| Previous | Next | Patter Index | Home Page |
| BETTER BEGINNINGS
PENNY PATTER |
November 24, 2003
| is such a positive force. The one who is thankful has the tranquility of valuing what he has, instead of the ache of yearning for what he has not. The one who is the recipient of gratitude enjoys knowing his gifts are appreciated. In this country, we think thankfulness is so important that it is one of our major holidays. Yet, how great |
v h our inner peace, if instead of reserving our gratitude for that one day, we would begin each day by recalling some or all for which we are thankful. Such recollection helps us put our lives and living into perspective. Some keep a gratitude journal, entering a specific blessing each day. |
| In practicing an attitude of gratitude, we, in turn gift our children. "How wonderful it would be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens the doors. It changes a child's personality. A child is resentful, negative - or thankful. Thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness, they draw people." (SIR JOHN MARKS TEMPLETON). |
While reminding ourselves that children learn thankfulness from us, bear in mind that they learn from us 1) as role models, and 2) from the way we treat them: When a child does something nice, do we remember to thank him/her? Do our children know that they are loved and valued from the way we talk to them? |
|
Sometimes what seems detrimental can, in fact, be a blessing. Example: the
phrase, "Thank God for the fleas." came about because the fleas
kept the German soldiers out of the barracks in one of the Jewish
concentration camps.
We are all, of course, thankful for our families, our friends, for health and hearth, and nourishment. And then there are the additional, special blessings. Here are a couple of entries from my gratitude journal: I am grateful to someone whose name I do not know and to everyone who funded his/her research. |
I a That would be whoever discovered the power of Fosamax, a medication that stops the erosion of osteoporosis and in some instances can even contribute to rebuilding of weak bones. I I am thankful that I can read, among other choices, "Thankful Blossom" by Bret Harte online for free, at pagebypagebooks.com. It is set, by the way, in Morristown, N. J. I am grateful, also, to Mighty Books which reads books online to preschoolers. I am, you know, an avid reader, conditioned from birth to fear that I will run out of reading material. |
|
Appreciative for community, for supporters and for each other, the Better
Beginnings family gathered on Thursday night, November 13, to rejoice and
enjoy a meal together, to show our thankfulness for being together, and
for being able to have our service continue for one more year. The meal
was delicious. The family members blessed with the talent for preparation
of food once again surpassed themselves. In addition, each member brought
food from their own culture. Imagine the range of succulence from such a
diverse group. I satisfied myself with a taste of this and a taste of
that. Yummy.
But as delicious as the food was, the company was even better. What a gathering: families, staff, board members, volunteers, friends, and, of course, the children. Surprise entertainment came from Sparky James’ son, Mitch Wilson. What a talented guitarist he is. He is going to volunteer as a Music Maker for the children on days when the school district is closed |
and we are open. He is a Sophomore at Hightstown High School. This was his first public appearance. We predict a great future for this talent. As he played, the children came one by one from the chairs beside their parents to sit or lie on the floor around him. Of course, the children topped off the evening and stole the show, as usual. They sang a medley of songs, after practicing under the tutelage of many-talented teacher, Cecilia CampoVerde-Aguirre. We enjoyed "You are my Sunshine" to Colors of the Rainbow". Special Thanks to Althea Lewis, Director of Support Services, an excellent cook and organizer, and to Nancy Green and Gloria Perez for bringing their multicultural talent of cooking to the center, to Mr. & Mrs. Emil Kohut, and Latisha Johnson for volunteering, and to Macaroni Grill (Pete Bussone) for preparing the turkeys. |
| the Staff and Doctors Kessler, Morgenstern, Sargiss & Wiser, who again paid patients and others for bringing in their Halloween candy, with a stipend going to |
hav Better Beginnings. What a sweet concept! We love it, of course, as the contribution of $500 helps us meet expenses. |
| who invited staff members and friends from Better Beginnings to share Brenda's "trial sermon" and anointment as a Minister by |
hav and at St. James AME Church on Sunday. Congratulations Minister Brenda Werner. |
| Moms & More, Saul Salerno, Ed and Fran Walter, Millie K. Brown, Beth Jackson, for such thoughtful, caring donations: from |
hav coolers, to a turnkey, cards, books, a big wheel, VHS tapes, and toys. |
| Cary Weiss from Target surprised us by finding the time and the generosity to drop by the center with a generous gift which |
hav Better Beginnings can redeem at the store. This comes at a time when we can really use the help. |
| Penny Pincher had her day of celebration too, on Saturday, the 15th. You guessed it, National Recycling Day! She likes the idea of having every day be recycling day and especially likes the idea of re-using items for crafts instead of discarding them. She wants the earth to still be usable when the little Pennies grow up. |
hav The Pincher suggests that over the long Thanksgiving week-end, the little ones might enjoy looking through discarded magazines for pictures representing things for which they are thankful. They could then make a beautiful collage and hang it in a prominent place to help them remember their blessings. |
| Better Beginnings provides affordable child care and other services for families and children, encouraging them to reach their full potential. Funding cuts have adversely affected the center. For more information about Better Beginnings: visit www.princetonol.com/groups/bbcdc |
hav If you have suggestions for me or for Penny Pincher, please email me at bewith@mail2peace.com, or snail mail me at PO Box 187, Hightstown NJ 08520. For information about volunteering, making donations and contributions, please call Luz Nereida Horta at 609-448-6226. |
November 11, 2003
|
More deaths in Iraq, Horrendous fires in California. The AC parking garage
fiasco. Tornadoes. So much grim news bombards me that I feel like stuffing
my ears with cotton. My mind wants to either shut down completely or race
to something else, blocking out the pain.
