Sedona Story

By Jo Garner

My first visit to Sedona Mago Retreat was an experience I shall never forget. After many years in the corporate world in which I led organizational cultural change with much confidence and success, I chose to focus on my own cultural change. My body, emotions and spirit were all compromised and I was unclear about the direction for my life. I started practicing Dahn Yoga and was intrigued by a training that was offered at Sedona Mago Retreat called Healer School. I thought I wanted to heal others, so I decided to attend.

As I drove down through Oak Creek Canyon, the beauty of the Sedona area was almost overwhelming. I suddenly felt very emotional about my decision to attend Healer School. I had a lot of fears about my ability pop up that were very unsettling.

I was driving alone and had much time for my active mind to question my decision. I remember turning onto the gravel road that leads into the retreat center and called my husband. As soon as I heard his voice I started crying uncontrollably. I had to pull off to the side of the road and I sat there, listening to the encouraging words of my husband conflicting with the doubt of my own perception of myself.

After a 7 hour drive, I was ready to turn around and go back home. Suddenly, a calm came over me and I was able to continue my journey into the retreat center. When I arrived and looked around, I found my doubt creeping back in and wondered how I would be able to stay in that place for a whole week.

Each day of the training was a new level of understanding for me about who I was and how to heal myself. I learned to care for myself first and then to take what I had learned and share with others.

By the end of the week, when it was time to return home, more tears came. This time the sadness was about leaving this refuge in the middle of the Sedona and the healing power that prevails there. I was aware of a greatness and a power that made me feel one with all of earth’s citizens.

My transformation in this short week was to one who can tap into the power of the universe for healing of self and others. My path since then has been to continue to grow the ability to tap into this universal power and share it with others. Sedona holds a special rebirthing time for me; I hope you get to experience the same.

By Lilie Gjelaj

I was in Sedona on June 17, 2011 for the weekend for a meditation tour. Before heading to Sedona Mago Retreat Center, we stopped at Sedona’s Chapel of the Holy Cross. I sat inside the chapel to meditate when I was immersed in a grateful energy. My whole body and being experienced a gratefulness beyond words. I felt the whole of the Earth’s gratefulness to heaven and its love for humanity. It was so powerful that tears ran down my face as images of my husband, son, father, and family flashed through my mind as if to help me feel the intenseness of heaven’s relationship to earth and the love that abounds all of humanity if we would just open up our hearts to allow it to flow through us. Even the memory of it still brings tears to my eyes and aligns me with those same powerful energies I felt while inside that chapel. Definitely a wonderful place to visit to help feel grounded and loved!

By Barbarita de Jesus Tomaszewska

The mystical beauty of Sedona is a luminous place to be for any celebration. There I feel a harmony and spiritual connection with God and with nature. I always enjoy going to Sedona, a place I visit often throughout the year. There are four beautiful seasons experienced in Sedona; each highlighted by the radiating appearance of its own beauty. Summertime brings sunshine that illuminates the deep blue sky. In the winter I saw Sedona with the exquisite snow on the red rocks, draping the trees like a wedding dress worn by a new bride. Spring blooms from winter, blanketing the fields with wildflowers. In the fall the leaves change to orange and yellow, the color of gold. During the rainy monsoon season I witnessed vibrant rainbows arching across the beautiful skies of Sedona.

Sedona’s main attraction is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks, for which she is famous. The formations of colorful layers of rocks appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails. The famous rocks: Bell Rock, Thunder Mountain, Coffee Pot, Sugar Loaf Hill and Cathedral Rock are transcendental. Through the year, people from around the world come to celebrate their honeymoons and much more. This is evident by just walking through the streets of Sedona. One can hear a variety of languages#mdash;too many to count. Sedona is also a haven for artists and art lovers. All the colors of Sedona inspire the art that fills the walls of the many local galleries. Everybody seems happy and glowing because of the majestic beauty of Sedona. Likewise, Sedona is a wonderful place for growing a spiritual and personal relationship with God. His presence is felt wherever you go. As someone said: “God created the Grand Canyon, but He lives in Sedona.” For these reasons, I would like to live there too. The bright side is that I’m living nearby, so I am able to enjoy the beauty of Sedona more often.

