First, I want to express my thanks for the kind comments, emails and in-person mentions of my Good Friday attempt at free verse. I'm still learning about blogging, and free verse is a new medium for me, so your feedback is both helpful and appreciated.
You may have noticed my extended absence from TQFCG. Grace and I returned recently from an extended respite in the mild climate of Southwest Florida. Our vacation this year was longer than any we’ve previously taken, quite restful and refreshing. It was neither exotic nor exciting, but it enabled us to soak in the peace and quiet away from the humdrum and everyday stresses.
With no roller coaster rides or photos of elephants and penguins to share with you, I'd like to offer, instead, one more experimental expedition in free verse.
Vacations
vacations nurture the body, mind and spirit,
refreshing us with joyful and stress-free
leisure-time, seeing people and places, old and new,
and well-deserved rest and refreshment, too.
vacations offer options galore
whether it’s a tour of the world of fun
for the old and the young
or a cottage on the lake or beach house at the shore.
vacations fulfill the need to think in solitude
or with a very special few, remote from the routine.
vacations can be family time just doing stuff together.
walking, reading, napping or romping in the sun.
ours this winter was like that, and the longest ever,
enjoying an energizing respite in the sun
and the company of those we love
while still remembering briefer escapes of the past.
vacation for us this year was re-vitalizing, too,
awakening our minds to new ideas and possibilities
while taking our smiling hearts to past joys and where we are today.
vacations. I like the word our Brit friends have for it, holiday.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Easter Sunday: One Solitary Life
Born in an obscure village, the son of a peasant woman, he grew up inanother village, where he worked in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he became a wandering preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of those things one usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through a mockery of a trial. He was executed by the state. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth.
When he was dead he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind's progress.
All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.
Bibliographic Reference: “The Real Jesus and Other Sermons” © 1926 by the Judson Press of Philadelphia (pp 123-124 titled “Arise Sir Knight!”)
Saturday, April 7, 2012
A Stunning Church
Take a look at this incredible 17th church in Jawor, Poland.
Play with the pointers to look all the way around the interior of the church – left, right, up down and zoom in for a closer look at the details.
It was one of three Lutheran churches that were built in Roman Catholic Silesia. Only two remain. The churches were built from wood, loam and straw, outside the city walls, and they were not permitted to have steeples or church bells. The magnificent interior of this church more than makes up for its understated exterior.
Play with the pointers to look all the way around the interior of the church – left, right, up down and zoom in for a closer look at the details.
It was one of three Lutheran churches that were built in Roman Catholic Silesia. Only two remain. The churches were built from wood, loam and straw, outside the city walls, and they were not permitted to have steeples or church bells. The magnificent interior of this church more than makes up for its understated exterior.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
A 21st Century Reflection on John 19: 25-26
Jesus at the Cross
Good Friday, April 5, 2012
Tortured, mocked, scourged
And now bearing His own Cross,
And now bearing His own Cross,
Jesus sees his mother.
With Mary, are her sister,
Mary, the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
His beloved disciple, John, is with them.
Mary, the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
His beloved disciple, John, is with them.
The dreaded appointed hour is at hand.
Jesus pauses.
In this poignant and significant moment,
He speaks to her.
In this poignant and significant moment,
He speaks to her.
“Mother, you know I have to go now.”
Then, with a glance indicating that he is referring to John,
Jesus says: “Mother, Here is your son.
He will take care of you, now, Mom."
Then, with a glance indicating that he is referring to John,
Jesus says: “Mother, Here is your son.
He will take care of you, now, Mom."
Turning then to his trusted friend, He says:
"John, take my mother.
Take her home and
Look after her as your own."
"John, take my mother.
Take her home and
Look after her as your own."
Can we even imagine being at that tortured moment,
Facing a horrible death
And yet, having the capacity to love so deeply
As to think of the needs of anyone else!
Facing a horrible death
And yet, having the capacity to love so deeply
As to think of the needs of anyone else!
His words to Mary served to reinforce her knowledge
That in going to the cross, he was living the will of God.
That in going to the cross, he was living the will of God.
And that he was not finished. No, he was about to be free,
Free, his future secure in his place with the father.
Free, his future secure in his place with the father.
