Community Matters Aberdeen Village
December 2017
Residents share their Christmas traditions
A handful of our resident coffee clubbers were gathered in our cappuccino bar, enjoying a good cup of brew and some homemade banana nut bread that one of the ladies made, when the topic of Christmas came up. With the holidays knocking on our door, it seems like a great opportunity to learn about some of their fun Christmas traditions. “I am a true Polack” said Rose Kluseman. “It was always a Polish tradition in my family to make Povitica, a sweet nut roll.” Rose said it is her favorite thing to make during the Christmas season. Povitica can be made either sweet or savory. It’s a pastry made with a yeast-raised dough that is rolled or stretched out thinly and then spread with a filling. It is rolled up and baked as a log. Arlene Steege had her own Christmas traditions that also involved a sweet treat. Growing up and even into her adult years, Arlene and her family enjoyed making traditional Pfeffernusse. “They were just the tastiest bite size treat,” said Arlene. Pfeffernusse are tiny spice
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Grace and Herman Gerber at the Aberdeen Village Art Gallery, where Grace’s artwork was displayed.
Gerbers again share their talents By the Rev. William Walter, chaplain
For the past four years, the grandfather-granddaughter team of Herman and Grace Gerber have displayed their artwork in the Aberdeen Village Art Gallery. Now, with Grace enrolled as a senior at Olathe North High School and considering where she might continue her education, the October exhibit may be the last time the residents of Aberdeen will have an opportunity to see her artwork. Herman Gerber, a retired high school art teacher, recognized the artistic talents in his granddaughter at an early age. Grace, who was adopted as an infant, was born in Vietnam. Under the guidance of her grandfather, she was soon producing landscapes and still-life watercolor paintings. In high school, she expanded her list of media to include acrylic, pencil and oil. Grace is also an accomplished pianist. As a member of the National Honor Society at school, she had to complete a service project. She GERBERS, continued on page 2
A proud member of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America
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asked if she could play the piano in the Brandt Chapel for about 30 minutes prior to the evening meal each Saturday for a few weeks. Residents were encouraged to stop by and enjoy Grace’s music before proceeding on to the Village Green. Many expressed their appreciation for this opportunity to hear Grace’s impromptu recitals.
Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Aberdeen Village by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at: PresbyterianManors.org. Tim Allin, executive director Chrissie Ammann, director of sales and marketing To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Chrissie Ammann, director of sales and marketing, cammann@pmma.org. Telephone: 913-599-6100 Fax: 913-599-3810 Address: 17500 W. 119th St., Olathe, KS 66061-9524 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
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Community Matters December 2017
Be a light this season By Diane Gunsolley, chaplain Aberdeen Village
No other month of the year compares with December when it comes to music. Several radio stations even stop their regular programing to play non-stop Christmas music. At Aberdeen Village, multiple carolers from the Girl Scouts to the Dickens Carolers will croon through the halls. A handbell choir will ring out Christmas cheer, and members of the Grace Covenant Presbyterian choir will lead our All-Aberdeen Hymn Sing.
excerpt written by the Rev. Dr. Courtney A. Furman and be blessed by his insights into the pleasure of worship.
“Very early in my Christian experience I was encouraged by the late Ralph Willoughby, an Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship staff member in our region, to use a hymnbook regularly in my personal devotional or quiet time. I have done this, ‘singing through’ several hymnbooks over the years. The regular singing of hymns has proven to be a rich experience for me as it has nourished my soul, my inner Does your foot start to tap and your man, and has been my instructor, heart sing when you hear a beloved teaching me solid Biblical theology Christmas hymn? One of our former in the process. And of course, residents published a book about in those times when others have the gift of music titled “A Surprising formulated, in beautiful language, Light — The Christian Hymn in LIGHT, continued on page 3 Contemporary Usage.” Enjoy this Like us on Facebook
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the thoughts I yearned to express to God but could not, I have made use of their words, in praise and prayer.” Look now at the lyrics to “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and read Courtney’s observations. May we, like Courtney, make use of the lyrics, “in praise and prayer” to the one true God. O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold Him Born the King of angels; O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord. “The author begins this hymn of exhortation with a call to the faithful who are both full of joy and victorious—presumably because they are overcomers—to come to Bethlehem, the ancient city in Judea where a miracle has occurred; that miracle, the miracle of all miracles,
is the incarnation, God-becomehuman and dwelling among His people! Moreover, he is not only the sovereign over human life; he is even the King of the angelic host—an idea that does not occur very often in hymnody; and we are exhorted to adore him, Christ (Messiah, Savior) and Lord!” Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning, Jesus, to Thee be All glory given; Son of the Father, Now in flesh appearing; O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord. “Here the author exhorts all of us collectedly to address the Lord directly and to greet him, ‘born this happy morning’—on Christmas “Day—as Jesus, Savior, the Incarnate Word of God, who has finally come to be among us. “The phrase ‘late in flesh appearing’ is often translated ‘late in time appearing,’ which may reflect the
fact that his people, Israel, anxiously awaited his coming for centuries; then, of course, even after he had come, most of them refused to recognize who he was! “Again, we are to ascribe all glory, honor, and blessing to him, adoring him as Lord! Where else in a hymn of similar length, or even longer, could one find so many exalted titles, names and descriptions of that ‘infant lowly,’ born that night in a Bethlehem cattle-shed? “It is appropriate, indeed, that we come and adore him! “Albert E. Bailey’s comment is to the point: ‘This is all so simple, so vivid in imagery, so sincere in emotion that a child can understand it and enter sympathetically into the experience of worship and joy.’” Excerpt from “A Surprising Light--The Christian Hymn in Contemporary Usage” by the Rev. Dr. Courtney A. Furman, used with permission of Jody Furman.
