Elder Journey 2008 Archives

2008 Archive

January 8 OUR FAVORITE SONGS

Jean Nelson will lead Elder Journey as we start the New Year with a real old-fashioned sing-along. Rev Eva will bring her guitar and Sylvia Whitcher will be at the Fireside piano. But YOU must provide the songs!

Make a list of your favorite songs in order of preference (not more than 5 or 6, please). Include both the title and the first line if possible - if you have all the words, better yet. Send your list to

elderjourney-info@uucpa.org

- that way all our leaders will get it. They’ll pick the most popular ones that at least one of our musicians can play, and we’ll have ourselves a ball. Deadline for song lists is 12/28/07.

January 22 What qualities do we want in our ministers?

Rev Eva writes: I want to come to the group January 22 to get some responses from the group about the transition we’re in during this interim, and the qualities we want in the second minister.

February 12 Movie Roles as Role Models

I’ve been seeing a lot of old movies at the Stanford Theatre lately. While I’m watching a good movie, I frequently identify with one of the characters. Usually the identification stops when “THE END” appears on the screen, but there was one old movie where I kept thinking about it. And right away I knew that was the answer to a fun question: “If, instead of being ME, I had to be some character in a particular movie, WHO would it be?”

On Tuesday the 26th I’ll lead a light-hearted discussion of this topic. Join us if you consider yourself an ELDER. It will be interesting to see if anyone else picks the same character!

February 26 Listening is an act of love

Rev Kurt writes: “I would like to raise the subject of the Storycorps Project about which a book has just been published. It is called Listening is an act of love. The Project allows two people, one interviewing another one they have chosen (and who, of course, has consented), who sit in a comfortable booth across from each other for 45 minutes.

“I am imagining that I will discuss the project a bit, then have people respond to questions about who they would most want to interview from their life (someone they knew). And what the major three questions or so they would want to ask.”

March 11 What I learned in Sunday School

How did your religious education get started? Did you go to a U or U school and just follow the path of least resistance? Did you go to a more traditional school and get turned off by the creed? Maybe didn’t go to Sunday School – then where did you get your early ideas about ethics and getting along with other people?

These “getting to know you” sessions frequently turn up some surprises. Come join the fun. Rev Eva will lead us.

March 25 Avenidas Village – a One-Call Resource for Elders at home

Avenidas Village is self-described on its web page:
“Avenidas Village means simplifying life's complexities with a one-call resource for all your needs, and make your life more secure, more convenient, more fulfilling, and more fun! You can rely on your Avenidas Village staff to enrich your life with concierge level service in these areas:

Health & Wellness
Daily Living
Arts & Culture
Community Connections”

Vickie Epstein, Program Director, will discuss this program with us: it’s history, what it offers for Elders, how to join, etc. All UU members are invited to attend, whether or not they have come to previous Elder Journey meetings. Even if you’re still a youngster of 50 or less, you might be interested on behalf of an aging parent. Misao Sakamoto who will chair the meeting urges everyone to be there early so that she can turn things over to Vickie promptly at 2:01. Late-comers will be frowned upon.

April 8 “Churchy” Words

There is a hilarious scene in the play, “You Can’t Take it with You” involving the game, “Forget-Me-Not” (unfortunately that scene was not included in the movie). The leader calls out a word and each guest writes down the first word or phrase that pops into his or her head. The answers are then read aloud. Mr. Kirby gives responses such as: Sex – Male and Lust – Unlawful; despite their 30-some years of marriage he is surprised and horrified over the very different responses given by Mrs. Kirby.

Suppose we were to play that game with words such as “Spiritual”, “Grace”, “Mission”, “God”, etc. Many of you probably regard these words as valid descriptions of aspects of your relationship to UUCPA. Indeed, you might respond “UUCPA” to any of them. I’d be more likely to say something like: Spiritual – medium, Grace – Kelly, Mission – Impossible, and God – d___ it.

Anyhow, on April 8 Rev Amy will lead us in a discussion of churchy words such as these. Why do some of us respond negatively? What, exactly, do we mean when we use them--or refrain from using them? Are there other words to convey the same meanings? Join us. It should be a lively discussion.

April 22 My First Favorite Story

Think back in time. Think way back. What is the first book you remember? Were you old enough to read it yourself or did a parent or grandparent first read it to you? What was that book or story and why do you remember it after all these years. What happened next. Did your parents read that same book to your younger sibling? Were you jealous, or did you enjoy hearing it read it again even if you had it memorized by now. Did you read it to your younger sibling?

And later still, did you read it to your children? To your grandchildren? Did it bring back happy memories? Did you enjoy the stories for their own sake? Did you find subtle points that had passed you by before?

I’ll bet we find out a lot about each other as we each pick ONE book or story and answer some of the above questions – perhaps we’ll even find out something new about ourselves. Jean Nelson will lead it off.

May 13 My Favorite Bible Story

You can’t live in today’s US culture without knowing some of the stories in the Bible. Most of us probably first heard them as children. Pick one and think about it. Either testament will be OK. Adam and Eve or Baby Jesus and the three wise men are equally acceptable. When did you first hear the story? What did you think of it then? Did you believe it to be literally true? As an allegory? Or as complete fiction?

How did it stack up against other stories of your childhood? Did Eve’s temptor catch your interest more than Kipling’s bi-colored python rock snake? How about Jonah’s encounter with the whale against Alice’s adventures in wonderland? Would Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eyore, etc. have fit in aboard Noah’s Ark?

I had very little “Bible Straight” in my childhood. My chief sources were the camp song, “Young folks, Old folks, everybody come” where I learned “Shadrack, Misach, and Abednego Displeased the king so he said they had to go. He put them in the furnace for to burn them all to chaff, But they wore asbestos underwear and gave the king the laugh.” This was augmented by Sportin’ Life in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess”: “Methuslah lived 900 year. Methuslah lived 900 year. But who calls that livin’ When no gal will give in To no man what’s 900 year.”

- - I must confess that most of this column is my idea. All that Reverend Eva actually said to me Sunday morning was “My next topic for Elder Journey will be ‘What is your favorite Bible Story, and why do you remember it?”. So come to Elder Journey on Tuesday May 13 and see what really happens. Maybe we’ll all be surprised!

p.s. Come promptly at 2 pm so you don’t miss our icebreakers. Instead of the usual one-liners, we’re going to sing a few of the many verses to “Young folks, Old folks”. Please bring your guitar, Rev Eva.

May 27 Farewell to Falls

is the title of a Stanford Hospital program of interest to Elders. Barbara Gordon is connected with that program and will tell us something about it. Then Misao Sakamoto will lead us in a discussion of our individual falling proclivities. Tell us about a recent fall. Was it fun? Want to do it again?

Of course not! But what are you doing differently now so that you won’t do it again? Maybe your experience will help me – and vice versa. Join us as we try to make FALL only a season – not a disaster. As always, you will be welcome at this informational session whether or not you are one of our “regular” Elders.

Warning! Be there at 2 pm sharp! Misao believes in starting on time – not one second later. In fact, why not come ten minutes early and have time to socialize a bit before we start?

June 10 Fathers and Children

During the summer, our first session each month will be led by one of our three ministers. June is Rev Eva’s turn. She writes:

“Let's do a session about fathers, and our relationship with them. If not biological fathers, then father figures.

“A question that we could ask is: Share the time you first realized your father considered you a peer, or at least an adult. Of course, there are stories along that road from childhood toward adulthood. For many, though, I think there is a specific time we were seen as an adult in his eyes.”

I suspect there might be a significant difference between the responses of sons and daughters. Here’s a special appeal to you Elders of my sex. Come tell us when (if ever!) your Dad first admitted that you were an Adult Male. 2 pm sharp, Tuesday June 10. Come on time so you don’t miss the special Father’s Day icebreakers.

—Philip Hodge, Court Jester

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto