January February 2021

The BenedictionSt. Benedict’s Episcopal Church, Los Osos, CaliforniaThe Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall RectorThe Rev. Barry Turner Associate PriestThe Rev. Faye HoganAssociate PriestThe Rev. Susan Plucker Associate Priest

The Parish Council Stef Shuman, Sr. WardenJane Wu, Jr. WardenLisa Gonzalez, TreasurerDiana HammerlundEsta KandarianAlan KisteMichael LucasLorienne SchwenkBenediction Publisher: The Rev. Dr. Caroline J. A. HallBenediction Editor: Kit Gould, kit.gould1@gmail.com

Sunday Services 8:00 am -  Worship service with Scripture reflection, via Zoom.(Zoom address is available under the This Week heading on our website.)930 am  - Outdoor worship in park-ing lot, weather permitting.10:30 am - Spiritual Communion ser-vice ,  live-streamed on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/stbenslososos/ or on our website:http://www.stbenslososos.org/face-book-including-live-stream/ Service leaflets are available each week under the Worship tab on our website

Church: 2220 Snowy Egret LaneLos Osos, CA 93402

Mailing: PO Box 6877Los Osos, CA 93412

(805) 528-0654office@stbenslososos.orgwww.stbenslososos.org

Dear Friends, By the time you get this, we will have leapt into 2021. And hopefully it will be a Happy New Year, we will all get inoculated and we will discover who we have become in this time of forced exile and solitary vision questing. Remember the line from the John Lennon song, “Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans”? We have certainly learned the truth of that this year. Just like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, we have gotten up each morning and put one foot in front of the other never knowing for sure where it would take us.And we still don’t know. How many times on the way to the Promised Land must the cry have gone up, “Mommy, are we there yet?” But along the way Life is still happening. Before we had a building, St. Benedict’s used to say “Come Jour-ney with Us” –more recently we moved away from the journeying image toward one of building community and the Reign of God right where we are. Now both images – journeying and building – are equally relevant. We have some land and a building, with all the rights and responsibilities that go with home ownership, AND we are traveling the road less traveled at a time when the route is particularly uncertain.The route is uncertain but not the direction or the destination. We are traveling toward the New Jerusalem. That’s an image that has been co-opted by political rhetoric, but for the People of God it holds a special significance – the “New Jerusalem” is a symbol of living peacefully with one another governed by the Christ – a place and time of healing and flourishing. This is The Great Conspiracy – forget QAnon – this beats them all. Underneath (or be-hind or within) this every day life that we are living, the New Jerusalem is being built and God makes sure that we are part of it. As we read in Ephesians 1: “God revealed his hidden design to us, which is according to his goodwill and the plan that he intended to accomplish through his Son. This is what God planned for the climax of all times: to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth.”We are an integral part of what God has planned. I don’t think that God planned the pandemic – that came about as a result of the distorted relationship between humankind and the rest of Creation – but God has planned to bring about the “Climax of all times” and that is the enterprise upon which we are embarked.So each day let us continue to get up, do what God puts in front of us and remember that we are building the New Jerusalem, the climax of all times when the People of God will be living gospel values every moment. Until then, let us forgive ourselves every time we stumble for God surely does.With love in Christ,

Thank you,

Caroline J. A. Hall @StBens_LosOsos

January February 2021Mutual Ministry Review is Coming January 3-16, 2021 Lorienne Schwenk and Michael LucasFew of us have seen a year anything like the one just completed, and it is appropriate as we reflect on the person-al, congregational, community, national and world situations that we also remember the hope of the Nativity as we look forward to our planning for 2021. How did St. Benedict, in all its forms of appearance, engage your per-sonal and spiritual needs? How did we make a difference for you or in the world? What did we do/are we doing well, and what might we change? What is meaningful, what draws you near? What can we do that is new, what work are you drawn to; how have you or might you help maintain or expand our mission?The Mutual Ministry Review [MMR] is part of our formal self-evaluation by the congregation prior to the Parish Council going into retreat to plan for 2021. The ‘mu-tual’ part of the review means we solicit and indeed, rely, on your comments and con-cerns to obtain a clear image to reflect upon. The more participation we receive the better we may fine tune our outreach and worship. Our survey/review asks for your comments based on six questions that cover all aspects of our lives in community. We will be asking you to give your feedback in any of three manners:

• Parish Council Outreach [telephone]. All members and friends listed in our directory will be contacted by a member of the Parish Council by telephone. If you have chosen another method to record your re-sponses, we are happy to just have you tell us so, otherwise we hope to get your real time testimony.

