The Best Damn Newsletter in New Jersey!TM Mickey Suiter Writes a History of GAAMC, page 9!
CHALLENGE T he New sl etter of the Gay Act iv is t Allian ce in Morris Cou n t y S e r v i ng New Jer sey’ s G LBTI Commu n it ies Con t in u ou s ly S in c e 1 9 7 2 V o lu m e 40 , I ssu e 10 , De ce m be r 2 0 14 / J anu ar y 2 0 15
Gratitude, Abundance, and Us by Sherri Rase This is the time of year – the winding down of one chapter and the beginning of another – where we consider all that we’re grateful to have. At Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for family, food, and football. During Chanukah, we celebrate the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days. Kwanzaa is a cultural celebration first established in the mid-1960s and the name comes, it is said, from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanzaa meaning “the first fruits of the harvest”. Christmas is where the good get their just rewards and the entire season is one of remembrance and abundance. Or that is what it is supposed to be. Everywhere around us, there will be people asking us to help. Some will ask for money. Some will ask for food. Some will ask for toys or time. I know that with the requests I get for all of those, budgeting is important. Yet when something worthy comes up, I find a way to integrate it into the mix. Something that should always be abundant is caring for one another. Sadly, it sometimes seems that people are out to thwart us in particular when in fact other drivers, other shoppers, other pedestrians are just pursuing their own agendas. That may not put other people at cross purposes to you individually; you’re just trying to occupy similar space at the same time. When we come from our place of abundance, it is easiest to give to others. When our resources are less abundant, re-
member what “abundance” felt like when it was in your life and tap into that feeling. Oprah Winfrey reminds us that “like attracts like” when speaking of the Law of Attraction, and if we want to experience gratitude we need to feel gratitude. If we want the sense of “plenty” then we need to feel that. From my experience it works for “happy” as well. Recently, our Treasurer John helped me complete a matching gift form for my company to verify some of my financial contributions to GAAMC. The good news for GAAMC is that the match will cover about a week of keeping the lights on and the meeting going. Join me in giving GAAMC back just a little of what you have received. Was GAAMC here when you needed a well-lit place to figure out some life events? It has been for me. I haven’t always had the same amount of time or money to give GAAMC each year over the past 20 plus I’ve been attending, but I’ve always given something. When I give a little, and you give a little then together we create abundance: for the adult woman coming out after a lot of soul searching; for the man who’s been married and learns a lot about himself in a very short time; for young women and men who may be less fortunate when they come out. Consider a matching gift, or how great a gift a GAAMC membership would be for someone — it’s always the right size and it can take people wonderful places. I celebrate Chrisma-Chanu-Kwanzaa-kah because why choose? Thank you for your support this year and have a safe, happy, and healthy holiday.
Inside Challenge Challenge Information .................................... page GAAMC Events.............................................. page What's happening at our Monday meetings Gleanings.................................................... page This Month's Contributors ............................... page Getting Personal........................................... page
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Q-munity Calendar........................................ page 5 Board Minutes for October 2014....................... page 8 A History of GAAMC........................................ page 9 Good Eats! recipes....................................... page 10 GLSEN Releases School Safety Survey Results..... page 11 GAAMC Information ...................................... page 12
Challenge is in color online, with more content at issuu.com/gaamc/docs!