THE AWANA CRYEREDITOR: GARY CHAPPLE

Christmas and New Years have comeand gone and now we find ourselves inthe month of January. And 'Old ManWinter' has paid us a visit so we find itnot only cold but there has been a fairbit of ice around the complex. The pave-ment gets very slippery somembers are encouragedto use extreme cautionwhen it rains or snows. Itcould be safer to use thesidewalks rather than cut-ting across the parking lot > .should you go visitingwithin the complex.Jim and Dawna Goodwinhave taken on the task ofdeveloping a new pictorialphone list. If you wouldlike to have a new photograph takenplease sign up in the Rec. Room. Photoswill be taken on two Saturdays, January26th and February 2nd from 1:00 to3:30 PM with a half hour break between2:00 and 2:30. If you don't sign up yourcurrent photograph will be used. Pleaseremember that these phone lists are forthe exclusive use of AWANA membersand are not to be shared with or used byoutside organizations.

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ISSUE 2013-01

A considerable amount of work has beendone to upgrade our shrubbery and the ap-pearance of the outside of our buildings dur-ing this last year. If you wish to make changesto you hedges or flower beds, please let Lyleor Bill know. Many folks have done extrawork around the place and that benefits us

all. So many thanks. Justremember that if you planto spend any money on im-

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proving our property, getpermission in advance oryou will be responsible forthe cost. As well some mem-bers have gotten satellite tvwithout informing theBoard. There are specificinstructions available forputting up dishes so pleasecontact Bill Collie first.

The Board meets again on February 11 (thesecond Monday of the month) in the Rec.Room. If you have any concerns, please let aboard member know so that it can be ad-dressed. The member will bring your concernto the meeting or invite you to come in per-son. Although the Board oversees the affairsof the Society, it is the members who makeour life here what it is. So your input is mostimportant to us. And you may see a needthat we haven't.

ALL AROUND THE AWANA BUSH

It was good to see Paul And Nola Satterblom back with us for a few days. They comeback to keep their travel insurance valid. Many folks travelled over the holidays but it isgood to see all arrived home safely, albeit one car did not fair too well.

This from Shirley Garner

Celibacy can be a choice in life, or a condition imposed by environmental encounters:

While attending a Marriage Encounter Weekend, Walter and his wife Ann, listened to the instructor de-clare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other."He addressed the men, "Can you name and describe your wife's favorite flower?" Walter leaned over,touched Ann's arm gently and whispered, "Pillsbury All-purpose, isn't it?And thus began Walter's life of celibacy.

RESIGNATION

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult.I have decidedI would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year-old again.I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant.I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.I want to think M&M's are better than money because you can eat them.I want to lie under a big oak tree & run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you knew were colors, multiplication tables,and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and youdidn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things thatshould make you worried or upset.I want to think the world is fair.That everyone is honest and good.I want to believe that anything is possible.I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.I want to live simple again.I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes,mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money inthe bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination,mankind, and making angels in the snow.So; here's my check book and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officiallyresigning from adulthood.And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, cause tag you're it!

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<<f LADIES, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!! $

? The men of AWANA wish to invite all the ladies of AWANA d|to a Valentines Brunch on the 13th of February, 10:00 AM, at j*ABC Restaurant. This is to show our appreciation for all that ^

W you do for us. Watch your mail box for a sign up notice! W

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Joan Shaver is the Block watch representative for AWANA. She recently re-ceived the following from the Abbotsford Police Department:

"The activity being reported around your neighbourhood includes break andenter, theft, theft from auto and mischief. Unfortunately , the police can't beeverywhere all the time and this is why we rely on residents doing their part toreduce the temptation of thieves that are constantly on the lookout for oppor-tunities to steal from you!

HOW TO REPORT A CRIMEIt is important to report all suspicious activity and crime rather thansuppress valuable information.

No matter how small the theft, a theft occurred. By reporting it to the police itwill help in identifying trends, activity and possibly identify a suspect. A singlereport may be the missing link to the puzzle that the police are trying to solve-no matter how large or small the theft.For any suspicious activity in progress that is threatening life or property call911. If the activity is not in progress report to the non-emergency number,604) 859 5225. Valuable information that may help-:Suspect Description (skin colour, sex, age, height, hair colour, clothing worn)Time Delay (how long ago did this happen)Direction of Travel) (which way did they go - use street names if known)"

THE BOOKWORMWonderful time for reading, right?In last month's Cryer I forgot to put the author's name for "Three Cups of Tea". Look forGreg Mortenson/Relin. It takes time to get into the main thought and effort put into help-ing people."Let's Roll": Lisa Beamer: A wife's account of her husband's part in bringing down the 911flight into a field."Two Wars": A story of the battle in Afghanistan to rescue a navy seal who had fallen intothe hands of Al Queda."Lights of Lowell": Tracy Peterson- Series of three- early years in U.S."The Mailbox": Mary Beth Whalen-Centered around the coast of North Carolina"Heirs of Montana": Tracie Peterson- a series of 4 (I'm looking for #3) 1960's"A Hope Undaunted": Julie Lessman- A challenging time in the 1926's"SZE SZE": Bill Van Dam- A retired special needs teacher from Abbotsford ... used to livein Avonlea"Gray Matter": David Levy MD.— A neurosurgeon who discovers the power of prayer, onepatient at a time"Nowhere but Up": Pattie Mallette Justin Beiber's mother"10 Amazing stories of Muslims Touched by God": Faisil Malick"Growing up on the Edge of the World": Phil Callaway"Jim Walker": Based on a Cuban crisis"Passchendaell" : Canadian soldiers against an enormous German army.

In 1957 during our early years in Kenya, we were on a slow learning curve of customs, lan-guage, etc..I was taken aside one day and showed the steps in making tea. Heat the pot, boilthe water, place tea leaves in small sleeve, put in warm tea pot, take the pot TO the boilingwater, pour water into the pot. Steep for 6 to 8 minutes. Pout tea, add sugar, cream, stir andsip. 45 years later in Uganda I was given the same instructions again. SLOW LEARNER.Then my mind went back to many times when we visited villages, many, many times. Thelocal people would blow up the charcoal embers surrounding three stones. An aluminumpan would be filled with fresh cows or goat (one time camel's) milk and put on to boil.MUCH (for the guests) sugar and tealeaves were added. After boiling for a time, with thecharcoal smoke swirling over the pot, we were given a cup of DELICIOUS tea. Flies fromthe nearby cows seemed to like the tea as well. We learned how to place our hands over thetop of the cup, just to be sure a fly didn't find it's way down the slippery slope. Ask anyonewho has had this experience and they will agree with our family that we would accept an-other cup of tea. Enjoy your read! Lois