November 10, 2017
T he C olumbia P ress
6
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
Remaining positive in the
wake of national tragedies
“God has not given us a
spirit of fear, but of a sound
mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
That verse was given to me
this past weekend when we
were buried in the horrific
news of the shootings in Tex-
as.
That evening, I had plans
to go out, but promptly can-
celled them. In fact, I admit
there was a lot of unrest in my
heart and I closed my drapes
early that evening, giving in
to a bit of trembling until I let
that verse sink in.
There is another verse in the
Bible about how God can turn
something evil into good (I
think somewhere in Genesis).
Did you notice that no mat-
ter what station or channel
we turned to that evening,
most of the speakers were
calling upon God to calm the
waters. Or at least encourag-
ing us to do so.
When a commentator
was criticized for using the
word “prayers” instead of
“thoughts,” he retorted:
“People who do not have
faith don’t understand faith,
I guess I’d have to say. And
the right thing to do is to pray
in moments like this, be-
cause you know what? Prayer
works.”
And no, that was not a reli-
gious network.
I was proud to hear that
our flag is to remain at half-
staff for the week, too. All of
us were reminded that we
live in a nation that cares for
one another.
Then I wondered if we se-
niors are more prone to giv-
ing in to our fears and I had
to scold myself.
No. The older we are, the
more traumas and upsets
we have witnessed that can
either make us stronger or
weaker.
I think the choice is ours.
Our faith is sometimes chal-
lenged by circumstances, but
life, death –nothing -- can
separate us from God. Be-
cause nothing is impossible
with God. (That’s in the Bible
too).
Too often we dwell on the
negative changes we antic-
ipate as we age. If we can’t
bring up a name or a fact, we
almost instantly assume the
big A (Alzheimer’s) is coming.
Back in ’09, about 57 per-
cent of people over 65 re-
portedly had memory loss.
That number is up to 61 per-
cent now. I think of aging as
a blessing, reminding myself
that many don’t have the
privilege of a longer life.
A few years ago, I clipped
an article about recognizing
stereotypes regarding aging.
An interesting fact that I
gleaned had to do with the
way we seniors see ourselves
when we look in a mirror.
One survey showed that most
people over the age of 50 see
themselves as younger, while
once they’re over 75, there is
a slight drop. Having a pos-
itive or negative lifestyle af-
fected that drop.
Have you noticed how we
become like those with whom
we associate most?
A popular saying that many
display in their homes nowa-
days is three simple words –
Love. Laugh. Play.
Remember that positive
people live longer.
WBA: Group seeks to improve business climate
Continued from Page 1
On Wednesday, the WBA
and Warrenton City Com-
mission held a joint meeting
to discuss issues of mutual
concern to ensure everyone is
“all on the same page,” Mayor
Henry Balensifer said at the
start of the meeting.
Some of the discussion fo-
cused on Harbor Drive.
“Harbor is almost a blank
slate,” Balensifer said.
“At some point, Warrenton
is going to reach 10,000 peo-
ple,” added Mayor Pro Tem
Rick Newton. “We need to
keep that as livable as we can,
assist the businesses to be in
the proper places. … If we
can encourage retail on Har-
bor street, they’re all going to
benefit each other.”
The first task needs to be
sidewalks, Morinville said.
“Livability has to start with
being able to walk down the
street,” she said.
Harbor is part of the state
highway system and the city
is negotiating for ownership
of it. But the city wants to en-
sure the state brings the road
up to standard first. Side-
walks are part of that stan-
dard.
The state also has juris-
diction over Main Avenue,
Northwest Warrenton Drive
and Pacific Drive, but it has
proposed unloading all of
them to keep its mainte-
nance costs down.
Commissioner Tom Dyer
said sees Harbor Drive as
a main thoroughfare light-
ed and decorated much like
Broadway in Seaside. He’s
working on a plan that would
use trails money to pay for
sidewalks.
Angora Club elects officers, looks to second century
Members of Angora Hiking
Club, which promotes out-
door activities throughout
the region, have elected new
officers for 2018.
They are Kathleen Hudson,
president; Bob Westerberg,
vice president; Aletha West-
erberg, secretary; Gail Sun-
derland treasurer; and Bill
Herold, chief guide.
The club encourages walk-
ing, hiking and other out-
door activities for the whole
family. Other events include
bikes, canoes, kayaks and
potlucks. A Christmas party
is set for Dec. 8.
Angora Hiking Club is pre-
paring to enter its second
century and seeks memora-
bilia and old articles.
The group, which is a mem-
ber of the Federation of West-
ern Outdoors Clubs, pro-
Submitted photo
New Angora Hiking Club officers are Bob Westerberg, vice pres-
ident; Bill Herold, chief guide; Aletha Westerberg, secretary: and
Kathleen Hudson, president. Treasurer Gail Sunderland is not pic-
tured.
motes walking and hiking in
Clatsop and Pacific counties.
The club was named after the
Thursday, Nov. 16: Pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, broccoli,
split pea soup, Key lime pie.
angora goat. Angora Peak, at
the border of Clatsop and Til-
lamook counties, is named af-
ter the club.
Annual membership dues
is $7. For more information
about the club, visit their
website, angorahikingclub.
org, or call Herold at 503-
468-0474.
The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors
open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton
Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is
$5 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more
information, call 503-861-3502.
To advertise in
The Columbia Press
call 503-861-3331
Senior lunch menu
Monday, Nov. 13: Meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, cab-
bage, coleslaw, bread pudding.