It was truly a day of Thanksgiving at the Coastal Club meeting on Tuesday, November 20 at the YMCA. Although as I have said before, our openings may sound somewhat repetitious, they are far from that because of the information and activities we may have. President June Hathaway opened the meeting by greeting all present as well as the speaker. We were led in singing some patriotic and Thanksgiving hymns, followed by Chaplain Mary Jo Zimmerli's Thanksgiving message.

She told an interesting story about the Pilgrims, after having an abundant crop for the first year and celebrating with the Indians - where we base our Thanksgiving traditions on - the second year was really bad, as there was a great drought, and the crops were poor, so poor that on that Thanksgiving there was very little food, just a few kernels of corn for their Thanksgiving meal. From that event a custom evolved, a ceremony of placing five kernels of corn at the plate of each person during the Thanksgiving Day meal.

Those kernels represented 1. Obedience to conscience; 2. Courage; 3. Faith in God; 4. Love of posterity; and 5. Hope.

Mary Jo then introduced the speaker for the day, The Rev. Lisa Burger, the Pastor at the East Boothbay United Methodist Church. She gave a brief background of Pastor Burger, who has been at the East Boothbay church for three years, and has been a real blessing to the church and community. She has been a teacher in college, a vice president of a large banking corporation, and, along with being part-time pastor at the church is vice president of personnel at St. Andrews Hospital. She also attends Bangor Theological Seminary in her steps toward full ordination in the United Methodist Church. She has been graciously and gratefully accepted by her congregation, and by the members of the community.

Again, I wish I could communicate to you who are reading these columns each week, how many wonderful programs we have had here at the Coastal Club. Rev. Burger's message is a case in point. She just captured the members with her presence, her delivery, and the wonderful message she brought for Thanksgiving. She told a wonderful story abut "Stone Soup," about how a poverty-ridden neighborhood received a bounteous blessing when a stranger brought them together in making stone soup. You would have been absorbed in the message as were all of us. What a Thanksgiving we had by her presence!

Well dear friends, our fall sessions are almost over, and we invite you to come join us these last few meetings before we close for the Christmas break. On December 4, Alina Blakesley will be the guest. The weekly meetings start at 10:30 a.m., and our Christmas luncheon, with lots of good food and good fellowship and singing at 11:30: a.m.