Let me start by saying—Best Blizzard Ever!! It was a pleasant surprise to NOT have a blizzard, and barely any snow. If I could have the warmer days of last week, that would be nice. I expect there will be more snow before winter is over and done with!
Here is news from the First Universalist Church of West Paris:
Many of our worship services cover topics that are very relevant for our times. Not only do we experience spiritual guidance, but there is also much to ponder and apply to our individual lives. Please join us Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Music by Davy Sturtevant. Refreshments following the service. All are welcome.
March 1, “Listening,” led by The Rev. Scott Campbell who will explore what it means to truly pay attention to one another. Here is an excerpt:
“A basic premise underlies the business models on which social media networks are predicated. Tell people what they want to hear. Unfortunately, the corollary to that rule is also a part of the formula. Don’t tell them what they don’t want to hear. As a result, we are isolated from each other in virtually soundproof booths. One of the tragic results of this estrangement from one another is the corrosion of basic human decency.”
March 8, our speaker is Bob Neal. His topic is “The Mustard Seed and the Pullman Porters,” which is based on the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13) using the example of how the black middle class arose from the occupation of sleeping-car porter. It was the best job most black men could get, and the pay and tips were enough to create a middle class in a still-segregated country.
March 15, “Kindness,” led by The Rev. Scott Campbell. What motivates people to care for each other? Here is an excerpt:
“In the eleventh grade I found myself in my first extended philosophical debate with a group of other students. Each day at lunch we would pick up the argument anew. The crux of the conversation centered around whether anyone ever did anything for any reason that was not basically selfish. Even the noblest action, they insisted, was motivated by the desire to be thought noble by others. All kindness was ego-driven.”
March 22, “Americans Who Tell the Truth: The Spirituality of Activism.” The service will be led by Ellen Gibson. Robert Shetterly, an artist from Brooksville, Maine, has spent the last twenty years working on a project that’s called “Americans Who Tell the Truth.” Shetterly believes that truth is at the foundation of a functioning democracy. To date, he has painted 280 portraits of Americans who exemplify moral courage and civic engagement, from Abraham Lincoln to Stacey Abrams, Margaret Chase Smith to Samantha Smith, Pete Seeger to Richard Blanco. A number of Mainers are subjects of his portraits. In this service, we will investigate how activism intersects with the seven UU principles. For more information on this project, go to
https://americanswhotellthetruth.org/
This service was rescheduled from January.
March 29, “A Noble Life” led by guest speaker, Marilyn Hammond. “Along with the traditional Luke account of Palm Sunday and a lighter look at the ancestry of Jesus, I want to change the focus from the death of Jesus to the life of Jesus, from the divinity of Jesus to his humanity.”
For more information about the church and services, please contact Marta Clements, 674-2143, mclements96894@roadrunner.com, or Suzanne Dunham, 665-2967, dunhamfarm@msn.com.
To learn more about the Unitarian-Universalist Association, visit
http://www.uua.org/
The First Universalist Church of West Paris is located at 208 Main St., W. Paris 04289
Also happening at the church: there will be another Cabin Fever Fun Day on Wednesday, March 4, from 1:00-3:00 PM. Bring your own game or join in with others. There will be jigsaw puzzle, plus a couple of cribbage boards, along with refreshments and a good time socializing. If it’s a stormy day, we meet on March 5.
Several of us gathered at the home of the Adamses in Fayette on Saturday, to get together with the world travelers and hear their tales. Josh, age 18, recuperated quite quickly from jet lag. Tim, however, discovered it took him a bit longer to recover. Youth has its advantages! Josh did add that after skiing most of the days, he headed to bed early!
I had made plans to visit my friend Jane, on the farm, over the weekend. However, there was trauma and drama on the farm. I will summarize to the best of my ability.
Jane’s daughter Abby raises goats, and has a Great Pyrenees guardian dog who lives in the barn with the goats. The dog, Brynn, is about eight years old, and Abby had plans for her retirement, so got Casper, another guardian dog, who was a pup. Casper was a great dog, except he was an escape artist, and would be found down the road, exploring the neighborhood.
Well, apparently Casper and Brynn partied together, and the result was a pregnant Brynn. Casper got re-homed a while back, and last week, Abby discovered that Brynn was in labor! It didn’t go very well, and a couple of pups passed, after difficult deliveries. Knowing that Brynn was in distress, Abby searched high and low, and eventually found a vet who would do a C-section on the dog. The result was two healthy pups and mom. They came home that night and have taken up residence in the living room (too cold in the barn for the wee pups).
Abby was most concerned about Brynn’s condition, so thankfully, she is well and recovering, and being a good mom to her babies. There was a lot going on at the farm, so I will wait until I get the OK! It will be kidding season soon, so lots of action.
Today is the Class B Alpine Ski Championship at Black Mountain. Grandson Zack is racing for Maranacook.
The boys won the MVC Alpine Championship just before vacation. This will be it for the racing season.
I expect to have two more seasons of skiing while Zack is still in high school.
Now that the Olympics are over, maybe I can be more productive. I admit, I got sucked in—those skaters! And the hockey! And bobsled! Exciting stuff.
Another page on the calendar will be turned this weekend. March is arriving—as a lion or a lamb? From the poem “Chicken Soup With Rice”:
In March the wind blows down the door
And spills my soup upon the floor
It laps it up and roars for more
Blowing once, blowing twice, blowing chicken soup with rice
A great poem (Maurice Sendak) and song (Carole King) about eating chicken soup with rice every month of the year!
I was very sorry to learn of Stan Howe’s passing. I knew Stan because he was a classmate of my sister’s. They graduated together from Gould, then Gorham State Teacher’s College, then at UMO (master’s degree), and Stan went on from there. He will be remembered for his contributions to the Bethel Historical Society. My condolences to all his family and friends.
I thank those of you who send news! Please share news and events: lstowell@roadrunner.com