Issue #27 Newsletter plus new stories published after August 26

Jennifer Shenk

Aug 25 |23:44

Welcome to issue #27 of the Vine! Click here to read this week's entire Vine newsletter. Ten years ago I met the most amazing group of people in Westminster. It wasn't at the playground or the library or even necessarily people from my neighborhood. It was when I was pregnant and my husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Day after day people would come to my house bringing dinner for my in-laws and four kids while Jay and I were in the hospital. This was long before Facebook or even people using email...these were people who organized a cooking circle by phone (what a pain in the neck!) and I came to rely on them to provide home cooked dinners (and the occasional take out meal) for our family when I needed one less thing to worry about.
 
Shepherd's PieMany of the people who cooked for our family have become our friends. I'm sure there's a whole story on how these 'crisis cooking groups' work, but I'll just say they work like MAGIC. Usually one person claims ownership of 'the list' of potential cooks and that person sends an email around to people who may be willing to help. Then each of those people pick a few names that they feel would be a good mix to extend the circle. Then we cycle through the list, emailing the list around each week so the family doesn't have three nights in a row of shepherd's pie (or 'hidden corn pie' as they call it in the western part of town).  
 
Newest Stories
Right now in Westminster there are several families dealing with major health issues, tragic accidents and terminal illness. It's heartbreaking to see the emotional, financial and physical effects of these situations. I encourage you to look around see if there's someone you can make dinner for, put together a snacks package, drop off a laundry basket with essentials like toilet paper, detergent, dish soap, etc. (sounds crazy but is always appreciated in a house with extra visitors).
 
It was when a crisis cooking group descended upon my home and provided a level of support and encouragement during a terrible time when I first thought WOW--we picked the right town. I remember clearly to this day hearing from my mother-in-law that people just keep coming with food day after day. It was also during this time period that it really hit home to me that you must not take your health for granted and in these uncertain times, if you've got your health and your family is healthy, everything will be alright. 
  
Forward this email to a Friend 
 
Find us on Facebook
Jennifer Shenk

Jen has combined her love of writing, connecting with people in the community, technology, helping in local classrooms and the community (as well as working from home) to publish Community Vine, an electronic magazine for and about Westminster, MA and the surrounding area. Community Vine empowers members of our community to get involved with local efforts to help others.

Jen grew up in Templeton, MA and graduated from Monty Tech and Franklin Pierce College with a BA in graphic design and sociology. She previously worked for Little, Brown and Company Publishers in Waltham, MA but has spent the past 13 years raising 6 kids, living in Westminster and volunteering in town and in Westminster's schools. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Academic Excellence.

 
< Prev   Next >

Most recently published:

This day in history...

This Day in History
  • Mount Saint Helens Erupts (1980)
    Beginning in mid-March 1980, a series of earth tremors and steam explosions at Washington's Mount Saint Helens suggested that the volcano—dormant since 1857—was on the verge of erupting. Then, on May 18, the entire north side of the mountain exploded in a cloud of ash, rock, and fiery gases that collapsed a good part of it and carried debris for many miles. About 60 people were killed, and millions of tons of ash blanketed much of the American northwest. How far did the ash eventually spread? Discuss
  • Muhammad Ali Becomes of Egypt (1805)
    Four years after Ali, an Ottoman army commander, helped drive Napoleon from Ottoman-ruled Egypt, he was named wali—governor—of Egypt. He helped modernize Egypt and attempted to secure its independence. Though unsuccessful, his efforts established his progeny as the rulers of Egypt and Sudan for nearly 150 years and rendered Egypt a de facto independent state. He is thus considered one of the fathers of modern Egypt. How did Ali trick Egypt's Mameluke leaders into walking into a massacre?
  • Junko Tabei Becomes First Woman to Summit Mount Everest (1975)
    Tabei founded a climbing club for women in Japan in 1969 and, by 1972, was a recognized mountain climber. When Japanese newspaper and television companies sponsored an all-female expedition to climb Mount Everest, Tabei was one of the 15 women selected to go. In 1975, after months of training and preparation, the 35-year-old mother of two became the first woman to reach Everest's 29,035-foot (8,850-m) summit. What disaster partway up the slope nearly ended the climb?

Word of the day

Word of the Day
Word of the Day
  • infest
    Definition: (verb) To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious.
    Synonyms: overrun.
    Usage: During the year that followed, Clayton was several times attacked by the great apes which now seemed to continually infest the vicinity of the cabin.
    Discuss

facebook-logo

The final issue of the Vine was published on December 1, 2011. To stay up to date on things going on in Westminster, please click the Facebook logo above or search COMMUNITY VINE on Facebook and like us. We will continue to allow non-profits to post their events.

Login to comment on Vine stories

Login With Facebook

Quote of the day

Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day
Click here for more information
Click here for more information
Click here for more information
Click here for more information

New England Patriots news

Click here for more information

Boston Red Sox news