Letters to the editor: Commission on Aging; Funkstown Old Tyme Christmas
During the season of giving, remember the Washington County Commission on Aging
To the editor:
Growing up, my favorite book was “The Giving Tree,” written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. I have a form of dyslexia that made reading difficult, but the short sentences and illustrations eased my understanding. I still have the first copy that my mother bought me at a yard sale when I was 6 years old. Little did I know as a child that the ability to read those words was not only filling my soul with a sense of confidence, but the story’s words were also filling my heart with a life lesson: what, how and why we give.
In the story, a tree loves a little boy, so much so that throughout the boy’s life, the tree gives all she has to the boy’s happiness: her apples, branches and trunk. For when the boy is happy, the tree is happy. When I was a boy, I often pictured myself on the pages, playing in the leaves and climbing the tree. In recent years as a father, I have a deeper understanding of the tree and her sacrifice to see the boy happy.
However, I find myself thinking about the last few pages of the story. Time, chance and choice have taken the youth of the tree and the boy. The tree is now a stump and the boy is old. Life has changed for the now old man but the place where he finds generosity has not. The Washington County Commission on Aging serves thousands of seniors each year, with nearly 11,000 people assisted last year. Today, we have over 600 seniors on a waitlist due to a lack of funding.
Each senior in our community has a story, and this holiday season we are inviting you to be part of its pages. Consider giving to stretch through the branches of the Washington County Commission on Aging. Together, we will bring help, hope, food, friendship and countless other benefits through over 50 programs, like Meals on Wheels. To give, please call 301-790-0275 ext. 222, or give online: www.wccoaging.org/donate. You can also mail a check to the Washington County Commission on Aging, 535 E. Franklin St., Hagerstown, MD 21740.
Tim FisherDirector of developmentWashington County Commission on Aging
Funkstown Old Tyme Christmas a wonderful event
To the editor:
I took my family to the Funkstown Old Tyme Christmas event Friday evening Dec. 9. Fortunately it wasn't as bitter cold as the same event we attended four years ago.
We started with the absolutely delicious roast beef and french fry dinner at the fire hall around 6 p.m., then sauntered up the sidewalk lined with luminaries, some even in glass canning jars, to the Lutheran Church where we warmed up while enjoying the cookie smorgasbord in the hall, heard the choir singing carols in the sanctuary, and then browsed the craft vendors' wares in the social hall.
Memories:A look back at blizzards, nor'easters and other major snowstorms in Maryland
Returning outside, we waited for one of the hayrides that took us to the park. I particularly enjoyed the tractor pulling our hay wagon, a powerful Allis Chalmers 190 diesel courtesy of the Antique Tractor Association of Washington County. But we didn't go straight to the park after loading. We were driven throughout the entire town, every single street, and were totally amazed at the extent to which many residents had decorated their homes in dazzling fashion. I was also very impressed with the safety measures used to get all of us on and off the wagons, as well as the stopping of traffic on busy U.S. 40 as the wagons went back and forth between the church and park!
Awaiting at the park were pony rides, a roaring campfire, marshmallows already on sticks for roasting, delicious hot dogs fresh off the grill, popcorn and hot chocolate. All the while, we listened to our favorite Christmas songs.
A short while later, we returned to the church, and after walking back to our cars in the fire hall parking lot, our evening in Funkstown ended. Thanks Funkstown for a truly auspicious Christmas event!
Wally McClureHagerstown
Write to us
The Herald-Mail welcomes your opinion. Writers may send an email to opinion@herald-mail.com, or mail them to Letter to the editor, P.O. Box 439, Hagerstown, MD 21741. Letters should be no more than 300 words, and writers should include their full name, town of residence and a daytime phone number. When asserting a fact, please include sources. The Herald-Mail reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and libel.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Letters to the editor: Commission on Aging; Funkstown Old Tyme Christmas
