MARCH 2017 EDITION
THE WOODLANDS UMC
POINT A MESSAGE FROM
DON MEADOR PASTOR TO SENIOR ADULTS
GATHERING PLACE PLANNING MEETING Katelin Warren, Care Team Coordinator at Interfaith Care Patners, Jean and Chuck Abernathy, and Rev. Cliff Ritter
Thirty four dedicated Gathering Place volunteers recently met for a planning meeting in Jones Library. Chuck and Jean Abernathy have recently taken over as leaders of The Gathering Place at The Woodlands UMC. In December, Nancy Williams was honored for leading the group for over eight years.
Like tiny scraps of cloth that combine to create a lovely quilt, or colorful stones that are arranged just so to reveal a magnificent mosaic, each month the efforts of each of our Gathering Place volunteers combine to radiate God’s glory in growing seeds of love into precious fruit of joy for our Care Partners and their caregivers. — Jean Abernathy Chuck Abernathy and Nancy Williams
It is always pleasing and surprising to read something positive and affirming about the aging process. There was such a piece in the February 7th issue of the Houston Chronicle. Under the headline “Wisdom and Altruism Come with Age,” the author, Dr. Roberta Ness, states that aging may gift us with a common pathway to shedding our egos, and that older people are less focused on money, power and prestige and more focused on finding connections through love and service. She states that as we age our appreciation of small blessings increases, our sense of beauty and wonder is intensified, and our ability to connect to others and forge better relationships increases. We discover the pleasure of doing nothing and have a greater sense of well-being. We know that getting old is all about loss. We lose our loved ones, our physical capabilities, and our place in the social order. We have to confront the reality that we are no longer on top of the totem poll and must find meaning elsewhere. But that process of detachment can be freeing, causing us to live more in the moment, experiencing extraordinary flashes of joy and less mental chatter. Surveys suggest that elders are, in fact, happier than younger people. Early in life, so many feel the need to accomplish and a sense of shame in not pursuing this. But there is a time and place for everything. Perhaps becoming more humble, giving in, brings liberation. Perhaps this is what is called wisdom. So, we can celebrate the aging process. I am honored to know so many humble, liberated friends who are growing wiser every day. Your friend,