Community Matters Aberdeen Village
December 2015
Holiday happenings On the road:
Dec. 16: Aberdeen Village Community Relations Director Suzanne Willey and Program Director of Health and Human Services at JCCC Penny Shafer will team up at the Landon Center on Aging for a brown bag lunch discussion of “Beating the Holiday Blues.” While the holidays seem to be festive for a lot of folks, loneliness and depression are also common for many folks. This hopes to be a great dialogue of understanding and helpful hints to get through the holidays. Dec. 15- Plaza Lights tour and dessert at Grand Street Café. Please reserve your spot with the front office at 913-599-6100.
Listen for the tap at the door By Rev. Dr. Larry Thornton, Aberdeen Village chaplain
Right here at home:
Dec. 2: Aberdeen Village will host the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce for a “Wake Up Wednesday” coffee from 8-9 a.m. Meet area business leaders and learn about what’s going on in the area. It’s always a great way to meet new friends! Dec. 8: Taste and Tour (see page 4) Dec. 10: Independent living Christmas party Dec. 23: Assisted living and health care Christmas party Dec. 21: Christmas Tree Lane raffle
My wife, Julie, and I often remember an early Advent/ Christmas of our marriage and ministry. We lived in a small town located on a highway to Chicago. It was common to have “strangers” knock on our front door and ask for help, but this day someone tapped on our back door. The winter was brutal with howling winds blowing snow across the barren corn fields making drifts way up telephone poles.
The Rev. Dr. Larry Thornton
When Julie opened the door, there stood a half-frozen man with ice and snow all over his whiskers and clothes. He asked if there was any work that he could do for us. She asked if he would please come in, but he said, “No, thank you for I would make a mess on your clean floor.” That’s when she noticed rag strips around the soles of his shoes. He finally did come into the kitchen for some hot soup and a sandwich and warmed up. I had an extra pair of shoes to replace his rag shoes and later DOOR, continued on page 3
CEO, continued on page 4
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