March 2002 Newsletter

AVISION OF CHURCH

Remember our church's Vision Retreat last September? Many of attended and worked hard to name those qualities about our church that make us who we are. From those words and imaged of First Congregational UCC, a committee of six has prepared a Vision Statement for our faith community. This statement does not speak of our mission (that which we seek to do) but of our vision - that which we seek to be. A vision statement helps us imagine ourselves into the future. It holds us accountable as it leads us prophetically. In this season of planning for a new building - and as we continue for now as a growing community on Merri-mon Avenue - we need clearly to see and follow our vision.

Stephen Wolfe, Ted and Hazel Schoonmaker, Penny Stokes, Joe Hoffman and I worked together on this statement. We invite you to read this communal vision carefully and look for ways in which it matches your personal vision. Here is what we offer:

First Congregational UCC is a progressive Christian community seeking to be a passionate and compassionate presence in the Asheville area. We commit ourselves to honoring questions of faith, nurturing spiritual growth, embracing the wealth of diversity, and living as advocates of justice and peace.

In worship on the first two Sundays of March, we will invite your written comments on the statement. We'll be asking the following questions:
1) What primary theme does the statement suggest to you? How do you see that theme lived out in our faith community?
2) What word or phrase seems most important to you? Why?
3) In what ways does this vision lead us forward?
4) What other thoughts about the statement do you have?

If you will not be in worship in early March, please mail us your response to these questions by mid-March. We need to hear from you - we are a part of the vision!

Dorri Sherrill

ABOUT OUR WEB PAGE
If you would like to post information to the web site, please send an email containing your post to the Webmaster rick-b@charter.net. For lengthy postings, please send it as an MS attachment for Windows and please include contact information. Want to check out our Website? Here's how: www.uccasheville.org.

APRIL NEWSLETTER
Walt Damtoft will be editing the April Newsletter. Hand, or deliver, articles to him personally or contact him by email at Wdamtoft@buncombe.main.nc.us. Deadline for the News-letter is March 18th. Don't be late!

SHELTER MEALS
Sarah Burnette and the ladies who help prepare the shelter meal on the 4th Wednesday of each month have been given a different assignment. Instead of taking the food they pre-pare to ABCCM on Thursday morning, they now take their lunch fare to the 40+ ladies at the shelter on Hillside Street. Just thought you might like to know.

Regular Sunday Schedule
8:30am-Early Worship Service
9:30am-Sunday School for All Ages
10:25am-Choir Rehearsal
11:00am-Second Worship Service
12N - Hospitality Hour

THE BUILDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
The Building Committee has several things to report to the congregation. First, 59 people returned their surveys to be analyzed. We have received additional surveys and will con-tinue to collect surveys as long as you will furnish them. Your feedback and ideas are important to us. If you couldn't com-plete the survey by the deadline, please know that if you fill it out, we will take it. There were 13 completed surveys from children and we thank them for their participation.

Second, the results of 57 surveys representing 88 people of ages ranging from under 5 to over 70 have been compiled.

The results show that we are overwhelmingly committed to building a new facility and backing that commitment with our financial support. It is also clear that we want a facility that is in tune with nature and is environmentally sound in all as-pects. There are other results which are not as obvious and may require more discussion to clarify. For example, only one person felt that fellowship was part of church's mission, yet when asked, "What is the most important thing about our con-gregation," friendship was the most frequent response. There are many more items that raise questions when comparing the "importance rankings" with the "participation" questions. We hope that you will review the survey results and give us your feedback and interpretation of the data. The full results will be made available to you on the web site and on the Building Committee bulletin board (see below for more details). You can also check them out from the building committee library.

Third, we will be converting the "journey" bulletin board into a "building up-date" bulletin board. Look for the survey results, a topographical map of the site, a suggestion box and much more.

Fourth, while keeping the building committee library in the narthex is not ideal, we cannot think of a better (or safer) place to keep this information. So for the time being the library will remain in the narthex. Please take advantage of the informa-tion provided.

Fifth, we would like to thank all of you for your participa-tion in the forums that were held Feb. 10 and 17. Many excel-lent ideas were expressed and we are sure there is more to come. So let your creative juices flow, let us know about your ideas and stay open minded.

And lastly, you can email photographs of churches, sanctu-aries, playgrounds, educational rooms and the like to Kelley Wolfe at WOLFE746@aol.com. If you have regular photo-graphs of something you would like to share, give it to any member of the committee and remember to write your name on the photo so we can return it to you.

There are many creative people in our congregation; by working together we can create a reverent, simple, affordable church that is inviting and expresses our dedication to working for social justice.

LENTEN DINNER AND PROGRAM
Our Lenten series continues on Wednesday evenings through March 20. We gather for a simple meal from 6-6:30pm, then have a program from 6:30-7:15pm. Childcare is provided.

Our theme this year is Spiritual Practices: Nurturing our faith and our community life. We have begun with the notion of sabbath keeping. It has become a forgotten practice for many of us. But sabbath keeping calls us to remember that God's creation is good, and that it is good for us to take time to enjoy what God has made. It also changes the way we see the rest of life. And as such, it begins to shape and trans-form the way we understand community.

We will continue our conversations as we talk about other spiritual practices that help to nurture and sustain our lives. On Wednesday, March 6, Martha Are will share her story of working with and advocating for the most vulnerable members of our society. She will talk about how this is ac-tually part of her practice of nurturing her faith. It will also help us understand how such practices support com-munity life.

No reservation is needed. Just come and join us if you can.

SOUPER BOWL OFFERING
Thank you for helping the Adventures raise $100 on Super Bowl Sunday. This money will now be used to provide meals for homeless campers in our community. Instead of fixing a meal at a shelter, the Adventures group has chosen to fix up bags that Hospitality House can distribute to folks who need them.

We have $100 - but we want you to help us some more!

On the 2nd Sunday of March, our usual ABCCM food drive Sunday, we ask you to bring these types of items to worship. The Adventures group will take what you bring, plus purchase what they can with the money you have do-nated, and make up as many camper bags as possible.

Each Camper Bag contains one main course, one fruit, one drink, one snack, and one dessert. Below are examples for each category. Items need to be in pop-top cans, and should not need to be heated prior to eating.

Main Courses: Tuna, Potted Meat, Chicken, Chef Boyardee Ravioli, Soups that don't need water, Beanie Weenies, Vienna Sausages.
Fruits: Raisins, Fruit Salad, Applesauce
Drinks: Water, Soda, Juice, Canned Tea
Snack: Crackers, Chips, Breakfast Bars, Peanuts, Trail Mix, Granola Bars
Dessert: Little Debbies, Cookies, Pudding.

FROM YOUR PASTOR
The Board of Deacons and the Hospitality Committee are trying very hard to find ways to stay in touch with all our members and to offer care when that is possible. In order to do our work well, we also need your help.

If you are in the hospital, or you have a need that we can respond to, please be sure to call the church office 252-8729 and/or your deacon. If you do not yet know who your deacon is, you will very soon . If you do not call us, most of the time we will not know there is a need. We want to help with our prayers, with meals, and with other forms of caring. We are not sure what all those forms of caring might be. So we need your input. As you find yourself needing some help, please give us a call.

The Hospitality Committee will be coordinating food ef- forts to help our members and friends. Please call Melissa Robinson at 689-8805 if you are willing to help provide meals when a need arises. The Deacons will initiate other forms of caring.

As our congregation grows, and as our needs change we hope you will help us find the best ways to care for each other. Thank you for your support.

NEW PIANO FILLS SANCTUARY WITH GLORIOUS MUSIC
The Music Committee is pleased to announce that we now have a new piano in the church sanctuary. The rapidly deteri-orating condition of the previous instrument created the need to get approval to use money from the organ fund in order to purchase a new piano. We thank Betty Prentice for her gener-osity and flexibility. The new instrument is a beautiful Yamaha with a rich, full tone and a responsive touch. Word
has it that Anita is delighted. And the choir sounds better than ever! Please note that in order to minimize wear and tear on the new piano, it will remain locked when not being used in rehearsals and services.

