With the air filled with a sense of discontent, this is a good time to slow down, take a deep breath, and just offer that simple prayer – “thank-you”. Thank-you for the many blessings – visible, but often out of focus as we are distracted by our daily activities. Thank-you for the many friends and family who are still with us or the gentle memories of those we have lost. Because during even the most difficult times, this season reminds us there is much to the thankful for.
While we are blessed in multiple ways, there are still many who are also struggling financially and are finding it difficult to make ends meet – if they can find the ends. And with the cost of the basic necessities increasing, it continues to get harder to live on a fixed income. Almost one out of every ten adults over the age of 65 live below the poverty level and even more (31.4 percent) are considered economically insecure according to the National Council on Aging.
To lessen these financial challenges, the Center is starting a new initiative to assist low income older adults find and access benefits from the many government programs available to them – from food assistance programs to Medicare prescription drug assistance. Every Tuesday at the Center between 1:00 and 3:00, Sandy Sargeant has volunteered to help folks identify what benefits they may be eligible for, so they can then decide which benefits to apply for. Navigating the benefit process may not be as bad as driving through Boston, but it is not your Sunday drive. And with Sandy’s help, you may be able to stretch your limited dollars even further.
There is Oregon vs. Oregon State, Hatfields vs. McCoys, Debbie Reynolds vs. Eddie Fisher, and light vs. dark. But now you can add Edna Chandler vs. Betty Harlan. Edna and Betty are competing to see who can sell the most 2011 Center memberships by the end of the year. And if you join by December 18th, the Center has added a little thank-you gift of two free raffle tickets for a beautiful quilt – hand stitched by the Senior Center Quilters. The drawing for the quilt will be on the 18th during the Center’s December Saturday Breakfast. Join and become a member of the Center family for the first or the twenty-fourth time!
The Center will be closed Thursday and Friday so folks can enjoy family and friends – and maybe partake in a little early morning shopping? But by the weekend, the Center will be right back at it. Saturday night the Bingo balls will be dropping as usual – starting at 6:00 PM; Sunday morning at 11:15 AM, the bus will be leaving to enjoy the “Singing Christmas Tree” in Portland (I still have six tickets – call me at 541-980-4645. It gets bigger and better each year!) And from 2:00 – 5:00 PM on Sunday the Jammers will be playing with a little pie and ice cream sprinkled on top.
The last Tuesday Lecture for the month on November 30th at 11:00 AM will feature Corliss Marsh explaining the benefits of the Oregon Cultural Trust. According to its website, The Oregon Cultural Trust was first authorized in 1999 to increase public and private support for Oregon’s arts, heritage and humanities. And since 2002, Oregonians have contributed over $17 million to the Trust. Learn more about how to support the Cultural Trust and local non-profits while receiving an Oregon tax credit.
The sounds of feet tapping and the sight of bodies dancing are absent from the Center tonight, but not next Tuesday when the Center will be back waltzing and two stepping to the sounds of John Martin and Friends starting at 7:00 PM. If the roads are clear and engine starts, come on down – it doesn’t cost a thing and everyone is welcome. But friendly smiles and donations are appreciated.
Charles Lindbergh was the American hero whose child was kidnapped and tragically murdered. And of the six entries, Mary Davis (class of ’62) was the winner of a free Saturday breakfast. This week’s “Remember When” question is on a more cheerful note. What movie star played mostly vamps and femme fatales in silent films until she got her big break when cast as Nora Charles opposite Dick Powell in the six Thin Man movies? E-mail mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or write you answer on the inside cover of a first edition Dashiell Hammett detective novel.
And a final quick reminder as the winter weather falls upon us, to call the Center or listen to the radio if you are unsure if the Center or Meals-on-Wheels will be open.
Well that’s another twist and turn on the ice rink of life. Until we meet again, for every problem there is an answer – we just may not find it in our lifetime.
“A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running.” Groucho Marx