How can we be free . . .
Free to offer such compassion and love
And be free, in the strength of our faith,
Free to offer such compassion and love
And be free, in the strength of our faith,
To trust in our own future with the Father?
- E. Richard Fortunato
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Visit Bradley Memorial Gift Shop: An Eye-Opening Treat
Originally published in the Southington Citizen
Retirement has not stopped Southington native, Jackie Marenholz, from making a difference in her community. When she retired last June as Director of Religious Education at St. Dominic Church, we published a story in the Citizen about her 33 years in the world of religious education which included five years at St. Aloysius Church, a period as Kindergarten teacher in the early years of St. Dominic School, followed by her peak role at St. Dominic Church as its Director of Religious Ed since the early 1990s.
Always upbeat, warm and easy to talk to and work with, Jackie Marenholz has discovered that retirement can be sweet, as it offers many opportunities to open new doors and travel exciting and challenging new roads. After considering a number of options, she was soon drawn to the idea of doing some volunteer work at Bradley Memorial Hospital. She had her eye on helping the Gift Shop which presented an opportunity to use her naturally creative talents.
It did not take long for the leadership of the Auxiliary of the Hospital of Central Connecticut at Bradley Memorial Hospital to recognize the accomplished organization and planning skills and wealth of professional experience that Jackie Marenholz brought with her. Wisely, and with a good sense of talent, Auxiliary president, Joan Gillette, offered Marenholz the position of Gift Shop Manager which she accepted. Visitors to Bradley Hospital and the medical center are noticing the transition to "boutique look", some say, at the Gift Shop. Come along with us on a descriptive tour of some of the innovative offerings you'll discover there. An intentional trip might be a well-worthwhile venture.
First, there is no single look or focus, but rather an ever-changing array of distinctive gift ideas, quality gifts that tend to be moderately priced, hostess gifts, shower or birthday gifts, special items such as a new line of handbags along with seasonal and holiday items. Marenholz said that doctors and hospital staff shopped at the Bradley Gift Shop for Christmas presents. Innovations include books by local authors, such as "Beyond the Weeping Willow Tree" by Fr. Henry C. Frascadore and "Images of America: Southington" by Liz Campbell Kopec; a line of redneck wine glasses (an interesting line of mason jars on stem ware) and an exclusive line of Kringle Kandles, the only gift shop in Connecticut to carry them. Asked where she gets her ideas for exciting gift items, Marenholz said, "We use many sources and cover gift and fashion shows and we listen to our customers and our 37 volunteers, without whom we could not do what we’re doing! We also draw on all of these sources for our seasonal themes such as the green theme of this month." Marenholz adds that it has been extremely productive to make changes which the passerby will see every Monday.
Joan Gillette also pointed out that there’s a savings to customers in the exemption of sales tax on purchases at the Gift Shop which is a not -for-profit entity. The revenue of this little shop in the lobby of Bradley Hospital, along with the Auxiliary’s Annual Fashion Gala and other fundraisers, has resulted in contributions of more than one million dollars for improvements to the hospital such as a state-of the art mammogram machine, echo-cardiogram equipment, intravenous smart pumps, EKG machines and continuous help in upgrading medical equipment through the past sixty-five years.
Always upbeat, warm and easy to talk to and work with, Jackie Marenholz has discovered that retirement can be sweet, as it offers many opportunities to open new doors and travel exciting and challenging new roads. After considering a number of options, she was soon drawn to the idea of doing some volunteer work at Bradley Memorial Hospital. She had her eye on helping the Gift Shop which presented an opportunity to use her naturally creative talents.
It did not take long for the leadership of the Auxiliary of the Hospital of Central Connecticut at Bradley Memorial Hospital to recognize the accomplished organization and planning skills and wealth of professional experience that Jackie Marenholz brought with her. Wisely, and with a good sense of talent, Auxiliary president, Joan Gillette, offered Marenholz the position of Gift Shop Manager which she accepted. Visitors to Bradley Hospital and the medical center are noticing the transition to "boutique look", some say, at the Gift Shop. Come along with us on a descriptive tour of some of the innovative offerings you'll discover there. An intentional trip might be a well-worthwhile venture.