One year, just after Christmas I spent three days at my friend’s cabin in Sedona. The place was quite solitary, deserted with a variety of beautiful cacti. From the cabin I saw Cathedral Rock, and further down was Oak Creek flowing with crystalline water. There was no cellphone signal, no radio, no TV, no connection with the outside world. It was amazing. Just God and me … and the javelinas. In the mornings I was able to see delightful sunrises. Each morning, birds rose with the sun singing marvelous melodies glorifying the Creator. I enjoyed the divine music. In the evenings I was delighted with the sunsets. One afternoon, I cherished the full moon rising behind the red rocks and meditated on the beauty of God. It was breathtaking. I do not need any words to praise God when watching His Creation for I believe His Creation speaks for itself. I treasure that time in my friend’s cabin and every time I have spent in Sedona since.

On September 14, 2011, I was celebrating my 33rd anniversary of my Consecration. After the morning Thanksgiving Mass, I went to Sedona to continue the celebration. When I arrived there, I parked my car, and went for a walk on Main Street. I visited galleries, shops, and especially jewelry stores. After a while it started to rain, and I went to a tavern for a glass of local, delicious beer. Later, I drove up to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. I stayed in the chapel for a while, prayed, and I was delighted in the beauty of God looking around the chapel through the windows. Outside it was raining cats and dogs, and there were puddles in the road. I decided to head back to Flagstaff. While I was driving north on highway 89A, colorful rainbows came up one after another. The colors were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. There were two rainbows at the same time. I’ve always seen a rainbow in the sky, far away from me, but this time I was inside of the rainbow. While I was driving home, a rainbow was up from one side of the road to the other side, and I was inside of the arc, like in a colorful glowing tunnel. Sometimes I was in one rainbow, other times I was inside of two beautiful rainbows. That was amazing. Seems like time stopped, and I was in another dimension. It was like from the Bible: the alliance between God and me. It was the sign of the covenant that God makes between Himself and me forever from the day of my Baptism when I was 6 days old. Even this day I was sad and crying, missing my family, as all of them are in Heaven. Somehow, through the rainbow I was connected with God and with them. It was a divine connection. What a glorious day! Without rain there are no rainbows. Every time, when I am driving to Sedona on 89A, with joy, I remember the two rainbows that I saw on September 14, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

I invite you to visit the mystical beauty of Sedona. There you will experience the many seasons of Red Rock Country and connect with God.

These miraculous things could only happen here, in this spiritual place because God lives in Sedona.

© ilaiss@nna

By Franklin Hughes

I came across this story and I thought it offered some good food for thought:

In a time long past, there was an old monk who, through diligent practice, had attained a certain degree of spiritual penetration.

He had a young novice who was about eight years old. One day the monk looked at the boy’s face and saw there that he would die within the next few months. Saddened by this, he told the boy to take a long holiday and go and visit his parents. ‘Take your time,” said the monk. “Don’t hurry back.” For he felt the boy should be with his family when he died.

Three months later, to his astonishment, the monk saw the boy walking back up the mountain. When he arrived he looked intently at his face and saw that they boy would now live to a ripe old age.

“Tell me everything that happened while you were away,” said the monk. So the boy started to tell of his journey down from the mountain. He told of villages and towns he passed through, of rivers forded and mountains climbed.

Then he told how one day he came upon a stream in flood. He noticed, as he tried to pick his way across the flowing stream, that a colony of ants had become trapped on a small island formed by the flooding stream. Moved by compassion for these poor creatures, he took a branch of a tree and laid it across one flow of the stream until it touched the little island. As the ants made their way across, the boy held the branch steady, until he was sure all the ants had escaped to dry land. Then he went on his way. “So,” thought the old monk to himself, “that is why the gods have lengthened his days.”

(Author Unknown)

By Franklin Hughes

Recently I was listening to Public Radio and heard the following story being read by Daniel Pinkwater. I found the story wonderful because of the really different perspective it has—a young wolf’s perspective.

I wanted to place it here so that you could read it also and hopefully enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to National Public Radio for making it available.

If you would like to hear it being read by Pinkwater, please click here.

By: Daniel Pinkwater

I was sleeping with my brothers, Tanglefoot and PeeWee. We were warm and cozy, snuggling under the snow. Mama was sleeping nearby, and Aunt Fang and our older brother Robert, all covered by mounds of snow. Papa was somewhere nearby, watching over us. There was a bright moon. We had all had a good meal of venison Papa had caught earlier. PeeWee and Tanglefoot made contented little growls and mumbling noises in their sleep.

PeeWee stretched. I felt his four paws push against me, shoving me out of the warm tangle of fur. I growled a cranky growl. Tanglefoot heard me growl and bit PeeWee on the tail. Then all at once, we exploded out of our snow mound. We were wide awake, wrestling and tumbling, jumping on one another, laughing and biting and pushing.

PeeWee found a twig, and Tanglefoot and I chased him. First, Tanglefoot had the twig, and then I had it. We scampered about, bumping into the grown-up wolves, growling and yelping. Mama and Aunt Fang and Robert stood up and shook the snow off their backs and then settled down again, watching us play in the moonlight.

Sometimes, we were able to get the grown-up wolves to join us and play, too. Tonight, when I would bump into one of them and fall on my side and then roll on my back with my paws waving in the air, the big wolf would nuzzle me but not get up and romp.

Papa appeared out of a little stand of trees. We stopped our game and ran up to him. We reached up and rubbed our faces against his face. “Uncle Louis is coming,” Papa said.

“Wee, Uncle Louis,” we pups said. We loved Uncle Louis. He was a funny wolf, and always had interesting things to tell us and show us.

“How do you know Uncle Louis is coming?” Robert asked. “Did you see him? Did you smell him? Did you hear him howl?”

“I just know,” Papa said.

“It will be nice to see Uncle Louis,” Mama said.

“Yes,” Papa said, “though he is not a serious wolf.”

“The pups like him,” Mama said.

“We love Uncle Louis,” we pups said.

A little while later, Uncle Louis appeared. We pups did not approach him with respect the way we approached Papa. We flew at him, jumped all over him, and rolled him in the snow. Uncle Louis laughed and batted us with his paws.

“What big pups,” Uncle Louis said. “And what a pretty wolf little Stinkface has become.” Stinkface is my name. I felt my fur tingle when Uncle Louis said I was pretty.

Uncle Louis rubbed faces with the big wolves; just a little rub with Papa and Mama. Robert and Aunt Fang approached with their legs bent and their heads held sideways, and reached up to rub faces almost like pups. Uncle Louis is black all over, with yellow eyes, and he is very tall.

“It’s the longest night of the year—or just about,” Uncle Louis said. “Does everyone feel like taking a run through the woods? I want to show you something unusual.”

“Louis, you have not been going near that pack of humans again, have you? They are dangerous to wolves.”

“They are hardly dangerous,” Uncle Louis said. “They are so clumsy and make so much noise they are not able to get near us—or even see us if we don’t want them to. Besides, this is their special night. They are quite peaceful and won’t be bothering about wolves.”

“Oh, please, Papa, let us run through the woods with Uncle Louis and see something unusual,” we all yelped.

“It is a fine night,” Papa said. “I must admit, I do feel like running.”

And we were off, all of us, bounding through the woods. The snow felt crisp and crunchy under our feet. The moon made dark shadows. We breathed the cold air deep into our lungs. I stretched my long legs out. I felt strong. I felt light. The moon shone silver on my brother’s fur, and the stars were bright. We never got tired. I felt as though we could run forever.

We smelled the place where the humans lived. There were about a hundred smells we had never smelled before, and some of them were nice. We stopped and sat on a hillside. Below us was the humans’ place.

The humans live in big, wooden things. Uncle Louis said they put pieces of wood together to make them. They have light in them, and it shines out through holes in the sides. And there were colored lights, like colored stars, everywhere—and hot, smoky smells and strange meat smells and sweet smells.

We didn’t see any humans. They were inside the wooden things with the light shining out through the holes, and the glittering lights on the outsides and the smoke coming out and the snow on top.

We didn’t see the humans, but we could hear them. They were singing. We listened. It was nice. I thought, even if they are dangerous, they are animals, just like we are. Then we threw back our heads and sitting on the hillside above the place where the humans live, we wolves sang, too.

Copyright © 2010 National Public Radio®

Happy Holidays

By Franklin Hughes

Ah, we’ve had our first snowfall in Sedona; makes it a very magical time of year. It’s so nice to live in an area where we get the four seasons, but not too much of any one (except for summer). But, even in the summer, we still can open our windows at night and enjoy a perfect temperature for sleeping.

The title of this little story, “I didn’t ask to be born, but I’m glad I was”, is actually the title of a book I recently read, authored by Bill Cosby.

After reading it, the true Sedona spiritual / esoteric way of thinking about things got me thinking about my life (although I didn’t ask to be born) and how glad I am to be living here in Sedona (but I’m glad I was).

