Taking time to remember and be thankful

AVIVA GOELMAN

Like Pearl Harbor and the assassination of President Kennedy, the

horrible tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 will be an event forever engraved

in our memories. Indeed, the events of Sept. 11 must have brought

back painful memories for many of our nation’s seniors, who lived

through and remember the day Pearl Harbor was bombed and that late

November morning in 1963 when we lost a young and vibrant president.

That Sept. 11 morning was, for me, a day that began like most;

waking and preparing for another day’s work. But on this morning, the

phone rang at 6:30. It was my son who was more than audibly excited.

“Mom!” he yelled. “Are you watching TV? Did you see what just

happened?”

On that bright and cloudless September morning in New York City,

in Washington, D.C., and in a lonely field in Pennsylvania, many

people lost beloved family members and dear friends. For them -- and

for us as a nation -- their lives were changed horribly forever. We

must never forget the many lives that were changed, and we should

shed another tear as we mark the third anniversary of this terrible

event. But we should remember, too, to never give in to fear.

I believe our nation will heal as time passes, and that as each

Sept. 11 arrives, we will not only remember those we lost, but also

use the day to ask ourselves what we can do to make life better for

ourselves and others.

Patrick Moran said it best in his poem: “A nation united we must

be strong, stronger than the weak, smarter than the rest, for we are

the United States, the world’s BEST.”

The Costa Mesa Senior Center will be closed Sept. 6 in celebration

of Labor Day, a national holiday more than a century old, when we

celebrate the labor of all workers and the lives of those workers we

lost so suddenly on the 11th day of September in 2001. We remember

them all.

This is also a time for us to be thankful. I am thankful for many

things that benefit the Costa Mesa Senior Center. We are grateful to

the City of Costa Mesa -- our steadfast partner -- for the addition

of handicap spaces in the Senior Center parking lot. All of our

members truly appreciate the city’s continued commitment to the

senior citizens of our community.

We are so grateful for the Teller family, who operates the Orange

County Marketplace at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Last weekend,

the Tellers once again opened Bob’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Stand for

a fundraiser for the Costa Mesa Senior Center. Senior Center members

and I spent the weekend selling Bob’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, and we

were very successful, raising $2,200 for our programs.

As for the Orange County Marketplace, you may have recently read

of a large corporation and its attempt to take over operation of the

Orange County Marketplace from the Teller family. In my opinion, I

cannot imagine a large conglomerate preserving the same small town

spirit of the Orange County Marketplace that the Tellers have been so

successful in establishing and maintaining. The Orange County

Marketplace is the Tellers’ vision, and they built it into the

success it is today, while also benefiting our community’s nonprofit

organizations in so many ways.

Finally, let me share with you some upcoming events at the Costa

Mesa Senior Center.

On Aug. 28, we will be hosting our Step Out For Seniors event.

Participation is open to older adults, their families, friends and

community members of all ages to promote a positive image of aging.

Come join the fun! Enjoy the morning, while you learn more about the

many services and activities senior centers offer to our senior

population and their families.

This promises to be a great day of activities. We will be walking

the Oso Creek Trail in Mission Viejo, enjoying a delicious breakfast,

passing out event T-shirts, playing games and awarding door prizes.

Also, we’ll be treated to some great entertainment. This great day is

just $5 for Senior Center members and $12 for nonmembers. Bus

transportation is included. Please call the Senior Center at (949)

645-2356 for further information.

Last, be sure to save the date of Oct. 23, when “Late Nite

Catechism II” will be staged for the benefit of the Senior Center. Be

prepared for an evening full of laughs.

* 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.