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March/April 2012

The Elementary Cluster gets a blast from the past

Spring is upon us — oh, happy day! Time to fling open the windows and let the fresh air in; throw the curtains in the washer, and strip the beds of their heavy winter coverings.

According to Wikipedia, the ritual of spring cleaning has ancient origins in Iran. Just before the Persian new year, or “Norouz,” which falls on the first day of spring, Iranians practice “khooneh tekouni" which literally means “shaking the house.” Everything in the house is cleaned, top to bottom.

I had always heard that spring cleaning came from the Jewish tradition. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about that notion: “another possibility of the origin of spring cleaning can be traced to the ancient Jewish practice of thoroughly cleansing the home in anticipation of the springtime memorial feast of Passover. In remembrance of the Jews’ hasty flight from Egypt following their captivity there, during the seven-day observance of the Passover memorial or remembrance, there are strict prohibitions against eating or drinking anything which may have been leavened or fermented with yeast. Jews are not only supposed to refrain from leavened foodstuffs (known in Hebrew as chametz, they are expressly commanded to rid their homes of even small remnants of chametz for the length of the holiday. Therefore, observant Jews conduct a thorough ‘spring cleaning’ of the house, followed by a traditional hunt for chametz crumbs by candlelight (called bedikat chametz) on the evening before the holiday begins.”

When I worked at Temple Isaiah in Lexington, I fondly remember the mad scramble just before Passover began to rid the temple of chametz. Every cupboard was emptied, and we were not to bring bread into our workplace for the week of Passover. It was a little challenging for those of us used to eating a sandwich at lunchtime, but we happily joined in the observation with our Jewish colleagues.

May you enjoy some spring cleaning of your own this spring, and maybe even add a simple ritual element into it with your family (see the family ritual of the month). If you are looking for good spring cleaning tips, try this link to Martha Stewart’s Spring-Cleaning Checklist. Happy cleaning and happy spring!

Upcoming RG&L Events
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Friday 3/2

First Friday Fellowship for all, 6:00-9:00 pm
Junior Youth host the movie “Bend It Like Beckham” as one activity of the evening

“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us.”
— Winston Churchill

MONTHLY
FOOD PANTRY DONATION REQUEST

Sunday 3/4

Neighboring Faiths class field trip to Kurukulla Center (Buddhist)
Junior Youth (7/8th grades): Bowling at the Woburn Bowl-A-Drome: Noon-2:30 pm (lunch while there)

Sunday 3/11

Neighboring Faiths class: Intro to Spiritual Practices (Bookbinding with Elise Goplerud)
5/6th Grade Youth Group event: “Kids Cooking Green” dinner party, 3:30-5:30 pm

Sunday 3/18

Junior Youth cooking pancake breakfast for the congregation. 8:00 am arrival, 9:00 am breakfast

Sunday 3/25

Annual Youth Worship Service, 10:30 am

Friday 3/30

5/6th Grade Youth Group Overnight at Museum of Science

Sunday 4/1

Toolkits for high school seniors in Staples Hall, 5:00-7:00 pm (dinner included)

Tuesday 4/3

Last 8th grade OWL class; parents invited for dinner and class

Friday 4/6

First Friday Fellowship for all, 6:00-9:00 pm
OWL dinner at Ixtapa (drop-off at Follen Church at 5:00 pm; pick-up at 9:00 pm)

Sunday 4/8

Easter Sunday — No Senior High Youth Group

Sunday 4/15

First Sunday of public school vacation — Happy Vacation!
Social Action Sunday for 2-8th graders, 10:30 am in Parker Hall
Primary Cluster meets as usual
Senior High Youth Group sleep over at church

Monday 4/16

Patriot’s Day — church offices closed

Wednesday 4/18

Junior Youth Group Social Action Trip to Overlook Farm in Rutland, MA.
Carpools leave FP Lex at 1:30 pm

Friday 4/20

Junior Youth return from Overlook Farm. Carpools arrive at FP Lex at approximately 12:00 pm

Sunday 4/22

2nd Sunday of school vacation; classes and Senior High Youth Group meet as usual
Toolkits for high school seniors, 5:00-7:00 pm in Staples Hall

Friday 4/27

5/6th Grade Overnight at Museum of Science (still under consideration)

Sunday 4/29

Neighboring Faiths: Spiritual Practices (Slam Poetry with Regie O’Hare Gibson)
Junior Youth Group hike, 1:00-6:00 pm (details still being determined)

Spring 2012 UU World Family Pages: Animals and Us: Companionship, Caring, and Compassion
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Download this 4-page section from the quarterly UU World magazine to read with your family.

