You, Me & The Boiler
Boiler Meditation by Danny Kosmowski and Larry
Hutchison
I've known boilers, for I am a tiny molecule of steam.
I travel the pipes of 1st UU; up from the boiler into the
Sanctuary
I'm a little breeze of warmth; I bring comfort and joy; I
surround you with just the right warmth and fuzzies.
That's my calling - that's my purpose - that's my joy.
I've known boilers, ancient rusty boilers, taken care of
by human hands.
My call comes early Sunday morning, I'm the first to
hear the organ since my journey begins directly under
it.
Oh my life is important, it has purpose - for the organ
cannot sound good, and Todd cannot play
beautifully, without me.
My call, like the great Mississippi, is important Come
travel with me - let's begin with my birth.
I was born in the hospital just below the organ With
gas from DTE, with water from the city, with fresh air.
Through the process of boiling I became steam. This
is my beginning - but only the beginning.
As mighty rivers begin high in the mountains You
begin low in the basement.
Your movement is upward, toward one another on
Sunday morning. You are now flowing with a ton of
friends through a 4-inch pipe.
Call it the Mississippi to the Sanctuary;
Now you're down to a one-inch pipe but moving
faster. You hit the Sanctuary radiators with a full head
of steam on a zero morning.
There, you're set free - there you surround the
beautiful space. You hit the Indiana limestone and
bounce into the hearts of every one.
You make the music beautiful and give power to the
liberal ideas expressed. You have had a long and
wonderful journey. You are fulfilled!
But you wonder - what if I had taken the other
tributary? "The road not taken".
Now you are on that road, the Nile.
Traveling through the woman's bathroom into the
men's bathroom when Wham! You hit a wall - A trap
Why is that valve closed, you ask
It must be 127 degrees in the men's bathroom; and you
are aware of the smell at that temperature. Oh, it's the
pneumatic valve again. But we just bought a new
compressor! We need a by-pass - emergency surgery.
You're trapped - you can't go anywhere. End of the
line - that's why they call it a trap. Your journey ended
overheating the men's bathroom. It's a sad day!
No, here comes Earl, the Chair of Building and Grounds. He's saying the valve is frozen shut, we need a new trap. You were headed for the Second Story, all the way to the far end - The Yoga Center and Still Point. It must be cold up there this morning, you're thinking. Pneumatics you ask?
Pneumatic valves open and close with air.
They are connected electrically to a thermostat that
responds to temperature changes, ordering the valves
to open or close. There are a lot of valves on this
journey! Wow! You're thinking, if I could be
something else other than a warm little breeze I would
be a thermostat.
As Martin Luther King said, "Be a thermostat, open
the valves of justice." Now Danny, Cal and Earl -
along with Morts Brothers - have the valve fixed.
"That was expensive," says Jerry Wahl, B & G
Trustee.
Up the back stairway, now you are entering the Second Story. You're surrounding the youth in the Owl Program - now you're playing blocks in the nursery, look at all these happy kids. Now you're sitting at the Buddhist's feet. During the week, you're stretching with the yoga class, working for justice or planning a garden with Detroit Summer or developing films with the Digital Studio.
Oh, you've known pipes, miles and miles of pipes. You've journeyed to McCollester Hall and Pullman Hall; you've heard the music of Detroit Women's Coffeehouse. And you've enjoyed coffee after Sunday services, but all that was in another life, far on the other side of the valve where you're free to do your thing, your calling, your purpose, you are cooled! You flow back to the hospital (fulfilled if the system is working right). There you are reborn, ready for the next journey. Recycling is truly a matter of life and death. Love, Larry
Building & Grounds Trustee, Jerry Wahl, 313-921-1877
Canvass Trustee, Dan Secrest, 313-864-0177
Finance Trustee, Janet Thompson, 313-886-5351
Membership - 2nd Mon. 5:30 P.M. Trustee, Dan Wiest, 313-567-2531
Personal & Administration Trustee, Mark Bendure, 313-882-7732
Religious Education Trustee, Cathy Rock, 313-791-0533
Social Justice Trustee, Hector Santos-Castro, 313-834- 0419.
Worship - 3rd Sun. 1:00 P.M. Trustee, Gwen Winston, 248-443-4679
Members new and old, feel free to get involved in committees of First Church, have a voice in what goes on. For times not expressed above, call the Trustee for more information.
March 30, Sunday - Women's History catered luncheon - $12.00. Come as the woman you would like to have been. RSVP to Barbara Stevenson (313-863-6891) by March 29. Limited seating
Mark your Calendars for Saturday, May 17 for the First UU's Goods and Services Auction. Start thinking about what you can donate and what you would like to buy (and encourage others to donate what you would like to buy!) If you would like to volunteer to help, please contact Colleen Dolan- Greene at 313-867-4890.
Calling all cooks ... After consuming some very good food at our potlucks, we decided it was time to put together another cookbook and we're hoping some of the potluck goodies will be included. Please submit your recipes by way of e-mail to Allison Parks or Irene Schultz. If e-mail is not an option, recipes may be placed in the Newsletter box located outside the church office or they may be given to either one of us during coffee hour. Please feel free to submit more than one. The deadline for recipes is March 31, 2003. We only have about a dozen recipes so far! We need more input!!! 5351
If you are interested in showing at First UU (group show) please contact Mark Schwing at 313-300-2750.
February 9 was a day that reminded me why I love being a member of First UU. The church service was inspiring due to the steel drum playing of youth and adult together and Larry and Ngia's words of commitment and passion. The voices of eight UU church choirs joined in concert. We felt exhilarated to sing with such a large group. Our guests from the Metro area complimented our beautiful buildings and our hospitality. In between church and Choir Concert, Dan Secrest coordinated our Canvass Kickoff with hopeful realism. We learned more about our budget and about the $50,000.00 we need to replace a dying boiler. We asked for freewill donations from Metro UU's at the Choir Concert and received a generous offering. Blessed Be!
When I arrived home Sunday afternoon, I had a message from Thom Moore, a long time friend of the congregation, notifying me that Jim Limbacher had died. I remember Jim as "the film expert". I called Ann Harvey and Arlene Teed to call members of the church who knew Jim. He had been a shut-in for a long time and unable to attend church. It warmed my heart to later learn that they had spent hours on the phone calling long time members, some who are also unable to come often; but relaying the news and catching up with them. Also, Eiko Takemoto and Al Acker helped let people know. By now Jim's service has been held and he is at rest. Our Memorial Fund will take contributions in his memory.
Please check out the notices in this Newsletter about upcoming Budget Hearings (3/23 & 4/13) and Congregational Meetings (4/27 & 5/4). We are at a financial crossroads because of the budget deficit and the breakdown of the boiler at the same time. Our rainy day funds are totally depleted and it keeps raining! We will keep talking with each other and we will work this out. Peace, Lynda
Rehearsals are at 9:30 A.M. in
Memorial Hall unless otherwise noted.
Rehearsals for the upcoming months are as
follows:
March NO REHEARSALS March 23 and
March 30
April 6, April 13, April 20 with performance at
11:00 - NO REHEARSAL April 27
May 4, May 11, May 18 with performance at
11:00 - NO REHEARSAL May 25
June 1, June 8, June 15 with performance at
11:00.
I hope you are using the many values in the
Entertainment Book. Four of us are going to the
Heartland meeting April 11 & 12. The
convention rate was $89.95 per room. I asked
about the Entertainment Book rate and was
pleasantly surprised to learn there would be a
$35.00 savings per night and a total of $140.00
saved for two rooms for two nights. Please save
nice garage sale items for sales beginning in
May. Also, we could use some help in May -
cleaning, sorting, pricing, etc. With more people
helping, we can make more money for our
programs.
Margaret Beck, Development
Trustee
The Women's Alliance Wednesday, April 16, noon luncheon meeting in Memorial Hall will be followed by a speaker from the Detroit Historical Museum whose subject will be "Michigan's Underground Railroad." Reservations for the luncheon must be made by noon on Monday, April 14, by phoning the Church office at 313-833-9107 or Eiko Takemoto at 313-869-6389. The luncheon costs $6.00.
Budget Hearings are scheduled for March 23 and April 13 at 12:30 P.M. in Memorial Hall. Questions about First UU's financial condition now and how we got in this deficit crunch. Board members, Finance Committee members and our minister will be there with useful information and listening ears. Lynda Smith, Moderator
The congregational meeting will take place on April 27, 2003 with the purpose of receiving annual reports of First UU Board and Staff. We will also receive recommendations of the Nominating Committee and vote on officers and committees as required by our constitution. The meeting will then be adjourned to continue on May 4, 2003 with the purpose to take action on by-law proposals from the Memorial Funds Committee and operating budget proposal (fiscal year 7/2003 6/2004) from the First UU Board. Both meetings will take place at 12:30 - after church - in McCollester Hall. Lynda Smith, Moderator
Do you need help around the house? Elder care? Light housework? House sitting? Call me. I am dependable! No heavy lifting, overnights okay. Charlotte Allen 313-838-0065
One ladder of at least 12 feet for Building and Grounds to use in the lower blower room. Please call Earl Harvey at 313-563- 2629 if you have such an item. I will pick it up and deliver it to the church. Thank you. Earl
A grant written by Barbara Stevenson for Peace by Piece was for an ethnic dinner (Filipino). The grant was for $500.00 and was given to UUCP for this purpose. The Filipino dinner produced $848.00 for the church. UUCP would like to thank Lily and Dan Secrest along with their helpers for putting on this very successful event. I know every one that attended had a great time! Thanks, again to all who came. Earl Harvey - President and Treasurer UUCP
Education is much more than a matter of imparting the knowledge and skills by which narrow goals are achieved. It is also about opening the child's eyes to the needs and rights of others.
Thanks to Todd, Lyle, ushers, Arlene Teed and Eiko Takemoto for making a better service on March 2 nd. Announcements were not available until Sunday. While the talk was a little long, it was interesting and the music was quite lovely. Looking ahead to March 23rd _ plan to hear Ismael Ahmed, Executive Director of ACCESS, speak about living a multicultural life.
I have a new delightful friend,
I am most in awe of her.
When we first met I was impressed,
By her bizarre behavior.
That day I had a date with friends,
We met to have some lunch.
Mae had come along with them,
All in all ... a pleasant bunch.
When the menus were presented,
We ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups.
Except for Mae who circumvented,
And said, ice cream, please: two scoops.
I was not sure my ears heard right,
And the others were aghast.
Along with heated apple pie,
Mae added, unabashed.
We tried to act quite nonchalant,
As if people did this all the time.
But when our orders were brought out,
I did not enjoy mine.
I could not take my eyes off Mae,
As her pie a-la-mode went down.
The other ladies showed dismay,
They ate their lunches silently, and
frowned.
Well, the next time I went out to eat,
I called and invited Mae.
My lunch contained white tuna meat,
She ordered a parfait.
I smiled when her dish I viewed,
And she asked if she amused me.
I answered, Yes, you do,
But also you confuse me.
How come you order rich desserts,
When I feel I must be sensible?
She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,
I am tasting all that's possible.
I try to eat the food I need,
And do the things I should.
But life's so short, my friend, indeed,
I hate missing out on something good.
This year I realized how old I was,
She grinned, I've not been this old before.
So, before I die, I've got to try,
Those things for years I had ignored.
I've not smelled all the flowers yet,
There's too many books I have not read.
There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down
And kites to be flown overhead.
There are many malls I have not shopped,
I've not laughed at all the jokes.
I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,
And potato chips and cokes.
I want to wade again in water,
And feel ocean spray upon my face.
Sit in a country church once more,
And thank God for His grace.
I want peanut butter every day,
Spread on my morning toast.
I want un-timed long-distance calls,
To the folks I love the most.
I've not cried at all the movies yet,
Nor walked in the morning rain.
I need to feel wind in my hair,
I want to fall in love again.
So, if I choose to have dessert,
Instead of having dinner.
Then should I die before night fall,
I'd say I died a winner.
Because I missed out on nothing,
I filled my heart's desire.
I had that final chocolate mousse,
Before my life expired.
With that, I called the waitress over,
I've changed my mind, it seems.
I said, I want what she is having,
Only add some more whipped-cream!
Be mindful that happiness is not based
On possessions, power, or prestige,
But on relationships with people you love and
respect. Money talks. Chocolate sings.