Topeka Presbyterian Manor
Living out ‘response ability’ NOVEMBER 2021
Celebrate Thanksgiving all year round
By Mary Bridges, chaplain NOTE: Our featured chaplain for November is Mary Bridges, chaplain at Salina Presbyterian Manor. Each month, we share a devotion from one of the chaplains around the PMMA® system in a nod to our faith-based roots in the Presbyterian Church.
with ‘Thankful Thursdays’ Psalm 100 advises us to, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name” (KJV). It should be no surprise that the psalmist was onto something: Some contemporary researchers have found a link between gratitude and better emotional and physical health. Thanksgiving continues a tradition begun in 1621, when Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast. Colonies and states continued to celebrate different days of Thanksgiving
Thankful Thursdays – continued on page 2
My father, Henry, was an eighthgrade graduate and smarter than anyone I have known. He was a lifelong Lutheran. He did not verbalize his faith or quote scripture; he simply lived it, every day. He cared for my grandmother when she lived alone. She was eventually diagnosed with dementia and moved into a nursing home. My father continued to visit her, even though she didn’t recognize him and no longer spoke. My father loved the land. After he retired from active farming, he leased a small amount of land north of Russell on Salt Creek. There he had a huge garden, and he shared his garden produce with everyone. One year, he raised turkeys. That November, he and my mom cleaned and dressed more than 20 turkeys, which my father distributed to family, friends and people he knew were
Response ability – continued
on page 4
Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at TopekaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
1
Thankful Thursdays – continued from page 1 until 1863. Then, when the country was torn apart by the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln instituted a National Day of Thanks.
a regular feature throughout the year. In the spirit of the season — and Thankful Thursdays — Danica shared a few things she feels grateful for this year.
Perhaps Lincoln was thinking of Psalm 100. Or maybe he sensed what positive psychology researchers have been telling us: that giving thanks brings people together and improves their well-being in the process.
She’s grateful for the leadership team she works with. “It’s an honor to serve Topeka Presbyterian Manor alongside them,” Danica said.
Recently, Danica Loftin, marketing director for Topeka Presbyterian Manor, decided to introduce a regular gratitude practice via the campus’ Facebook page. On “Thankful Thursdays,” she shares something worth giving thanks for — big or small. The first post related how thankful Bonnie Greenwood was when former executive director Heather Pilkinton shared her corn casserole recipe — then showed Bonnie how to make it. There may not be a thankfulness post every week, but Thankful Thursdays will be
She also gives thanks for the growth that the Presbyterian Manor community has experienced, both in residents and staff. The last thing might sound a little strange — at least to start with. “I’m thankful for the lessons we learned from living through the COVID pandemic,” Danica said. “We learned that we can endure great hardship and losses. We can protect fiercely and overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. We have pure hearts of service and believe in our teams to rally when we need them the most. Our love for our residents drives us to think outside our usual lane and pivot
when required. We are stronger as a community than before 2020. “We are embracing a new version of Topeka Presbyterian Manor while maintaining our mission to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.” If you have something you’re thankful for and would like to share, please let Danica know. She would like to hear it. If you don’t mind, she may use your input for a future Thankful Thursday Facebook post. “It could be an expression of thankfulness for a special person, or maybe people are thankful for the weather. It could really be anything,” she said. “I like the idea of giving thanks as a community, week in and week out. Gratitude is contagious. Let’s share it with the world.” Follow Topeka Presbyterian Manor on Facebook to read all our Thankful Thursdays posts: www.Facebook.com/Topeka PresbyterianManor u
Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
Community Matters 785-272-6510 ◆ Fax: 785-272-0496 4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 TopekaPresbyterianManor.org
2
COMMUNITY MATTERS | November 2021
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.
Thanksgiving Trivia 1. How many turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving?
ANSWERS
6. Which President made Thanksgiving a national holiday? 7. What percentage of american homes eat turkey on Thanksgiving: 88% or 98%? 8. Which day of the week does Thanksgiving always occur in Canada?
1. 2.
5. What is the most famous Thanksgiving parade celebrated today?
3. 4. 5.
4. What year was the first Thanksgiving?
Around 46 million! Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys Minnesota 1621 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York Abraham Lincoln 88% Monday Plymouth, Massachusetts The Wampanoag
3. Which U.S state raises the most turkeys?
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
2. What 2 football teams always plays on Thanksgiving?
9. Where was the first Thanksgiving celebrated? 10. Which Native American tribe took part in the first Thanksgiving feast? u
Topeka Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
3
4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Response ability – continued from page 1
struggling. He reserved one of those turkeys for a man who stopped to help my father change a tire earlier that year.
provides us with a response ability,” Fairchild writes. That’s the ability to respond to God and to others, Fairchild says. God hopes we will use this ability “for the good that he intends for us and for the good that he intends for our neighbors and our world.”
That Thanksgiving season, and every day, my father exercised what My father grasped this innately, and the Rev. Richard J. Fairchild calls our, “response ability” that is the result of His goodness. “Our ancestors in faith — from Sarah to Mary and from Abraham to Jesus all were convinced that God is the source of everything, and that by graciously giving all things to us, God
4
COMMUNITY MATTERS | November 2021
we all felt it: his family and his neighbors, certainly, and I firmly believe he showed the world God’s great goodness. I wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings. I will close with more wisdom from Rev. Fairchild: “In the hard times you see, we still have so much, we have life, no matter how slenderly we may hold to it, we have family and friends, no matter how scattered, we have community, no matter how it is organized and we have the presence of God and the promise of Jesus Christ that when we seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteous-ness, that all that we need will be added unto it.” u