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AprilAprilAprilApril 2016201620162016

AllendaleAllendaleAllendaleAllendale Lifelong LearnersLifelong LearnersLifelong LearnersLifelong Learners

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April 2016April 2016April 2016April 2016 What’s inside…?What’s inside…?What’s inside…?What’s inside…?

A little bit of this and that...A little bit of this and that...A little bit of this and that...A little bit of this and that...

Did You know...Did You know...Did You know...Did You know...

Calendar of events...Calendar of events...Calendar of events...Calendar of events...

What’s Happening...What’s Happening...What’s Happening...What’s Happening...

Looking Ahead...Looking Ahead...Looking Ahead...Looking Ahead...

Just to Warm Your Heart...Just to Warm Your Heart...Just to Warm Your Heart...Just to Warm Your Heart...

Volunteer Opportunities...Volunteer Opportunities...Volunteer Opportunities...Volunteer Opportunities...

Page #Page #Page #Page #

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GVSU Arts at Noon 2015-16 Series—All of the Arts at Noon concerts will take place in the Cook-DeWitt Center, on the Allendale Campus, (unless otherwise noted) and begin at

12:00 noon, and last approximately one hour. There is no admission charge. All are open to the college community and the general public. This is a wonderful series that will please all musical tastes. There are guest artists brought in as well as in-residence musicians and ensembles. Parking passes are available for use of those attending the Arts at Noon series by calling the music department at 616-331-3484 or visit www.gvsu.edu/music.

• APRIL 13 - Tesla String Quartet

For details, or to download a flyer of upcoming performances, visit

www.gvdu.edu/artsatnoon

Called To Become

You are called to become a perfect creation. No one is called to become who you are called to be.

It does not matter how short or tall or thick-set or slow you may be. It does not matter whether you sparkle with life

or are as silent as a still pool. Whether you sing your song aloud or weep alone in the darkness.

It does not matter whether you feel loved and admired

or unloved and alone. For you are called to become a perfect creation. No one’s shadow should cloud your becoming.

No one’s light should dispel your spark. For the Lord delights in you and jealously looks upon you

and encourages with gentle joy every movement of the Spirit within you.

Unique and loved you stand. Beautiful or stunted in your growth

but never without hope and life. For you are called to become a perfect creation.

This becoming may be gentle or harsh, subtle or violent, but it never ceases...never pauses or hesitates.

His creative force is calling you, calling you to become...a perfect creation.

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• Ripple Effect—Life Stream Church has a thrift store in the west end of their building on Lake Michigan Drive. The proceeds from this store will be used to support mission work in our communi-ty and abroad. They are in need of volunteers to help sort store donations and to work in the store. If you are interested in helping, please stop by and let them know.

• Love INC—Volunteers are needed for this ministry as they continue to supply help to the needy in our community. You can work in their “New to You” store or in the office. Contact them directly at 895-5629 for more information.

• Manna Meal Ministries—This a local ministry that provides an after school meal for kids in pre-school through 5th grade. Many of these kids go home to an empty house with no sup-per, because Mom and Dad are still working. When Manna meals started 10 years ago they had approximately 15 meals they made each day—now they make over 115!!! Volunteers

are needed to pass out these lunches at the school

or to help make the lunches. If you want more

information contact Diane at 616.283.0878 or email

dianewestrick@yahoo.com

• Allendale Lions Club and Allendale Rotary Club—Both of these civic minded organizations give back to the community. New members are always welcome. If you would like more information, please let me know.

• Mission Allendale—Mission Allendale is serving our com-munity with spiritual and physical food. The current emphasis is the Mobile Pantry Food Truck from Feeding America but in the future they would like to expand the ministry to meet other needs besides food. Upcoming Food Truck date is Saturday, April 2 at 10 AM Allendale New Options High School. Reg-istration begins at 8:30 PM Volunteers are welcome to come and help to distribute food.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESVOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESVOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESVOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