• Survey Monkey Online [anonymous]. Beginning January 5 and ending January 16 you may use the following link to allow you to have access to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KJTK3Q7

• Good Old Paper [you may volunteer your name or remain anonymous]. Beginning January Sunday January 3, and again January 10 we will have paper copies of the survey available at the 9:30 service [weather permitting].

We will close responses January 16 for initial screening by the Parish Council on January 17. Responses will be shared with the congregation anonymously and in aggregate during the Congregational Meeting January 31. In 2019 we had participation from over 30% of the congregation and in 2020 we grew that to almost 50%- please help us capture a vivid image of our time here with each other for the 2021 review.

Finances Miracles happen – thanks to all of you (and the federal Payroll Protection Program) we will be ending 2020 in the black. And your generosity extends into 2021… your level of financial commitment has not only continued but risen. Our big issue is that we rely on the Abundance Shop not just as a way of ministering God’s love in the community of Los Osos but also to bring in money to support other aspects of our mission and ministry. And we are anticipating a significant shortfall again in 2021. We have very few seasoned volunteers available – just Maureen Titus as cashier on Wednesday, Karin and Steve Cake sorting and decorating on Mondays when the shop is closed; and several local volunteer sorters led by Nellie Regal-do. The lack of volunteers means that we will be open reduced hours for the foreseeable future. Esta Kandarian will be continuing to manage the Shop on a half-time basis.It is possible that we may get more assistance from federal funds but we cannot count on it, so at present we are imagining that in 2021 the Shop will only bring in 25% of the income that we expected in 2020 had the pandemic not hit. Of course, nobody knows what will happen, when the economy will pick up and when volunteers will feel safe enough to volunteer again.So the Parish Council is working on a six-month budget to present to you in January at the Annual Parish Meeting. We have cut back where we can, but there is very little fat in our budget. In June we will bring another budget to the parish and at that point we will either need to make significant cuts (which will be in personnel) or praise God and sigh a breath of relief.

January February 2021Building and Grounds The pole is up… now we just need the electricity… Our thanks go to everyone who has worked on the fire sprinkler sys-tem over the years – Faith Watkins, Don Shields, Rod Morse, Michael Lucas and Jane Wu. It will be amazing when it is finally completed and we can declare the building finished – twenty years after we moved it!Thanks to Liz Maruska and our friends from Bear Roots Los Osos, we now have three more trees on the parking lot island (see photo and story later in this issue). We hope in the New Year to continue discussions with Greening Los Osos about planting trees in a memo-rial grove that will mask the water tanks.

Annual Meeting Every January we gather to consider the logistics and practicalities of our common life. This includes approving a budget (to be reviewed after six months), receiving reports from the different teams within the congregation, con-sidering the feedback we received during the Mutual Ministry Review, and electing members of the Vestry/Parish Council and delegates to represent us at deanery meetings and Diocesan Convention. This year we will have a virtual meeting on January 31. It will start at 12 noon and last about an hour – you are welcome to bring your lunch!

January February 2021

Hollister Institute Book Discussion Starts January 5Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista TippettKrista Tippett is a Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, National Humanities Medalist, and New York Times bestselling author. She created and hosts the national public radio show and podcast “On Being” which shines a light on people whose insights kindle in us a sense of wonder and courage. Scientists, theologians, poets, activists, and many others have opened themselves up to Tippett’s compassionate yet searching conversation.In Becoming Wise, Tippett distills the insights she has gleaned from this lu-minous conversation in its many dimensions into a coherent narrative journey, over time and from mind to mind. The book is a master class in living, curated by Tippett and accompanied by a delightfully ecumenical dream team of teach-ing faculty.There’s an interview with Krista here: https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/studio/multimedia/20160413-a-conversation-with-krista-tippett-on-becoming-wise

Join us Tuesday mornings at 10:15 starting January 5th for this discussion, on Zoom. The class is preceded by Prayers for the Morning, starting at 9:45. am.

Outdoor Eucharist We have the go-ahead from the Bishop to have our Sunday morning outdoor worship be a eucharist on the follow-ing Sundays: Jan 10, Feb 14, March 7 and Easter Sunday, April 4 so let’s hope the weather is good and we can gather to break bread together. We will have 9:30 am outdoor service whenever the weather forecast a few days beforehand is for dry weather with-out too much wind. There will be an email to let you know by Saturday afternoon. Sometimes we will cancel when in fact the weather turns out just fine and other times we will plan a service but it will be too cold for everyone except the most hardy.

Welcome to Jay Matthew! Stephanie Olsen left us in late November and we have been glad to welcome Jay Matthew to the office and also to run the technical side of our services. Jay is a long-time friends of the Hirahara family who has moved to Los Osos to support Barbara and plans to be here indefinitely. You will see some gradual changes in the way we operate on Sunday mornings and we are grateful for your patience while we get up to speed on new software and cameras.You can reach Jay for normal admin. stuff via email office@stbenslososos.org or calling the church 805-528-0654.

January February 2021Abundance Shop Karin CakeThings looked pretty grim for the Abundance Shop and all its beneficiaries, including St Ben's itself, last summer!  But things are gradually working out because of your support. With a commitment of energy and time, we can sort and display really nice merchandise. As our donors are being more picky, Wonderful Things are coming to us, mostly in very good condition. They can go out for purchase right away. Some of our neighbors in the community are planning to come for training in the new year, as well as some of St. Ben's own. As we take it slowly, we find new ways to make the work easier and more satisfying to do...like the fa-bled self-developing volunteering of the 50s and 60s. See if there's a place for your skills, needs and joys with us in 2021!For example, I come in on the Monday "closed day" to fluff and freshen the stock while Steve tests, prices and dis-plays the small appliances. We enjoy bringing things to their best for a new life. You might enjoy discovering trea-sures to refurbish, like plants to tend, have computer skills to apply to our needs, or have time to pick up donations from house-bound seniors with much to clear out etc., etc.  We're closed for the holiday until January 5th. After that, Esta Kandarian, the Abundance Shop manager would love to hear from you or if you would like to know more about my experience, you can contact me at Karincake99@hot-mail.com. or (805) 773-1196.Abundance begins with knowing what you…• don't need and can share. (Try it out for yourself.)• want to find a good home for another life.• most appreciate in your life.

Becoming a Benedictine Oblate Lorienne SchwenkOn November 1, 2020, I took vows as a Benedictine Oblate and the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur. A Benedictine Oblate is a lay person who seeks God in their chosen way of life. They offer themselves (the word ‘oblate’ means offering) to God in the service of others. Through their prayer, service and community, they witness to Christ’s presence in today’s world. A Benedictine oblate seeks God in association with a monastic community.This seemed a perfect calling for me, what with living near Big Sur, wanting to support the Hermitage which I cherish, being a member of St. Benedict's, and my familiarity with the Rule of St. Benedict. I was men-tored for over a year of discernment and am already a mentor to another hoping to join this lovely communi-ty.There are three gifts in this tradition: community, soli-tude, and martyrdom, or witness. These three form the lenses through which I work to discern God's will each day for me. Please pray for me as part of my community. Thank you.

January February 2021Joining with Other Faith Communities for Climate Action John Horsley, Don Maruska, Lorienne Schwenk, and Barry TurnerHow can St. Benedict’s make a difference for stewardship of our planet? One of the ways the Earthcare Committee is learning about is public advocacy. When we join with other people of faith who share our concerns about climate change and creation care, we amplify our voices. In an earlier Benediction, we reported on several of us who joined in Interfaith Power and Light’s Faith Voter Pledge campaign. IPL (www.InterfaithPowerandLight.org) started with Sally Bingham, an Episcopal priest. Another group with Epis-copal Church sponsorship is Creation Justice Ministries (www.CreationJus-tice.org). They have monthly action campaigns on climate change, social justice and other initiatives. We encourage you to check out these groups and offer your suggestions about how St. Benedict’s can join voices with others inspired to honor and steward God’s creation.

To the right is Paul Korin from Bear Roots of Los Osos planting trees on the St. Benedict’s grounds. Three Cypress were donated to the church and planted on the berm by the parking lot. One small cypress to note is the lovely lemon boy cypress by the sign as you enter the parking lot. This is the beginning of a program that Liz Maruska will be heading up for the earth care group to plant trees as part of a carbon sequestration effort. We are now looking into starting an effort to plant trees as a memorial garden over by the Saint Francis garden. We also hope to plant trees to screen the new tanks and PG&E Building.

What are you reading now?Cathy Gildea

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander is an unflinching examination of how backlash against the civil rights era and the myth of colorblindness led to the creation of a criminal jus-tice system that is “a stunningly comprehensive and well-disguised system of racialized social control that functions in a manner strikingly similar to Jim Crow.” She argues that when people of color are disproportionately labeled as “criminals,” this allows the unleashing of a whole range of legal and lifelong discrimination measures in employment, housing, education, public benefits, voting rights, jury duty, and other areas. Alexander believes that the existence of the New Jim Crow system is not disproved by the election of Barack Oba-ma and other examples of exceptional achievement among African Americans, but on the contrary, it depends on such exceptionalism. She contends that the system does not require overt racial hostility or bigotry on the part of another racial group or groups. Indifference is sufficient to support the system. Color-blindness is enjoying the privilege of not seeing the existence of the web of laws, rules, policies, and customs that control 1 in 3 black men through prison, parole, and probation. She ends the book with a quote from James Baldwin calling for white people to leave their blindness behind, “to cease fleeing from reality and begin to change it.”

January February 2021Pandemic Updates We asked church members to share how they are doing and what they have been up to while the pandemic has kept us apart. Here are the responses.

From Jill and Caro+We have both been staying very busy with our work - working from home is a challenge as we have to work around each other and the parrots, dog and cats. For-tunately Caro+ has an outside office so we aren't trying to work right next to each other. We are walking as much as usual and have several exercise classes each week. Many nights we relax watching the very silly British quiz show QI on Britbox.

From Kevin CadiganJudith and I are in North Carolina in a rather gorgeous old folks home. It’s full of Democrats where quaranti-ning, masks , social distancing and common sense keep the Covid infection at bay. Married for fifty six years, we muddle along. I keep a truce with her dog who hates me and her cat who bites me. She maintains the polite fiction that I have anecdotes she has not heard. Are we bored? Of course we are. What day of the week is it? Never quite sure we check back and forth. But in a pandemic there are worse things than being bored.We are among the unreasonably blessed. We have the surety of safety, food and shelter and a love that can not be untangled by siege.

From Brad and Susan MillerBrad and I cherish walking with the pup on the beach. I bought a paint-by-numbers kit and haven't got very far down the numbers. Comparably, I bought a lan-guage course and haven't got very far. -- it seems as if we have an eternity to finish things because shut downs will be forever. For a while I was "doing" 3 churches on Sunday: one in Florence, Italy where an old friend was interim Rector, old parish in Durango, and - of course - St Bens. Now just doing the latter two. Blessings all

From Ginny ConrowAs a healthcare worker in a primary care office, 2020 has been a challenging year, to say the very least! The key for me has been flexibility, accepting what is in the

moment and working with it. As co-workers, our office staff has grown closer, working together and support-ing one another as we face uncertainty and a host of other problems and annoyances. I cherish solitary time away from work, as well as time with friends and fami-ly. I've been hiking in many of the wonderful areas in our own backyard with girlfriends who can laugh and share together from the heart--a precious gift!

From Esta KandarianI've been busy at the Abundance Shop since we re-opened at the beginning of June. I've been so grateful to have somewhere to go, to have useful work to do, to be able to talk to people in person, and to have a pay-check! At home I've been working my way through my TBR collection acquired at the shop. I estimate I have enough reading material for a four year stay at home order.

From Dianne LongThere is no end to amusements at home. Walking the dogs, reading, sketching, piano practice, Italian lessons online, yard work, and culinary experiments. Other than suffering from COVID early in the season, all perfectly normal. Best wishes to all.

From Jo OliverAs some of you may know I bought a farm in Vermont and moved back home in October. I was fortunate to get here before it got cold and had time to get my firewood stacked and prepare for a real winter after 7 years on the Central Coast. All is well so far, though my dog keeps looking hopefully for the door that leads to the back bay! I wish everyone a peaceful and safe New Year! Be well!

January February 2021From Jane WuDuring the fall I worked on a back/side yard patio garden and dog run. I spent many hours obsessing over things such as planters that were substantial but lightweight, types of plants that would live in the hottest side of the house, how attract the most birds and butterflies! I Scrounged materials for a homemade bird bath ( do you KNOW what birdbaths cost??), looked for independent metalworker artisans for gar-den art and perused fall sales for summer umbrellas and chairs. Had lively discussions with my wife about the necessity (or not)of having an outdoor clock.I have spent lovely hours in the garden being with God and in nature and I forget I am in town in a mobile home park.I’ve cooked meals for neighbors and delivered them and read lots of books, mostly fantasy and British mys-teries. Watched as many movies and TV series that had sensible dialogue and actors over 14.Sharon and I have had many small adventures with Charlie walking and taking drives. She’s been Zoom singing. Somehow, we’re busy.

From Roz MaloneRiding the exercycle in the garage with the garage door open and chatting with folks walking by and handing out doggie treats to canine friends taking rides up or down Hwy 1, Zooming with friends and family, sharing graduations, worship, dinner parties all virtually enjoy-ing Tuesday morning prayer and book study with Hol-lister Institute participants reading mostly British mys-teries streaming BritBox TV programs like Silent Wit-ness phone chats with friends near and far hanging out with my sweetheart socially distanced wine on the deck with one friend at a time or a couple from the same household delivering Food Bank boxes to folks in our neighborhood

From Barry TurnerChurch work, home improvements, family history, children support, grandchild day care.

From Steve CakeSteve has been gleaning again when gleans are sched-uled, but we have hit a mid-winter lull. I am hoping to get back to that soon.

I built a bench for Karin out of scrap lumber collected over the last few years; it looks pretty good.Lots of reading on serious subjects, and not so serious, and tonight I am enjoying the sound of rain on the roof, without feeling driven to take my usual evening walk.I miss you all; any chance to return will be very wel-come. Viva la vaccine!

From Jill DentonI'm grateful for all our fur and feather kids and the op-portunity to be with them lot more every day....watch-ing Bunny Love our cockatoo and BubuLinda his sweetheart making love, playing, singing and demolish-ing their house made from a Samuel Adams box. Cud-dling with Shadow Maria Rilke and enjoying our natur-al beauty with him daily. And playing with the cats...es-pecially young Wesley James!

From Laura ThompsonThe year started relatively normal & we were looking forward to an extended trip to the British Isles. Around March, we canceled our reservations as Covid 19 had ascended upon the world. Caution came upon us along with washing hands repeatedly, wearing masks & NOT looking forward to the upcoming Presidential Election. We carefully planned a road trip to Oregon & WA. Our faithful 16 year old companion, Scarlett, was in poor health & we achingly had to end her life on Sept. 1. On Sept. 2 we left very sadly on our road trip. This was the first time we did not have our beloved MinPin, Scarlett with us.On the Oregon coast we encountered smoky air, road closures & news of mass evacuations because of MANY fires. Sadness overcame us as we saw hundreds of people camping along the roads, sleeping in their cars & hurrying for shelters. The stark realization of what many people were experiencing hit us squarely in the face. With God's Blessings, we safely visited my daughter, Alice, in Portland, Oregon & long-time friends in WA. After a period of normal abnormality, we again planned a road trip following the November 3rd Presidential Election! When we arrived in Albuquerque, NM we celebrated the outcome with champagne & our high school friends. With a multitude of cautions & safety measures, we managed to see friends in Deming, NM, Brian McHugh & Dennis Much, whom many of you

January February 2021will remember. Onto Phoenix & Buckeye, Arizona carefully visiting old friends.After returning home, the deaths in the US from the virus has shot up to over 300,000. Closer to home 2 beloved members of St. Ben's have joined their Maker. Our government shamefully plods along like a blind & toothless humanoid. I wonder if the current man in the White House will ever leave.Thank you St. Benedict & Shepherd Caro & all those faithful followers that attend to the chores of our church & our community services. May 2021 hold more Peace, Love & Blessings.

From Judith and Kevin CadiganWe are so grateful that the worst thing we have to complain of is boredom! Kevin and I are at our retire-ment community in Chapel Hill, NC, close to our younger daughter and her family; normally we would have come out to Los Osos for five months or six months over the summer, but of course not in 2020 (though the family actually drove out and spent some six weeks in our house). We hope so much to get there in 2021, as we miss our friends and the climate! But we are extremely lucky to be here; the community is vigi-lant to keep Covid out, so far very successfully. We or-der one meal a day, usually dinner, which is then deliv-ered to us, but there are no gatherings of more than 15 people and those only outdoors under a tent - heated and lighted but drafty! We now have an Episcopalian evening worship service every other Sunday in which I take part, often reading one of the lessons; on the oth-er Sundays I try to "attend" St. Ben's via the Facebook live-stream, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. We meet the family on our patio for lunch most weekends when the weather is warm enough, or in summer cool enough; those meetings are another of our many blessings. With love to everyone

From Ed ValentineEd Valentine here, frequently referred to as “hey you.” In some ways, nothing exotic in my life to report, and in others a miracle. Fifth grandchild born Sept. 11 in ABQ New Mexico. We were there. Love to all.