My “I didn’t ask to be born” happened in a little paper factory town in Pennsylvania. It had (and still has) a log house where George Washington was supposed to have slept (it’s close to Valley Forge). Although I’m not exactly young, I can’t personally substantiate that.

My childhood was a pretty normal one. I learned to ride my bike there. As you can see in the picture, I was really proud of it, but we still had the “training wheels” on it. Not being the bravest kid on the block, it took me a while to get rid of them (to my father’s consternation). Anyway, it moved me up from riding with a leg in my wagon, wearing out the knee of my pants.

At 17, I decided to go into the Navy as my grades in school were pretty bad. As you can see in the photo, they like to cut off all your hair, but I must admit that the service was probably the best thing to help me mature.

The last photo of me here is one that was taken as we crossed the Indian Ocean on our way to Vietnam in 1964. I just had to stick it in because it’s one of the few that make me look better than I really do. Now at my age, I’m approaching that Walter Matthau look of when he was in Grumpy Old Men (no photos please).

Anyway, to get back to real life, I’ve been fortunate enough to live in many places, Upstate NY, Atlanta, and even Europe, before moving to Sedona. I’ve had some trials in my life like losing a wife, but overall it’s been pretty decent to me. I don’t know if I believe in Guardian Angels or not, but things have always seemed to “fall into place” for me. Guess that I’m pretty lucky.

Being here in Sedona, I’ve come to realize that there is so much spiritually or soulfully, that I continue to learn daily. Things I felt impossible or even imaginary before, I try to be open to. Things continue to fall into place in my life.

Although I didn’t ask to be born, I’m happy that I was…

P.S. I find it enjoyable to be able to sit down and write a little blurb every once-in-a-while. I’m sure that you have some nice stories yourself, why don’t you share them with others right here on sedonastory.com. It’s really easy to do, and I’m sure that many people would like to hear about your experiences. The lady that keeps this site clicking is so nice and a joy to work with. But she needs more stories like what you can write.

Let’s see something from you soon…

Franklin…

I love coffee. I love caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, espresso, American coffee, Turkish coffee, Greek coffee, even the fake coffee you get from machines. I especially love it with a little cow’s milk (cold or steamed) and no sugar. I don’t need to have it every day of my life, but I truly enjoy it when I do. It takes me several hours to drink caffeinated coffee—yes, I drink it hot or cold—because I carefully dose myself on the stimulant according to what my body wants at the time.

Although I have the means of making coffee at home or at work, I’m luck to be living in the Village of Oak Creek, a part of Sedona somewhat separated from the rest by a section of road that is primarily red rocks with outlook turnoffs. From our cozy hamlet whose main road is AZ State Route 179, we can see stately Bell Rock watching over us from almost every section.

On the strip of Route 179 that passes through the Village of Oak Creek, which is about two miles long, there are four quality coffee shops. These shops are not just the diners and cafe`s and gas station that serve coffee, but bonafide coffee shops with barristas and flavor shots, and pastries and other edibles.

I’d like to provide you with a virtual tour of these four coffee houses. Each is an asset to our village and has its own character and merits.

1. Posse Grounds Coffeehouse

This coffeehouse is the furthest from the center of Sedona, but it’s close to the Hilton hotel and one of the local golf courses. My favorite part of this coffeehouse is its cozy sitting area in the back that is equipped with couches and a bookshelf with books you can read while you are there. It’s also in the same shopping center as the Sedona Library Annex, and sells a few books and natural products in addition to its food and beverages.

2. Red Rock Coffee

I frequent this cafe the most because it’s across the street from where I work and because it has a cool atmosphere. Like Posse Grounds, it has a lot of tall windows that let in the bright Sedona light and spectacular views. The staff and customers are very friendly and it’s been great to see the place grow and find its groove from when it opened sometime last year. Maybe because it’s the most familiar to me, but it feels like the “place to be” in terms of hanging out with friends or your laptop.

3. Desert Flour Bakery

As the name implies, Desert Flour Bakery has the best baked goods of all of the coffeehouses in the Village. Their raspberry cheesecake is especially scrumptious, and they make cakes to order. Many of our office birthday cakes come from there. They even have something called a red rock doughnut, a specialty doughnut named after the area. Yes, their coffee is good too. But Desert Flour also serves other tasty food, including a full dinner menu. It’s atmosphere is more eclectic and it’s been around longer than the other two places I’ve written about so far.