But one thing hurts so much I can’t |
v h ignore it. How is it possible that four children here in this country, in this State, are so close to starvation that they are chewing on wallpaper and windowsills? They seem to have fallen through the cracks. Does such a crack exist in our own community? Are we by any chance looking the other way about anything? |
| I was in a restaurant having lunch. It's the kind of place you can come in alone and spread out your paper and read while munching on your sandwich. As I left, I passed a whole row of tables, one person at each table, each person with a sandwich hanging untouched in limp fingers. Each one was staring at the same page of the daily. I nodded to each one as I passed. |
hav Each one looked back at me with a frown, dismay in their eyes, shaking their heads, muttering, "How could such a thing happen?" Yes, it was the by-now famous family picture which included the four boys, so emaciated it hurts to look at them. I wonder what the photographer thought. |
|
How could such a thing have happened here in this beautiful State I love
so much? Well, I am about to shoulder my share of the blame again. We have
once again placed unreasonable expectations on an entire State Division
and on the people who work there. Easy enough to swoop in and fire nine
people for dereliction of duty, hoping that the problem will go back under
the rug where it belongs. And we can shrug off yet another living
consequence of our failure to adequately fund anything that has to do with
children. Someone in Social Services surely is derelict. So are many other
someones. Hang our heads low.
This is just one more instance. How many |
hav sundry others are there, in which we look the other way, ignoring a problem, hoping it will go away. When yet another one of these seething sources of potential damage erupts, spewing more ugliness and pain all over us, will we again rush to blame someone else? Push it out of our minds? Or will we finally look around, pay attention, and start work on making some changes, now, before it is again too late? Will we wait for someone else to make the move? Or will we bring problems to the surface where they can be examined and solutions offered? Will we be hostile and defensive, or cordial and courteous? Will we work towards a solution or will we discard suggestions and warnings? |
|
Is someone being bullied? Abused? Is a group of people being derided? Is
violence afoot? Are angry feelings approaching the surface? Is a child
underfed? Starving even? Withdrawn or in pain?
We may feel timid or afraid we will be subjected to derision ourselves. My heroes are those who are willing to speak up on behalf of the powerless regardless of danger or possible personal damage. I want |
hav to walk with them. I want to be like them, not looking down when something questionable walks by; not ignoring abuse, hoping it will go away or that someone else will handle it; not saying it is not my problem; not treating others in ways I would never want to be treated; not ignoring situations where one group is causing emotional damage to another. Will you join us? I hope so. Although it did not happen here this time, we are not exempt. |
|
A certain teacher did weigh and measure her children once a month. She
noticed, therefore, that a child was losing weight. She discovered that
the family was living in a car, too proud to ask for help, with no money
for food. Because of this, Good Teacher was able to tap into local
resources to find food for the family, temporary shelter, and a job for
the unemployed Dad. She is a hero of mine. So are countless good teachers
like her. So, by the way, are the neighbors who found help for the four
boys.
Indeed, we have many heroes in our |
hav community, who believe in investing in the present and the future. While we are grateful to our State Division of Family Development, we are especially thankful that the governing bodies of our municipalities, East Windsor and Hightstown; our County, our United Way, and community members and organizations do support our efforts on behalf of our children. Let us remind our State and Federal representatives to adequately invest in our children, remembering that "All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today." (anonymous) |
|
Better Beginnings' penny collection grew with more collections this week.
Thank you Evita and Joseph from the Lollipops and Karla from Heart
Friends. Thanks also faithful friends Dolores L. Murphy, "Mr.
Jonathan" Craig, Margaret Duperreault, Jean Hutchinson, Ann Freund,
Lisa Ernst, Barbara Regan and Shelly Pomis for many useful items including
magazines, toys, household items, warm winter clothing, and food.
And to Frances Rios and Minnie Bell for their regular contribution in memory of Jimmy Jackson; to Bob & Kathy Patten for a very generous contribution to our |
hav non-event in celebration of our 36th birthday, to Taylor & Darcel Jeffers (grandchildren of Ondina and Will Jeffers) for donating two beautiful educational wall hangings. Also to Abraham Valliath and K. B. Bruschi for designating Better Beginnings for their regular payroll deductions to the United Way. Also to Richard W. & Mary T. Scaine who made a generous contribution to our fledgling endowment fund in honor of David Abalos' birthday. Happy Birthday to our good friend. Certificates have gone to both homes and in our Book of Honors. |
| and Pete and Kerrie Bussone. The Spaghetti Dinner was delicious and made over $1,000 to help Better Beginnings meet expenses. Many friends and supporters gathered for the meal, and many others had take-out. Volunteers who helped with preparations and serving included |
havAlthea Lewis, Latisha Johnson, Sherry Watkins, "Mr. Emil" Kahut and his wife and son, Nancy Kennedy Green, and Luz N. Horta. I enjoyed it, the food was delicious, with generous portions, and the company was great. I eagerly await the next one. |
|
For more information about Better Beginnings: visit www.princetonol.com/groups/bbcdc
If you have suggestions for me or for Penny Pincher, please email me at |
hav bewith@mail2peace.com, or snail mail me at PO Box 187, Hightstown NJ 08520. For information about volunteering, making donations and contributions, please call Luz Nereida Horta at 609-448-6226. |