Cluster Updates
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Primary Cluster: Welcomes new member Matthew to the class! Continuing with their focus on Unitarian Universalism through worship, stories, and related projects.

Elementary Cluster: Welcomes new member Rio to the class! Continuing a focus on UU people, including Beatrix Potter, P.T. Barnum, and Christopher Reeve. Visitors abound in this unit, and we may even have a family field trip to the Big Apple Circus!

Intermediate Cluster: Continuing focus on UU spirituality, with a labyrinth walk among other activities.

Junior Youth/Neighboring Faiths: Finishing a focus on Buddhism, with a field trip to the Kurukulla Center on 3/4, then beginning a spring focus on Spiritual Practices on 3/11 with two weeks of bookbinding followed by 3 weeks of slam poetry.

5/6th Grade Youth Group: Upcoming events: March 11, “Kids Cooking Green” dinner party; March 30, Overnight at the Museum of Science

Junior Youth Group (7/8th Grades): Upcoming events: March 4, Bowling; March 18, Cooking pancake breakfast for congregation at FP Lex; April vacation week, Social Action trip to Overlook Farm in Rutland, MA; April 29, hike

Senior High Youth Group: Upcoming events: soup sales each Sunday during coffee hour to support their February 2013 return to Appalachia; March 2, Sleepover at church; March 11, Paul Brockmann visits to present slide show describing his work with MSF (French version of “Doctors Without Borders”); March 24, rehearsal for youth worship service; March 25, Youth Worship Service; April 15, Sleepover at church. Youth Group meets every Sunday night (except the first Sunday of school vacation weeks, and three day weekends) from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Common Room

Toolkits: A special program for high school seniors designed to meet their needs and interests as they transition out of high school and onto next steps. Meets approximately every other Sunday evening from 5:00-7:00 pm, with dinner provided. Upcoming meetings: March 11th, April 1st, April 22nd, May 6th.

Books of the Month
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Three excellent books for more information about household and family organization, cleaning, and simplifying your family life. All are available for check-out from the DRE’s office library.

House Works: Cut the Clutter, Speed Your Cleaning, and Calm the Chaos
by Cynthia Townley Ewer

Absolutely Organized: A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and Clutter-Free Home
by Debbie Lillard

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids
by Kim John Payne

Family Ritual of the Month
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Tired of the clutter that seems to reproduce before your very eyes on every imaginable horizontal surface of your home? Try this fun “ritual” and watch the clutter disappear — like magic!

In our family, it was important that the rooms we shared (kitchen, living and dining rooms, and bathrooms) were as uncluttered as possible, so that we could all enjoy them equally. Several evenings a week, we would set a timer for 10 minutes, and stress that no one was allowed to “work” a second beyond those ten minutes. Give each family member a laundry basket or another container, and as you set the timer yell, “ready, set, go!” Then have everyone race around the “common rooms” picking up their own belongings and taking them to their proper places of storage.

When the timer goes off ten minutes later, insist that everyone stop gathering, and enjoy a treat of some kind together in your newly uncluttered home. A family favorite of ours was to mix flavored yogurt and flavored seltzer water for an Indian inspired beverage. The great thing about this ritual is that in our family of four, ten minutes multiplied by four meant that we were spending 40 minutes straightening the house while having fun and rewarding ourselves at the end. Enjoy!

NEWSLETTER EXTRA
UU Summer Camps
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Starting to make your summer plans? Consider a UU camp for your kids, or a UU retreat center for your entire family. (By the way, if you want to know more about Star Island, please get in touch with me as I have been going for many years.) Here are some links to help you in your planning:

If you are looking farther away than the mid-Atlantic or Northeast, Google “Unitarian Universalist summer camps” and stand back! There are many opportunities far and wide for UUs this summer!
 

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