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GOLDEN NUGGETS
Okay, the holidays are here. Time for some serious gift giving. Remember when you were very young, and you dreamed about getting a Lionel train set, a bag of marbles or a Shirley Temple doll? There were years when you hoped for a baseball mitt, a hula hoop or a chemistry set. As you grew the excitement of opening a package that was a new bike, a Nancy Drew novel or a pair of ballet slippers filled you with joy. By the time you reached the age of being an adult your wishes were for new clothes, camping equipment, a car or even an engagement ring. Each year many of our wishes came true and our hearts were overflowing with happiness. Not only was the present special, but in most cases the gift was given with love from the giver to you. The only real drawback to this was soon many of the presents are broken, outgrown or we lose interest. The good news is that there is a gift that never will be broken or outgrown. It is the perfect gift from God. In the Bible it states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Think about it! A perfect gift that lasts forever from someone who loves you very much. There is no way you could ever top that present. That is the best Christmas gift ever!
Remember When:
Oranges used to be standard stocking stuffers, a tradition that is believed to date back to the legend of St. Nicholas himself, or at least to the Great Depression, when citrus was as extravagant a gift as most families could afford. While some people still practice this Christmas custom, it is less common than it once was. But it's an easy, inexpensive, and healthy tradition worth reviving.
Brain Teasers
(Answers on Back Page)
If it takes five elves, five minutes to make five dolls, then how long will it take 100 elves to make 100 dolls?
Words Of Wisdom:
“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” Bob Hope
Grandma’s Cooking Corner:
If Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” hasn’t haunted your dreams by now and turned you a total grinch, try her album-inspired Christmas cookies.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Cream butter, gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill for easy handling. Roll out dough to 1/8″ thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into festive holiday shapes with floured cookie cutters. Bake on a cookie sheet in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate with icing and green and red sprinkles. Place cookies on a plate beside the Christmas tree with a tall glass of milk for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve!
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HUMOR ME
It was slightly before Christmas.. The trip went reasonably well, and I was ready to go back. The airport on the other end had turned a tacky red and green, and loudspeakers blared annoying elevator renditions of cherished Christmas carols. Being someone who took Christmas very seriously, and being slightly tired, I was not in a particularly good mood. Going to check in my luggage (which, for some reason, had become one suitcase with entirely new clothes), I saw hanging mistletoe. Not real mistletoe, but very cheap plastic with red paint on some of the rounder parts and green paint on some of the flatter and pointier parts, that could be taken for mistletoe only in a very Picasso sort of way. With a considerable degree of irritation and nowhere else to vent it, I said to the attendant, "Even if I were not married, I would not want to kiss you under such a ghastly mockery of mistletoe." "Sir, look more closely at where the mistletoe is." (pause) "Ok, I see that it's above the luggage scale, which is the place you'd have to step forward for a kiss." "That's not why it's there." (pause) "Ok, I give up. Why is it there?" "It's there so you can kiss your luggage goodbye."
SENIOR OF THE MONTH - December 2024
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. McCLAIN
Since accepting Jesus Christ as his savior in September of 1970, Bishop Dr, McClain has devoted his life to ministry. As founder and pastor of L.I.F.E.Christian Fellowship (built on the principle that “Learning Is Forever”), he is a dedicated public speaker and servant of the Gospel. He resides with his wife, Elder Ann Laws McClain, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Bishop Dr. McClain holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Divinity in Theology and a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership at Shaw University and a Doctor of Divinity from United Cornerstone University.
A proud twenty-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Bishop McClain served from 1970 to 1990, drawing others to Christ and supporting communities worldwide. His service included providing food to villagers in Crete (1973), culyural engagemrnt in Kenya (1979), delivering medical supplies in the Philippines (1983), and leading various outreach programs in the U.S. from 1990 to 2001 for marginalized individuals. In 2006, he participated in a missionary relief effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and in 2018, he retired from his role with the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, where he worked as a Security Training Instructor at Raleigh Durham International Airport.
Currently, Bishop McClain is a full=time pastor and shepherd, overseeing Test of Faith Ministry in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Refinery Church Ministry in Los Angeles, California. His journey reflects his lifelong dedication to faith, service, and leadership in ministry.
Bishop McClain has a heart for evangelism and community involvement, and lives daily by Romans 8:28, which states, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to themwho are the called according to His purpose.”
“SENIOR-FRIENDLY”_HALL OF FAME
If you know an individual, a business, a group, an organization, or a municipality that is “senior-friendly” you may nominate them for the “Senior-Friendly” Hall of Fame. Submit their name, contact information and why you think they should be considered. Send to:
Our NonProfit of the Month:
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program
The mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is to assist the U. S. Marine Corps in providing a tangible sign of hope to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas. This assistance includes providing day-to-day leadership and oversight of the Program, raising funds to provide toys to supplement the collections of local Toys for Tots Chapters, to provide promotional and support material and defray the costs of conducting annual Toys for Tots Chapters. Other Foundation support includes providing administrative, advisory, financial, logistic and promotional support to local Toys for Tots Coordinators; managing funds raised and monies donated based on the use of Toys for Tots name or logo; providing other support the Marine Corps, as a federal agency, cannot provide; and conducting public education and information programs about Toys for Tots that call the general public to action in support of this patriotic community action program. The objectives of the Foundation are to help economically disadvantaged children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our Nation’s most valuable resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to improving communities in the future.
Who’d A Thunk:
Christmas stockings aren’t just festive decorations, they’re potent symbols of anticipation and reward, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus. Stocking symbolism is deeply rooted in our collective psyche, dating back centuries to origins steeped in folklore and tradition. You hang your stocking with care, hoping it will be filled with gifts – a tangible representation of reward psychology at play. Anticipation builds as you wait for Christmas morning, imagining what might be tucked inside that colorful sock. Through their use in yuletide celebrations, stockings have become an embodiment of hope and expectation. They represent not just the promise of material rewards but also the joy and satisfaction derived from the act of giving and receiving during the Christmas season.
Grandpa’s Sports Stories:
Gordon “Gordie” Howe OC (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played twenty-six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Mr. Hockey, the Detroit Red Wings legend, made this team a winner. In the 1949-50 season, he played well until an awful injury forced him out of the playoffs, but his Red Wings still won the StanleyCup.The next season, Howe, now healthy, began a dominance of NHL greatness the likes of which they had never seen before. The next four seasons saw Howe lead the NHL in points scored. In 1952-53, Howe became the first NHL player to score 90 points (95) and scored a career-high of 49 goals. The Red Wings won 4 Stanley Cups in the 1950s with Howe onboard. A legend for all times.
MILITARY SALUTE
Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971)[1] was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II,[4] and has been described as the most highly decorated enlisted soldier in U.S. history.[5][6] He received every military combat award for valor available from the United States Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at age 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, before leading a successful counterattack while wounded.
Although based in northern Wake County, North Carolina, we are receiving numerous requests from around the country and are now partnering with churches and other organizations in many states to fulfill needs of seniors. If you need a ride to the doctor, or dentist, or grocery store, contact us. If you need a meal brought to you after surgery, contact us. If you are lonely and need ro ralk to someone, contact us. We do not charge for our services. If we cannot fulfill your need or wish, we will refer you to someone who can help.
Answer to Brain Teaser:
It takes one elf five minutes to make a doll, meaning it would take 100 elves making 100 dolls at the same time five minutes still.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
THE SENIOR NETWORK, INC.
3650 Rogers Road, Suite#323
Wake Forest, North Carolina 27587
954-666-2040
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