From Pat StonemanI’ve been doing exercises with many different videos on YouTube. I picked up local veggies at Clark valley

organic farm to avoid market, but they are on seasonal break right now.

From Benjamin NucumAdvent and Christmastide has been darkness mixed with light. Darkness due to deepening depression, light because of the prayers of the Church and the dai-ly office of the Book of Common Prayer, especially the Psalms.

From Leslie StanleyOver the months I’ve found some things that absorb my attention, and make time at home enjoyable. One is cooking. I can really get involved in this! Time flies, and it’s a very useful activity! Another is reading. I am a detail person, and love reading about how people do things. Right now, I’m reading “Everest-The First As-cent”. It’s about Dr. Griffith Pugh, an Englishman, who was asked to work on improving oxygen distribution units used by climbers, in this case, climbers who wanted to be first on Everest. Dr. Pugh designed new climbing boots, tent material, foam sleeping pads, and other items which eased the problems of frigid air, alarming winds, and oxygen delivery at high altitude. To help with the tedium of being housebound, exercise is the ticket for me. I take quick outdoor walks, and ride my exercise bicycle while watching TV. My out-look improves immediately!

From Jean Senter:To keep somewhat sane, I turn my living room into a gym 2 or 3 days a week and work out. Then I drink a lot of coffee and eat chocolates and laugh with friends. To keep from dropping into a pit, I listen to Caro everyday, sometimes twice a day, whisper a blessing her way and give thanks.

January February 2021From Karin CakeI'm remembering months of waiting like we did during Bomb Drills in the 50s. "Sit quietly, don't talk or wig-gle, wait for the All Clear signal to go back to what you were doing. Don't waste time discussing it."After weeks turned into months, the pains began…physical, mental and spiritual. I realized I was breaking down like a horse that's gotten stiff, swollen and dispir-ited. I began my personal reclamation project by drinking lots more water, standing rather than sitting, reconnecting with my beloveds by phone (standing up), breathing more deeply, doing yoga on the beach in Hawaii and going barefoot in the morning on our little patch of grass. Now the pains are gone, my breathing is getting better and I'm even remembering more easily. Now I have a fresh start on my life, thanks to self-quarantining and all the good ideas during the coffee hour chats. Thanks to God for the gifts of healing in our human bodies!

From Cathy GildeaMy family is close enough to drive for a visit so we all carefully quarantined before Christmas. It was a true joy to be able to spend a week together and to have a full house for Christmas. There were lots of board games, bird walks, and movie memories to sustain us through the months ahead and we know we are fortu-nate to be able to savor these pleasures. Best wishes for a Happy New Year to all and a much brighter 2021!

From Maureen TitusOk, after all these months I should be totally orga-nized at home. Hasn't happened YET!!! I am not ex-pecting it to happen tomorrow either. There is always next week or next month. However, I have been busy with other projects and have been working with some wonderful dedicated volunteers from St. Ben's. Be-tween the Abundance Shop, Laundry Love and Com-munity Dinner serving every Thursday evening I have not been bored or wondering what to do next. I so ap-preciate all of these people. During this time I have continued trying my best and to be "part of the solu-tion, not be part of the problem”. While I cannot make life better for all, I will attempt to help who I can through these great programs. Peace, Love and Hugs to Everyone

From Sarah ChesebroLife in the Chesebro household is without a dull mo-ment. We continue to look after Payton, our almost 2 year old granddaughter. We have recently moved Dian, David’s sister, into an independent living facility in Santa Maria and are in the process of cleaning out and preparing her mobile home for sale with the help of John Cribb. David keeps busy with his Masonic duties and as Saint Benedict’s Shadow Sacristan. Sarah is tak-ing a break from her Caltrans work as a retired annui-tant and is focusing more on her work at Saint Bene-dict’s as the Director of the Altar Guild/Sacristan and the Provincial Representative of Altar Guild for Prov-ince VIII of the Episcopal Church. Happy New Year! P. S. Sarah’s mother, Marianne, turned 88 this year and is ‘chomping at the bit’ to drive her Jaguar once again up and down US 101 between San Bernardino and Los Osos.

From Mary Ellen RicoWork (essential worker). Come home, take care of cats, house, and garden. Repeat 5 days a week. Best time of day is my almost daily nature lunch walk. On weekends, sleep in trying to catch up on some sleep lost during the week, take care of cats, house, and yard. When able, I've gone kayaking and hiking. Listening to music during most of it helps keep me sane.

From Celeste PenningtonMost mornings I walk near the ocean - often on the sand with my feet in the water. Sometimes the wind is so fierce that it’s hard to stay upright. Covid is fierce. I’m finding that living in accord with it while not being blown over by it is a balancing act, if ever there was one. Some days I don’t see a future that’s any different from today which, frankly, is horrifying as the numbers rise and rise. But the virus hasn’t stolen my ability to be delighted by things - like the bucket full of fresh water and washer fluid at the gas pump the other day - and by a FaceTime the other night with my grand-daughter in SF, two hours of being with one another ever-so tenderly. We’re nowhere near the end of this. I’m still practicing, balancing, learning. I hardly have a summary today. I do have everything I need to keep moving. My gratitude is profound. I’m doing the best I can. I trust that is enough.

January February 2021From Louisa BeelerI finally got enough courage to cut my own hair. Looks rather good!

From Lorienne SchwenkThis last quarter of 2020 has been strange and chal-lenging. In September and October, work was so busy, I was frequently working more than 40 hours per week. It was a struggle with all the precautions for COVID plus the general desire of guests to "get away from all that" and pretend there was no virus. I found my voice. I kicked people out. I apologized, some-times, too. And then, with the new SIP orders, my job has been cut back and I am struggling with the Unem-ployment Department to get my benefits rolling again. It made for a strange Christmas with few gifts and much fear and anxiety. Many opportunities for prayer.Several churches and other spiritual organizations de-cided, without formal organization that I could see, to begin Advent observances November 1. This is in per-fect harmony with my practice for years, so I was de-lighted to find new resources and opportunities.Our kitties remain a blessing and I pray I get to have that vaccine early next year.

From Sandy GarvanianHiking was on my agenda for 2020, then Covid 19 hit...all the better.I started out walking the streets of Templeton in late March and early April waving at the few drivers hungry for human contact. The people walking their dogs would keep their distance and the dogs seemed to long for human contact. It was a strange time...but I drew closer to my Creator on those walks interacting with nature and the birds. The second half of 2020 I spent

hiking more in nature..Fiscalini Ranch, Montana De Oro, Elfin Forest. In the past couple of months I have been hiking with a couple of friends and venturing out to new places like the Gaviota Wind Caves. San Sime-on and Lopez Lake.

From Alice WelchertMost mornings I sit by the east window in our second story kitchen enjoying hot coffee and reading “The Sun” magazine. It’s my quiet, peaceful time. It’s also a wonderful time to watch birds. I’ve added a second humming bird feeder and they are still whirring about guzzling nectar. Scrub jays and crows come for peanuts -- some they bury in the dirt for later, some they enjoy as take-out. Towhees hop around on the ground eating seeds and bugs. I have a birdbath at-tached to my back fence. They splash so enthusiastical-ly I often have to refill it once or twice a day. Some-times I just see the wet splash marks on the fence. This past year we adopted two senior cats, Meow-meow and Clawdia. They are both quite ample and Clawdia looks like she’s ready to have a litter of kittens (even though she’s spayed). Most days I walk our dog, Chato, for an hour or more so he’s worth his keep in the exercise department. Chato is a cross between a chihuahua and a holy terrier. Other than that I do Zoom Zumba twice a week and pilates once a week.For entertainment Willie and I often watch movies and BBC crime dramas from the library and play the occa-sional game of Scrabble. I talk to my sister once a week for a long time about nothing much at all (it’s an art) and now and then go on a “cheap date” with a friend -- the Dollar Tree and local antique malls are favorite des-tinations. We sip Diet Cokes through straws discreetly slipped under our masks. Yup. Things are hopping on the 1500 block of 10th Street, that’s for sure!

January February 2021

In Memoriam

What sadness this last two months to say goodbye in this life to two of our leaders – Steve Hirahara (left) and Don Shields (right) who have both gone on to their continuing life in Christ. We hold both of them in our hearts and will continue to live their legacies of love for their God and the People of God and service to the community. Let us remember to hold both Barbaras in our prayers over these next months as they

adjust to this new and different reality.

The Benediction St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church2220 Snowy Egret LaneLos Osos, CA 93412