CWA Report – January 2023

By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762

Committee on Women’s Activities

Happy New Year, Everyone!

 I hope that you all enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. I found out a few days before Christmas, that my neighbor, who is in a wheelchair would be alone. I cooked the meal and took it over to her apartment, where we enjoyed our meal and then I did the dishes. It made me happy that I could do something special for her.

 I am hoping that you folks are working on entries for the contests. There are so many things we can do inside on cold or snowy days.

I am praying that you are all healthy and safe.

Webmaster’s Note: Did you listen to “Dropping by with a Pie?” Dropping by with a meal is a great version of it! Nice job, Margaret!

Highland Lake Grange Honors Westbrook Officers

Officer Tony

Highland Lake Grange is proud to support the Westbrook Police Department K-9 unit. Joann Levesque, our Community Service chair, presented Officer Colby Clarke and Tony with items purchased by the Grange for the K-9 unit. Many more items are on the way! The success of our turkey supper fundraisers helped finance this project. Colby and Tony attended our meeting and educated our members about K-9!

Joann Levesque, Officer Colby Clark, and Officer Tony

Jonesboro Grange Honors Local Citizens

Check out the front page article in the Machias Valley News Observer!

Firefighter Phil Roberts, East Machias teacher Morgan Swan, and Jonesboro Grange President John Cox Jr. were honored with state and national awards. Photo by Cindy Rossi.

Communication Shorts 1-8-2023

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!

January Bulletin

The January Bulletin is in the works! Officers and Directors, remember that columns and reports are due January 14th. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

National Grange Zoom Membership Meeting Canceled

The Zoom Membership Matters Meeting scheduled for January 10th has been canceled.

Got a Minute? Got a Pie?

You’ll enjoy spending a minute listening to this podcast “Dropping by the with a Pie” posted by Plain Values Magazine.

Grange Month Is Coming!

Even without counting on your fingers, you know Grange Month starts in just over two months! What’s the plan? How will your Grange celebrate?

Website Progress

We continue to work on the site… while current postings and columns are a priority, we’re also bringing the Program Books and Information Page up to date and in compliance. The Secretary’s section of that page is now complete!

Pomona People!

We do list Pomona Meetings on the website calendar–please send the dates and times of your Pomona Meetings!

Do You Love the Grange?

The world wants to hear about it! Fill out the simple I Love the Grange Form… it only takes a couple of minutes! Thanks to all who have shared so far!

Ideas for Granges

Could you adopt a theme or slogan for the new year? Did you see the recent “Quick Tip” regarding starting a life skills series?

Thought for You…

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”

Edith Sitwell

Online Directories Available 24-7

  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!

Do You Have FOMO?

“FOMO” is, of course, a Fear Of Missing Out. One strongly recommended treatment is to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website. We’ll send you a daily summary whenever news and columns are posted, and we won’t share your email address with anyone!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

Note that when you subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website, we do not share your email address with others and only use it to send you–at the most–one email per day when new information is posted.

Teacher of the Year, Part Two

For those Granges who participated in nominating an “MSG Teacher of the Year,” here’s another opportunity. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2023 County Teachers of the Year. One of those county teachers of the year will be selected as the 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year.

Teachers may be nominated by students, parents, teaching colleagues, school administrators, or anyone from the community who wants to honor an outstanding educator. (Self-nominations and nominations by family members are not accepted). The deadline for nominations is 5:00 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

It’s been another challenging school year for educators. Here’s a way to honor a teacher who inspires students and deserves recognition.

More Information about qualifications
Nominate a TEacher From Your County

Quick Tip–Life Skills Series

Cool Idea

How about conducting a “Life Skills Class?” The class could focus on what it takes to properly and easily balance a checkbook, write checks and reconcile any errors found. These are skills that sound simple to some, but not everyone knows how to do them.

This could actually be a series of classes including writing a resume/cover letter, practice interviews, container gardening, budgeting, simple mending, cooking, car care, de-cluttering, and household repairs.

Consider what skills you and your fellow Grangers could use some help with and start a life skills class of your own! Brushing up on life skills like these can really simplify your life and the lives of your fellow Grangers.

Grange Heirloom — January 2023

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

From the Deacon’s Bench – January 2023

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying,’Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.’”  

Matthew 2:13

 

Happy New Year!! I hope that you all had great Christmas and New Year’s celebrations! This is the beginning of a brand, spankin’ New Year! A time to “reboot” (as the TECH world would say!).

To “reboot,” some ideas come to mind. One very important one comes to mind, and that is being kinder to your family, friends, and acquaintances! Another one is to refrain from being judgmental of one another.

I know what many of you are thinking; he is making a list of New Year’s resolutions to be broken early next month! No, I’m trying not to do that. What I am trying to do is this; I am trying to make it sound like (and it basically is) a life-changing event because if we all do this, our lives will change for the better and, possibly, make our little “acre” just a wee bit better.

It seems that I am asking you to “think about it for a minute” a lot lately, but I am very serious about this. If we don’t do something immediately, our lives, and the lives of our families won’t be worth a “plug nickel” in the near future.

We are entering a brand new year, full of new opportunities for us all. As in the scripture lesson this month, we are running and hiding from Herod in a way.

Herod might not be alive now, but we each have our own “Herod” we are trying to avoid. We can start by being more considerate of our fellow human beings. Please and thank you to the wait staff who deliver your food at the restaurant, holding the door open for people who are having a difficult time, smiling at strangers as you pass them on the street and many more. I’m sure you can think of some!

That is it for this month! I will step down from my soapbox (for now!). I would like to take this time to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope the new year brings you all a bit of relief and a busload of happiness!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Amen.

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us all to stay away from our ‘Herods.’ Show us, always, the righteous path to travel. Amen.”

These things, I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love, some work to do,
A bit of o’ sun, a bit o’ cheer.
And a guardian angel always near.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

Fairview Grange Collects for Vets

Fairview Grange #342 was pleased to be able to put together needed items for the Veterans at Togus VA again this season. We had gathered needed items for several years before the China Virus but couldn’t for two years as they were not accepting donations over concerns of spreading the virus.

This year they had a continued need, and Grange members and some from the community stepped up!

We donated some winter coats, warm socks, and underwear, personal care items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, nail clippers, and body wash as well as a little sugar-free candy as a treat. Thank you to all who helped.