we’d sold, and Dad would not look for work until the cabin was built. I doubt we had any health insurance at that point. Then Dad broke his leg, and later, Polly needed emergency surgery. There went the nest egg! Looking back, I guess that explained why Dad took a job in a local mill and had to finish the cabin a bit at a time on the weekends.

Putting two and two together, we sisters finally realized that our potato soup winter was really Polly’s way to feed us when money was tight. But Polly, with her playful nature, allowed us to believe we were having one long celebration, and the guest of honor was potato soup. Never once did my parents let on that they were having problems.

These days, some people run to the food stamp office or max out their credit cards when they run low on money or don’t have the foods they prefer. Typical of their generation, Dad and Polly just tightened their belts, threw some more potatoes and onions in the pot, and worked even harder. And eventually things got better. ■

4 HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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Hymns of Thanksgiving

By Carrie Brown McWhorter

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uring Thanksgiving, we like to focus on the blessings of life, including family, friends and good health. Unfortunately, many of us face struggles that do not magically disappear during the holidays.

The history of many beloved Thanksgiving hymns shows that thankfulness is often inspired by extremely difficult circumstances.

According to Timothy George, dean of the Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, gratitude often comes out of great struggle.

“A lot of our thanksgiving comes out of these periods of wrenching experiences: pain, suffering, sorrow, war and violence,” George said. “In the midst of all that’s swirling around us, there’s an opportunity to lift our hearts in thanksgiving to God.” This connection between suffering and thanksgiving is rooted in the Bible, according to Professor of Hymnology Paul Richardson.

“From biblical times to our own, persons have often gained a clearer understanding of the presence of God when they have faced difficulties,” Richardson said. “That is reflected in song from the Psalms to those by today’s writers.”

The tradition of giving thanks despite troubling situations is evident in many beloved Thanksgiving hymns.

For example, “Now Thank We All Our God” by Martin Rinkart was written during Germany’s Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Rinkart was a Lutheran minister in his native city of Eilenburg, a walled city that became a haven for refugees. As the war progressed, the besieged city suffered from famine and then the plague, which claimed 8,000 lives in 1637, including the lives of Rinkart’s wife and other clergymen in the city. Historians estimate that Rinkart conducted services for as many as 50 people a day until the number of daily deaths required mass burials.

In the face of these hardships, Rinkart wrote these words of thanks, based on Ecclesiasticus 50:22-24:

November 2014

“Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices, who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices;” Though written originally as a table grace, today the hymn remains popular for worship.

Another familiar hymn, “We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessings” was written during wartime. During the 1500s, the Spanish rulers of Holland forbade Dutch Protestants to gather for worship. The Dutch waged a battle for independence from Spain, defeating the Spanish at the Battle of Turnhout in 1597. Though the Dutch did not gain independence until 1648, they saw the victory at Turnhout as the hand of God at work, as expressed in the hymn’s first stanza: “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; he chastens and hastens his will to make known.

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.

Sing praises to his name, he forgets not his own.”

The hymn’s military undertones made many 20th century Christians uncomfortable, so in 1902, Julia Cady Cory wrote new words to the melody of “We Gather Together.” The alternate version, “We Praise You, O God, Our Redeemer,” emphasizes “grateful devotion,” “praise” and adoration over the stronger message of freedom in the original.

Though war and suffering have inspired many thanksgiving hymns, others celebrate the traditions of the harvest so closely connected to the Thanksgiving holiday. For example, Henry Alford’s “Come Ye Thankful People, Come,” celebrates the agricultural harvest, called Harvest Festival or Harvest Home in Britain. Finally, “Count Your Blessings” by Johnson Oatman, Jr., urges us to be thankful no matter what the season or trial.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving, give thanks for your blessings and remember that difficult times often shine a brighter light on the blessings of family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving! ■

November 2014

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M o n day - T h u r s day u n T i l 6 p M

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Early DinE

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Ingredients: 1 cooked piecrust 1 10-oz package dark chocolate chips 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened 3/4 c sugar 1 18-oz package fresh raspberries 1 3-oz package raspberry Jell-O 1 c water 1 T cornstarch USING the double boiler method (or microwave, if you so choose), melt the chocolate chips. Once melted, slowly add it to a bowl with the softened cream cheese and sugar.

