As Way Opens
On Tuesday, I celebrated 100 days! No, I am not talking about isolation, even though it seems about that long, doesn’t it? I am celebrating 100 days of taking better care of my physical body. It all started just after the new year, when I caught the end of an interview with a doctor on Good Morning America. His last comment went something like this…if you want to get to your ideal weight, I challenge you to 100 days of eating 1000 calories or less, drinking the required daily water, exercising, and making good choices.
If I would have started the day of his challenge, the doctor on GMA said I would be much closer to my “ideal weight” by the Easter Holiday. I quickly opened my phone and looked and 100 days, and, sure enough, it was Easter. I am often leery of gimmicks and weight loss fads, so it took me about 10 more days until I committed to making a change – thus Tuesday, April 21st was my 100 days.
As the son of a former Weight Watcher discussion leader, I have engrained in me all the right things to do and put in place to successfully make it to the 100 days (if I choose to actually do them). I quickly set a goal of losing 25 lbs. by my birthday, Feb. 27th. When I hit that mark about three days before my birthday, I gained some needed confidence. My second goal was to lose 50 lbs. by my two boy’s graduations in May. Currently, I have lost 36 lbs. and am getting closer and closer each day to that 50 lbs. goal.
I will have to say, 100 days ago I wasn’t the only thing looking slightly different. Our world was literally on the verge of a global pandemic that some saw coming, and many more were blindsided by. Life has significantly changed since Jan. 11. Back a hundred days ago, toilet paper was not in high demand, masks were not the fashion rage, and most of us were not even sure how to spell quarantine. When I set out to complete my 100 day challenge, I had thought how great it would be when I reached that mark that I could buy myself some new Easter clothing. Never in my wildest dreams, did I think I would be standing in front of a teleprompter and video equipment in an empty Meetinghouse recording an Easter message in old clothes that were beginning to hang loose on me.
All this has had me thinking about the next 100 days – which the calendar says will be August 1st. 100 days ago, I had assumed a completely different situation for today, yet it did not change the goals I set. I could have let the pandemic send me back to bad eating habits, less exercise, and even a sense of defeat from a personal and ministry standpoint, but I refused to let it knock me off track. Don’t get me wrong, the temptations have been intense at times, but I have worked hard at finding new ways to embrace a healthier lifestyle and stay focused during this difficult time.
So today I want to be the doctor that challenges you. What do you want to see happen different in your life in the next 100 days? Again, we don’t know what it will be like on August 1st but that doesn’t mean that we allow this pandemic to defeat us. This may be the most opportune time to work on ourselves. Take a moment this week to set some goals (mental, physical, spiritual) and use the next 100 days as a marker. Maybe by then we will be back together, and we can share all the good things that have blossomed in our lives from this unprecedented time.
Grace and peace,
Bob
Joys & Concerns
Another shout-out to the FF volunteers who have braved the coronavirus to help out at the Mid North Food Pantry. Volunteers included: David B, Phil G, Kathy and Bill F, Virginia, Melanie, and Derek S, Linda and Rik L, and Carol and Jim D. About 80 families were served. Thanks to Susan R for face masks for our volunteers. Food pantries around the country are being swamped with many new clients needing food. Your help is most appreciated.
Quaker-Affiliated Organizations
Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) -- Update and Appeal for Food Relief
Recently, the RSWR Board met to approve grant funding for twenty new projects in India, Kenya, and Sierra Leone this year. These grants will resource women-led micro-enterprises with great promise for the future of the women, their families, and their communities, empowering them in a sustainable and self-determined way. But our hopeful planning for the future was tempered by the stark reality of the coronavirus pandemic, and the threat it poses to our women partners today. Due to the spreading outbreak and government ordered sheltering-in-place in their countries, these women now cannot work. And without income, they cannot feed themselves or their families. RSWR's field representatives--some of whom worshiped with us here at First Friends last October--have named food relief as the most urgent need at this time. Until the public health crisis passes, food relief is how RSWR can best serve our women partners right now.
To meet this crisis, RSWR has decided to provide a total of $120,000 in food relief to the women who count on us. The Board approved an immediate disbursement of $50 in food relief to each of the RSWR 2019 grant recipients--a modest amount for us in the U.S., but incredibly consequential for them. Then, if we are able to raise sufficient funds over the next month and a half, we hope to disburse a like amount per person to our 2018 grant recipients. Both these groups of grantees were experiencing success in their fledgling businesses until the coronavirus outbreak. Because of our relationship with these women, RSWR is ideally situated to be the conduit for this assistance, with an efficient, reliable way to disburse funds using already established channels.
