May 2017
National Nursing Home Week ~ May 14 – 20, 2017
MAY 2017
Polkamania
Put on your dancing shoes for Polka
Weekend on May 26–28. Many places
will not only be playing Czech polkas in
their dance halls but they’ll also be
serving up traditional Czech fare like
kielbasa sausage, sauerkraut, and kolache
pastries with a dollop of fruit.
The popularity of the polka is said to have originated with one
woman, Anna Slezakova from Labska Tynice, who invented the dance
in 1834. Slezakova created a lively dance to the folk song “Uncle Nimra
Bought a White Horse.” Music teacher Josef Neruda, who witnessed
Anna’s new and unique dance, transcribed the tune to paper and
taught the steps to his students. By 1835, the dance had spread to
Prague. By 1839, it was popular in Vienna, and in 1840, it was
introduced in Paris, where it became so popular that it created a socalled “polkamania.”
The polka sound is immediately recognizable. Accordions, fiddles,
clarinets, and tubas whip up a quick beat for happy dancing feet. The
main characteristic of the polka is the half-step, or hop. In fact, the word
polka likely comes from the Czech word pulka, meaning “half.”
Perhaps the easiest way to understand the rhythm of the polka is
through a children’s nursery rhyme: “Hippety hop, to the barber shop,
to buy a stick of candy.” The four counts of the phrase “hippety hop”
correspond to the four parts of the dance: step, half-step, step, hold.
The polka may have originated in Bohemia (present-day Czech
Republic), but it has spread far and wide to Germany, Austria, Poland,
Scandinavia, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As
this musical form has traveled, it has evolved into a wide variety of
styles. Polkas have even grown throughout South America, where songs
praise the gauchos of the pampas. Seeing as the polka is one of
the few dances to have maintained its popularity since the 19th century,
chances are good that it will remain popular for many years to come.
Cola Cure-All
People have been drinking Coca-Cola since May 8, 1888,
when the soft drink was first served by Dr. John S.
Pemberton at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. Yes,
Coca-Cola was first marketed as a medicinal cure-all
beverage for ailments such as headaches, nerve disorders,
addictions, and indigestion. By 1900, sales of Coca-Cola
had reached 100 million annually. Perhaps this surge in
popularity had to do with Coca-Cola’s brilliant marketing strategy of
issuing tickets that could be redeemed at any location for a free
glass—these tickets are considered the first coupons ever invented.
Today Coca-Cola is as popular as ever. And it is still marketed as a
medicinal cure for stomach blockages. Apparently, Coca-Cola’s
chemical ingredients can cure a condition called gastric phytobezoar
with a 90% success rate.
National Nursing Home Week ~ May 14 – 20, 2017
Residents Birthdays!
Pearl Seitz 5/2
Kitty Hoch 5/7
Gloria Lamb 5/8
Jeane Gross 5/14
Delma Buser 5/17
George Shea 5/19
John Miliauskas 5/23
Rae-June Douglas 5/24
Vera van Doesburgh 5/25
As Luck Would Have It
See a penny, pick it up, and all the day you’ll
have good luck. The notion that a found penny
brings good luck is such a popular superstition
that it enjoys its own holiday on May 23, Lucky
Penny Day.
Why are pennies considered lucky, especially when many of us
consider one cent to be worthless? The idea of attributing luck to
metal is an ancient custom. It was believed that metal was a gift
from the gods. To carry a piece of metal was to carry the gods’
blessing and receive protection from evil. For similar reasons,
charm bracelets and horseshoes are also considered lucky.
Another influence stems from the belief that money brings
wealth and power. A penny saved, although only a mere cent,
marks the beginning of a lifetime of savings.
Some cultures, like those in Europe and Ireland, believe that if you
find a penny you have found one piece of a leprechaun’s horde of
gold. Tradition advises you to spit on the found coin and toss it
into the bushes, returning it to the little magical elves. These
enchanting creatures would then return the favor by doing you
good deeds.
There are many variations on the lucky penny superstition.
Some believe that only heads-up pennies are lucky. If you find a
tails-up penny, you should flip it heads-up and leave it for another
to find. Others believe that a penny or coin thrown into a fountain
or tossed into a well allows you to make a wish. One rhyme
advises, “Money on the floor, more at the door.” An old Victorian
rhyme advises brides what to wear on their wedding days:
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something
blue, and a silver sixpence in your shoe.” This last bit has
evolved into “a lucky penny in your shoe.”