Church of the Advocate
Music CD Available
The Church of the Advocate is an Asheville church with a membership made up primarily of homeless people. Over the years that the Church of the Advocate has been gathering, they have been blessed with incredible musical talents from the membership. The Church wanted to share their blessings with others in our community, so a new CD, Peace of the Road, is now available. The CD contains vocal and instrumental songs performed by members of the Asheville homeless community.
The CD costs $15, and half of the proceeds go directly to the homeless artists who participated in the recording of the CD. The other funds will be donated to Hospitality House. Copies of the CD are available at Accent on Books, All Souls Cathe-dral, and at Hospitality House. For more information call Martha Are at 256-1695

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
We continue to have new members join our congregation. In recent months we have welcomed these new friends:

Richard Blomgren, Tami Pearson, and Wynn Barringer joined our congregation in December. Tami and Wynn have been coming to our church for 3 years. She met Richard along the way on a blind date, and they eloped 3 months later! Tami grew up in Hendersonville, went to college in Tennessee, and completed her PhD in nursing at the University of South Caro-lina. She enjoys hiking, cooking, reading, and trying to keep up with Richard, Wynn, and their three dogs.

Wynn is a 5th grader at the Key Center at Carolina Day, and enjoys playing soccer and fishing.

Richard is the Dean of Admissions at Warren Wilson College. He has worked in higher education for over 20 years as both a faculty member and administrator. His resume includes a lot of work with theatre, including chairing the Department of Theatre at Stephens College. He was born in Los Angeles, grew up near Disneyland, went to college in Missouri and Pennsylvania. Richard now volunteers at Project Steam, and is on the board for Project Steam and the Dianna Wortham Theatre.

The family resides at 30 Glen Falls Rd, Asheville, NC, 28804, phone 253-7245.

Also joining in December was Tamani Love and her two children Mekihia Wilson and Dale Lee Wilson. Tamani re-located to Asheville to have an opportunity to work as Pro-gram Associate for her aunt (Aubra Love) at the Black Church and Domestic Violence Institute. She likes to take walks, cook, and read all kinds of literature.

Mekihia is 5 and attends Haw Creek Elementary School. Dale is 4 and attends the Asheville Day Nursery.

The Loves reside at 4 Avon Road, Asheville, NC, 28805, phone 299-4209.

Carol Downey joined our congregation on Sunday, Feb. 24. She transfers her membership from the Parkway UCC in Win-ston-Salem.

She calls herself a "born-again Ashevillian", having just re-turned to the place where she was born, grew up, and never stopped calling home. She has lived and worked in Winston-Salem for the past 30 years in the field of social services. For 10 yearsshe was social work supervisor in the Family and Children's Services Division in Forsyth county working with adoptions. Another 10 years she worked in foster home find-ing and 8 years in the Child Protective Treatment Unit. Carol retired in 1998, at which time she began working part time with the Food Bank and with geriatric services.
Now she is taking time to play. She enjoys writing and photography, along with other creative ventures. She has two children - Alyson, age 27, lives in Charlotte and is studying to become a massage therapist. And Stefanie, age 26, lives in St. Augustine, Florida, where she and her husband Nick are ex-pecting their first child - Carol's first grand baby!

Carol's address: 37 Wilburn Placer, Asheville, NC, 28806 and her phone number is 236-3950.

SHE WHO IS
By Elizabeth Jordan

Have you ever wondered…
why our church uses inclusive language for God?
if other language for God, such as feminine language, is helpful, hurtful, or heretical:
whether the idea of "trinity" has relevance for us
today?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might enjoy She Who Is by Elizabeth Johnson. First published in 1992, this book quickly became a "classic" in feminist the-ology, and a must-read for anyone interested in expanding his or her views of God. Johnson critiques and challenges tradi-tional theology, while claiming her place firmly in the Chris-
tian tradition. In contrast to the patriarchal and hierarchical views of God presented by traditional theology, Johnson of-fers a vision of community, relationship, and reciprocity. Her goal is to transform and liberate our society and churches, and to heal our relationships with others, the earth, and God.

Johnson begins with a discussion of how we ought to speak about God. All language for God is metaphorical; no single name, image, or word can sufficiently describe God. Lang-uage about God is also cultural, reflecting the needs of people in a particular time and place. The words and metaphors we use for God therefore must be varied, inclusive of all human experience, and open to change.

Johnson sees two main problems with the exclusive use of language for God: it is both "humanly oppressive and re- ligiously idolatrous" (p 18). It is oppressive because it tells woman that they do not share the same commonalities with God that men share, and because it establishes and maintains a patriarchal system of hierarchy that keeps women subordi-nated. It is idolatrous because it utilizes only one main system of metaphors to the exclusion of others, declaring that other metaphors are inappropriate; this limits our understanding and experience of God. Therefore exclusive use of male language is not only damaging to women, but it is also harmful to men.