Please prayerfully consider a donation to RSWR in support of this food relief effort. You can donate by check mailed to RSWR at 101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond, IN 47374, or for more information on how to donate go online to www.rswr.org. All donations labelled "food relief " will go directly to our women partners (please identify your donation in this way). By donating today, you make a better tomorrow possible for them. Thank you.
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Did you miss the premiere of our past Sunday Meeting for Worship? Watch it ANYTIME at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39H6Ni4W5VA. We hope you had a wonderful and safe Sunday! Keep an eye out in your email for details soon on the coming Sunday’s virtual service!
Calling all members and attenders! Please don’t forget to complete the Clerks’ Survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ffmeeting by this coming Sunday. Now’s your chance to tell Clerks’ Council what’s working for you (and areas of improvement) as we seek your feedback on everything from Meeting for Worship to our Christian Education programs. The survey only takes a few minutes. We appreciate your responses!
Join us for Unprogrammed Worship by Zoom! We are now gathering for unprogrammed worship on Mondays and Wednesdays by Zoom. On Mondays, you can join us at 12:15, and on Wednesdays, log on with us at 6:45pm. We’ll spend 15 minutes to share joys and concerns and then have our hour-long worship. Many thanks to Kathy R, who is hosting this worship. To join the Zoom worship please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org for the Zoom meeting info.
Prioritizing the Climate and Clean Energy Jobs as We Rebuild Our Economy ~ All are invited to this virtual town hall meeting with candidates for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. In this nonpartisan forum, candidates will share their proposed solutions for addressing climate change and creating clean energy jobs in Indiana. All are invited to join for this free online event, hosted by Citizens’ Climate Lobby. It is being held today, Wednesday, April 22 at 7:00pm. For more information and to register, please visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtdemrqTIpl-PUjv5O9LxoeQkGMK5RKg.
Family Safety Plans & The COVID-19 Pandemic ~ Here are some family resources for this time. Click here for a guide to help parents and caregivers learn more and create plans for children in the event that parents or caregivers are unable to care for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Download a Parental Power of Attorney document here. For a Standby Guardianship document for single parents, click here. For a Standby Guardianship document for two-parent homes, click here.
Free Grief Support Livestream ~ Are you struggling through this pandemic? David Kessler is offering free support livestreams on Facebook daily at 1pm. David Kessler is one of the most well-known experts and lecturers on death and grieving today, reaching hundreds of thousands of people through his books. David has helped thousands of men, women and children face life and death with peace, dignity and courage. His experiences have taken him from Auschwitz concentration camp to Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying Destitute in Calcutta. His services have been used by Elizabeth Taylor, Jamie Lee Curtis and Marianne Williamson when their loved ones faced life-challenging illnesses. If you’re interested in joining the livestream, find more information at https://grief.com/meet-david-kessler/.
Join us from virtually anywhere in the world as the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club discusses Born A Crime, by Trevor Noah on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.(from Goodreads) Ruth Kelly will be leading the discussion via Zoom Meeting starting at 7 pm. If you’d like to receive the Oak Leaf email or would like the Zoom meeting information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. We will send an email out about 5 minutes before meeting starts so you have the Zoom link at the top of your email. Be sure to check in with each other, today and every day!
Garden Essentials To-Do List
Happy Earth Day to everyone! May we all work to keep our planet Earth happy and healthy. Community gardeners and home gardeners have time to:
weed now before roots grow stronger and longer
enrich the soil since it is the foundation of an organic garden. Good organic soil will help deter pests and disease in addition to growing healthy plants. Use appropriate mixes of soil and compost. You can purchase organic soil for raised beds.
plan garden layout and spacing for seeds and seedlings. Consider such things as companion planting; later season crops; marigolds and zinnias for beauty and to ward off nematodes; and rotating crops between beds. This may mean thinking about season to season goals.
Doing these things now will pay off later by delivering a better garden and delicious food.
