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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2019)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2019 | 7A Share from A1 said that gratitude ‘is the deep, a priori state of at- tention that shows we un- derstand and are equal to the gifted nature of life,’” said Titus. “This blew my doors off. It meant that I could decide to be grateful without actually having a feeling of gratitude.” Since its inception, the event has been a labor of love for the organizers. “Building The Nature of Gratitude has been life-changing for me, as have the relationships that I’ve developed with our collaborating artists,” said Titus. “When Eric and I created The Nature of Gratitude five years ago, neither of us had a clue that the program would continue for another four years, or that it would ex- pand to four cities.” The event is ending its four-city tour tonight in Corvallis. The project has served as a catalyst for personal growth among partici- pants. “As I’ve deepened my gratitude practice through these events and through my related forthcoming book ‘Grateful by Nature,’ my gratitude mission and philosophy have distilled into one succinct concept,” said Alan. “For me, being grateful is like being a car- penter: the skills are only fully realized when I use them to build shelter for others.” The project’s debut event in 2015 seemed ill-timed, however, as the Paris ter- rorist attacks had just oc- curred. “We held our breath and strode into that angst-filled Family fun for the holidays! Gingerbread Workshops at The Cottage events venue Decorate a handcrafted, pre-built gingerbread Country Church, Classic Cottage, or Covered Bridge, with more than 30 decorating items to choose from. Each building $30, includes lights and stained glass windows. Several dates available, you must pre-register! Visit cottageevents.com or call 541-942-6888. DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Musicians Gentle Thunder (left) and Beth Wood perform a duet during The Nature of Gratitude community event at the Opal Center on Dec. 6. room, and the spirit in the place began to lift from the beginning,” Titus said. “You could feel it happen. And people were so grate- ful. So, there it is — decide to have gratitude and em- brace the sometimes dark reality of the world. It’s complex, and it’s beautiful.” Since the first event, Alan and Titus have shared the fundamental duties of organization and cre- ative inspiration to breathe life into the project. Alan draws on his experience in the music industry to connect with artists while Titus uses his ties to the literary community to find performers. “The tasks of that have blessedly grown by an or- der of magnitude as NOG (Nature of Gratitude) has grown from a one-time event intended to give back to our community to a larger annual touring proj- ect still focused on com- munity service,” said Alan. Friday night’s event be- gan with a Native Ameri- can flute performance by Gentle Thunder, a Gram- my-nominated multi-in- strumentalist from Mount Shasta, Calif. A sound healer, teacher and per- former by trade, Gentle Thunder set a soothing opening tone for the eve- ning with ethereal wood- wind melodies. Other performances in- cluded music from poet and singer-songwriter Beth Wood, songs from jazz-pop singer-songwriter Halie Loren, spoken word poetry from writer-per- former Jorah LaFleur of Eugene Poetry Slam and a Trashion Show presenta- tion by Michel Rose, Fyona Rose, Monica Venice and Charles Mattoon. Alan and Titus shared their written work through spoken word, sometimes with musical accompani- ment. For each event, one ben- eficiary in the community is selected to receive pro- ceeds and awareness from the event. Local food pan- try Community Sharing was this year’s recipient, bringing in $378. “We choose a different cause with each event, al- ways centered in the com- munity in which we’re gathering in gratitude,” said Alan. To be considered, recip- ients must be nonprofit, apolitical, non-divisive, community-oriented and fill a universal human need. Other recent recipients have included Occupy Medical, Hearts for Hos- pice, Eugene Area Glean- ers, Transition Projects, Oregon State University’s “Food for Thought” pro- gram, Eugene Poetry Slam and Marys Peak Alliance. “Even though we focus on a single awareness cause for each event, we believe that our program inspires more widespread gratitude that ripples out to other people and organizations in all kinds of ways,” said Titus. “Our hope is that people will choose to be- come less divisive.” $687.87 BILLION 2017 holiday spending in the U.S. “ How do you say Santa? Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 each year, with the fi rst recorded celebration on this date taking place in 336 during the time of the fi rst Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine. Over the years, a variety of beloved customs have become associated with the Christmas holiday all over the world . 90% of Americans say they celebrate Christmas 46% 50 U.S. states grow Christmas trees of Americans say they celebrate Christmas primarily as a religious holiday 100 feet The size of the tallest tree displayed at Rockefeller Center in 1999 34 Million poinsettias are sold annually in the U.S., making it the country’s highest-selling potted plant The name Santa Claus evolved from Sinterklaas, a shortened form of Saint Nicholas in Dutch. Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop in ancient Greece (modern-day Turkey) known for his generosity and dedication to helping young children and the needy. Papá Noel - Spain Mikulás - Hungary Weihnachtsmann - Germany Julemanden- Denmark Père Noël - France ” 40 Million live Christmas trees are sold in North America each year 30% of Americans will still be shopping on Christmas Eve Sources: History.com, National Christmas Tree Association, National Retail Federation, CreditCards.com, ING, Pew Research Center, 2013 USDA Floriculture Statistics Fountain Gutters 32370 PICKNELL ST Cottage Grove, OR 97424 (541) 729-9515 Cottage Grove Dental 350 E Washington Ave, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 (541) 942-7934 Hitch Pro & Tow 4701 W 11th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402 (541) 434-2403 Starfi re Lumber 2795 Mosby Creek Rd, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Pinocchio’s Pizza 1795 E Main St, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 (541) 942-5531 Anytime Fitness 1600 E Main St, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 (541) 649-1830