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    I know all of us are pained by as well as tired of the Terri Schiavo case in Florida. It almost makes me wish there was other bad news just to get this incredibly sad story off the headlines. I’m not going to talk specifically about Terri Schiavo’s case, other than that I believe her whole family – parents, husband, siblings, and friends – are all in tremendous pain. But it seems to me it is long time for Terri Schiavo to complete her life journey and die.

    I also hope that everyone reading this and everyone you each know have your advanced directives in order. If not, please call me!

    My concern that emerges with this case, beyond the above notes, is why Terri Schiavo had a heart attack in the first place: She had an extreme imbalance of potassium. While I have not read of any confirmation of the exact reason for this, it has been tied to the possibility of an eating disorder. An extremely low potassium is an indicator of bulimia. In addition, Terri Schiavo had lost a tremendous amount of weight in a short period of time and was a prime candidate for an eating disorder considering her psychological vulnerability.

    Eating disorders are still a largely undiagnosed and under researched serious medical problem that results in tremendous physical and psychological pain, long term illness, and death (about 20 percent of people with a serious eating disorder die).

    "The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that approximately eight million people in the U.S. have anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and related eating disorders. Eight million people represents about three percent (3%) of the total population. Put another way, according to ANAD, about three out of every one hundred people in this country eats in a way disordered enough to warrant treatment." (ANRED Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc.). Because physicians are not required to report eating disorders to a health agency, and because the nature of the disease is secretive, there is no easy way to get truly accurate statistics for the number of people who are affected in this country. But it is believed that the numbers are higher in western countries than non-western, although the non-western countries are rising, presumably because of the exposure to western media images of unrealistically thin women.

    "People who become anorexic often were good children – eager to please, conscientious, hard working, and good students. Typically they are people pleasers who seek approval and avoid conflict. They may take care of other people and strive for perfection, but underneath they feel defective and inadequate." (Ibid.).

    Eating disorders primarily affect adolescents and young adults, the prime years of increased self consciousness. Both girls and boys are affected, but girls predominate at about 90 percent. Ages can be as low as six years and as high as 76 years.

    There are no easy answers and many theories on what causes eating disorders. Certainly what ever the causes may be, it is time for more research, improved treatment and perhaps most of all in light of Terri Schiavo, more education about eating disorders. While many people are writing their advanced directives, many should also be reading up on eating disorders. One place to start is www.ANRED.com.

    "Hey, Mom, pretend I have super powers!" shouted Cullen. He zoomed into the kitchen with a bath towel pinned around his neck and his arms outstretched in front of him. Analee followed closely behind him also donning a bath towel cape. In the background I heard the theme song to the original Superman movie starring Christopher Reeves. "I’m invisible!" exclaimed my daughter.

    For the last several weeks my children have been on a super hero kick. Our DVD player has continuously played Superman and The Incredibles while my children jump off the furniture fighting the bad guys and rescuing helpless vic-tims. When we watch television or read books they ask, "Is that the bad guy?" "Is she good?" Right now, the world is full of good people and bad people, and, of course, they root for the good guy.

    And as they play they become the good guy taking on super human strength and powers. As I watch them I think about myself as a young girl listening to Wonder Woman records and making paper wrist bands and head bands for my costume. My grandmother had even made me a pair of dark blue shorts with white stars hand sewn on them! I remember I wore those shorts outside on a very cold day, and my mom yelled at me to get back in the house before I catch cold. How could Wonder Woman catch a cold anyway?! My husband told me his idol was The Six Million Dollar Man. He remembered how he would make the sound effects whenever he threw an object or ran fast.

    Probably all of you can remember being a super hero from your childhood. We have all battled evil in our backyards and triumphed. The concept of super heroes has been around for thousands of years when stories were created about Gods and Goddesses. Even religion has given their prophets super human qualities. And now I watch my children continue the legacy of good vs. evil. Super heroes are important for children showing them strength of character and the need for social action.

    But what do we do with our super heroes as adults? Do adults even need super heroes? I think so, although our super heroes are probably very different from the ones of our childhood. I know that my super heroes are just regular people, but they have shown me their inner super power strengths. They are models of perseverance and courage. They show me the strength of the human spirit and inspire me to work for social justice. Perhaps someday we as parents will be the super heroes for our children.

    On April 24 our children will decorate a duck during children’s worship. Our duck will be submitted in the duckoration contest in celebration of the French Creek Project’s 10^th Anniversary on May 14 at Shadybrook Park.

    Our annual Passover Seder Dinner will be held Friday, April 29 at 6 p.m. Please sign up in the parish house if you wish to attend.

