Sunday Morning Worship
Manatees
Interdependence Day
"Grand" and "Great"
Peculiar Solarium Program
P. E. T. Vehicles
Granddaughters Visit
Jigsaw Puzzle
Cremated Remains
Summer Arts Workshop
Dumbbells
Bugs/Mosquitoes
Slurping Noodles

Sunday Morning Worship
01/07/01

In most Protestant Churches in the United States of America, there is an ordained minister who regularly preaches the sermon at the worship services on Sunday mornings. In larger churches, this senior pastor is assisted by a pastoral staff, one or more of whom may also share in the Sunday morning preaching at regular or irregular intervals. Church members have other responsibilities related to the worship services. The majority of residents of the Penney Retirement Community here in Penney Farms, Florida are retired ministers, missionaries or church workers from over two dozen different denominations. Until their retirement, most of them were actively involved in preaching, teaching or ministering in other ways on Sunday mornings. Now we take our turns at a variety of tasks related to the worship services at the single church in the center of this community, whether preaching, leading the service or ushering. Every Sunday morning, there is a different preacher, who may have a different theological viewpoint or Biblical interpretation and come from a different church tradition than the preacher at the previous worship service. Preachers choose their own worship service leaders to assist them, but the ushers, who greet worshippers and hand out the Order of Worship at the entrance, take the offering and serve communion on Communion Sundays, are selected differently. We are happy to voluntarily fulfill the responsibilities given to us and thoroughly enjoy the variety of backgrounds that are represented in this enlarged Christian "family". (288)

Manatees
01/07/04

Reading a recent newspaper headline, "New manatee rules too restrictive", I wondered "what is a 'manatee'?" for I did not know the meaning of that word. Checking a couple of reference books, I found a couple of surprising facts. First, another name for a manatee is "sea cow". Although we often see cows in pastures near our retirement community, I did not know that there were "sea cows". Second, while looking up this term in the dictionary, I found other marine animals called "sea horse", "sea dog", "sea lion" and "sea elephant". I presume they were given such names because of resemblances to the land animals with those names. The article stated that there are an estimated 3,200 manatees in the world today, about 2,500 of which are in the U. S. state of Florida. The average adult manatee is two to three-and-a-half meters long and weighs about 500 kilograms. They are the only marine mammals that feed exclusively on vegetation and they must surface for air every fifteen or twenty minutes. They tend to stay in shallow, slow-moving rivers or bays, but because they are considered an endangered species, there are rules regulating the speed of boats in waters where they are found for there have been many injuries or killings that resulted from their being hit by speeding boats. Boaters complain that the rules are too restrictive. This is another example of the need to make a difficult choice between protecting an endangered species or the environment and human enjoyment or convenience. When establishing priorities, we must consider not only the present but future generations as well. (283)

Interdependence Day
01/07/06

The main patriotic festival in the United States of America is celebrated yearly on the 4th of July. This holiday, called Independence Day, commemorates the approval of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain by representatives of the American colonies on July 4, 1776. Special observances are held on this day in communities throughout the land. In this retirement community in Florida, the day began with a Flag Raising Ceremony at the main entrance. Along with the flag raising and the Pledge of Allegiance, patriotic songs were sung and a prayer was offered before the short meditation. This year, I was asked to give the meditation which I titled "Interdependence Day". I explained that, because I had spent most of my life outside the United States in a foreign land, my view of my homeland and its history may be peculiar. I contrasted the American emphasis on "independence" with the Japanese emphasis on "dependence" and suggested that a combination of these two qualities, "interdependence", would be preferable. I also questioned whether the ideal of "one out of many", expressed in the Latin phrase, "e pluribus unum," on the Great Seal of the United States, has actually been achieved. In theory, this is "one" nation, but there are still many divisions among its citizens, some of which are fostered by an independent spirit which ought to become more interdependent. Many Native Americans, descendants of slaves and immigrants from other nations and cultures are still not truly part of the "union," or "one nation," so we must continue our efforts to make the ideal a reality. (295)

"Grand" and "Great"
01/07/08

Usually, the adjectives "grand" and "great" denote something or someone that is higher in rank, more important or more impressive than others. In the United States, there are natural features of the country which are called the Grand Canyon and the Great Lakes, and in China, there is a long stone wall constructed hundreds of years ago that is called the Great Wall. When used in a combination form relating to family relationships, however, these words signify an older or younger generation. The father of one's father or mother, for example, is called one's grandfather and the father of one's grandfather is one's great-grandfather. Each additional generation may be indicated by adding a "great" to the previous designation. Thus, the grandfather of my great-grandfather is my great-great-great-grandfather. Going in the opposite direction, the daughter of one's child is one's granddaughter, a granddaughter's daughter is one's great-granddaughter and the son of one's great-granddaughter is one's great-great-grandson. In the case of uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews, however, "great" and "grand" have the same meaning. Thus "great-uncle" and "granduncle" are synonyms, as are "great-aunt" and "grandaunt". They denote brothers or sisters of one's grandparents. Likewise, "great-nephew" or "grandnephew" and "great-niece" or "grandniece" are the sons or daughters of one's nephews or nieces. My wife and I are now enjoying the visit of our three granddaughters, two from Japan and one from New Mexico who will be with us here for the whole month of July. (298)

Peculiar Solarium Program
01/07/11

The meeting room in the nursing home of this retirement community has large glass windows on three sides. It is called the Solarium and, on sunny days in particular, it is bright and warm. Regular programs are held in the Solarium for those residents who are able to attend and are interested in the type and content of the program. Some residents are pushed to the meeting room in wheelchairs; others use walkers or a cane. Only a few are able to walk to the Solarium normally. My wife and I were asked to prepare a program for the second Monday afternoon in July. Since our son and three granddaughters were visiting us at that time, we decided to have them take part in the program for the residents do not often see young people and enjoy having contact with them. In the program, first, I explained the different uses of "great" and "grand" (as noted in my previous message) and told them of our joy in having our granddaughters and our grand son visit us. When introducing our son, I showed articles from Japanese newspapers 34 years ago which described his work as a newspaper boy in Japan, where it was extraordinary for an American boy to deliver daily newspapers--both early in the morning and after returning from school in the late afternoon. Our granddaughters then presented an interesting skit which they had prepared over the previous couple of days. Then my wife, for the first time in public, played a well-known hymn on her new psaltery, on which music is produced using a bow rather than the usual plectrum. Those is attendance seemed to enjoy that peculiar program. (301)

P. E. T. Vehicles
01/07/13

Many of the residents of Penney Retirement Community have served as missionaries in foreign lands. One particular couple had a unique ministry in various African countries. Along with their concern for the moral and spiritual state of the people, they were also concerned about their physical, social and economic condition. Following the military advances and withdrawals of numerous armed forces, countless land mines were left buried underground. Many common people, including children, lost their legs as a result of stepping on those explosive devices. To aid in the rehabilitation of such unfortunate ones, a special vehicle was constructed which they could easily use. Called P. E. T., for Personal Energy Transportation, the simple, three-wheeled vehicle has a wooden seat and a small space behind the seat for carrying something. In front of the driver is a sprocket wheel whose chain is attached to the front wheel below. The vehicle is powered by the driver, whose hands turn the sprocket causing the front wheel to go forward or backward. It is thus suitable for those who have lost their legs or are unable to use them. This resident has now opened a shop, assisted by other residents in this community, where such P. E. T. vehicles are constructed and then sent to countries where they are needed. While our granddaughters are visiting us, he has loaned us three such vehicles for them to use as recreational vehicles and to go for short rides around the campus here. This is a fitting illustration of the fine, familial atmosphere of this retirement community. (299)

Granddaughters Visit
01/07/15

When we invited our three granddaughters, ages 15, 13 and 11, to visit us in this retirement community for the entire month of July, we knew we had to make plans to effectively and meaningfully utilize the time they would be here. There are very few activities in a community of senior citizens (who used to be called "old people") that would appeal to young girls, especially during the summertime when many residents have gone on trips to cooler places. There were three special projects we had in mind for them. First, we planned to take them on short trips to a couple of places: one of historic interest and the other of spectacular enjoyment. St. Augustine, about an hour's drive from here, is the oldest continually occupied European settlement in North America and Walt Disney World and the surrounding area, which is about three hours away, is a place where many kinds of educational and enjoyable adventures may be experienced. Second, we enrolled them in the Summer Arts Workshop which is held for one week in this community for young people in the surrounding area aged 12 to 15. The variety of classes, taught by residents here, include music, drama, art, creative writing, line dancing, woodworking and other crafts, a variety of sports and a mystery hour which differs each day. Finally, they were also enrolled for a week in a church camp with other young people their age a couple of hours away from this retirement community. The trips were completed while our elder son was also with us and we were able to borrow another resident's car to enable the six of us to ride together. (302)

Jigsaw Puzzle
01/07/18

Many residents in this retirement community engage in some form of regular exercise to keep their bodies in good condition. Some of them go swimming in the natatorium, the indoor swimming pool. Others play golf on the golf course, tennis on the tennis courts or shuffleboard on the shuffleboard courts. Some make regular visits to the Fitness Center, where there are a number of exercise machines. Others make it a practice to walk or ride a bicycle for a certain distance everyday. And a few energetic ones go jogging. One meaning of "jog" is to give a little shake, shove or jerk to something, but in this case it means to run at a steady slow trot. If the "o" in that short word is replaced by an "i", the word is changed to "jig", which may mean a fast, springy, lively dance. But another meaning of "jig" is a device used for guiding a tool or for holding machine work in place. And a "jigsaw" is a saw with a narrow blade set in a frame, used with a vertical motion for cutting along wavy or irregular lines. A "jigsaw puzzle" is a puzzle consisting of many irregularly shaped pieces of cardboard, plastic or wood which form a picture when fitted together. I presume that, originally, the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were cut with a jigsaw. While our granddaughters are visiting us, we have a large jigsaw puzzle with over 1000 pieces in the process of being put together on a board in the corner of a room. Whenever one of us feels the urge to do so, we fit a few pieces together while looking at a small copy of the picture which we are reproducing. This is one of the special amusements we are enjoying during their visit. (300)

Cremated Remains
01/07/21

One of my volunteer activities at this retirement community is to join a group of men who work in the community's cemetery for two hours on Monday mornings. There, we keep the grass mowed, the bushes trimmed and the memorial plaques in good condition. There are no monuments above ground in that cemetery. All the flat memorial plaques, or grave markers, are level with the ground, which makes mowing the grass with gasoline-powered mowers very easy. Most of the graves mark the place where a body was interred, but in some smaller plots, an urn containing cremated ashes is buried. As Americans become more transient, the number of cremations is increasing. Last year there were about 400,000 compared to 5,000 a decade ago and the Cremation Association of North America predicts that in 20 years half of all corpses will be cremated. Not all of the ashes of those cremated are buried in the ground. Some bereaved mourners are devising more meaningful ways to memorialize departed loved ones. Some ashes have been put into art objects, added to paintings and sparkling designer glassware or put into jewelry. The ashes of one young basketball player were inserted into a miniature basketball and placed on a wooden base. In such cases, whenever such items are seen or used, the loved one may be remembered. How to meaningfully memorialize departed loved ones is related to both the character and desire of the departed and that of those left behind, but manifesting some good influence the departed had in the life of the bereaved may be the most significant memorial. (289)

Summer Arts Workshop
01/07/23

Public Schools in the United States of America are on vacation during the months of July and August and it has become the custom of the Penney Retirement Community to conduct a Summer Arts Workshop for young people in the surrounding area during that time. Many residents here are well qualified to give instruction in various fields and are happy to do so. This year, the workshop was held from July 16-20 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Each day was divided into 7 periods, including a lunch hour. Classes were held in different locations on the campus, so time was required to walk from one location to another between periods. The number of students, aged 12-15, was limited, but children of employees and grandchildren of residents were permitted to attend. Our three granddaughters came from the most distant places and I think the one from New Mexico, who will become 12 in October, was the youngest student and one of the two from Japan, who will become 16 on August 1st, was the oldest. On the evening of the final day, a program was held in the meeting hall for parents and residents at which the students demonstrated what they had learned during the week. Sketches, paintings, photographs and handiwork were displayed. Creative essays were read. Songs were sung. A drama was performed. Speeches and reports were made. All of these things represented the results of their study during the week. New friendships were also established so the results of the Summer Arts Workshop will be long-lasting. Human relationships are an important element in meaningful education. (306)