Johnson works to find metaphors in scripture that have been ignored or even suppressed - metaphors that are more inclu- sive and liberating. She finds such a metaphor in the female image of Sophia/Wisdom. The biblical figure of Wisdom,
Sophia, is the 'most developed personification of God's pre-sence and activity in the Hebrew Scriptures (p87). Sophia is found in Proverbs, as well as in several apocryphal texts. Sophia is referred to as the one who: gives life, proclaims justice, was involved in the creation of the world, is the breath of God, and "pitches her tent and dwells among the people" (p89). Sophia is not a separate god or goddess, but the spirit of God at work in the world. In fact, the attributes accorded to Sophia/Wisdom are so broad that all three elements of the trinity can be seen as Sophia.

Through the use of this Old Testament representation of Sophia, Johnson attempts to reconstruct our view of the trin-ity by using new metaphors for each aspect of the trinity and suggesting an alternative way to envision the triune God. She starts with the Holy Spirit, which she calls Spirit-Sophia. This is the opposite of where most traditional theologians begin. Classical theology has usually presented the trinity as Father-Son-Spirit, with both the Son and Spirit coming from the Father. Although church tradition has denied that there is a hierarchy involved in the trinity, this formulation and these titles have an inherent hierarchical slant. By starting with Spirit, Johnson attempts to upend the hierarchy of relation-ships, both in God and among humans.

Johnson then moves to study Jesus-Sophia. According to scripture, "Jesus is a genuine Spirit-phenomenon, conceived, inspired, sent, hovered over, guided, and risen from the dead by her power" (p150). Through Jesus the Spirit of God dwells among humanity. Johnson's connection of the feminine Sophia with the male Jesus is crucial because in recent years the church has identified Jesus' divinity with only one characteristic of his humanity - his maleness. Not only has Jesus" maleness led some to believe that God is male, but it has resulted in the belief that special honor and dignity "accrues to the male sex because it was chosen…for the en-fleshment of incarnation" (p152). However, this is not how Christianity has always seen Jesus. Johnson quotes Anselm, an early church theologian, and Julian of Norwich, a 14th cen-tury mystic, both of whom refer to Jesus as Mother. Also, Jesus' ministry is inconsistent with the elevation of the male gender, for he often interacted with women in respectful, em-powering, and liberating ways.

Johnson at last turns to the one she calls Mother-Sophia, the Creator God who brought the world into being. Humanly speaking, it takes both male and female to create life, so both images are appropriate in speaking of God as Creator. However, mother imagery is perhaps even more appropriate because it is women who "bear, nourish, and deliver new persons into life" (p171). Making room within one's self for new life is a female experience; therefore, utilizing mother images for God provides a much clearer understanding of God and God's working in the world.

All of this is crucial, according to Johnson, because it affects how we see Jesus' actions on the cross. According to Johnson, it was Jesus' message of liberty for the oppressed that got him killed. She states emphatically that Jesus' death was not required by God as payment for our sin, for God is not "an angry, bloodthirsty, violent and sadistic father" (p158). Jesus' death was not ordained by God, but was "an act of viol-ence brought about by threatened human men" (p158). Instead of seeing the cross as a sign of God's demand for a sacrifice, the cross is a symbol of God's solidarity with those who suffer. It is also a reminder of what can happen when we proclaim that the oppressed should be set free.

Few in our congregation would agree with Johnson's the-ology entirely. Plus, it is important to note that some of her interpretations and extrapolations, like Sophia/Wisdom, are quite controversial. However, Elizabeth Johnson provides some alternatives to traditional theology that are challenging, thought-provoking, and empowering. Even if you end up dis-agreeing with her primary suppositions, wrestling with her theology is well worth the time. If you wrestle with this particular angel, you may walk away with a limp, but you will most definitely receive your blessing.

Reviewed by Cindy Maddox

NEW ADULT CLASSES BEGIN MARCH 3rd

Celebrating Peace - led by Anna Matheson
This class will give people an opportunity to explore the meaning and art of peacemaking with their whole selves (mind, body, heart, and spirit). Rooted in prayer and scripture, the classes will include movement, storytelling, and stillness. Participants will always be encouraged to follow their own body wisdom to determine their comfort level for movement.