First, there is no single look or focus, but rather an ever-changing array of distinctive gift ideas, quality gifts that tend to be moderately priced, hostess gifts, shower or birthday gifts, special items such as a new line of handbags along with seasonal and holiday items. Marenholz said that doctors and hospital staff shopped at the Bradley Gift Shop for Christmas presents. Innovations include books by local authors, such as "Beyond the Weeping Willow Tree" by Fr. Henry C. Frascadore and "Images of America: Southington" by Liz Campbell Kopec; a line of redneck wine glasses (an interesting line of mason jars on stem ware) and an exclusive line of Kringle Kandles, the only gift shop in Connecticut to carry them. Asked where she gets her ideas for exciting gift items, Marenholz said, "We use many sources and cover gift and fashion shows and we listen to our customers and our 37 volunteers, without whom we could not do what we’re doing! We also draw on all of these sources for our seasonal themes such as the green theme of this month." Marenholz adds that it has been extremely productive to make changes which the passerby will see every Monday.
Joan Gillette also pointed out that there’s a savings to customers in the exemption of sales tax on purchases at the Gift Shop which is a not -for-profit entity. The revenue of this little shop in the lobby of Bradley Hospital, along with the Auxiliary’s Annual Fashion Gala and other fundraisers, has resulted in contributions of more than one million dollars for improvements to the hospital such as a state-of the art mammogram machine, echo-cardiogram equipment, intravenous smart pumps, EKG machines and continuous help in upgrading medical equipment through the past sixty-five years.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Adults Over 55: Register for Computer Classes Monday, April 2, 2012
The Computer Learning Center is an all-volunteer group of about 35 people who perform the many tasks of instructing, assisting instructors, coaches, those who design and/or write the course material as well as those who perform the routine administrative, routine clerical, technical and management responsibilities including publicity.
Speaking of publicity, we want our whole community to know that we are now registering adults over 55 in a series of courses which will start on April 16 and run from four to eight weeks until early June.
Registration will be held on Monday, April 2nd from 9:00 to 10:30 am (doors open at 8:30 am) at the Calendar House.
If you are 55 or older, there's a place for you. Or, maybe, you have a parent, family member, friend or neighbor you could tell about this opportunity to get into the world of computers, the Internet, email and so much more.
We offer a range of courses starting with an absolutely FREE four week course we call "Computer Basics for Beginners" and run a series of intermediate and advanced courses beyond that.
The tuition fee for all courses beyond the (free) Computer Basics for Beginners is $25.00 per course. Period. There are no other fees, membership dues or expenses involved in joining our group of about 1,500 who have taken one or more of our courses over the past twelve years.
Link to Computer Learning Center Course Descriptions
Link to Summer Session Schedule of Classes
For more information, or if you cannot make it to the registration on April 2nd, please contact Peter at 860-479-9064 or geekoplex@cox.net or Mark at 860-621-3779 or CalHouse388@gmail.com.
Calendar House is located at 388 Pleasant Street, Southington, CT - directly across from DePaolo Middle School.
Come to the Computer Learning Center, where wisdom meets technology while having fun!
Friday, March 16, 2012
St. Dominic School Focuses on Reaching Students at Deeper Levels
As published in the Southington Citizen, March 16, 2012
"Children are a most precious gift, carrying a message of hope and the continuation of life." These are headline words of "Rainbows," a program added by St. Dominic School which is under the direction of Stacy Marchionni, who has been the school’s Student Counselor since August 2011.
The Rainbows program is based in Chicago where it was founded 29 years ago when it piloted its curriculum in local private schools. Since then, Rainbows states that they have become the nation’s largest not-for-profit organization dedicated solely to helping families cope with loss, and that they have served nearly 2 million youth throughout the U.S. and 17 countries.
A conversation with Principal, Patti Tiezzi and Stacy Marchionni, brought out the fact that when children experience the loss of a parent. grandparent or other close member of the nuclear family, either through death, divorce, disabling illness, etc., they are left with the absence of one of their primary sources of love, trust, even discipline, and orientation. Such a loss can leave a child without an anchor to life itself. It can be that serious. Moreover, it’s difficult for children to put their pain into words. When they attempt to articulate their feelings kids may find parents too burdened by their own grief to effectively help them cope with their feelings. Sometimes children outwardly appearing to be coping are struggling inside with conflicting emotions. The goal of Rainbows is to get out these feelings as one step in learning that their feelings matter and that notwithstanding a loss, they still belong to that family so that they may feel physically and emotionally safe.
