Senior Center enters New Year with hope and cheer

AVIVA GOELMAN

For many reasons, January is one of my favorite months of the year.

Its name is derived from the Roman god Janus, the deity of doors and

gates and also of beginnings and endings. This explains why Janus is

always depicted with two faces, each looking in opposite directions.

As relentless rains greet 2005, we find ourselves following the

Roman practice of looking forward with expectations of the future

while gazing behind to survey the events of 2004.

To me, January means the celebration of life. And part of a

fulfilling life is saying, “Thank you.” On behalf of all of us at the

Costa Mesa Senior Center, many thanks to all those who helped make

the holiday season for our seniors a special one. Without the Senior

Center, many would have celebrated the holidays alone. Heartfelt

thanks go to Page School, whose students’ voices and enthusiasm

brought cheer and joy to our seniors, and also to the students of

Wanda’s Dance Studio for dancing their way into our seniors’ hearts.

Thanks also to those who made our third annual Senior Gift Chest

such a success. Every senior received a gift to take home for the

holiday. Our gratitude is extended to the Associated Students of

Orange Coast College, Kline Private School, the many departments of

the City of Costa Mesa, Mike Schaefer, Scott Roberts and family, Dena

Curtis, Kim Espinoza and Joan Weeks.

A huge holiday thank you must go to Adele Alterman for sponsoring

our Christmas brunch. Without generous souls like Adele, this event

would never happen.

During the Christmas brunch, our seniors were fortunate to have

Boy Scout Troup 711 and firefighters from the Costa Mesa Fire

Department serve their holiday meals. Since this event has grown to

be so popular, the exceptional help of the Boys Scouts and the Costa

Mesa Fire Department is very much appreciated.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who

help us financially during the year, and especially to our major

donors: the Automobile Club of Southern California, Adele Alterman,

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, City of Costa Mesa, Comcast Cable, the Daily

Pilot, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Folino, Mrs. Paula Fowler, Arlene Hazelrigg

Risk Management Services, the Department of Community Medicine at

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Leaverton, Mr.

and Mrs. Ron Linsky, the Newport Harbor Lions Club, the Elizabeth

Steele Foundation, the Ms. Audrey Steele Burnand Foundation, Mr.

Surat Singh of Angels Auto Spa, Mr. William Susman and Mr. Bill

Turpit, and to the many individuals who contributed to make our

annual campaign the best it has ever been.

Every year, people make New Year’s resolutions. Whether or not

they keep them is another matter. At the Costa Mesa Senior Center, we

resolve to continue to make a difference in the lives of others. And

we are fulfilling that resolution. We continue working hard to make

our seniors lives happier and healthier. We strive each year to

expand our events and programs. This year will be no different.

We will soon be starting our annual campaign, which will include

our fundraising events -- the Fun Cars Fine Wine, the ice cream

social and the celebration of many holidays during the year. And we

will also continue with our regular events, including birthday

celebrations and membership meetings. What will be new? We hope to

stage a walk-a-thon in support of the Senior Center. We’ll keep you

posted of upcoming events.

Keep healthy with soup

How nice is it that January is National Soup Month? Given the

weather recently, you can imagine that January was given this unique

honor for a reason. There’s nothing quite as comforting on a cold and

wet day as a bowl of soup. It’s interesting, too, that experts are

now confirming what our mothers and grandmothers have always known:

the combination of chicken and broth does have real medicinal value.

Who invented soup? The word soup comes from the same source as the

English term “sop,” meaning a piece of bread soaked in liquid. In

common parlance, soup replaced sop at about the same time that people

began serving the heated liquid without the ever-present piece of

bread. However, it’s likely that people have been enjoying some

version of meat cooked in heated water since prehistoric times.

Various evidence, including residue sticking to pots, tells us man

was regularly consuming soup by the Iron and Bronze Ages. The Romans

ate soup, including a type of fish broth cooked in wine and spices.

The Greeks were familiar with soup as well, as the following quote

from a play by the Athenian satirist Aristophanes illustrates:

Dionysus: “Did you ever feel a sudden urge for soup?”

Heracles: “Soup? Ten thousand times so far.”

Today, the world of soup is vast and sophisticated. There are many

varieties such as thick soups, bouillabaisse, clear consommes, and

everything in between. Most cultures have their own specialties:

Russian borscht, Spanish gazpacho and French pot au feu, a clear soup

made from boiled beef and vegetables. I, as a Canadian, remember

maritime clam chowder soup. My mother brought me up on chicken soup,

which is also known as Jewish penicillin or comfort food. Since this

January is particularly cold and rainy, we are keeping our seniors

warm with a cup of soup at the Center.

At the start of this New Year, we, like that old Roman god Janus,

also gaze forward to new beginnings and to the hope that we get

bigger and better with every coming year. Thank you for continuing to

read my column and please watch for all the fun and upcoming events

in 2005. I wish each and everyone a very great new year, and may

peace come to all of us.

* AVIVA GOELMAN is the executive director of the Costa Mesa Senior

Center and will write occasional columns about the center, its

members and senior issues.