Bible Study - led by David Nash and Emily Townes
This class will continue the energy stirred by the recent class on Marcus Borg's book Reading the Bible Again for the First Time. Emily and David will utilize Borg's "historical-meta-phorical approach" in helping us study select passages from the prophets.

Our Christian Action and Christian Education Committees are working together to offer a class in the coming months on living in the global community. Watch your newsletter and bulletin for updates.

Choir Rehearsal Schedule February - March, 2002

Wed, Feb 13 (Ash Wednesday) - Choir Rehearsal from 6:00 to 6:45 pm (Service at 7:00pm)
Wednesday, Feb20 thru March 27 - Choir Rehearsals will start at 7:30pm and run until 8:45 or 9:00pm Sunday mornings, Feb 9 thru March 24 - Choir Rehearsal at 10:25am, sing at 11:00am service

PLEASE NOTE: On Sunday March 31 (Easter Sunday) the choir will sing at both the 8:30 and the 11:00am services. (We will decide how early to arrive that morning as the date approaches.)

Many thanks for all your had work and all that you contribute.
Anita

SPECIAL OFFERING SUNDAY MARCH 10 ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
With this Lenten offering, we have the opportunity to offer our individual and congregational support to various ministries in over 70 countries. These ministries include disaster relief, economic development, and health care and social service programs. Our gifts through this offering provide the hope and help that keep individuals and communities working to-gether to transform the quality of their lives. As we give, we also transform the quality of our lives.

CHURCH FLOWERS
If you would like to donate flowers for one of the Sundays this year, please call the church office. Even though many of the Sundays are already spoken for, there are still a number of Sundays when we need donors. If you have already signed up for a particular Sunday and wish to dedicate your flowers in a certain way, call Jo Larsen at the church office and tell her how you want it printed in the bulletin.

YOUR VOICE COUNTS
As new Members-at-Large, we encourage the congregation to tell us of any concerns, suggestions, ideas, etc. relating to the church or church community. This information can be taken to the meetings of the Executive Board and discussed as needed. Please call us if you are interested in voicing your opinion on any matter.
Sandra Hoskin 298-4216
Allen Tarbell 687-9075

HELEN KRICKHAN'S PUNCH RECIPE
(As requested by several members) (Serves 100)
4 - 48 oz bottles cranberry juice
4 - 48 oz cans pineapple juice
3 - liters ginger ale (added later)
4 - large frozen concentrated orange juice
4 - large frozen concentrated lemonade

Mix all of above ingredients, except ginger ale, until well blended. Chill if possible. If not, pour punch into a large punch bowl and add ice to chill the punch.

As soon as you are ready to serve, add one bottle of ginger ale (cold) at a time to the punch. As you refill the bowl, add another cold ginger ale. Repeat to the 3rd bowl of punch.

ONE-SECOND SERMONS
The best things in life aren't things.
If you can't see the bright side, polish the dull side.
Life is a measure to be filled, not a cup to be drained.
The tongue weighs practically nothing, but few can hold it.
Setbacks pave the way for comebacks.
The best way to have the last word is to apologize.
Life is short, pray hard.
When you're green with envy, you're ripe for trouble.
Forbidden fruit creates many jams.

HOSPITALITY

With the start of the new year, the fellowship committee is now led by Melissa Robinson and includes the participation of Sandy Clark, Helen Krickhan, Ruth and Alan Tarbell, Mary Torrence and Susanne Walker Wilson. We are eager to have others join us, so if you are new to the congregation or have a longstanding history here but find yourself ready to serve in a new way, we welcome you. Thanks already to Melissa for such creative, consistent, and delicious leadership in these first two very busy months of this new role.

As we continue to nurture this community with food, friend-ship and fun, LOTS OF THINGS WILL STAY THE SAME:
Helen's punch recipe, where to find the sign-up clipboard for hosting Friendship Time, the traditions of Lenten dinners, co-ordinating meals to one another in times of need and the host-ing of gracious spreads at special occasions. At the same time, MANY THINGS ARE CHANGING TOO. Here are a few of the changes, rooted in feedback from many of you, which we are excited to announce:

Oue Name: In keeping with the heart of our ministry to the church, we have chosen to be called the Hospitality Commit-tee rather than the former name, Fellowship Committee. Our function and commitment to the congregation remain the same just a chance to claim the spiritual charisma that calls us to the ministry of hospitality.