Dishwasher free to a good home! Jeff R has a 10-year old dish-washing machine he is happy to give to anyone in the Meeting or anyone connected to the Meeting that can use it. It works well, but they are remodeling and are replacing it. Jeff does not have a truck so if you are interested, you would need to arrange pickup. If you’re interested, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org
Material Aid / Food Pantry Fundraisers ~ This is the time of year that First Friends has held its fundraiser for the Mid North Food Pantry. You may have seen this in last week’s Friend to Friend newsletter. The food pantry is busier than ever and needs the financial support that First Friends has provided in the past. There’s also another area of help that we need to address...the First Friends’ Material Aid Fund. This is a fund that is used to provide emergency assistance to members and longtime attenders of First Friends. Due to the limited amount in this fund, the assistance provided is not on-going but rather for one-time emergency needs...rental assistance, a utility bill, a new tire, etc. This fund has historically maintained a balance of $3,000 – $4,000 but, due to several recent needs, is now down to a few hundred dollars.
Many folks at First Friends are not aware of the existence of the Material Aid Fund. This is understandable since distributions from this fund are not publicized. Given the current coronavirus situation, the need for both the pantry and the Material Aid Fund are expected to substantially increase. Your help is needed. Hopefully, over the next month or so, we will receive “stimulus monies” from the federal government. Some folks will need such monies (and possibly more) for food, rent and other basic living needs. Other folks may have less of a need or no need for such monies. Please consider donating some or all of such monies that you may not need to these outreach endeavors. With your help, the pantry will be able to provide food for the needy and the Material Aid Fund will be available for our neediest members. Checks can be written to First Friends with a notation of how you would like your contribution split between the 2 funds...50% FP/50% MA or however you are led. You can also give by text! Simply text the keyword and amount you’d like to donate to 317-768-0303. Use keyword “material” for the Material Aid fund or “pantry” for the Mid-North Food Pantry. Thanks for your consideration.
Reduce Your Use! ~ This week try limiting your single-use plastics. Plastic is everywhere. Grocery stores shelves are filled with containers made of it (on a normal day) and when you check out, bags are made of it. Restaurants pass out straws and to-go containers made of it. Plastic water bottles are convenient at events (remember those?) and when you’re thirsty on-the-go. Then maybe worst of all, it litters our streets and sidewalks and eventually makes its way to our waterways. Try buying or making your own reusable grocery bags and store them in your trunk, rather than going for the plastic bags at check-out. Refill your water bottle and take it with you on your daily walk, rather than grabbing a disposable one. Use your own utensils at home and request that restaurants don’t include plastic straws and utensils with your takeout meal. The less plastic we use, the less likely it is to make its way where it shouldn’t.
Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for April
White-throated Sparrow: Same Song, But with Different Words
In the hymnals we use during worship there are hymn texts that can be sung to different melodies. The carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is sung to at least three different tunes. The reverse is also true. A single melody may be used with different hymn texts. Such is also the case with this month’s sparrow.
Birders often put words to the notes of a birdsong to help learners remember to which species that song belongs. For the white-throated sparrow we say, “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” (It helps if you listen to the song on the internet.) That Old Sam phrase is not universal, however. If you are a Canadian birder, you will claim the lyrics to be, “Oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada.” It fits just as well.
The white-throated sparrow visits our woods anytime from mid-March to mid-May on its way northward, and may appear again in the fall on its way southward. I had hoped to see one here this spring, and one day recently I was along Parker Street near the north end of the white fence. I saw a bird dart into a bush across Parker Street, and it suddenly popped up, and there it was: a white-throated sparrow in full sunlight. I could see the black and white stripes on the head, the white throat, and the yellow lores. Although this bird was silent, at that same moment I heard a song from far to the east near the Meditational Woods: “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” There were two individuals visiting at one time. In my mind I heard the Old Sam lyrics, but in the spirit of international understanding, you are welcome to use the Canadian lyrics if you choose to do so. ~Brad J
New Ways to Support First Friends! As we all learn to navigate this new world of social distancing together, we are happy to share new and easier ways you can continue to support the Meeting while stuck at home! First Friends now accepts online giving. Please visit www.indyfriends.org/support for more information or to give. You can now also make donations by text! Simply text GIVE to 317-768-0303 to sign up. Once you enter your payment method via a secure online portal, you can give any time instantaneously by simply sending a text! No more writing checks or driving to the post office—you can give anytime from the safety of your own home! If you have questions or would like to be walked through how to do it, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or call 317-255-2485. Thank you for supporting First Friends, especially during these times!
