Emporia Presbyterian Manor
NOVEMBER 2021
What are you thankful for? It’s November, a month for giving thanks. Psalm 100 advises us to, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name” (KJV). It should be no surprise that the psalmist was onto something: Some contemporary researchers have found a link between gratitude and better emotional and physical health. Thanksgiving continues a tradition begun in 1621, when Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast. Colonies and states continued Maria Lane, director of social to celebrate different days of Thanksgiving services until 1863. Then, when the country was torn apart by the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln instituted a National Day of Thanks.
Reserve your holiday luminaria today The 4th Annual Emporia Presbyterian Manor Luminaria Lighting Ceremony is just around the corner, so don’t miss your opportunity to reserve a luminaria for yourself or in honor of someone you love. Each Luminaria is $25 and are available through Nov. 29. All proceeds benefit the PMMA Good Samaritan Program. To reserve yours, visit giving.presbyterianmanors.org/up coming-events or call 620-3432613. Be sure to attend the drive-thru ceremony for cookies and cocoa at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 2. Luminarias will stay lit through Jan. 7, 2022. u
Perhaps Lincoln was thinking of Psalm 100. Or maybe he sensed what positive psychology researchers have been telling us: that giving thanks brings people together and improves their well-being in the process. We sat down with a few Emporia Presbyterian Manor residents and staff members to find out what they are thankful for. Virginia Pester, resident “I am thankful for having a nice place to call home, my friends and my faith.” Maria Lane, director of social services “I am grateful for being able to provide window and iPad chats when visitor restrictions are in place. I enjoy connecting residents and their families.”
Thankful – continued on page 3
Mason jar luminaries with solarpowered lights are hung from hooks placed along the sidewalks. Each has a tag with the name of the person for whom the luminary was purchased.
Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at EmporiaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
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Living out ‘response ability’ By Mary Bridges, chaplain NOTE: Our featured chaplain for November is Mary Bridges, chaplain at Salina Presbyterian Manor. Each month, we share a devotion from one of the chaplains around the PMMA® system in a nod to our faith-based roots in the Presbyterian Church.
My father, Henry, was an eighthgrade graduate and smarter than anyone I have known. He was a lifelong Lutheran. He did not verbalize his faith or quote scripture; he simply lived it, every day. He cared for my grandmother when she lived alone. She was eventually diagnosed with dementia and moved into a nursing home. My father continued to visit her, even though she didn’t recognize him and no longer spoke. My father loved the land. After he retired from active farming, he leased a small amount of land north of Russell on Salt Creek. There he had a huge garden, and he shared his garden produce with everyone. One year, he raised turkeys. That November, he and my mom cleaned and dressed more than 20 turkeys, which my father distributed to
family, friends and people he knew were struggling. He reserved one of those turkeys for a man who stopped to help my father change a tire earlier that year. That Thanksgiving season, and every day, my father exercised what the Rev. Richard J. Fairchild calls our “response ability” that is the result of His goodness. “Our ancestors in faith — from Sarah to Mary and from Abraham to Jesus, all were convinced that God is the source of everything, and that by graciously giving all things to us, God provides us with a response ability,” Fairchild writes. That’s the ability to respond to God and to others, Fairchild says. God hopes we will use this ability “for the good that he intends for us and for
the good that he intends for our neighbors and our world.” My father grasped this innately, and we all felt it: his family and his neighbors, certainly, and I firmly believe he showed the world God’s great goodness. I wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings. I will close with more wisdom from Rev. Fairchild: “In the hard times you see, we still have so much, we have life, no matter how slenderly we may hold to it, we have family and friends, no matter how scattered, we have community, no matter how it is organized and we have the presence of God and the promise of Jesus Christ that when we seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteous-ness, that all that we need will be added unto it.” u
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Community Matters 620-343-2613 ◆ Fax: 620-343-9195 2300 Industrial Rd. Emporia, KS 66801-6635 EmporiaPresbyterianManor.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | November 2021
is published monthly for residents and friends of Emporia Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: ataber@PMMA.org Susan Siepelmeier, executive director Andraya Taber, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Thankful – continued from page 1 Lori Maxon, interim life enrichment coordinator “I am thankful for every single thing in my life, even the not-so-
good things. Every challenge and struggle presents me with an opportunity to grow in wisdom and experience providing me with the capability of helping others with similar issues … I firmly believe that there is always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for!” Pat Adams, resident “I’m thankful for my kids, and that they are living close by!” Ann Doudican, resident “I am thankful for my family, my lovely home here at the Presbyterian Manor and having God on my side.”
Lori Maxon, interim life enrichment coordinator
Galen Barrett, resident “I am thankful for every employee at Emporia Presbyterian Manor. They
Resident Galen Barrett
have stepped up to every occasion and situation that has come their way.” u
Veteran’s Day Breakfast on the Go From 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 11, Emporia Presbyterian Manor will host “Veteran’s Day Breakfast on the Go,” a free event for veterans, spouses and widows. Those attending are asked to enter campus (2300 Industrial Road) off 24th Street at the Jones Healthcare Center entrance and proceed to the carport to pick up meals. Participants are also encouraged to wear a mask while picking up breakfast.
Reservations are required. To reserve your meal, or get more information, contact Andraya Taber at 620-343-2613 or email ataber@pmma.org by Nov. 5. u
Emporia Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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2300 Industrial Rd. Emporia, KS 66801-6636 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | November 2021