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Spring has sprung...but just when I think it’s safe to put away the boots, heavy coat and mittens, the weather takes a plunge back to mid-January and the snow flies again!!! Ugh! I love winter, but I’m so ready for spring and all that warm weather!!! I’m so excited for some of our upcoming events!!! Make sure you look over what is planned and call to sign up. We love to have a full house when we get together, but don’t want to miss anybody either. Monday, March 28 we have been invited to attend a pre-planning luncheon hosted by Matthyse/Kuiper/DeGraff Fu-neral Home. This is a FREE lunch starting at 11:30 AM and meeting at the Allendale Town Hall. Make sure you sign up so they know how many will be there. Our April 27th luncheon is hosted by Dr. Mark, a local chiro-practor, who will share information on preventing arthritis. Even if you already have arthritis, there are steps you can take to help it from progressing!! Come find out what he has to say. This is also a FREE lunch. The Library is hosting a couple of FREE events that sound interesting. On April 6 there is a presentation “When Holly-wood Went To War” starting at 1:00 PM and on April 27 there is another presentation “A Thousand Letter Home” at 6:30 PM. Check in at the library if you are interested in at-tending either of these events. I hope you have a blessed month and we can spend some time together soon. Until next month...hugs

From the director’s desk...From the director’s desk...From the director’s desk...From the director’s desk...

Call Kathy at 616-895-5073 or email khanes@allendale-twp.org if you would like more information on the Allendale Lifelong Learners

or any of the activities listed in this newsletter.

KathyKathyKathyKathy

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☻A Little Bit of this and that...A Little Bit of this and that...A Little Bit of this and that...A Little Bit of this and that...☻

Give me a sense of humor, Lord—Give me the grace to see a joke. To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk!

A little girl wanted to know what the United States looked like. Her dad tore a map of the USA out of a magazine and tore it into pieces. Then told her to go to her room and see if she could put it together. After a few minutes she came back with the map correctly fitted and taped together. Her dad was surprised and asked how she finished so quickly. She replied there was a picture of Jesus on the back and when I put him back our country just came together! AMEN!

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happen. On the day I die, the few people who really know and truly love me will grieve deeply. They will feel a void. They will feel cheated. They will not feel ready. They will feel as though a part of them has died as well. And on that day, more than anything in the world they will want more time with me. I know this from those I love and grieve over. And so knowing this, while I am still alive I’ll try to remember that my time with them is finite and fleeting and so very precious—and I’ll do my best not to waste a second of it. I’ll try not to squander a priceless moment worrying about all the other things that will happen on the day I die, because many of those things are either not my concern or beyond my control. Friends, those other things have an insidious way of keeping you from living even as you live; vying for your attention, competing for your affections. They rob you of the joy of this unrepeatable, uncontainable, ever-evaporating Now with those who love you and want only to share it with you. Don’t miss the chance to dance with them while you can. It’s easy to waste so much daylight in the days before you die. Don’t let your life be stolen every day by all that you believe matters, because on the day you die, much of it simply won’t. Yes, you and I will die one day. But before that day comes: let us live.

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress manage-ment to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she enquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have and ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them for a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed—incapable of doing any-thing.” You need to remember to put the glass down!!!

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Just to Warm your Heart...Just to Warm your Heart...Just to Warm your Heart...Just to Warm your Heart...

Friend: You never talk about your regrets. Don’t you have any?

Wise one: I guess, but I don’t like to call them regrets. I refer to them as wonderings. Friend: Wonderings?

Wise one: Because I always wonder what would have happened if things had played out differently. But to name my past decisions ‘mistakes’ or ‘regrets’ is foolish. If I chose something, it was the right choice at the time. We never purposefully make mistakes; we only call them that in hindsight.

On the die I day a lot will happen.

A lot will change. The world will be busy. On the day I die, all the im-portant appointments I made will be left unattended. The many plans I had yet to complete will remain forever undone. The calendar that ruled so many of my days will now be irrelevant to me. All the material things I so chased and guarded and treasured will be left in the hands of others to care for or to discard. The words of my critics which so burdened me will cease to sting or capture anymore. They will be unable to touch me. The arguments I believed I’d won here will not serve me or bring me any satisfaction or solace. All my noisy incoming notifications and texts and calls will go unanswered. Their great urgency will be quiet-ed. My many nagging regrets will all be resigned to the past, where they should have always been anyway. Every superficial worry about my body that I ever labored over; about my waistline or hairline or frown lines, will fade away. My carefully crafted image, the one I worked so hard to shape for others here, will be left to them to complete anyway. The sterling reputation I once struggled so greatly to maintain will be of little concern for me anymore. All the small and large anxieties that stole sleep from me each night will be rendered powerless. The deep and towering mysteries about life and death that so consumed my mind will finally be clarified in a way that they could never be before while I lived. These things will certainly all be true on the day that I die. Yet for as much as will happen on that day, one more thing that will