“Mochi is a lot of work, but worth it.” the Christmas season. “We baked all kinds of cookies,” she said. “It was like cookies, popular as a holiday treat Margaret Landis is Swedish on a buffet of sweet treats that we would in Germany, Denmark and the both sides of her family. Her tradition munch on throughout our Christmas Netherlands. The coffee clubbers during the Christmas season is not of get-togethers.” joked that with such a tiny treat, they the sweet variety, and it is something imagined it would be hard to eat just that Margaret admits is not so What we learned from our Christmas one, and Arlene absolutely agreed! popular in the younger generations. traditions discussion is that while But lutefisk was a staple during we are all different in the way we Eiko McVey’s Christmas traditions her Christmas dinners growing up. celebrate this special time of year, we always included making a Japanese Lutefisk is a traditional dish in some each hold many things very near and rice cake. Mochi is a class of Japanese Nordic countries. It is made of aged dear to our hearts. rice cakes made of mochigome, a stockfish or dried/salted whitefish short- grain japonica glutinous rice. Even though those traditions can and and lye. It is gelatinous, and its name The rice is pounded into paste and do change over time, it is the family literally means “lye fish.” molded into the desired shape. Mochi and friends we love who help carry can have a variety of fillings to entice Evelyn Steele also has a fun on or make new traditions that we even the pickiest of people. Eiko said, tradition of baking cookies during can enjoy. CHRISTMAS, continued from page 1
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at the heART of it all Guest artist Christa Klotz
Christa Klotz of The Painted Clover will be our featured guest at our Art is Ageless (AIA) event from 2 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 14. Christa will take our residents and guests through a fun painting session on the theme “Living with HeART,” and they will be able to take home their beautiful piece of art afterward. You can also meet our AIA winners and join us for a reception honoring their accomplishments. AIA calendars are available for $10, with artists on hand to sign their work. We’ll have hors d’oeuvres and champagne to celebrate. Artist profile Christa’s family realized she had a natural talent for painting at a young age. She dabbled throughout her life, and in high school she took her first painting class by one of her favorite teachers. Her first official painting was of a yellow calla lily; it is 5 1/2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Her mother proudly
displays the painting in the entryway to her home to this day. Between high school and her junior year of college, Christa only experimented in painting and did not produce too many paintings. Then one of her teachers mentioned that he had an idea for a painting of a specific image, but that he could not paint, nor could he find anyone to paint for him. Christa volunteered to paint this ideal painting. A few weeks later, Christa had her first commissioned painting and repeat client, who now has two of her pieces. After college, reintroduced to her passion, Christa traveled to Peru in search of greater things, and she painted and sketched the surrounding area. When she returned she felt small, and that she needed to help others learn how to paint, so she started teaching at senior communities. Painted Clover was born! For the
next five years Christa would travel to three or four communities a day to help inspire the residents. In 2016 she grounded Painted Clover with her first official location in Shawnee, Kansas, where the public and people of all ages can now go to learn to paint as well. The Painted Clover motto is “Anyone Can Paint,” and with easy step-by-step detailed instructions, truly anyone can make a painting they can be proud to display in their home. Christa plans to expand the number of communities and locations that receive painting classes because the goal is to help create memories and lasting pieces of artwork that the families can share throughout the years to come. Learn more at PaintedClover.com.
Tell about your activities We will feature our activity professionals in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. If you know an activity professional with a story to tell, or if you want to share how participating in activities at your campus keeps your mind sharp and your body well, or if you just want to tell the world what you love about living in your senior living community, we want to share the story. Contact Chrissie Ammann, director of sales and marketing, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
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Community Matters December 2017
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