Hilltowns Senior News for Sunday, March 5, 2017
“I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows...” I love that old song, but do I believe it? I know that I believe in the law of gravity, but that’s not the same kind of belief, or is it? Gravity is based on science, and I believe that science is truth. Of course, there are also quite a few things that science hasn’t been able to untangle yet.
Studies have repeatedly shown that we tend to believe facts and studies that confirm what we already believed before we read the studies. We look for, and find, the evidence we need to prove our position, or justify our prejudices.
People who believe in the medicine they take usually get better, even if the “medicine” was a sugar pill. Voodoo curses can kill, especially if you believe they can.
Prayer is said to be able to bring about changes, but so are magic and spells, for those who believe in them. Any number of social movements have succeeded because people believed they could change the world, and acted accordingly.
Mahatma Gandhi’s desire to free India from British rule became a reality because enough people believed in it, and put their lives on the line for that belief. In a sense, wars are as much a test of beliefs as of fire power. That’s why it’s so hard to fight against true believers, regardless of what philosophy they espouse.
I was told recently that the internal competition within a group I belong to would never be resolved. It has been going on for years, and has become entrenched. The two sides do seem sometimes to be shooting at one another from trenches, just like in World War I. I believe that this condition can be changed. If I can get enough other people to believe it, I believe it will change.
Beliefs can work the opposite way as well. The Holocaust and the Inquisition are ample proof. People sincerely believed that they were making the world better through their actions. I believe they were wrong, but even today, not everybody agrees with me.
The song “I Believe” was commissioned by television star Jane Froman in 1952, to counteract the hopelessness she felt about the Korean War, occurring so soon after World War II. I believe its sentiments are true even if they aren’t.
As a result of this infirmity, “impossible” is not a word in my usual vocabulary. To me, “impossible” just denotes something that hasn’t been done yet. I am backed up by Lewis Carroll’s White Queen, whose reply to Alice’s “I can’t believe that!” was “‘Can’t you?’ the Queen said in a pitying tone. ‘Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.’
“Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said: ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’
“‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’”
Maybe if we all take that half-hour, we can change the world.
Coming up
March is American Red Cross Month, International Expect Success Month , National Ethics Awareness Month, and Optimism Month. The coming week is National Sleep Awareness Week, National Words Matter Week, and Return The Borrowed Books Week. National Absinthe Day is the 5th; Fun Facts About Names Dayis the 6th. Cereal Day and Peace Corps Day are both on the 7th, and the 8th is Discover What Your Name Means Day.
The 8th is also National Peanut Cluster Day and Registered Dietitian Day; do you think that was intentional? The 9th is Panic Day, and Get Over It Day. International Bagpipe Day and the International Day of Awesomeness on the 10th is followed by Johnny Appleseed Day and Genealogy Day on the 11th.
The senior shopping bus will make its next trips to Walmart and Whole Foods on March 8 and March 22, 2017. Call CDTA at 437-5161 two days in advance to arrange for pickup.
Need some legal advice? Appointments with attorneys from the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York can be scheduled at the Knox Town Hall by calling Pat Lightbody at 872-9400.
Cooperative Extension has free water test kits available. No outside labs or special fussing; you can do the test at home. The main number at Co-op is 765-3500.
The Hilltown Seniors are sponsoring a trip to the Culinary Institute of America and the Vanderbilt Mansion on April 5th. Cost is $50 for members, and $70 for non-members. The trip includes a lunch of antipasto, Italian Roasted Chicken (Petto di Pollo Alla Salvia), Glazed Carrots, Chocolate Lava Cake (Tortino di Cioccolato), and coffee or tea at the renowned Caterina de' Medici restaurant. Shirley Slingerland is taking reservations at 797-3467.
The Hilltown Seniors next meeting will be March 11th at the Berne Reformed Church on Helderberg Trail. Lunch will be Corned Beef and Cabbage, at a subsidized cost of $5 per person. Call Shirley at 797-3467 to register.
On March 9th, Helderberg Senior Services lunchers will be taking off for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The only charge is admission to the museum, for $13.50 per person. We will stop for lunch, which you can purchase on you own if you choose, or brown bag it from home.
Last week I went to the Hilltowns Community Resource Center’s marvelous Thursday lunch. What a feast! Pastor Chris Allen and her dedicated helpers put on a buffet worthy of many excellent restaurants.
Lunches are served at Noon on the second and fourth Thursdays in March (the 9th and 23rd). March 9th will be sandwiches, salad, cream of broccoli or split pea soup, and dessert. On the 23rd, there will be a German dinner of Sausage & Sauerkraut.
There is no charge; only your free-will offering. Lunch is followed by an hour of Bingo. The Resource Center is located at the Reformed Church at 566 Route 143 in downtown Westerlo. Call Mary Beth at 797-5256 for more info. They also have a food pantry on site; donate or take what you need.
I am told that the first and third Thursdays’ lunch is covered by the South Westerlo Congregational Christian Church at 282 Albany County Route 405, and that pizza if regularly on the menu. Call Pastor Will Balta at 966-5094 to be sure, or email to:
The Crafty Crafters will be making etched flower vases, and flowers to go with them, on Monday, March 13th, at the Knox Town Hall. Class starts at 1 PM; call Pat Lightbody at 872-9400 for reservations.
The Rensselaerville Senior Citizens’ Club is scheduled to meet on March 14th at noon for lunch at the Medusa firehouse (28 Route 351, Medusa). Bring a dish to share, and eating utensils; coffee and tea are provided. The cost is one dollar.
Menu
The Helderberg menu for next week is:
— Monday: Sweet and sour chicken, Asian vegetables, rice, wheat bread, pineapple chunks, milk;
— Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles, Brussels sprouts, wheat bread, milk, and birthday cake for all the March birthdays!; and
— Friday: Potato crunch fish, baked sweet potatoes and apples, pineapple juice, rice pilaf, wheat bread, lemon cake, milk.
Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon. We also have transportation to and from lunch! Just tell Linda Hodges when you call with your reservation.
Does your cat fanciers club, doorknob collectors, or Clark Gable fan club need an easy place to meet? Why not meet at the Senior Center? Come have lunch, and then get together with your friends! There’s plenty of space, and the center is open for all of us. We already have games, dominoes, and cards after lunch on Mondays and Tuesdays, so join us!
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance to 872-0940 to reserve lunch, or email her at: , or sign up when you come in. Tell us how many are coming, your name, and your telephone number. If you’d just like to come and help out, call Linda or send an email to , and put “volunteer” in the subject line. Lunches are provided by Helderberg Senior Services, the Albany County Department of Aging, and Senior Services of Albany. The Town of Berne Community and Senior Services Center is located at 1360 Helderberg Trail (Route 443) in Berne.