The children at St. Dominic are currently placed in two age-appropriate support groups of no more than five. Marchionni reports visible progress in getting the children to express themselves and to develop trust in new relationships as they reach out to each other in a safe place to talk about what is going on. The student counselor’s responsibilities include a range of additional programs directed at the development of individual social and empathy skills .
There’s now in place, a Peer Mediator group of four 5th graders who are trained and under the supervision of the counselor in meeting with students in trying to help them resolve conflicts. Tiezzi pointed out that kids need to learn that the violence they see and experience on TV and in media games is not reality and that such behavior is never appropriate in resolving disagreements in a supportive environment. The school is also preparing 4th graders to assume the responsibility of 5th graders who will be graduating in June.
There’s also a Second Step program that addresses violence, resolution of conflicts through empathetic use of social skills and being a good listener, for example. Children are the center of the universe in their homes but in school they need to grow into healthy members and good citizens in the world they are meeting outside of the home culture.
Tiezzi commented that the school faculty and staff are on board with the counselor and Rainbows and social skills teaching programs. Through their own training and experience they relate to the benefits these curricula provide the students, the school and themselves as teachers.
While the importance of these programs should be self-evident, the strength of them is in the support of principal, faculty, the School Board and parents with the full endorsement of the pastor of St. Dominic. Fr. Ron May, and the fact that Rainbows provides curricula, materials, training, site support, follow up, continuing education and research and evaluation of the entire process.
"Children are a most precious gift, carrying a message of hope and the continuation of life." These are headline words of "Rainbows," a program added by St. Dominic School which is under the direction of Stacy Marchionni, who has been the school’s Student Counselor since August 2011.
A conversation with Principal, Patti Tiezzi and Stacy Marchionni, brought out the fact that when children experience the loss of a parent. grandparent or other close member of the nuclear family, either through death, divorce, disabling illness, etc., they are left with the absence of one of their primary sources of love, trust, even discipline, and orientation. Such a loss can leave a child without an anchor to life itself. It can be that serious. Moreover, it’s difficult for children to put their pain into words. When they attempt to articulate their feelings kids may find parents too burdened by their own grief to effectively help them cope with their feelings. Sometimes children outwardly appearing to be coping are struggling inside with conflicting emotions. The goal of Rainbows is to get out these feelings as one step in learning that their feelings matter and that notwithstanding a loss, they still belong to that family so that they may feel physically and emotionally safe.
The children at St. Dominic are currently placed in two age-appropriate support groups of no more than five. Marchionni reports visible progress in getting the children to express themselves and to develop trust in new relationships as they reach out to each other in a safe place to talk about what is going on. The student counselor’s responsibilities include a range of additional programs directed at the development of individual social and empathy skills .
There’s now in place, a Peer Mediator group of four 5th graders who are trained and under the supervision of the counselor in meeting with students in trying to help them resolve conflicts. Tiezzi pointed out that kids need to learn that the violence they see and experience on TV and in media games is not reality and that such behavior is never appropriate in resolving disagreements in a supportive environment. The school is also preparing 4th graders to assume the responsibility of 5th graders who will be graduating in June.
There’s also a Second Step program that addresses violence, resolution of conflicts through empathetic use of social skills and being a good listener, for example. Children are the center of the universe in their homes but in school they need to grow into healthy members and good citizens in the world they are meeting outside of the home culture.
Tiezzi commented that the school faculty and staff are on board with the counselor and Rainbows and social skills teaching programs. Through their own training and experience they relate to the benefits these curricula provide the students, the school and themselves as teachers.
While the importance of these programs should be self-evident, the strength of them is in the support of principal, faculty, the School Board and parents with the full endorsement of the pastor of St. Dominic. Fr. Ron May, and the fact that Rainbows provides curricula, materials, training, site support, follow up, continuing education and research and evaluation of the entire process.
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