Topeka Community Matters - July 2022

Topeka Presbyterian Manor

Chaplain’s Corner

By Greg Schmidt JULY 2022

Patty Morse has been sewing for almost as long as she can remember When Topeka Presbyterian Manor resident Patty Morse was 3 or 4, her grandmother sat her down in front of a sewing machine for the first time.

Because she was so young, her grandmother removed the needle.

She would sit at the machine and practice getting into a steady rhythm with the treadle. After a year or two of practice, she earned a needle. Young Patty was off to the sewing races, making doll clothes, pillow cases and tea towels.

It was the start of a lifelong love of making things, often with a needle and thread.

“My love of crafts was also inspired by my aunt,” Patty said. “When I visited her, I would just absorb everything she made and everything she cooked.”

Another inspiration was Patty’s grandfather, who taught her silversmithing.

Patty’s grandfather taught her the art of silversmithing. She brought that background to Treasure Beads, a store she ran for more than a decade.

Artist – continued on page 2

July is here…and so is the heat!

And what’s the best way to “beat the heat?” Look for a vacation spot that offers a cooler climate, right?!

When I was a kid—and into my young adulthood—my favorite getaway trip was to church camp in the Rockies.

Greg Schmidt Over the years, I progressed from camper to camp counselor to camp director, and in the latter position, I introduced the Mennonite Brethren church camp world to Noah’s Ark Whitewater Rafting Co.! That added a few “ice cold” stories to all the others!

But what happens when you cannot “escape the heat” of life’s daily battles? How does one find ways to rest or relax in place? You may not like my answer. I believe every one of us desperately needs to allow our hearts and minds to find comfort by taking us away in our thoughts to a place where we’ve experienced the love, grace, forgiveness and peace from God and (Christian) friends that have always been there for us. It is never good to stay forever

Surrender – continued on page 2

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Artist – continued from page 1 Although she is mostly self-taught, Patty has shared her love of craft by teaching others. She even owned a jewelry and bead store in Florida for 11 years called Treasure Beads. It combined her love of making things with her affection for people.

“People were happy when they came in and even happier when

“Crafting is peaceful. It’s creative,” Patty said. “You can do anything you want.”

they left,” she said.

It put some of her customers in such a good mood that their husbands would encourage them to stop by the store when they needed a boost.

Patty has experienced that kind of happiness and satisfaction in her own crafting practice.

Patty Morse usually begins with a quilting pattern, then she modifies it to suit her own design sensibility.

These days, what Patty is most interested in is quilting, a conduit for her love of color and design.

She typically begins with a pattern, which she reworks to suit her own devices.

Artist – continued on page 3

The quilts Patty Morse has made and kept reveal her penchant for combining pattern and color to make a project uniquely hers.

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Community Matters 785-272-6510 ◆ Fax: 785-272-0496 4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 TopekaPresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | July 2022

is published monthly for residents and friends of Topeka Presbyterian Manor

by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

To submit or suggest articles: dloftin@pmma.org Christie Patrick, executive director Danica Loftin, marketing director

OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

Artist – continued from page 2 “I work mentally through the whole friends and family, although Patty thing before I start,” she says. has kept a few quilts.

Often, her projects wind up as Christmas or birthday presents for

To this day, she is always in the middle of a project.

“All of my friends are craft-oriented,” Patty said, including an old friend who lives in the Topeka area. “We’ve been having a ball finding fabric.

We’re busy girls.” u

Surrender – continued from page 1 pinned down to our inevitable problems. We must be able to escape. Mental respite is a must!

I’m simply suggesting we ask God to let our minds take us to places we otherwise cannot go. I accomplish that by beginning where Jesus did—in prayer.

When we ask God to help us recall those places, people, and moments when we perceived life as less troubled, less complicated, less corrupted by pain or disease or situations that caused us fear or panic, we discover peace.

Our prayer should then shift to a state of productive meditation, staying in that personal place and allowing God to “heal” my body, spirit, and soul to the degree that my burden or worry is temporarily suspended. Just as our physical body needs at least four hours of deep sleep before it can even begin to be restored and re-energized, our hearts and souls need sustained rest as well.

A break from being bombarded by the challenges of everyday life, especially when those challenges include dealing with death and dying realities.

and without fear, lower her head to the stream to take a long, needed drink, in complete peace, is inspirational to the Psalmist. So, he sets in place in a cave and meditates on what it would be like if he too, like the deer, could drink deep from the cool, refreshing resources of all that God has to offer.

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.” The Psalmist is figuratively describing an internal need—a “thirsting after”—the One he believes will replenish his innermost needs. He doesn’t imagine a sip; he wants to drink deep. To do that will take time. It doesn’t happen on the fly or instantaneously.

Why would he make that request?

Because life is pinning him down.

He’s needy. He’s stressed out.

Because the pursuit of those people and situations that set out to do harm or destroy him are bearing down on him. Because sustained rest is the only thing that will restore his life and vision. The image of a deer so at peace with her surroundings that she can stop

We desperately need rest, especially when we’re facing “life and death.”

Why? So that we have the resources and strength to fight life’s battles.

Each of our Manors and communities, as well as our Heart & Soul Hospices are about finding rest for our patients and their families. And we get that needed rest when we choose to live and enjoy every moment God gives us rather than giving in to the pain, frustration, and discouragement that disease and discomfort naturally bring.

So, right where you are, ask God to allow your heart and mind to travel to your vacation spot, your resting place. Not only do you need it, you also deserve it! And unlike making a booking with Noah’s Ark Whitewater Rafting Co., it won’t cost you a thing! u

Topeka Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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A few things you probably didn’t know about Independence Day It’s almost July 4th and before you gobble down a hotdog and take in some fireworks, we thought we would share some little-known Independence Day facts that you can use to amaze your family and friends.

First, the Declaration of Independence was not signed on July 4, 1776.

Shocking, right?

Actually, July 4 was the day that Congress approved the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, which was written by Thomas Jefferson and edited by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. It wasn’t until August 2, 1776 that the document was actually signed.

Next, we all know about John Hancock’s famous, well …

John Hancock. But did you know he was actually the first of the 56 delegates to sign the document?

And how was the first anniversary of Independence Day celebrated? The Virginia Gazette described the celebration in Philadelphia this way:

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | July 2022

“The evening was closed with the ringing of bells, and at night there was a grand exhibition of fireworks, which began and concluded with thirteen rockets on the commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated. Everything was conducted with the greatest order and decorum, and the face of joy and gladness was universal.”

Here are a few more little-known facts thanks to Almanac.com.

• Congress officially declared July 4th a federal holiday in 1870, but it wasn’t until 1938 until federal employees could take the day off.

• On the back of the Declaration of Independence, the words “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776” is written upside down.

• Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson—signers of the Declaration of Independence who later went on to become president—died on its 50th anniversary.

• According to the weather diary of Thomas Jefferson, the weather on July 4, 1776 was cloudy and 76 degrees. u