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Planting Your Spring Garden

For the Garden of your Daily Living

Plant 3 Rows of Peas 1. Peace of Mind

2. Peace of Heart 3. Peace of Soul

Plant 4 rows of Squash

1. Squash Gossip

2. Squash Indifference

3. Squash Grumbling

4. Squash Selfishness

Plant 4 rows of Lettuce 1. Lettuce be Faithful

2. Lettuce be Kind

3. Lettuce be Patient 4. Lettuce really Love one Another

No Garden is Complete Without Turnips 1. Turnip for Meetings

2. Turnip for Service

3. Turnip to Help One Another To Complete our Garden we must

have Thyme 1. Thyme for God

2. Thyme for Family

3. Thyme for Friends

Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There will be much fruit in

your garden because you reap what you sow.

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Coffee filters .... Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing even the large ones. 1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee fil-

ters make excellent covers. 2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so

they'll leave windows sparkling. 3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter

between each dish. 4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a

wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter. 5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb

moisture and prevent rust. 6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter. 7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with

a coffee filter. 8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter

on a kitchen scale. 9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy

foods. 10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a

coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for em-broidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.

16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.

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Coming up in 2016: • Wednesday, May 25—Luncheon with the Coopersville OK Choir. We

will meet at the Town Hall for lunch and the choir will sing for us follow-ing the meal. Cost is just $6.00

• Saturday, May 28—Phantom of the Opera at DeVos Hall. Tickets are $73.00 each. Mezzanine, 2:00 PM Show. Sign up now.

• Wednesday, June 8—Catered Lunch (Yes, CATERED LUNCH). We’re going to switch some things around in June, due to scheduling con-flicts. Marjorie Viveen, a local historian will give a presentation on the Ottawa County Farm on Leonard Road. Cost is $6.00 at the door.

• June 22, August 17 and October 19—Future 2016 Mystery Trip Dates to save! Note the June date change!!!

• August 2 & 4, 9 & 11, 16 & 18, 23 & 25—Matter of Balance classes will be held at 9:00 AM on the dates listed. This is a Tuesday/Thursday class that will meet at the Allendale Town Hall. If you can’t make it to all of the classes, at least try to get to most—you won’t regret it! FREE!!!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS: • When paying for an activity with the group, please make your

checks out to Allendale Lifelong Learners. Thank you! • If you are interested in walking on the indoor track at the High

school, you may do that at any time during the school day IF YOU ARE A SENIOR CITIZEN AND CHECK IN AT THE HIGH SCHOOL OFFICE. The track is open to the general public at only certain times during the day, but we have “special” permission to do this, as long as you check in. So take advantage of this opportunity and start walking today!!

• Please note that if Allendale Public Schools are closed due to weath-er conditions, all Lifelong Learners events scheduled for that day will also be cancelled. If school is closed and we have an evening event planned you will receive a call regarding whether we are still going or not. BUT ONLY IF YOU ARE SIGNED UP.

Here is information on area businesses and individuals who provide classes or events for your needs. • SNAP FITNESS—If you are members of a Medicare health plan,

you may have access to the SilverSneakers® Fitness Program. Sil-verSneakers is offered through many Medicare plans and includes a Snap Fitness membership. Stop in and see for yourself or visit the website www.silversneakers.com/snap/

• PICKLE BALL—Every Wednesday from 9:30 AM –Noon at the Life Stream Church! Not sure if you like to play? Stop by and check it out. There are many friendly people there to help! Equip-ment is provided.

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Wednesday, April 27 at 12 noon—Catered Lunch at Allendale Town Hall. Join us as we welcome Dr. Mark and a discussion on Arthritis Prevention. You can also pick up the latest newsletter! Be sure to call Kathy (616-895-5073) so we know how many to plan for. This is a FREE lunch!! There will be friends, door prizes and fun for all! I hope you can join us!

Monday, April 4 at 8:45 AM—Breakfast Club at Murphy’s. Join us and get a free breakfast if it’s your birthday this month. Call or come early to save your seat! NOTE THE TIME CHANGE—WE’RE ALL THERE AN-YWAY, SO WE ARE MOVING UP THE TIME!!!

Wednesday, April 13 at 12:00 noon—Potluck Lunch We’ll gather together to share our tasty dishes and then stay to play some games. Bring a dish to pass or pay $4.00 at the door. Make sure to sign up so we know how many are coming.

Wednesday, April 6 at 11:45—Lunch Bunch at Peppino’s Ristorante in Allendale. Make time to join us for a great time with friends and food. Let me know if you plan to join us! Following this lunch, you are invited to the Library to see a presentation, “When Hollywood Went To War” at 1:00 PM.

1940’s celebrities who took time out of their successful careers to protect and preserve our freedom. FREE!!!

Please call, text or email if you plan to attend any of the activities listed above. Call Kathy at 616-895-5073 or email khanes@allendale-twp.org.

Friday, April 8—Turkeyville—We will leave from Allendale Town Hall at 9:00 AM to travel to Turkeyville to see “Jumpin’ Jubilee” - an entertaining variety show full of southern hospital-ity and culture! If you enjoyed Hee-Haw, you will enjoy this fun look at southern life, music and love! Money is due now—$50.00. Make checks out to Allendale Lifelong Learners.

Thursday, April 21—Grand Rapids Civic Theatre—5:00 PM—We will leave from Allendale Town Hall at 5:00 PM to travel downtown to see “Freckleface Strawberry” at GRCT. We will make a supper stop at Applebee’s in Standale on the way before the 7:30 PM curtain. We will return back to Allendale around 10:00 PM. Cost is $15.00 and can be paid when you board the bus that night.

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19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.

21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage. 22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls. 23. Use them to sprout seeds.. Simply dampen the coffee filter,

place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.

24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flow-ers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book.

25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

What at profound little paragraph…. Stated way back in 1931 and it says it all!

“You cannot legislate the poor in to freedom by legislating the wealthier out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply

wealth by dividing it!”

Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

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April 2016Sun Mon Tue Wed

March 28—11:30 AM—FREE

LUNCH at Allendale Town Hall

hosted by Matthyse/Kuiper/DeGraff Funeral Home. Preplan-ning informational meeting. Call Kathy to sign up so they know how many to plan for.

3 4

8:45 AM—Breakfast Club at

Murphy’s. Join us and get a free breakfast if it’s your birthday this month.

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12:00 Noon—Lunch Bunch. Meet at the restaurant we choose. Call if you would like to carpool. 1:00 PM—When Hollywood Went To War at the Allen-dale Library.

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12:00 Noon—Potluck Lunch. Bring table service and a dish to pass or omit the dish and pay $4.00.

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9:00 AM—Mystery Trip. Join us as we venture out and visit places that are a little off the beaten path. Cost is just $10 plus the cost of lunch.

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12 Noon—Catered Lunch. Meet at the town hall and enjoy a delicious lunch with Dr. Mark and tips on Arthri-tis Prevention. 6:30 PM—A Thousand Let-ters from Home at the Allen-dale Library.

Want to sign up for something?? Call Kathy @ 616.895.5073 or send an email to khanes@allendale 9

April 2016 Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

April Fools Day

2

Lunch Bunch. Meet at the restaurant we choose. Call if you would

When Hollywood Went To War at the Allen-

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9:00AM-6:00PM—

Turkeyville Day Trip

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Potluck Lunch. Bring table service and a dish to pass or omit the dish and pay $4.00.

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7:00 PM—An Evening of Comedy with Brad Stine at Life Stream Church. Tickets are $10.

Mystery Trip. Join us as we venture out and visit places that are a little off the beaten path. Cost is just $10 plus the cost of lunch.

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5:00 PM—GRCT to see “Freckleface Strawberry” Supper stop at Applebee’s in Standale. $15.00 per person.

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Earth Day

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Catered Lunch. Meet at the town hall and enjoy a delicious lunch with Dr. Mark and tips on Arthri-

A Thousand Let-ters from Home at the Allen-

28 29

Arbor Day

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Want to sign up for something?? Call Kathy @ 616.895.5073 or send an email to khanes@allendale-twp.org