Use a mixer to blend ingredients and occasionally stop and scrape down the sides.

ONCE the chocolate has been fully incorporated, pour it into a prepared piecrust.

Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until the chocolate has firmed and set.

AFTER the chocolate has set, layer the fresh raspberries over the chocolate. Bring one cup of water to a boil and whisk the cornstarch in until it has turned to a thin syrup-like consistency. Pour it into a bowl with the powdered gelatin. Whisk together until smooth and slowly add it over the raspberries, filling in all the nooks and crannies.

RETURN it to the refrigerator and allow it to set for up to two hours.

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’m no fan of the cold, but I love the holidays and I can’t think of anything better than spending my favorite time of year strolling up and down Main Street, with the trees sparkling with lights, the stores filled with cheer, and a cup of coffee or hot chocolate from a local café in hand.

If you’re anything like me, these downtown events are sure to warm you with the holiday spirit, no matter how cold it is outside. Enjoy...

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Kick off the holidays in downtown Grand Junction, starting with the Wells Fargo Tree Lighting from 5 p.m.7 p.m. in front of Wells Fargo Bank at Fourth and Main Streets. Special entertainment kicks off the magical evening as crowds gather to see the streets of downtown light up and marvel at the holiday décor. Bring the family to this special start to the holiday season. The night wouldn’t be complete without Santa to visit with the grandkids.

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Christmas 2014

December 5

Spirit of Christmas Walk The Spirit of Christmas Walk features a varied collection of entertainers on the Western Slope.

From 5:30 p.m.8:30 p.m., enjoy entertainers performing on Main Street and inside the unique retail shops of downtown Grand Junction. Of course, Santa will be there and free horse-drawn carriage rides will be available.

Businesses will be open late and will serve complimentary hot drinks and treats. Carolers will be popping in and out of shops as you enjoy downtown shopping. Admission is free for those walking.

December 6

Parade of Lights & Winter Festival

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 7

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sale at Roper Music or from band members.

December 11

The Great Russian Nutcracker

December 7

Centennial Band Holiday Concert The Grand Junction Centennial Band will perform its annual holiday concert at 3 p.m. at the historical Avalon Theater, 645 Main St. In recognition of Pearl Harbor Day, all veterans will be admitted free.

General admission is $7. Children age 5 and under free. Tickets are on

December 12

Chocolate Walk Experience downtown Grand Junction’s holiday charm during a walking tour of beautiful Main Street, featuring your choice of either a tour of Art on the Corner or a history tour. Cost is $10, which includes a special commemorative mug filled with Enstrom’s hot chocolate. The tour will start at Enstrom’s Candies, 701 Colorado Ave., at 5:30 p.m. To guarantee you will receive a mug commemorating the event, register

by Thursday, November 6, by calling Grand Junction Parks and Recreation at 254-3866. ■

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The 31st annual Winter Festival takes place on Main Street in downtown Grand Junction. Nonprofit organizations sell holiday goodies until the start of the annual Parade of Lights at 5 p.m. The Parade of Lights is the biggest parade of the year. Thousands of people line Main Street as more than 100 lighted entries and floats enchant viewers.

Don’t miss the Moscow Ballet’s performance of “The Great Russian Nutcracker” at the Avalon Theatre, 645 Main St. Doors open at 6 p.m. and show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $28-$175.

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Safe holiday visits when the grandkids come

By Lynn Pribus

L

ast year Sharon spent Christmas Eve at an emergency room praying that her grandson wouldn’t die.

After surgery in August, she’d taken two prescribed sleeping pills and forgotten the rest.

When her son’s family came to visit, inquisitive 2-year-old Logan found the “pretty candies” in her bedside table and promptly ate the eight that remained. Fortunately, he recovered.

It’s important that you survey your house for potential problems to plan for a great holiday. Here are some tips to make your visits both safe and fun.

1. Safety first! Toxic items and fragile things are the greatest risks for youngsters—particularly curious toddlers. Before your company arrives, check for household products, medications, breakables and heavy, tippy objects that could prove harmful. Obtain local phone numbers for medical emergencies, including Poison Control and the nearest urgent care facility. Reduce the temperature on your water heater if it’s especially hot.

2. Protect children from pets (or vice versa). Rent or borrow gates, cribs or playpens to set up one or two rooms as a safe children’s area. Introduce young visitors to your pets and be sure they know how to behave around animals. If you have pets that aren’t child friendly, consider boarding them for the visit.

It’s important that you survey your house for potential problems to plan for a great holiday.

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3. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen your young visitors, don’t swoop.

You probably remember them better than they remember you. Also,

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November 2014 surely, they have grown and gotten heavier. Sit back and let them come to you.

4. Establish your house rules promptly. Discuss them when both children and parents are present, so if the parents don’t discipline misbehavior, you can tactfully do it yourself saying, “I see you’ve forgotten the rule at my house. Come sit right next to me for five minutes to think about it.”

5. Make a list of places to go for good times together, whether it be singing, skating, attending religious services, storytelling time at a local library, or going to a park or zoo. Parents will know what their children will especially enjoy.

6. It’s crucial to offer youngsters opportunities to burn off energy. If you don’t have yard space, locate the nearest park or schoolyard with play equipment or a community swimming pool. Invest in a soccer ball, a jump rope, snow saucers (or swimming floats, depending on your climate), and other equipment for vigorous play.

7. Remember that 2-year-olds usually behave like 2-year-olds. Sometimes 10-year-olds do, too. Have quiet activities up your sleeve. Perhaps a new board game or a wonderful book that you can read aloud 10 minutes at a time now and then.

8. Discover ahead of time which foods your young company favors and whether there are allergies. This isn’t the time for starting new menus. Serve wholesome snacks such as popcorn, nuts, fruit and whole-grain cookies rather than a lot of candy.

9. A good way to keep little ones on an even keel is to maintain their home routine as much as possible. Meals, naps, baths and bedtime are significant parts of children’s lives, and a disruption can make it harder for them to behave.

10. Arrange to spend some exclusive time with each person each day, even if it’s only a few minutes. Enlist a grandson to help set the table, peel carrots with your granddaughter, run an errand with your daughter-in-law, and walk the dog with a toddler. ■

November 2014

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Low-tech holiday gifts the grandkids will remember Instead of another mobile device or video game, consider something from the heart

K

ids get their first cell phone by age 12, and more than a third of them have smart phones. Nine out of 10 teens have a computer and 97 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds play video games. More than half the homes in the U.S. have a fairly new video game console.

“It’s great that our kids have access to technology, but I talk to a lot of grandparents who say they simply don’t enjoy giving their grandkids tech gifts during the holiday season,” Life Insurance Concepts, Inc. Founder Ted Bernstein said. “They want to give something their grandkids will treasure. Something they’ll remember for a long time.”

That has become more challenging, as kids, along with the rest of us, come to rely more and more on technology for everything, from communication to entertainment to telling the time.

Coming from a four-generation family of life insurance specialists, Bernstein has a special interest in family legacies and a long history of innovation. He offers these suggestions for holiday gifts for grandkids that create lasting memories.

• Their own clunker, which you’ll restore together. If you have a grandchild who’s still a few years from driving age, buy an old pickup truck that the two of you can restore together. You’ll have years to complete the project, which guarantees not only lots of one-on-one time together, but also the opportunity to teach

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valuable skills that will benefit him or her for a lifetime.

“Plan it right, and when your grandchild gets a driver’s license, he or she will also have wheels,” Bernstein said.

“And after spending so much time working on that vehicle, they’re more likely to drive it carefully.”

• An annual helping hand for years after you’ve gone. Imagine being able to send your grandchild a holiday gift of $2,000 every year for 20, 30 or 40 years with a note from you attached.

You can do it with the Installment Life Option, a life insurance policy option that pays beneficiaries of a life insurance policy in predetermined amounts of your choice for up to 40 years. Because of the deferred payout, the insurance company can reduce the premiums up to 50 percent.

And your grandchild is reminded of your love for him or her throughout his life, particularly during the financially stressful milestones: college tuition, wedding, paying off student loans, down payment for first home, and first child.

“A lot of the grandparents who do this love the fact that they can continue to help their grandchild long after they’re gone,” Bernstein said. “They also like the fact that they can choose what date the money is disbursed, whether it’s a holiday, a birthday, or a special date significant to the grandparents and grandchild. And they can add a personal note, which can be sent according to the policy holder’s instructions.”

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• The gift of compassion. Sponsor an impoverished child in another country in your grandchild’s name.

