After a long, hard winter I think it is finally safe to say that
spring has come. The signs of spring are everywhere - daffodils,
tulips, azaleas, forsythia, red bud, and green grass. All are bursting
forth in spring color and fragrance. Just as I had forgotten how
brilliant the fall season could be, I had forgotten how wonderful
it is to welcome spring after the cold, snowy days of winter. Despite
the change of seasons in northern California, the contrast between
winter and spring was not nearly as glorious.
Now that the weather begs all of us to be outdoors and drink in
the wonders of creation I plan to do a little more trekking around
the countryside. I want to thank those of you who filled out the
bulletin insert with suggestions of things to do and places to see
in the Centre County region. For those who are curious about what
folks suggested, I've listed some of the suggestions below.
| Penns Cave |
PSU Deer farm |
Brandywine Art Gallery |
| Mt. Nittany |
PSU Sport Museum |
Belleville Amish Market |
| Whipple's Dam |
Bellefonte RR |
Wellesboro & New PA |
| Shaver's Creek Center |
Poe Paddy State Park |
Hope, PA |
| Rowland Theatre |
Longwood Gardens |
Horse Auction, Fort Ord |
In addition to this great list I want to share one of my pleasant
discoveries. Last month I was delivering some food to the Food Bank
at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. There were several bags full of
canned goods and other items so I drove my car the one block to
the church, parked and unloaded. I met the director of the Food
Bank, was given a tour, and noticed that St. Andrew's had an International
Gift Shop. After my tour I stopped in the gift shop and discovered
that most of its gifts are supplied by two alternative trade organizations
that are close to my heart - Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit
program of Mennonite Central Committee and SERRV an independent
nonprofit organization founded by the Church of the Brethren. Both
of these alternative trade organizations promote social and economic
justice for people in developing regions of the world by marketing
their handcrafts and food products in a just and direct manner.
While I don't normally like to advocate consumerism I do want to
say buying products and gifts at this International Gift shop is
good news to the poor! Not only would you be purchasing beautiful
handcrafts for loved ones, friends, or yourself, you would also
be supporting artisans around the world with a fair wage that helps
to pay for food, housing, education, and health care. On my sabbatical
in 1993 I visited several cooperatives in Guatemala and El Salvador
that employed SERRV producers. I met with the artisans and their
families and quickly noticed that their general health and well-being
was far greater than that of the market and street vendors. I am
delighted to know that we have this shop in our community. Located
on the ground floor of St. Andrew's, it is open on Friday's, 11am
-2 pm. and Sunday's from 11 am to Noon. While it is not one of the
picturesque places of creation in the region, it is a place that
houses items of global beauty and provides a brighter future for
our neighbors around the world. I encourage you to check it out.
Trekking locally, buying globally,
Bonnie
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