How to Vote in the Indiana Primary Election 2020 ~ This year, voting in Indiana's Primary Election may be difficult. The Primary election date has been changed, and, because of health risks, many people won’t want to go vote at the polls. It’s likely that there will be fewer physical polling places than there have been in past elections. It is important that all Hoosiers vote in the June 2 Indiana Primary Election. Indiana Vote by Mail wanted to inform you about how you can easily vote with an Absentee Ballot (but don’t worry, absentee ballots do not cause voter fraud).
Important Things to Know:
Governor Holcomb has made it possible for everybody to vote by Absentee Ballot. But, you must first complete an Absentee Ballot Application. This application must be returned by May 21 by 11:59 pm. This application is good for any county in Indiana, just check for the return mailing address for each county on page 2 of the application.
The Indiana Primary Election has been moved to June 2, 2020. Voter Registration deadline for the June 2 Primary is Monday, May 4. To confirm you are registered to vote or to register to vote, visit https://indianavoters.in.gov/
Once your Absentee Ballot Application is received and processed, you will be sent an Absentee Ballot. Your Absentee Ballot is due June 2 (Election Day) at Noon.
We need your help educating others about voting by Absentee Ballot. Please make this educational campaign go viral by emailing this message to everyone (friends, family, colleagues, associates in your religious, social or other groups) to spread the word. It is unlikely that Indiana will be able to spend money to educate the public.
It is important we all vote in the upcoming Primary Election, so that our voices are heard.
Find instructions for how to complete the primary ballot application: https://bit.ly/2Kdijzv
And also find the Application for the 2020 Absentee Ballot for the Primary Election: https://bit.ly/3b6airQ
Overcoming Darkness through Poetry and Dance
All women are invited to attend a gathering on Overcoming Darkness through Poetry and Dance from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 3rd through Zoom. We intend to de-stress by shedding the toxicity of these unprecedented pandemic times. As we spend time together virtually, we will shine our light into the darkness. We will learn how to delve into our inner selves by using blackout and highlighter poetry. The whole idea is to free up one’s Muse. No need to be professional or perfect. One doesn’t even need to be a poet. This will be a safe place to exorcise one’s hidden demons, express gratitude or develop whatever each individual feels led to create. It need not be shared unless one wishes to do so.
First we will eat together virtually (BYOBrunch). Nancy S. will discuss the logistics of the workshop.
Then we will hear poems written by women from Meeting, including Linda L., Leslie K. and Nancy S. (The last article mistakenly said Amy P. would have a poem. She will dance after someone else’s poem is read.)
After some of these readings Nichole M. and Amy P. will use interpretive dance and their own personally chosen music to inspire us. We may have some physical movement exercises to help loosen us up.
Nancy will explain the process of creating blackout poetry in which a person blacks out all unwanted words from pages of books, magazines or newspapers so that the remaining words create a poem. In highlighter poetry the person uses a marker to highlight the words that appeal and creates a poem by using only those words selected. In both techniques one goes from start to finish using the chosen words in the same order in which they were found. Mary Ellen L., Michelle T., Naomi W. and Nancy will show examples of ways they have enhanced their poems through the use of stickers, stencils, shapes, drawings, textures and colors.
The workshop is a free-spirited exercise open to a broad range of interpretation and opinions. Bring your preferred media and printed materials. Be sure to have a dark marker or instrument for blackout poetry and a yellow or light marker or tool for highlighter poetry. You may want glue, scissors, stencils, stickers, chalk, pastels, paint, pencils, colored pencils, an eraser, glitter, pens, etc. You may prefer to put your ordered words on a separate piece of paper—or not. You may wish to have construction, plain or lined papers on hand. Some people cut the pages and or words and pictures out of the printed source. It is your choice. Think ahead about your workspace so you can create, communicate and watch via Zoom. The main materials required are paper, printed source, marker and decorative materials.
Come join in the fun and creativity. Our creations may be dark, light-hearted or funny. Who knows? You reap what you sow in this gathering. You may find out what you did not know about yourself. We will reflect and overcome some of our pandemic-imposed isolation!
Queries for the Week
(From self-led worship)
What are the places that enable me to bring into focus the Light at the heart of life?
How is nature speaking to my condition and inspiring me to be a better steward of the Earth?
Who through this worship experience have I felt more connected to? How might I let them know?
(From virtual service)
Looking at the landscapes of my life, what have I been missing?
As I center down and quiet my life, what life-noise do I recognize interrupting my experience of the Divine?