“I like the organizations that allow you to personally connect with the child you sponsor, so your grandchild can write to and receive letters from them, and trade photographs. You can learn about the country together, and pick out gifts for birthdays or the holiday season,” Bernstein said.

A grandparent might pay the whole cost of sponsorship or allow the grandchild to pick up a small portion.

One organization highly rated by independent charity evaluator Charity Navigator is Compassion International. The 61-year-old Christianbased nonprofit facilitates 1.2 million sponsorships, providing the children with food, medical care, educational opportunities and more for $38 per month. Sponsors are invited to exchange letters and develop a relationship with the child. ■

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 9

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November 2014

“A Higher Call” mesmerizes

By Kevin K. VanGundy

Second, what I found most fascinating is that the story primarily focuses ranz’s cheeks sucked back on and is told from the perspective of against his oxygen mask. His German Luftwaffe pilot Franz Stigler. fighter’s wings quivered. The 109 Being a patriotic, red-blooded Ameriraced toward the earth like a bolt can male, I’ve never seen, heard or from the blue. even considered Franz’s control yoke what it might have and rudder grew been like to be a heavy from the terriGerman soldier durfying speed. As Franz ing World War II. neared his target, “A Higher Call” will time seemed to acceltake you deep into erate. As the bomber Hitler’s war machine flew faster, its wings where you will expeseemed to stretch rience first-hand the and swell. The B-24 conflicting choices grew vivid in color, that many German sharper in detail. soldiers faced.

Suddenly, it filled Third, the story is Franz’s windscreen. told in great detail Franz mashed his based on extensive triggers, awakening interviews of those his fighter’s machine who actually lived guns and cannon. the events. From the His guns belched hot desert sands of their mechanical It is “an incredible true story North Africa to the rage for a split secalpine meadof combat and chivalry in cool ond, stitching the ows of Bavaria, the bomber between its the war-torn skies of World authors slowly (and wings. Franz twisted I do mean slowly), his fighter and dove War II.” This is a bit of an but richly, write and past the bomber’s understatement as this climb to the story’s double tail, barely story is as strange as they climax about twomissing it. He felt his of the way come and unbelievably true. thirds fighter shake from through the book. the bomber’s wake.”

Had the story ended there, you’d be It’s not often that a book comleft with an incredible tale, but it pletely captures my attention, but “A continues, showing you how these Higher Call” by Adam Makos with characters’ lives unfold over the Larry Alexander did just that and passing decades while leading to an more. I would say that it is one of the unexpected finale. Were it not true, I best books I have ever read, specifiwould not have believed it. cally for three reasons.

Finally, the real story will leave you First, as is splashed about on the with bittersweet tears. At least it did book’s cover, it is “an incredible true me. You come to know these men story of combat and chivalry in the so well that you won’t want to leave war-torn skies of World War II.” This their company. This book actually is a bit of an understatement as this changed me somewhere deep in my story is as strange as they come and core. I don’t know what else to say unbelievably true. (I just got goose except that I bought my copy from bumps while recalling the story and Marya Johnston at her new bookwriting that sentence.) I’m not going store, Out West Books, at 533 Main to say anymore than that because St. and I asked her to order in a few I’ll leave it up to you to discover for extra copies for you. Enjoy! ■ yourself.

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970-241-3500 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. monday– saturday

BUY ONE MEAL, GET 2ND MEAL AT 1/2 PRICE EXPIRES 12/31/2014

Excludes Daily Specials

One Coupon Per Two People

Homestyle Cooking • Breakfast • Lunch

urs Open Mon. - Sat. 6am to 2pm Closed Sun. Mon-Thly 970-243-2133 On 241 Grand Ave.• Grand Junction, CO

November 2014

www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 11

Would your holidays be different if you knew you had a terminal illness?

J

ane Schwartzberg said she cringes when she hears someone say that a terrible accident or frightening medical diagnosis made him or her realize what’s important in life.

“In some ways, I wish everyone could experience a taste of terminal, if that’s what it takes to make them appreciate the intangible gifts we receive not just during the holidays, but all year,” said Schwartzberg, coauthor with Marcy Tolkoff Levy of “Naked Jane Bares All,” a book that shares Jane’s story with candor and humor. “But I wish they’d known all along, and I hate the thought of goodness coming at the expense of so much suffering.”

Schwartzberg said she was clear about what’s most important before she was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer. As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend, she knew that all that really matters is how much love we give and receive.

The holidays are a wonderful opportunity for people to remember

that and to focus on whom they love.

But too often, they become a source of anxiety, stress and tension. Financial concerns, having too much to do, and missing loved ones were among the top causes of holiday stress, according to a recent Mental Health America survey.

“Although I won’t attribute any revelations about what’s most important in life to my illness, I can say that there are a few things that I am trying to do better since getting sick,” Schwartzberg said. “The holidays are a great time to cultivate a spirit of gratitude and to refocus on the things that are most meaningful.”

For Schwartzberg, those include the following • Showing up. If you’re worried about yesterday or always planning for tomorrow, you’re missing the present moment and any wonderful experiences it may hold.

“Although my clock ticks louder than others, I know we are all here

for a short time,” Schwartzberg said.

“I am determined to find joy in every single day. It may come from the simplest of things: a view from my window, a great conversation or a hot cup of coffee. But I know I need to be always present and available, with an open mind and open heart, to experience any of it.”

• Riding her love train. We all have people in our lives who care about us, and it’s important to let them know how much we appreciate them. Schwartzberg’s “love train” is a metaphor for all of the people she chooses to share her life with.

“They are rooting me on and giving my family and me love and support,” she said. “I try to be as meticulous and thoughtful as I possibly can be with those on board, and that means making sure they know how much I love and value them.”

• Knowing my place in the world.

There is a Jewish teaching that says everyone should carry with them two

pieces of paper, each in a separate pocket. One paper should say, “I am but dust and ashes.” The other should say, “The world was created for me.”

“I constantly remind myself that both statements are true,” Schwartzberg said. “I am capable of incredible things to improve the world, and I am just a tiny speck in the universe.

Powerfulness and humility can, and do exist for me side by side.”

As the holidays approach, keep in mind that the best gift you can give—or receive—is love.

“Approach this holiday season as if it could be your last, and you’ll probably find much more to revel in, rather than to stress about,” she said.

Schwartzberg is the co-author of the newly released book, “Naked Jane Bares All,” the many-layered story told with humor and candor of how she learned to embrace life when she was down for the count.

For more information, visit www. nakedjanebaresall.com. ■

12 HAPPY HOLIDAYS

www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

November 2014

Fruita for the Holidays December 6

Breakfast with Santa

456 Kokopelli Blvd.  Fruita, CO 81521

858.9899 / 250.8588

Thanksgiving Day Buffet

Turkey, Ham and all the traditional fixings!

In addition: Prime Rib & Barbecue Ribs.

Pasta Bar made to order.

Large Relish Tray with all your favorites, and assorted Salads!

Pies, Candies, Cakes, Brownies, Lemon, Blueberry Bars.

Soft Drinks Included!

Wine, Beer and Spirits available

Friendliest Bike Shop in Town SaleS  Service  rentalS www.backcountrybiker.com We rent both Road and Mountain Bikes  Yeti Cycles  DeVinci Cycles Accessories, gear, clothing Monday - Saturday: 9 aM - 6 pM Sunday: 9 aM - 5 pM

150 South Park Square Fruita, Colorado 81521 970-858-3917

CBB

Bring the grandkids to Dinosaur Journey Museum for breakfast with Santa at 9 a.m. This fun-filled family event includes checking out the robotic dinosaurs, breakfast, musical entertainment, stories by Mrs. Claus, and of course, a visit from Santa!

Space is limited. Cost is $8 per person. Register by calling 242-0971.

December 10 and/or 11

Senior Holiday Lights Tour See the area’s best holiday light displays.

Tour GJ on Wednesday and Fruita on Thursday. Register in advance.

Event is free, but tip for driver is encouraged. Tour is at 5:30 p.m. Meet at the Fruita Senior Center.

December 13

Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair Find gifts and goodies at this annual craft fair from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Fruita Community Center. Local artisans will be selling unique, handmade items just in time for the holidays. Event is free to attend.

December 13

Parade of Lights Enjoy shopping and activities on Aspen Avenue in downtown Fruita leading up to the Parade of Lights at 5:30 p.m. Call 858-0360 for more information. ■

Call for reservations!

970-858-3704 340 Hwy 6 & 50 Fruita, Colorado