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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2010)
Page 6 The INDEPENDENT, December 2, 2010 Stimulate your life with Change by Robert Wilson “Security is mostly a super- stition. It does not exist in na- ture, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright expo- sure. Life is either a daring ad- venture, or nothing.” These are the words of the woman who became the poster child for overcoming adversity. A woman who was isolated into the two dimensional world of touch and smell at the age of 19 months. Yet, she went on to inspire millions around the world. Sightless and deaf, He- len Keller resolved to make something of her life. She lived with a keen understanding that change is inevitable, but growth is intentional. Unwilling to give in to her blindness, she chose to strive for a normal life. Motivation is all about mo- tion or movement. In other words, if you are comfortable, if you are happy and content, then you DO NOT move. You do not change. Why would you? On the other hand, if you are uncomfortable, if you’re un- happy, then you want to change. You want to move back toward your comfort zone. There are millions of motivators in the world and all of us at any one time are being motivated by a dozen or more: Hunger, Safety, Sex, Love, Enlighten- ment to name just a few. Interestingly, you can take all those motivators and boil them down to a variation of two basic emotions: Fear and De- sire. You are either moving to- ward something you desire; or you are moving away from something you fear. Fear, however, can become paralyzing and will keep us in one un-comfort zone because we fear the perceived discom- fort that comes with change. We fear that change could open a Pandora’s Box of more and scarier changes. I’ve seen it in relationships and in busi- ness. I know a married couple who over the years have drifted apart and their marriage has become stagnant. I know they both desire greater intimacy with the other, but they both fear rejection and so they do nothing. I know a small business owner who watched his busi- ness shrink in the recent reces- sion. His self-esteem is closely tied to his success and his falling income triggered fears of inadequacy. Frozen by fear into doing the same thing over and over again and expecting dif- ferent results, he has not adapted to the changes going on in his market. Helen Keller once again has wise words for such situations, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but of- ten we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” When couples try new things together they actually stimulate the receptors in their brains that invoke the feelings of ro- mance. Taking a class or start- ing a new hobby together is a great way for couples to renew their feelings for each other and discover a greater depth of intimacy. For small business owners, a recession is a great time to try out a new idea or innova- tion. It attracts renewed interest in the business and can even create new customers and open new markets. The trick is getting comfort- able with change a little at a time. Start engaging in simple changes at home. Low risk changes will generate immedi- ate rewards. Here are a few you can make that will help you get into a habit of adapting to change: If you drink coffee every day, switch to tea for a week. If you always listen to rock music on the radio, switch to country, jazz, or classical for a week. Rearrange one piece of furni- ture in your house. Read a sec- tion of the newspaper that you’ve never read before. Take a continuing education class in a subject not related to your ca- reer. Join a hobby group on MeetUp.com. Taste an ethnic food that you’ve never tried be- fore, (as an alternative revisit a food you think you hate). Robert Wilson may be reached at www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com Christmas in the Country Bazaar Dec. 4-5 @ Vernonia Middle School Food for Thought by Leslie Barnes Appetizers are always a hit at holiday gather- ings. BRIE EN CROUTE 1 (8-oz) wheel Brie 1 egg, beaten 1 sheet frozen puff pas- try, prepackaged 1 T unsalted butter 1/2 cup walnuts 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 cup brown sugar Crackers, for serving Preheat oven to 375°F. Defrost puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the walnuts in the butter until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the cinna- mon and stir until walnuts are coated well. Place the walnut mixture on top of the Brie and sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture. Lay the puff pastry out on a flat surface. Place the brie in the center of the pastry. Gather up the edges of the pastry, pressing around the Brie, and gather at the top. Gently squeeze together the excess dough and tie together with a piece of kitchen twine. Brush the beaten egg over top and sides of Brie. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Serve with crackers. Serves 8. STUFFED MUSHROOMS 1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Romano or parmesan cheese 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 1 T chopped fresh mint leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 28 large (2-1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stir the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper, and 2 T olive oil in a medi- um bowl to blend. Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 T olive oil, to coat. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle remaining oil over the filling in each mushroom. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated through and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Serve. Makes 28 mushrooms. HOT SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP 1 (10-oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach 2 (13-3/4-oz) cans artichoke hearts 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a casse- role dish with nonstick spray. Heat the spinach in a microwave oven on high for 5 minutes and squeeze dry. Drain the arti- choke hearts and coarsely chop in a food processor. Combine all ingredients except the jack cheese in a large bowl. Stir well. Scrape into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the jack cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Transfer to a chafing dish and keep warm over a low flame. Serve with bagel chips. Makes 4 cups. Church Directory V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH P IONEER B APTIST F ELLOWSHIP Carl Pense, Pastor 850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-1103 Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator 960 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-8841 Mass Sunday 12:00 Noon Religious Educ. Sunday 10:30 a.m. S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH John Cahill, Pastor 939 Bridge Street, Vernonia 503-429-1161 www.pbfalive.com Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Thursday Prayer 7:00 p.m. www.pbfalive.com Larry Gibson, Pastor 2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia 503 429-8301 Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m. Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. 957 State Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-6790 Sunday Worship 9:45 a.m. Children’s Church (Blast!) 10:15 a.m. Nursery 10:15 a.m. High School Youth 6:00 p.m. Wednesday Prayer 6:00 p.m. Preschool: Open House soon N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS A SSEMBLY OF G OD Wayne and Maureene Marr 662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia, 503 429-0373 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m F IRST B APTIST C HURCH 359 “A” Street, Vernonia 503 429-4027 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m. Sam Hough, Minister 410 North Street, Vernonia 503 429-6522 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m. (meets in Youth & Family Center) Home Group Meeting throughout the week at various locations Gary Taylor, Pastor Grant & North Streets, Vernonia 503 429-5378 Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Nursery available Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m. Marc Farmer, Branch President 1350 E. Knott Street, Vernonia 503 429-7151 Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m. Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m. Relief Society, Priesthood and Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.