AllAround - Pennsauken

Page 12 ALL AROUND PENNSAUKEN
January 2013
MARTIN LUTHER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Located at the corner of Route 130 and Terrace Ave, Pennsauken
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6
“…but bring them up by training and instructing them about the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4
Register Now
Pre School Daycare for 3&4year olds
Before and Aftercare for grades K-6
Pre School age 3 to Grade 6
Call 856-665-0231 to arrange a tour today.
■ We provide excellent Pre-School thru 8th Grade education in a
loving, disciplined, multi-cultural Christian Environment
■ We seek to not only prepare your child for higher education but
to prepare him/her for Life as a spiritually-minded person
■ We have been doing this for more than five decades so we are
very good at it – just ask our parents. Small classes and dedicated,
certified teachers ensure that your child gets the attention she/he
needs. We use current technology, including a wireless computer
lab and SMART BOARDS. You are welcome to visit us to see for
yourself why our students love MLC.
Visit us on the web at: www.mlchapel.org/MLCS/MLCShome.htm
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GRAYMATTERS
Gifts Of The Heart Are True
Hallmarks Of The Season
As December was drawing
to a close and the deadline
for my January column was
upon me, I was hoping to be
inspired by something other
than New Year’s resolutions.
And so, in almost a magical
way, I was. All it took was a
short drive around the corner
to Bethel Ave. and Rogers.
To get the full impact of
this story we have to turn the
clocks back to Oct. 29, 2012, the day Hurricane
Sandy struck our fair city.
For most of us it was an inconvenience;
power outages went on for a few
days and that was about it. Others less
fortunate had their homes destroyed as
trees fell randomly, and families were displaced,
and heartsick.
In our home, on the eve of the storm,
we heard a not-so-far-away HUGE
crash. Although I was curious to see what
it was, I was urged by my less curious, and
much smarter, husband to stay inside the
house and remain safe.
The following day, when the storm
had died down considerably, we took a
walk around the neighborhood and
there, right around the corner from us,
was the reason for that huge crash. A
tremendously large tree, by all appearances
at least 100 years old, totally uprooted,
right there in the middle of
Bethel Ave. A police car was guarding
the area, cones and caution tape were in
place, and all we could do was look in
amazement at what Mother Nature can
do when she’s all riled up.
Days passed, and the cones and tape
remained. A few days after that, workers
began to remove the debris from Bethel
Ave. Two weeks after the storm, all that
was left on the side of the street was this
rather large stump, still surrounded by
cones and caution tape.
Traffic soon resumed in a normal pattern
down Bethel, but I noticed it was a
slower one. As I drove down the street,
the cars ahead of me would almost come
to a halt in front of the old stump. I even
saw some people walking by and stopping,
just standing there.
As a writer, I always wonder why people
do what they do and what they could
be thinking. And by the looks on many
of those faces, I imagined they were coming
to grips with what just happened,
stopping to look and say a prayer for
those less fortunate, or maybe they were
By Judith Kristen
AAP Columnist
Pennsauken’s “Hurricane Sandy Tree,” a symbol of
joy and hope for the holidays and for the New Year.
just curious to see what was on the business
end of a hundred-year-old tree.
My own focus immediately turned to
our dear friends in Staten Island, Lorraine
and Des, who lost everything. There is
nothing left for them but memories.
Many of us in Pennsauken are very connected
to people in both the northern end
of our state and in New York; we know
people who are still without a place to call
their own. Many lives were lost, and animals
were left injured and homeless.
And every time I saw that old tree
stump there on the corner of Bethel and
Rogers, a new place in my heart was
touched.
Another week went by, and soon
Thanksgiving was upon us. On Black Friday,
as I drove down Bethel Ave., I noticed
something was different. The
caution tape that surrounded the
“Sandy” tree stump was now draped
over it like Christmas garland, complete
with a big, full bow, there for all to see in
its stunning yellow and black glory.
As I rode by it the next day, I noticed
there were a few more ornaments on it.
Then I rode by again later that evening
and there were a few more. So in the spirit
of things, I drove home and got some of
that green and silver garland we had, and
draped it over what was left of the tree.
This isn’t a gorgeous pine tree like the
one in Washington or the one that graces
Rockefeller Center, this is a real symbol
of hope!
Sadly, to some people I’m sure it will
mean nothing as they drive by. They
might even think, “Who’s crazy enough
to bother to decorate that funky old tree
stump?” But to me and many others in
our fair neighborhood, it’s a genuinely
beautiful and joy-filled Christmas tree.
The eyes of love and hope will always
make the difference!
And then in the days that followed
there were even more decorations, Santa
continued on page 27