Dumbbells
01/07/25

Regular physical exercise is important to keep one's body healthy and in good condition. During my years of service in Japan, it was my custom to play tennis for a couple of hours on Monday mornings with friends. Now that I am retired and living in a retirement community in Florida, I try to play tennis for a couple of hours on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with other residents who are about my age or older. And now, I am beginning another kind of exercise that can be done at home, using weights. A weight consisting of a short bar with a metal ball or disk at each end is called a "dumbbell". Making use of dumbbells, a person may develop or maintain firm, strong muscles that improve one's strength and stamina. Literally, "dumb" means "lacking the power of speech" and a person who is without the power of speech may also be called a "mute". In informal speech, however, "dumb" means "stupid" and, in American slang, "dumbbell" means "a dull, stupid person". Recently, when I went to a large shopping center to purchase a pair of weights, I stopped at a counter in the sporting goods department and told the two female clerks there that I was looking for "a couple of dumbbells". They informed of the place where I could find them and then began laughing as I went away. I understood the reason for their laughter because these two young women themselves might be called "dumbbells" by some people. Matthew 9:32-33 relates a story of Jesus healing a man who was dumb and the prophetic picture of Jesus himself, in Isaiah 53:7, compares him to a lamb that is dumb before its shearers. (293)

Bugs/Mosquitoes
01/07/27

There are a number of different kinds of "bugs", not all of which are, or were, living things. We may say that a machine has a "bug". In that case, the word denotes some defect in the mechanical or electrical system. We may also call a person who is fond of or addicted to something a "bug"; a person whose hobby is photography, for example, may be called a "shutter-bug". But this word is most often used to denote a crawling or flying insect or a microscopic organism that causes disease. In this southeastern part of the U. S. A., there is concern about serious diseases that are spread by mosquitoes so health departments are spraying certain areas to try to eliminate these bothersome bugs. According to a reference book, it is the female mosquito that is able to pierce the skin and suck the blood of a mammal. I have always been amazed at the ability of such a tiny, frail insect with such a small proboscis to push it through the skin of a human being and suck blood up through it. I have often wondered how such an insect evolved or why it was created. Among the serious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are malaria, yellow fever and encephalitis. My wife often complains about the mosquitoes when she goes out to work in the flower garden in the early evening. Obviously, she is more attractive, both to mosquitoes and to people, than I am. In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, chapter 30, verses 24-26, our attention is directed toward small creatures from which we may learn, so we may be able to learn something, even from mosquitoes. (307)

Slurping Noodles
01/07/29

The diet and eating habits of people are related to the location, the climate and the traditional customs of their area. In Japan, the staple food is rice, cooked in such a way that it can be easily picked up with chopsticks. Rice is usually served at all Japanese meals, but, sometimes, noodles may take the place of rice. Japanese noodles are long, narrow strips of dried dough made from wheat flour. A special kind of noodles, called "soba", are made from buckwheat flour and, in Japanese tradition, "soba" is eaten especially on New Year's Eve. In a recent newspaper article, it was noted that most Japanese over 40 were taught that slurping, loud and long, was the polite way to eat hot noodles but the younger generation is following American manners without slurping. Reading the article, I was reminded of a question asked by the lady who interviewed me on a national Japanese television program some years ago. Viewers were encouraged to write or call for the gift being offered that week, which was a box of "soba". The interviewer asked me if I ate noodles and I replied that I did. She then asked if I made a loud slurping noise when I ate them and I replied that I did not, that I ate them quietly in the American way. Now, I find that slurping or not slurping has become the sign of a generation gap in Japan and am reminded of the great influence the West has had upon Japanese life. Now that we live in a "global village", we must decide what elements in our traditions are very important and must be kept and which are not so important and can be discarded or changed. (294)