    The French Creek Project is sponsoring a duck race down Mill Run on May 14 to celebrate its tenth anniversary. They are inviting the public to both enter a duck in the race, a Duckathalon, and to enter a decorated duck, a Duckoration, in a contest. The Duckathalon involves dropping the rubber duckie down Mill Run and then racing it on the adjacent foot path. Fun for all ages. As of this time, I’ve already "bought" a duck for the race in the name of our Church. I’m calling it Huidekoper. Anyone who wants to race Huidekoper just needs to show up on May 14 by 10:30 a.m. at Shadybrook Park.

    The Duckoration contest is broken down into age ranges and covers both the novice and the professional artists. All decorated ducks must be turned in by May 1. Lee Ann Wester is going to be decorating ducks with the children in April ... any adults want to decorate a duck in the name of the church? Let me know.

    Jim Snyder reported that the present pledged amount is $97,800, and pledge cards are still going out. He has met with Melissa Mencotti, who did our last grant application. The Keystone Preservation Grant of up to $l00,000 is a matching grant, for which we have funds. He expects to make our goal if all who pledged come through. $23,200 is already in the bank and will be spent on the sanctuary, changing doors and creating the extra egress.

    Kate conducted 3 services, had approximately 31 pastoral visits, hosted one 6:59er, met with Forked Lake attendees to inform them she is not attending this year, and hosted an informal Chinese tea party for members (bought at auction). Our custodian is on medical leave and her daughter is filling in. Met with various committees, with the facilitator for the Former Board Presidents’ Meeting and attended the meeting, which went well. (Mentioned elsewhere in this report.) Failure to find an adult RE coordinator may put the program on hold until fall. Arranged for "Introduction to Buddhism" class on March 23. Participated in two discussions at Allegheny College, on the Laramie Project and Comparative Christianity; spoke at concert fundraiser for tsunami victims at Academy theater; participated in Allegheny local church religious fair; will participate in annual community Good Friday service at St. Paul’s; participating in play about a rape trial for Sexual Violence Awareness Month. For the UUA/OMD: advises Meadville/Lombard student in Kent monthly; will attend the OMD annual meeting in Akron April 1-2 and wishes that many church members would also attend, especially on Saturday (the 2nd). Sue Fuller will help with our Partner Church in Romania, planning service April 3 on our relationship with this church. Officiated at one memorial service and one wedding. Her vacation days this year are from July 1 to August 7.

    Since all were shown how to read his reports at the last meeting, Mike’s written report is short. Overall, the Church’s finances seem to be in line with the approved budget.

    A workshop open to the congregation will be held April 23, from 9 am to 3 pm, including lunch.

    She already has a committee in operation dealing with all the tasks to be done.

    When Kate was hired, health insurance was included in her contract. She had her insurance through the Chamber of Commerce with a Blue Cross/Blue Shield policy. When she married Mark Gorman, she was covered under his policy, so payments from her contractual amount were not made; the money was shifted to salary. When Mark changed jobs last November, his new job did not provide health insurance for his family, so Kate is paying for health insurance for herself (and her stepson) since then. Dave said we need to resolve this issue as we are not in agreement with the contract, but he is not l00% sure how. No coverage is available through the UUA, although the UUA may have a self-insurance plan that we will find out more about in June. All agree there are many layers to this dilemma, and that it is the fiscal responsibility of the Board to know all the layers. This issue must be resolved before next year’s budget discussions begin. Mike McGrath moved that the Ministerial Evaluation Committee get going on this problem. Motion passed

    Dave said it was a very good meeting, discussing governance of the church, and he thinks one should be held every few years. A Working Group to work with Rod Thompson and other churches of our size would be good. The next step is to form a smaller task force to continue research and make a report to the Board on steps needed to help improve how our congregation is run.

    Wynette will make a final draft of the chart and distribute it.

    Len Nichols reported that Perry Douglas has come up with new renditions of an egress for the church. Approval will now be sought from the Fire Department, and then the plans will be out for bid. Plans will be displayed to the congregation.

    Our historical sign on the corner of Main and Chestnut was knocked over, by a car sliding on ice, we think. It is thought not repairable as the casting broke. The sign came from the PA Museum and Historical Commission. Venessa will try to find out how to have it repaired or replaced.

    On April 8 there will be a mock rape trial at 8 pm in the County Courthouse, Room 1. The committee will purchase Tying the Knot, a film on gay marriage. Tracy wonders whether any other committee would like to participate, if in name only.

    The next three months are covered for speakers and the committee is working on the busy summer months, as well as planning for the picnic in June. Worship for the picnic will be held in the sanctuary and not at the picnic grounds. The altar and candlesticks have been cleaned.

    We would like as many of our members and friends as possible to be in our new photo directory. If you haven’t made an appointment, you can still do so by calling Carolyn Chase. You will receive one free 8 x 10 and a photo directory just for signing up for a sitting. If you want to order more pictures, you can do it at your sitting.

    Next date for Soup Kitchen will be on Friday April 8 at Stone United Methodist Church at 10 a.m. Come join the fun! Volunteers needed and welcomed. Call 425-3397 (Stewarts) for information.

