Commun ty Matters Rolla Presbyterian Manor
August 2018
When it’s time to really forgive By Allen Teal, chaplain Rolla Presbyterian Manor
Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you, just as we also forgive those who have wronged us. (Matthew 6:12, Common English Bible) Everyone wants to receive forgiveness, but most of us find it is hard to give. When all, or part, of an outstanding debt is forgiven, a sense of relief will follow. A friend’s willingness to overlook it when we have wronged them brings a lift to our spirit. Few things equal the feeling of being forgiven when we are experiencing the guilt, fear and remorse from our actions or words. ‘To err is human, to forgive divine.’ —Alexander Pope Why is it difficult to forgive? Unfortunately, most people find the urge to “get even” too strong to resist. Admittedly, some wrongs are harder to move past than others. Getting cheated out of a few cents does not compare to the murder of a loved one. The scale of the offense can create the idea that some things are forgivable and some are not. It is possible to forgive anything. FORGIVE, continued on page 3
Resident Janet Brown cherishes her long career as a teacher.
Love for children draws Janet Brown to teaching From an early age, Rolla Presbyterian Manor resident Janet Brown knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. “I just knew I wanted to teach kindergarten, even when I was in elementary school. From the time I was quite young, I loved children. In the meantime, I babysat quite a bit,” said Janet. After earning her teaching degree from the University of Missouri, marrying her high school sweetheart and then having three children, Janet’s dream to teach came true. “I was drafted into teaching when I had small children. I had no plans to teach for several years, but they needed a kindergarten teacher very badly,” Janet said. She taught part-time for two years and then transitioned to teach full-time at Pershing Elementary in Rolla. BROWN, continued on page 2
BROWN, continued from page 1
During this time, a new school, Truman Elementary, was being built, and the students, teachers and staff were faced with a new environment.
year at the new school, I had 18 students, and it was a fantastic experience.” Janet’s teaching style was hands-on and involved a lot of creativity.
Janet was a team teacher for second grade the first year the school moved to Truman Elementary. Not a fan of the open space and noise, she was happy to move back to the kindergarten classroom for her second year at the new school.
“The students and I got along so beautifully, and they were so easy to work with. We’d sing and dance. I played the piano. We had an endof-the-year school program we put together, and lots of art projects. They enjoyed clay and all kinds of paints. I tried very hard to be creative with them, even though I was not an artist! We also had alphabet printing, number lessons and field trips that kept us busy,” Janet said.
“The new kindergarten room was the only enclosed room. The second
Janet had a gift for working with children that enhanced her 13 years
“It was a building with an open floor plan, with no walls and no windows in the rooms. It was very well-lit, but loud and noisy,” Janet said.
as a teacher. “Janet has an easy way about her,” said Joy Parker, activity director and volunteer coordinator at Rolla Presbyterian Manor. After retiring, Janet has enjoyed traveling all over the country with her second husband, and also enjoys her grandchildren.
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Rolla Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org Ann Caudill, executive director Joelle Freeland, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Joelle Freeland at lfreeland@pmma.org.
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Telephone: 573-364-7336 Fax: 573-364-7336 Address: 1200 Homelife Plaza, Rolla, MO 65401-2595 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. RollaPresbyterianManor.org
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Community Matters August 2018
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Newbie’s advice: It’s OK to just be ‘OK’ at art By Sally Koslow for Next Avenue
As kids, our aunt had tried to teach us to knit. Betsy promptly produced Since the day I could read “See Sally itsy-bitsy doll clothes followed by run,” I’ve been a Word Girl. scarves and sweaters. The scarf I knit wouldn’t fit a Barbie. My sister Until this year. I enrolled in an art later designed her own wedding class. contract with Hebrew calligraphy and an intricate border so exquisite The temptation to make art that friends begged her to design Making art was tempting. Then their marriage contracts. This led to again, how could I join a class when a flourishing business that surprised the family artist was my sister, Betsy? no one in our family because
obviously, she took after our finemotor-skills Dad. I, on the other hand, was like Mom, who never got artsy-er than frosting a cake, was the best customer of the Fargo Public Library and for amusement, joined a history club that required presenting a research paper every year. Nevertheless… OK, continued on page 4
FORGIVE, continued from page 1
Knowing this does not make it easy. Forgiving is important enough that several days have been set aside for it. The last Sunday before Lent is “Forgiveness Sunday.” International Forgiveness Day, sponsored by the World Forgiveness Alliance, falls on the first Sunday of August annually. This year, it is Aug. 5. Similarly, the Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors sponsors Global Forgiveness Day on Aug. 27 each year. For those who need to draw a line in the sand to force themselves to forgive others, this chance comes at least three times every year with two of them occurring in August. In the Lord’s Prayer, a pattern to encourage forgiveness is found. The prayer asks God to forgive us in the same way that we forgive. When we think about our track record for forgiving, is this really what we want? How miserable it would be if God said that he would have to Like us on Facebook
think about whether to forgive us. Additionally, I am personally glad that God forgives my sins, and does not remember them again.
This is a high bar to reach. We need to forgive others to improve our own life. When we forgive others, bitterness and resentment cannot take root in our hearts. This brings a greater sense of peace.
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember As we forgive, we leave the wrong their sins no more. (Hebrews in our past. It should only be 8:12, NIV) remembered to make us wiser. Rolla Presbyterian Manor
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OK, continued from page 3
Ten years before, when I’d had the luxury of a severance payout after a job ended, friends had urged me to pursue a hobby. I did: I joined a writing workshop. This led to writing books, which while new for me, was still safely in my comfort zone. Live dangerously, I told myself. I handed over my credit card, shopped a craft store and armed with acrylic paints and nervous trepidation, showed up. Believing in a smidge of talent The first thing I learned was to forget anything I thought I knew about art. That wasn’t hard, because despite years of visits to the Met, I still mistook Monet for Manet.
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Community Matters August 2018
I discovered that if I wanted to sketch, I had to hold the pencil high up in its middle, not toward the point, and that when I was trying to copy a face—like newpainter 43, I was determined to create portraits—I should view the photograph I was copying as shapes and shadows, not actual features. Those weren’t nostrils, just spots, and they were purplish, not black. On and on the instruction went, as I tried to process information in an entirely new way. My teacher needed to repeat his suggestions to me early and often, but praised my color sense and encouraged me to think that I had a smidge of talent. The technical definition for smidge — on a scale
of one to 10—is probably about 2.5. Rejuvenation, not perfection So often in life, we’re urged to practice until we reach perfection. Don’t even think about playing bridge or dancing the tango unless you can take the time to do it right. But in many cases, dipping a toe in alien waters is rejuvenating all on its own. Without aspirations of greatness, you may still exercise a different part of your brain, break out of constricting stereotypes or simply re-introduce yourself to an activity you were forced to abandon in seventh grade because you thought you might like the cello better. Like us on Facebook