The legend of the lucky penny has endured,but if you’re still
skeptical, perhaps you’ll change your tune when you learn that
one U.S. bank has hidden 100 “lucky” pennies across the
country. Each one is worth $1,000.
Tokyo in Full Bloom
Japan may be famous for its cherry blossoms, but
springtime in Tokyo brings an abundance of other
flowers and flower festivals. By the end of April, many
of Japan’s cherry blossoms have already flowered, but
Tokyo’s city dwellers still have plenty of blooming
flowers to look forward to. The Nezu Shrine is a quiet
place for 11 months out of the year, but by the first week
in May, its 3,000 azalea plants burst into a palette of
bright colors. The Bunkyo Azalea Festival, or Tsutsuji
Matsuri, attracts thousands of visitors during Golden
Week, its busiest viewing week. The 300-year-old
azalea garden is home to rare varieties, such as the
black Karafune flower, and is complete with a Shinto
shrine, bridges running over streams, traditional Toriii
gates, and women dressed in their best kimonos.
Across town is yet another sacred spot draped in
wondrous springtime color: the Kameido Tenjin Shrine.
This shrine is home to its famous trellises boasting a
sea of cascading purple wisteria vines. The Wisteria
was planted 300 years ago when the original temple
was built. Visitors can stroll over the shrine’s beautiful
red bridge, spying darting koi and lounging turtles in the
pond. The Wisteria is so alluring that old Japanese
shoguns made pilgrimages to visit the garden. Many
of Japan’s most celebrated artists have captured the
garden’s scenic serenity in color prints.
Perhaps the most celebrated of all flower festivals is
the Kyu Furukawa Garden Rose Festival. The gardens,
sprawled at the foot of a western-style mansion, have
been designated a national place of scenic beauty.
The roses hit their peak in May with a dazzling array
of colors and an intoxicating bouquet of aromas. Over
90 rose varieties can be found, including Princess
Michiko, a variety named for Japan’s Empress, and
Royal Princess, a variety offered as a gift from France
and named for Princess Aiko, daughter of Japan’s
Crown Prince and Princess.
A publication for the residents of the Personal Care Residence
800 Bollinger Drive, Shrewsbury, PA 17361 ~ 717-227-3000
National Nursing Home Week ~ May 14 – 20, 2017
Dear Friends,
I have so enjoyed spending this Lent and Easter
season with you. It has been a life-giving
experience to be with you during this season and it
has been a time for us to reflect upon our faith as
well. I think that sometimes we make the mistake of
thinking that we must have perfect faith or faith without gaps or doubts in
order to be faithful Christians. This is part of what I love about the Bible.
The text of scripture is so honest about how human our great heroes of
the faith were, whether we are talking about Abraham, the father of the
Jewish people, or Thomas, the disciple of Jesus made famous for
doubting. I think we all can be encouraged in this area of our spiritual
lives. God wants us to persevere in our faith in the midst of challenging
circumstances, but he does not expect us to never feel challenged by
life. In this month following Easter, I want to share with you a passage of
scripture as well as a few words from Pastor Halim Suh about what it
means to have “Resurrection” faith:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what
we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
8 By
faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive
as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where
he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a
stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob,
who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking
forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is
God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was
enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had
made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as
dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as
countless as the sand on the seashore” (Hebrews 11:1-2; 8-12).
In the life of Abraham, we catch a glimpse of “resurrection” faith—-the
kind that results in life from death—-when Abram looked at his own body
and saw that no life would be possible from him. He saw that the only
hope of producing life had to come from God acting in his life, making
something possible that was impossible for Abram to accomplish on his
own.
That is the essence of our faith too. We look at our lives and see there is
no possibility of life coming from us on our own. We contemplate our
realities and are moved to see the need for a Savior. We are incapable
of life without someone to save us from ourselves. The faith that comes
as we realize our need for God is the exact kind of faith we see in
Abram. This is what characterizes “resurrection”—-saving—-faith.
Saving Faith, Not Perfect Faith
But there is still that pesky gap, isn’t there? We believe God, but when
confronted with circumstances that cause us to wonder if God will really
come through, we see that saving faith is not always perfect faith. Abram
himself cried out to God, immediately after God had just reminded him of
the promise he would keep: “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will
possess it?” After everything, Abram’s heart still says, “Yes, I believe
you, but how will I know that you are going to come through?”
Saving faith brings righteousness, but it also has fears, doubts, and
struggles; ultimately its only hope is God. That is exactly what we see
from Abram, who lived in the great gap between promise and reality. And
that is where we live too.
In Abram’s day, a covenant was made by two people passing through the
cut-up pieces of animals arrayed on the ground, with this understanding:
If one party broke the covenant, then may what happened to these
animals happen to them as well. Both parties were on the hook and
subject to the penalty if they broke their promise to the other.
Yet when God made the covenant with Abram in Genesis 15:17-21, we
see something unique. Who passed between the animal pieces? Not
Abram and God, but God alone passed through.
As Abram was wondering, “God, how can I know with 100 percent
certainty that you are going to fulfill these things you have promised?”
God answered by assuming the full risk of the covenant. He walked
through the slaughtered animals as a sign of his faithfulness to Abram. In
other words, if he didn’t fulfill his promises, then let his holiness and
perfection be chopped into pieces like the animals. God provided a
reminder. In essence, God was letting Abram know that nothing would
stand in the way of his faithfulness to him.
National Nursing Home Week ~ May 14 – 20, 2017
Sunday
Daily Breakfast
Items:
Juice, Oatmeal,
Cold Cereal,
Toast,
Fresh Fruit Cup,
Made to Order
Eggs
When you find yourself in the gap and starting to grow weary, remember
the covenant. Let your heart be overwhelmed by the greater reminder—greater than smoking pots and goats—-that God has put before you in
his crucified Son so that you never have to wonder if he loves you and
will come through.
Blessings,
Chaplain Aaron Cope
Wednesday
2
Texas French
Toast
Belgian Waffles
Sausage
Links
Scrapple
7
Thursday
3
Ham,
Mushroom and
Swiss Strata
Friday
Saturday
4
Blueberry
Pancakes
5
Made to Order
Omelets
6
Sausage
Gravy over
Biscuit
Bacon
Chocolate Chip
Muffin
9
10
8
Scrambled Eggs
French Toast
Made to Order
Crepes
Hash Browned
Potatoes
Sausage
Links
Scrapple
Baked Denver
Omelet
Assorted
Muffins
11
Buttermilk
Pancakes
12
13
Sunrise
Croissant
Waffles
Bacon
Sausage
Links
English
Muffin
14
15
Scrambled
Eggs
French Toast
Hash Browned
Potatoes
Sausage
Links
Can’t God give us something, just as he did with Abram? If he would just
give us something to help us remember that he is faithful, then maybe we
could make it through. I don’t see any flaming pots or cut-up animals
around here, do you? How can we know, like Abram, that we will
possess all of God’s amazing promises?
God answered our question 2,000 years ago, not with the blood of bulls
and goats but with the broken body and spilled blood of his only Son. We
see that God did not keep the promises just to prevent himself from
becoming like the divided animals; instead, he went as far as becoming
like a slaughtered animal so he could keep his promises, so we would
know there is nothing he won’t endure to remain faithful to his Word.
Tuesday
1
Loose Grip
What about us? That sounds great for Abram that God came down and
gave him that reminder, but what about those of us in the gap right now?
We’re tired. We feel like we are hanging on by a thin thread. We know in
our minds that God will keep his promises, but every day that passes in
the gap seems to loosen our grip on that trust.
Monday
16
Sausage Gravy
Over Biscuit
17
Farmer’s
Egg Bake
18
Blueberry
Pancakes
19
Chipped Beef
Gravy
over Toast
20
Belgian Waffles
Bacon
Bacon
Cinnamon
Roll
21
Scrambled
Eggs
22
23
24
Chocolate Chip Breakfast Biscuit Made to Order
Pancakes
with Cheese
Omelets
Hash Browned
Potatoes
Sausage
Links
Hash Browned
Potatoes
25
26
Buttermilk
Pancakes
French Toast
Scrambled
Eggs
Bacon
Sausage
Links
Bacon
Assorted
Muffins
28
29
30
27
Coffee
Cake
31
Scrambled
Eggs
Texas
French Toast
Belgian
Waffles
Baked Denver
Omelet
Hash Browned
Potatoes
Sausage Links
Bacon
Corned Beef
Hash
Corn Muffin
Breakfast