REMEMBER GIVING * LISTENING, TOO * THIS WEEK * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol 13 * November 18, 2012

REMEMBER GIVING 

IN THANKSGIVING

As you head home to your family and friends for holiday celebrations, please keep in mind the people among us who are hungry and homeless. They are in each of our communities, from Sioux City to Iowa City from Decorah to Des Moines. 

If you take a walk around Iowa City early in the morning, you are likely to meet people without a home trying to keep warm in stairwells and parking ramps. The same is true in other communities around Iowa and beyond.

Groups like the Catholic Worker, Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army have been providing food and shelter for individuals and families all over the US for many years. 

There are also locally-grown groups which can use your help, including: Shelter House and Crisis Center in Iowa City, the John Lewis Coffee Shop organization in Davenport, Reggie's Place Coffee Shop in Des Moines and The Banquet in Sioux Falls. A gift to one of these agencies is especially helpful during the holiday season. 

CONSIDER A GIFT OF 

LISTENING, TOO

Nourishment comes not only from food. It also comes from being recognized, acknowledged and listened to. Bill Sackter had a gift for this. In the coffeeshop and on the bus, he listened to all who wanted to be heard. His example is something we can learn from in our own lives.

There are so many opportunities for us to listen. They often come when we least expect or when we do not feel "ready."

Anna taught me that. She first called me when I was a newspaper reporter at the San Jose Sun. It was the second day of Hanukkah and she was terribly depressed. She missed her family and friends and wasn't able to get to the synagogue anymore.

Why did she call me? Her reply: I get your paper and thought you might listen. It wasn't exactly an opportune moment (my deadline was two hours away) and frankly I didn't know what to say.

But she didn't want me to talk, she wanted me to listen. So I listened. After an hour or so, she said thank you, Happy Hanukkah, and goodbye.

The next year she called again during Hanukkah. You listened to me last year, she said, so I figured you probably would again.

These calls became a Hanukkah tradition. After several years, she told me that she had been so depressed the first year that she'd been considering turning on the gas and killing herself. "But I didn't because you listened," she said.

Anna died a natural death more than a dozen years after her first call. But her lesson about listening has stayed with me. I suppose our opportunities to listen aren't usually so dramatic. But one never knows ~ Tom G.

EVENTS THIS WEEK

AT COFFEE HOUSE

Here's a quick look at upcoming events:

Monday, Nov. 19 -- AA meeting at 6pm

Tuesday, Nov. 20 -- Reception for members of Tacit, a performing arts group from Korea. Hosted by CSPS, the wonderful venue in Cedar Rapids.

Wednesday, Nov. 21 -- Coffee house open til 5 pm. No Spoken Word (Spoken Word resumes Wednesday, Nov. 28.)

Thursday, Nov. 22 -- Open 10 am to 2 pm. Thanksgiving potluck starts at Noon. No Open Mic.(Open Mic resumes Thursday, Nov. 29.)

Friday, Nov. 23 -- Open 10 am to 2 pm.

Saturday, Nov. 24 -- Open 9 am to 9 pm. Saturday Night Music with Jeffrey Capps. 7 pm $5 cover.

For more on upcoming events, check our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Or pick up a calendar at the coffee house. 

ONCE AGAIN, IT'S

TURKEY CAROLS

Improve your Thanksgiving. Try these Turkey Carols!

Turkey Tracks (Sing to Jingle Be

lls)

Dashing through the streets 
Kids and dads and mom
Seeing feathers fly
Chasing after tom

He'll hide behind the barn
Sneak up behind our backs
What fun it is to laugh and sing
And follow turkey tracks

Refrain:
O, turkey tracks, wings and backs 
Drumsticks all the way
Oh what fun it is to chase 
Tom turkey night and day
_______________________________________________________________

O Pumpkin Pie (sing to O Christmas tree)

O pumpkin pie, O pumpkin pie 
How lovely is your custard
O pumpkin pie, O pumpkin pie 
How lovely is your custard
The whipping cream -- those snowy peaks
Or ala mode for ice cream freaks
O pumpkin pie O pumpkin pie
If you only came with mustard 
______________________________________________________________ 

Turkey in the Tummy (Sing to Deck the Halls)

Deck the table with roast turkey
Gobble, Gobble, Go-bble, Gobble, Gob
Put away the old beef jerky 
Gobble...
Someone say the family blessing
Gobble... 
And pass along the wild rice dressing
Gobble...

See the feast before us
Gobble...
Alka-Seltzer will restore us
Gobble...
Meanwhile pass the berry jelly 
Gobble...
And fill the old Thanksgiving belly 
Gobble...

BILL SACKTER CENTENNIAL

COMING APRIL 10-13, 2013

April 13, 2013 marks the 100th birthday of Bill Sackter, whose life and spirit inspires Bill's Coffeeshops and a host of other enterprises in Iowa City and other communities. Wild Bill's and Uptown Bill's are collaborating on a centennial celebration for this occasion. Events include showing of "A Friend Indeed: The Bill Sackter Story" on Friday, April 12 and an all day birthday party on Saturday, April 13. For updates, "like" the Bill Sackter Centennial page on Facebook.

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

AT VINTAGE SHOPPE

Be sure to visit the Vintage Shoppe during its annual Holiday Open House. The dates are Thursday and Friday, Nov.29 & 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1. 10 am to 5 pm. Vintage is another project of the Extend the Dream Foundation. Located at 2203 F. Street, the store has a wide array of antiques and collectibles. For information, call 338-4466. Or visit The Vintage Shoppe on Facebook. 

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Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's Coffee House. Published since 2000, the Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. You can write to him at tomgilsenan@gmail.com

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for more than 35 years. Located in North Hall, the coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8 am. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook. You can call the coffeeshop at (319) 335-1281. Donations to support the work of the coffeeshop may be sent to: Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. Contributions are tax deductible.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of Wild Bill's. Now in its 12th year, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Located at 730 S. Dubuque, Uptown Bill's is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's website or Facebook page. You can call Uptown Bill's at (319) 339-0804. Donations to support the work of Uptown Bill's may be sent to: Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions are tax deductible. You can also donate online at the Uptown Bill's website: www.uptownbills.org