UPS & DOWNS September, 2000
WAYFARERS' NEWS

WELCOME to new residents Bernadette, Jennifer, and newborn Christian.

FAREWELL AND GOOD WISHES to Charlene.

Our congratulations on the safe arrival of Christian, son of Lori and grandson of Pat. Our new resident was born on September 2 and weighed six pounds, fifteen ounces.

We are glad that Ethel and Anna are both recovering from their recent illnesses.

We wish much happiness to Dawn and Bruce in their marriage which is planned for later this month.

Our heartiest thanks to Leona Papagno for all the years of sharing her wonderful talents in art in weekly classes at Wayfarers' and Clairvaux Farm. We shall miss her as she now takes time to work on art production of her own, and we wish her Godspeed.

IN MEMORIAM

We remember here all those friends and family who grieve in the sudden loss of Barbara Martin Oliver, who died earlier this month. We remember her gratefully, and we rejoice in the happiness she felt in those last days: her spoken gratitude for those who had confidence in her, who appreciated her kindnesses, who were glad for her in her newfound friendships. We are glad for her pleasure in moving into a place of her own and in renewing a special relationship with someone who had known her since she was young. We are grateful for all she taught us. "Rest in peace," Barbara.

NEW SKILLS

From time to time we notice new skills being learned by Meeting Ground residents. Recently we discovered that George Porter House resident Kathie Wilson has developed her computer knowledge since May to include Microsoft Word and Excel programs. This has enabled her to keep an inventory for the new Community Kitchen, the organization that provides lunch each Friday, noon to 1 p.m., at the Elkton Presbyterian Church on Main Street. Margaret Holland, who chairs the Community Kitchen project, is assisted by Nancy Conway of Spirit and Life Bible Church and by Kathie in that leadership.

Kathie tells us that computer inventories are helpful at George Porter House, too, where she keeps a running update of house supplies, everything from cleaning supplies to light bulbs.



FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM

Have you heard about the Food Distribution Program sponsored by Meeting Ground and funded by the Help Center of Elkton? In order to stretch the family budget, it provides food to supplement the family's food purchases. At its first meeting on August 4, the FDP decided what to order. By 5 p.m. on August 9, 869.5 pounds of food at a cost of $144.20 (plus some fresh produce that was free and an additional $11.05 spent for items from the shopper's choice section) had been purchased from the Food Bank in Newark, Delaware, sorted into family packages, picked up by the 13 families (who are members of the FDP) at the George Porter House or delivered to those who could not come to get their food. Volunteers were of much help in all these tasks.

The Help Center contributed $1800 for FDP based on 30 members times an average donation of $5 per family times 12 months. The 13 families had contributed a total of $51.00 by August 10.

A September meeting was scheduled and another food-pickup was planned for last week. Stay tuned for future reports, or contact Meeting Ground representative Barb Dugan at (410)620-4678 for more information. (Facts courtesy of Barb Dugan and Kathie Wilson).

AUTUMN

The leaves have fallen in wait to be piled.
The pumpkins are grinning and await your arrival.
The candy's flowing and ready to be shared.
The suns fall sweepingly as the moon starts to rise.
The children are preparing their big bags and lights.
The parents are sleepy and need a quick fix
So they sample the bounty with a childish grin.
Upon porches and sidewalks, and even side doors,
"Trick or Treat" they scream
with a grin and open hand.
So sweet and precious they are under a scary facade.
The bigger the smile, the bigger the treat.
And you smile inside in spite that it's late.
For as long as the goblins come to your door
You can be a child again with each ring of the bell.
Raven

I'LL JUST GO DAY BY DAY

I don't know where I am going in this world,
But I am going some place far away from everyone I know.
In time I will come back to the place I once knew,
But for now I will move on and see the world.
Only look at what is ahead of me, not what is behind me
Because I can only do for myself, not how other people want me to do.
So for now I'll just go day by day.
(I wrote this last year about myself at age 13, though I am now 19 years old.) Jennifer

WHO I AM . . .

My life is filled with so many hopes and dreams.
My life is full of pain.
Why can't I just be loved for who I am?
No, by how I look.
People always have something bad to say about me.

What did I ever do wrong to them?
My soul has been hurt too many times.
My heart has been broken so many times.
I lost count. Or does it end here?
Many people come and go.
I will always be here to stay.
No matter how much they hurt me.
They never really know who I am.
Jennifer

I'M SOMEONE YOU KNOW VERY WELL . . .

Don't be fooled by me.
Don't be fooled by the face I wear.
For I wear a mask, I wear a thousand masks.
Masks that I'm afraid to take off,
And none of them are me.
Pretending is an art that's second nature to me.
But don't be fooled.
For God's sake don't be fooled!

I give you the impression that I'm secure.
That all is sunny and unruffled in me,
Within as well as without,
That confidence is my name and coolness my game,
That the water's calm and I'm in command,
And that I need no one,
But don't believe me.

My surface may seem smooth,
But my surface is my mask,
My ever varying and over-concealing mask.
Beneath lies no smugness, no complacence.
Beneath dwells the real me,
In confusion, in fear,
In aloneness,
But I hide this.
I panic at the thought of my weakness and fear
Being exposed.
That's why I frantically create a
Mask to hide behind,
A nonchalant, sophisticated facade.

(This is the beginning of a poem by Raven
which we plan to print in its entirety in our next issue.)