I've been in Traverse City for exactly one month now, and I'd like to say thank you for making me feel welcome. I'm happy to be back in Michigan and am enjoying the cooler weather after living in the south for five years.

Years ago, when I first moved to Ludington, MI to serve my very first church my elderly mother followed me from South Carolina a year later. She had a cute little apartment on the sixth floor with a view of Lake Michigan from her balcony. After living in big cities for many years, I began to have serious "Mall withdrawal" with Ludington's limited retail offerings, which meant that I rarely went to Grand Rapids, Traverse City, or Muskegon without running a few errands and doing a little shopping, necessary or not. :)

One September, I took my mother with me because she needed to do a little personal shopping, too. Besides, there was a huge sale at Younkers! On our way out of town I had to make a couple of pastoral visits in Ludington, but Mom said she didn't mind going along. It was the first time that I had taken her with me on pastoral visits, and I have to say that it turned out brilliantly! My mother is about the sweetest little old lady you'd ever want to meet: gracious, poised, kind and compassionate, everything you could ask for in a grandma. She even baked banana bread and cookies. It occurred to me after leaving the hospital that my mother is a "therapy-grandmother!" I could take her with me every time I visited sick people, maybe even rent her out, you know, like they do with therapy dogs and cats. My mother was a goldmine!

There was a cute little boy, around eight years old, at Younkers who stopped to show Mom his new school shoes and belt. She was sitting in the shoe department waiting for me to finish up my shopping when he walked right up to her and said, "Do you want to see my new belt?" He whipped out his shiny new black belt with such enthusiasm that it flew out of his hand. He had just rescued his new belt and was just getting ready to pull out his new shoes when I appeared. "Do you want to see my new shoes?" I said, "Sure!" and he proudly held up the left shoe. "Wow! Great shoes!" I said. "Do you want to see the other one?" he said. My heart melted, and I looked adoringly at his other new shoe.

That little boy was drawn to my mother like a dog to a bone. She's priceless! I can see it now! The classified ad would read: 

Therapy Grandmother for Rent; lovely white hair, great smile, bakes cookies, doesn't eat much, never complains, great with children and pets. As it turns out therapy dogs and cats aren't for rent, they work for the all the smiles and hugs they get. They are a gift, just like my mother and that cute little boy who made me smile. And she has taught me that no matter how tough life gets, we can always choose to be kinder, more compassionate, and grateful.

With gratitude,

Cathy

The RE program is offering Our Whole Lives for 7th through 9th grade students in the upcoming school year - October through April.

This program is open to all students in the community. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please pick up a brochure or flier from the RE classroom to share or   download and print here . 

Read the OWL article in the Record Eagle here:  https://bit.ly/2yVJOYJ

 

Special thanks to the Northern Express for their wonderful article on our upcoming OWL program!

https://www.northernexpress.com/news/feature/the-new-sex-ed/

Questions? contact  Betsy Hammerberg or  Katie Tomczyk

  

Special Notice: Women's Rights!

Two petitions potentially streamlining through the legislature are:

1-  The Michigan Heartbeat Coalition Petition seeks to ban abortion after six weeks gestation.

2-  The Michigan Values Life Petition would ban the dilation & extraction procedure, the safest and most common procedure at any point in a pregnancy.

 

If only 340,000 people in Michigan sign either petition, it can be brought before the legislature, voted on, and with a simple majority become law. 

It would never go to Governor Whitmer for veto. It becomes law by simple majority legislature vote! 

Be aware what petitions you sign! This is one time you may not want to sign p etitions. Thanks!

 

https://www.miplannedparenthood.org/post/miabortionbans

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The Amazon's best hope?

A female indigenous chief is on a mission to save Brazil's forests.

Ajareaty Waiapi, a female chief and grandmother working to preserve her community - and the planet's lungs.

"If the forest is gone, people will also end"

from NBC News:  https://nbcnews.to/2ZqwvtZ

Some say the Amazon jungle is the lungs of our Planet and it is being burned to the detriment of us all.

Learn more here:  https://bit.ly/324e5Rl

UUCGT Social Justice Action Team

Emmy Lou Cholak, co-chair

   http://www.uujustice.org

- Bridge Club: Every Tuesday @ 1:00pm, social hall