Think about that extra day

February 29 occurs once every four years – only during a Leap Year. And that's what we have this year. Leap years occur because the solar year is not really 365 days long but 365.2422374 long and every four yers we make up that extra time it takes the earth to revolve around the sun.

Leap year was invented, so to speak, by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE at the behest of his astronomer Sosigenes, who, in order to simply the calendar, suggested to Julius that he add the extra day every four years. Yes, it goes back that far.

There are many traditions regarding Leap Year, one of which is that a woman can propose marriage to a man and he must accept. This origin of this so-called custom is lost in history but seems to have originated in the late medieval period in Scotland. There is supposedly a similar Irish custom.

Customs aside, we have an extra day. So what will you do with that extra day in your life? Why not set it aside to reconsider where you are and set some new direction for your life. This extra day can be used as a real gift. Take the time to consider the blessings you have and share some some of those blessings with those who often do not have much love in their lives. In that way, you will be the face of God to someone who doesn't really feel much of God's love. Sometimes, you are the only face of God that someone else ever sees.


IN MEMORIAM

For almost 70 – yes, that is correct, 70 – years Evelyn Hartmann served as Minister of Music for Old First. She took the position in 1941 – before Pearl Harbor – and gave her life to the church and its music. A direct descendant of one of the founders of the church in 1688, she was also a descendant of one of its pastors, the Rev. David Stout. Former head of the music department for the Hawthorne School System, she was much beloved as a teacher by her many students. Evelyn died peacefully on January 21 at her home in Middletown.

The memorial service is set for Saturday, February 18, at 1 PM. Calling hours are between Noon and 1 and a reception will follow the service. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery in Middletown where her late husband George is also buried. If you knew Evelyn, come and be with us on that day.


RIOTOUS READERS

Sunday, February 19 at 2 PM we will discuss The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. First in a trilogy, this novel is not only a first rate mystery but forces us to ask some questions about ourselves. Originally titled in Swedish as The Man Who Hated Women, this novel is not for the weak of heart or stomach. Join us for great discussion, not to mention Scandinavian pastries in accordance with the theme of the day. Maybe even some Glogg!


MISSION IS TO THE CHURCH AS A FIRE IS TO BURNING

Help the Calico Cat Thrift Shop, a store for the community operated by the Community Outreach Group that sells gently used items to persons who cannot afford even discount prices. It also has a food pantry. If you have a few hours during the week, the Calico Cat could use your help. Call (732) 671-0550 if you would like to help in this important ministry.

Shop FAIR TRADE in the New Year

As you think about shopping for items during this New Year, check out Ten Thousand Villages in Red Bank, a Fair Trade Store. Located at 69 Broad Street (close to the intersection of Monmouth Street). Beautiful things and the artisans get the money!

You can also find Fair Trade on the web at www.serrv.org and your money does a world of good.

TIME, TIME, TIME

The New Year is a time when we think about time. Over two thousand years ago, the writer of Ecclesiastes put it this way: To everything there is a season. However, in our society, time has become a commodity. We package it and make it seem to be something in and of itself. Living by schedules, we are afraid to lose or waste time. Look at how we talk about time. It’s as if we are talking about money. We save time; we count time; we invest time. In fact, the business world has a phrase: time is money.

In light of these two truths, that time teaches and time disappears, it seems that the purpose of time is clear: it is to alert us to what we can become, not in the material sense, but in a deeply spiritual sense. Real spirituality demands that we care enough about all the moments of life to live all of them fully. The only thing we cannot do in life, Ecclesiastes teaches, is to ignore it.

The New Year is a time for us to reflect not just about the opportunities we missed in the year gone by but to reflect on possibilities for our lives in the year to come. One of our New Year’s resolutions should be to savor time by seeing time as a gift and not a commodity. We are now past the darkest day of the year and each day we will get a little more light. As a people of faith we should take the light as a gift of time and resolve to use that time – just about two minutes each day – to breathe in deeply and fel the presence of God in our lives.

RIOTOUS READERS

Sunday, January 15 at 2 PM we will discuss State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. This novel raises questions of the limits of ethical behavior, the use and abuse of human beings, and asks us to consider the limits of our desire to have whatever we want no matter the cost.


MISSION IS TO THE CHURCH AS A FIRE IS TO BURNING

Help the Calico Cat Thrift Shop, a store for the community operated by the Community Outreach Group that sells gently used items to persons who cannot afford even discount prices. It also has a food pantry. If you have a few hours during the week, the Calico Cat could use your help. Call (732) 671-0550 if you would like to help in this important ministry.

Shop FAIR TRADE in the New Year

As you think about shopping for items during this New Year, check out Ten Thousand Villages in Red Bank, a Fair Trade Store. Located at 69 Broad Street (close to the intersection of Monmouth Street). Beautiful things and the artisans get the money!

You can also find Fair Trade on the web at www.serrv.org and your money does a world of good.

THE BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR