Nice surprises in September

I had some nice surprises and also joined a new group in September. One nice surprise occurred as I was standing in line to buy two tickets to a local Follies show when a lady walked up and handed me two free tickets. How cool is that! I have attended the yearly Follies song and dance show for five years or so and it was founded 50 years ago.
Two of my friends sing and dance in it so that makes it extra fun. The auditions and rehearsals are very thorough. The song and dance numbers included "Pretty Woman", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "Don't Be Cruel", "What Now My Love", "Love Me Tender", "Inka Dinka", "I Gotta Be Me" and many more for a total of forty songs.
All that and we had free seats.
I went to a fund raiser tea on Saturday, Sept. 22 and it was very lively. Some of us, including me, wore hats and one lady looked like a regal Victorian lady in her hat and clothes. Here are some photos of the food tables. There were about 8 tables of food including the traditional cucumber sandwiches and scones and in the first table you can see the delicious home made lemon curd.

The above two photos show friendship and companionship. The fundraiser is for a group that takes home bound seniors out for afternoons of fun and lunch. It allows care givers to have 5 or 6 hours off from their work of caring.
The new group I joined is one for widows that just formed at our church and was created by two widows. We had our first meeting on Sunday which featured a delicious free lunch in the church coffee house and eleven ladies got to know each other a bit. The theme for the group will be that we need not do this life alone. Amen to that. The ages ranged from 60 to 85. I didn't know any of the gals beforehand so I pushed myself to go and am glad I did.
We are looking for a name for the group, do you have any ideas? I suggested "Wild wacky widows" and another gal suggested "Wild wonderful widows." We want to convey widows and upbeat fun times. Ideas for a name welcome.

Christ Symbol in Ephesus, Turkey and groups we are in

Above is a photo of the pendant my friend bought for me in the ancient city of Ephesus, Turkey quite a few years ago. It makes reading Ephesians even more meaningful to me.What a thoughtful gift. We co-authored two books and she knew I attended college in Turkey so she thought of me.
Below is a photo of the Christ symbol you can see if you visit the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey.

The fish in early Christianity was a symbol for Christ.

The Greek word for fish is Ichthys and the letters for Ichthys  are the following:

If you draw each letter on top of the other you will form the symbol O with 6 lines through it, looking somewhat like a pizza that is sliced.

In ancient Ephesus Christians carved this symbol into the stone walk way which you can see today if you visit Ephesus in Turkey. This symbol is also found in Athens and other places in Greece and in Rome. It is believed that like the drawn symbol of the fish (which we still see today in places like bumper stickers) this was a way of secretly announcing that Christians were near. In the early years of the church, as in many countries today, it was dangerous to be a Christian. In fact, Paul wrote Ephesians (letters to Christians in Ephesus) when he was in prison. He was eventually executed for being a Christian. I am reading a book by N.T. Wright called "Paul for Everyone: the Prison Letters, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon".

I also read that the Greek letters of Ichthys are an acronym for Jesus Christ God’s Son Our Savior
Fun to be in a study group
A nice aspect of the women's Bible study group I attend is that I meet new people of all ages and backgrounds. This one lasts for 8 weeks and has 14 members and when it ends I will probably sign up for another study. About 50 ladies showed up so we divided into 3 groups. Isn't it fun to meet new people? And see old friends too.
Are you in a group or groups that meet locally? I know some of you are in book clubs which sound like fun. One blog friend is in a group that reads poetry out loud, that also sounds like a great activity and some of you gather to knit or do crafts, also fun.