    I want to thank those of you who contribute to the coffee hour book sale, and those who buy. Since I first set it up to get rid of some of the books in my "library" to make room for more, income for the sale has contributed about a dozen books to the church library. Among those are Learning to Be White by Thandeka; Am I Blue, a collection of coming out experiences by gay authors; The Women’s Bible, by Susan B. Anthony; African American Wisdom; How to be a Perfect Stranger; a book on the home schooling movement; a number of UU meditation manuals; a series of mystery stories in which a retired Hosea Ballou solves the crimes; and a series of mysteries by Manfredo, set during the time of the Women’s Movement in Seneca Falls, with some of the stories dealing with John Brown, the Civil War and Native American struggles as well as women’s rights. There also is an audio tape called Serving in Silence, about gays in the military.

    The latest addition is called Lost Christianities, the Battle for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. It deals with the many forms of Jesus centered religion in the first centuries of the spread of Christianity. Two other books are on order and will be introduced as they come in.

"When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim

Hath put a spirit of youth in everything ..."

    Shakespeare seems to have loved April. In another sonnet he speaks of "the uncertain glory of an April day" as a description of beginning life. It may have something to do with the fact that he was born in April, but I like to think that it had more to do with the magic month itself.

    Browning wished "to be in England now that April’s there." Masefield speaks of the warm west winds that come with April and daffodils. Robert Bridges remembers that "blossoming boughs of April in laughter shake".

    The patriots waited for the British by the rude bridge and "their flag to April’s breeze unfurled" in Emerson’s account of the battles of Lexington and Concord. And, of course, Chaucer reminds us that when the April showers have pierced the drought of March* then people "long to go on pilgrimages". Yes, it seems obvious that the poets love April. And why not?

    The Christian image of the open tomb is played out daily as new growth pushes up from dark winter-entombed roots. Bears, who have slept in caves all winter, come forth with their new cubs. Baby animals of all kinds frolic in daisy starred fields. Those who have dragged themselves through a SAD winter come to life again. Trees bloom in a shade of green that can only be seen in April. Families reunite to celebrate Easter, Passover, Oestra of the many other springtime celebrations. The daylight lengthens to provide more time to take dogs for long walks, to work in gardens, to watch for the early bulbs to burst into bloom, or to just sit outside and contemplate the wonder of it all.

    The darkness that has brought rest and nourishment to bulbs and seeds below the ground is lessened, and the growing sunlight brings us renewed energy and inspiration. May your April be one of beauty, renewal, joy and celebration.

*Obviously Chaucer did not live in Meadville this year!

"I can’t wait to start the garden"

I say, picturing volunteers planting

since I, Cripple Girl – nickname for self: picture big

capital C on chest, heroic

woman living life fully, still teaching, counseling

exultant, relishing the thought so deeply that

it doesn’t occur to me – not at first –

that everyone in Meadville must feel this way.

The winters here are long. Long.

So, after one season’s residence, I understand why

everyone in Meadville gardens.

Amy, who raises her children in the home

she herself was born in,

confirms my conclusion:

"It’s what keeps us going."

    I just happened to be glancing through an old Readers Digest, October 24, which included an article on Christopher Reeves (written just before he died). It was in a question-and-answer format:

RD: "You went nearly 50 years without religion in your life. What made you recently join the Unitarian Church?"

REEVE: "It gives me a moral compass. I often refer to Abe Lincoln, who said ‘When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that is my religion.’ I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don’t know. But I think that if we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do. The Unitarian believes that God is good, and believes that God believes that man is good. Inherently. The Unitarian God is not a God of vengeance. And that is something I can appreciate."

That’s one man’s opinion I find interesting!

    The following items are in the lost and found basket in the parish house. If you have lost a similar item then please check and claim by April 15. Otherwise, all items remaining will be donated to a charity. Child’s jacket, size 5, red; child’s jacket, size 5, pink; ladies flower print scarf; child’s gloves, black; large pair of blue fleece gloves; tube of starburst lip-smackers lipgloss; man’s watch, quartz, silver; sunglasses, black frame; reading glasses, gold frame; reading glasses, brown frame.

    Bumper stickers are now available in the church office proclaiming our liberal UU faith! These attractive blue bumper stickers have the UUA’s website and our chalice symbol, along with snappy statements about our faith:

• The Uncommon Denomination.

• Different People. Different Beliefs. One Faith.

• Searching for a Liberal Religious Home?

• A Different Trinity: Respect. Freedom. Justice.

• Room for Different Beliefs. Yours.

Available for $1. See Venessa in the office.

    Next deadline for submitting items for the newsletter is Friday, April 15, 2005, at 4:30 p.m. You may email your articles to: <mthaeler@zoominternet.net>; or leave items in the folder on Venessa’s desk in the parish house. It would be helpful, when you email material, to write "oracle" in the subject line (helps distinguish from spam).