"Our life is frittered away by detail," wrote Thoreau. "Simplify, simplify." "Yes!" my heart cries, from under an avalanche of boxes of stuff - stuff left to me, stuff given to me, stuff I rashly bought, and stuff that just glommed onto me! The more I get rid of, the more I seem to have. Disorder is continually increasing in the universe. That is the second law of thermodynamics, and I believe it is true. I believe this based on my life-long research project: cleaning house. Ask yourself: Did the house ever become more orderly between cleaning days? Have you ever needed to declare that cleaning day would henceforth be called "messing-up day?"
So, do your research results replicate mine? Simplification is not a task that is easy, or easily envisaged. Indeed, we have been duped into thinking that complexity is progress. The things that we simply must have and do just keep multiplying. A case in point is the holiday season just coming up. I was shocked when I first saw the stats that showed the peak periods for women to have heart attacks are the holiday seasons - and the highest of these peaks is Christmas. All this celebrating can be really stressful. So much to do! "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." That's Thoreau again. In his terms, we have become very poor indeed. How can we make this holiday season rich in that which is most meaningful? What can we leave alone?
PERSONALITY DISORDERS On Wednesday, November 23, the Care-Ring Voice Network offers an information session by telephone at 7 p.m. The topic is the main personality disorders, and possible treatments. The speaker is Dr. Suzanne Renaud, psychiatrist. To register for this session, call 1-866-396-2433, email info@careringvoice.com, or visit www.careringvoice.com, but do it now. FARM SUCCESSION On Thursday, November 24, the Quebec Farmers' Association (QFA) offers a videoconference entitled Farm Succession II. It is at 7:30 to 10 p.m., at the Eaton Valley Community Learning Centre (CLC), located at the Pope Memorial School in Bury. Refreshments served. Fee of $5 for non-members of the QFA. Info: Lise Dougherty at 819-570-7255 or doughertyl@ped.etsb.qc.ca.
CHRONIC COPING On Wednesday, December 7, at 10 a.m., the topic is Coping with Chronic Illness via a videoconference offered at the Eaton Valley CLC in Bury by the Community Health Education Program (CHEP) and Townshippers' Association. No admission fee. Info: Lise Dougherty at 819-570-7255 or doughertyl@ped.etsb.qc.ca.
HULA HOOP Practitioners of this ancient art are invited to the Eaton Valley CLC in Bury every Friday at 2:45 p.m., for an hour. Info: Lise Dougherty at 819-570-7255 or doughertyl@ped.etsb.qc.ca.
CHURCH SERVICES Baptist: Sunday school is at 10 a.m. (English and French), and worship service is at 9 a.m. in French, and 11 a.m. in English, in Sawyerville (819-239-8818).
United: Sunday services are in Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and Sawyerville at 11 a.m. They include Sunday school and nursery (leave message at 819-889-2838).
Anglican: Sunday services are 9:30 a.m. in Bury and 11 a.m. in Cookshire. Holy Eucharist is on the first and third Sundays of the month, and Liturgy of the Word is on the second and fourth Sundays.
On the first Wednesday of every month - the next one being December 7 - a "Messy Church" is offered from 5 to 6:15 p.m. for young families. It is geared toward families with children aged 2 to 12, but all ages are welcome. Storytelling, crafts, a short worship service and dinner are planned. A pay-what-you-can free-will offering helps cover the cost of dinner and crafts. Parents are not allowed to cook or to stay and help with the dishes, because this is a ministry for busy families who have a hard time coming out for church on Sunday mornings (819-875-1568 or 819-239-6902).
Do you have news to share? Call 819-889-2520 or email ra.writes@gmail.com by November 28 for publication December 7 - the last issue before Christmas - and by December 12 for December 28 - the last issue before the New Year.
