TJ Connection - Summer 2004

Table of Contents

Brown vs. the Board of Education / Little Known Facts

Qiyamah’s Corner 

Lifespan REflections/Accepting Allies

Ministerial Matters 

Chalice Lighters

Resources for your...

Annual Meeting 04 Jamboree

Principles for UU and Me

Retreating with the Eurpoean UUs

Congregational News/UUC Roanoke 50th Anniversary

Pastoral Care in Changing Times

A Day to Remember/Unitarian Church of Norfolk Takes a Stand

Planning for Growth and Vitality in Small Size Congregations

TJD/UUA Fair Share Congregations

Putting a Human Face on Same Sex Marriage

District Calendar/Staff Calendar

Dr. Alan Reiss and his team at the Stanford University School of Medicine note that humor triggers the part of the brain that rewards individuals with feel good responses. How did they determine this? They observed brain scans of volunteers looking at cartoons - some were funny and others were not. The results showed increased blood flow in the part of the brain responding to the cartoons that were funny. The findings of Dr. Reiss and his team remind us to seek out moments of laughter and joy in our sometimes stress-filled lives. We know that a smile elicits fewer wrinkles than a frown, and a kind word brings a smile (most of the time) and makes us feel good. What we now know is that humor has significant psychological and physical health benefits!

So here is my contribution to bring a smile to your face and added joy in your day. I will see some of you at General Assembly at the TJ District Ingathering and others as I travel around the District. Be safe and keep those smiles and humor alive and well!

Blessed Be!
Qiyamah A. Rahman

1. Life isn’t like a box of chocolates, it’s more like a jar of jalapenos - you never know what’s going to burn you.
2. I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.
3. Tell me what you need, and I’ll tell you how to get along without it.
4. Needing someone is like needing a parachute. If they aren’t there the first time, chances are you won’t be needing them again.
5. I don’t have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem.
6. Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the hell is the ceiling?
7. My reality check bounced.
8. On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key.
9. I don’t suffer from stress. I am a carrier!
10. You are slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.
11.Everyone is someone else’s weirdo.
12. Never argue with an idiot...They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.
13. Be careful...a pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the butt.
14. Don’t be irreplaceable - if you can’t be replaced, you won’t be promoted.
15. The more stuff you put up with, the more stuff you are going to get.
16. You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.
17. So this isn’t Home Sweet Home...Adjust!
18. Ring bell for maid service. If no answer, do it yourself!
19. Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.