Hospitality Hour: In recent years the traditional "coffee hour" time following the 11am worship, designed to be a time to enjoy one another, greet newcomers, and build community together, has moved from a time of beverages to one of in-creasingly substantial snacks. Some of us enjoy hosting this and offering treats, munchies, or a real spread. Always, the food is welcomed by hungry folks of all ages. However, the complexities that this Friendship Time hosting present have increased as the quantity of the snacks have. Cleanup-vacuuming is often needed after Friendship Time but seems a lot to ask of those who hosted it, chaos as the wee ones hap-pily rush the table, and a seeming hesitancy to want to host (since the bar has been raised higher on the costs, creativity, and time involved) are all factors that have led our committee to a decision to simplify our after church time with one another.

So, for the foreseeable future we ask that Hospitality Hour be a simple offering of coffee, tea, juice and water. We hope this will free all of us to eagerly sign up to host, knowing exactly what's needed and how little effort and cost it will be. You need only provide the juice, and your time to set up and clean up. Of course we hope that folks will still feel welcome to use this format for their occasional special celebrations-Helen's 86th birthday!, a special anniversary, baptism, or graduation. But otherwise, we trust that our hunger to be with one another will be filled during Hospitality Hour without needing all the munchies.

Environmental Stewardship: If you want to use washable dishes to cut down on our use of disposables, we encourage you! You can simply load the dishwasher and leave it run-ning. Our amazing choir has agreed to take the 5 minutes needed to unload it on Wednesday evenings. Thanks, choir members! For everyone's health, we ask that you handwash only the largest serving items and use the dishwasher to sani-tize everything else. Our children are practicing stewardship of our earth as they now have all their snacks in Sunday School and Extended Session in real cups,avoiding the use of 40 disposable cups a week!

Children's Snacks: In response to much parental feedback, the Hospitality Committee and the Christian Education Com-mittee have collaborated on a consistent and healthful snack plan. Your young children will be served their choice of graham crackers and saltines, apple juice or water, both in Sunday School and in Extended Session. Infants will also have rice cakes available.We hope this will not only simplify church snacking but also see them hungry for Sunday lunch at home.

Intentionality and Organizing as we Feed One Another in Times of Need: Hoping to avoid anyone falling through the cracks of our heretofore spontaneous responses to providing
meals for those who need them, Sandy Clark has agreed to coordinate these efforts in conjunction with deacon and past-oral input. If you know of someone who would benefit from some warm meals and TLC arriving at their door, please tell Sandy directly. If you would be willing to be part of an on-call list of willing cooks, let her know that as well.

Lenten Dinners: Lenten Dinners continue each Wednesday night of Lent at 6:00pm followed by a program. You need not sign up to come as was requested in years past. Please contact Melissa if you are willing to cook for a meal. Thanks to Joe Hoffman, Melissa Robinson, members of the choir, and mem-bers of the Christian Action Committee for having hosted meals. The final dinner, Wed. March 27, will be a potluck.

Our Gratitude to You! Although it's necessary to have a committee to encourage and organize all these act of hospi-tality, it is always you who give so generously to make it hap-pen. To each of you who has already hosted Hospitality Hour this year, to the many folks who brought abundant and delici-ous food to Henry Smart's memorial service, to those who unload dishwashers and cook for others in need, we thank you for your ministry.
…Susanne Walker Wilson

ON THE POSITIVE SIDE…
Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.

How long a minute is depends on which side of the bath-room door you're on.

Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.

Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them?

If Wal-mart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

THE BIRTHDAY BEATITUDES
Blessed are those who take birthdays in stride,who can smile when the big day is here.
Blessed are those who can look back with pride on another enjoyable year.
Blessed are those who have stayed young-at-heart, who will always seem right in their prime;
Blessed are those who have mastered the art of living one day at a time.
Blessed are those who could never be said to have bowed totoday's tears and sorrow;
Blessed are those who keep looking ahead to a brighter and better tomorrow.
Blessed are those who have learned how to see all thebeauty of sharing and giving…
Blessed are those who've discovered the key to a life that is really worth living!