4. Bike & Bean

Bike & Bean offers bike rentals, repairs, and tours in addition to my favorite espresso in the Village. My preference could be purely psychological, as the owner told me it was from Messina, Sicily before I tasted it. But my favorite part is the aftertaste. It has a special flavor even when it gets cold. It’s close to Bell Rock and many local bike trails.

By Franklin Hughes

One of the best places to watch the sunset in Sedona is at Schnebly Hill. I caught the setting sun and early twilight with my camera. I hope you enjoy its beauty as much as I did in real life.

By Ralph Fourmont

I read in The Call of Sedona that when you come to Sedona and allow your heart to open, your vision or life’s mission will reveal itself, or a vision that you lost long ago. Like many others, I lost sight of my vision many years ago, and yet it was a vision that was muted and blurred at best. Please let me share not the beautiful vision that I now hold in my heart and my brain, but of the wonderful people who have helped me find that vision with great passion and clarity. Let me share with you my new loving family at the “Celebrate the Sedona Spirit” hosted by the Sedona Meditation Center this last Saturday, on November twelfth.

I began attending the Dahn Yoga classes at the Center on Jordan Road about seven weeks ago, and have increased my attendance to enjoy and learn in a myriad of classes since. I’ve enjoyed energy healing, Dahn Yoga, drumming, Tai Chi, modern dancing, a belly dancing class (I thought it was a yoga class, really!), and special visits from different exotic and spiritual cultures. How could I stay away when I feel so loved, so welcome, and I feel for once in a long time that I may be getting closer to opening my heart and letting Heaven’s beautiful loving energy in to heal my bruised and battered soul. Eventually I made more friends at the center and went on hikes and helped out with various events, so I was quick to volunteer for Ilchi Lee’s appearance on the great event at the Performing Arts Center. Why wouldn’t I be excited and honored to meet the person who was responsible for bringing such a loving, peaceful and crucial mission to humanity? I wanted to enjoy life with my new friends.

The state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center is an amazing building, and we were rushing about trying to prepare in time for the wonderful celebration we had planned. We tied balloons in the cold wind to direct the almost 900 people, set up booths, set out food, prepared the stage and performances; trying to hold it all together like a child with a full bag of groceries on a rickety staircase. The new Meditation Center director, HaeJung Jung, was typically beautiful and brilliant, guiding and thoughtful, yet a powerful mother to us all; appointing places and times like the grand conductor of a massive orchestration. People arrived in droves, exceeding our expectation, and still I had a strong sense of family and belonging as my friends from the center manned booths and assisted visitors. I could not be tied down to a booth as the energy began to grow inside and around me; I found I had to keep moving, running errands, helping, and sharing my energy.

The crowd rushed into the theatre at the appointed hour, and I helped find seats for everyone I could. I shared the kindness and love that I received from the instructors and core members at the meditation center, and experienced such a strong sense of belonging and family, wanting to welcome everyone into this joy and onto this path that I was so freely shown. When Mr. Lee appeared in the audience the crowd responded with a heartfelt cheer and welcome of love and respect. The show began with enthusiasm and excitement, one beautiful and thrilling performance after another of explosive sound, color, and richly flowing culture. But I was too intoxicated by the sheer energy of the event to pay much attention, honestly. The powerful and startling drummers from different cultures, the brilliant dancers, the beautiful singers soaring in my ears; I caught breathtaking and unforgettable glimpses, but had to keep moving, attending, assisting, running between the lobby and the audience. The energy was terrific, and I could not stop; I was drunk with love and excitement, a small child in a huge gathering of close relatives. My heart was open, my family was close, and the night was filled with light and sound and an endless stream of joyful people like ten years of Christmas all in a few hours. We were all connected, and I was glowing.

Nervous and apprehensive later, I waited to take the stage for a Brain Wave Vibration demonstration directed by Ilchi Lee himself. I was honored and deeply grateful to be chosen for this small task, and ecstatic to meet our enlightened teacher. In front of all those people, sitting in a lone chair dancing to the music, I was not alone … I felt everyone giving me their energy, their love, their support. I felt we were all in that chair, I felt we were One. As the rhythm increased, though my body shook and jumped I grew peaceful inside, and still … like a cat in the window on a bright snowy night, warm and safe. As I exited the stage, Mr. Lee took my hand and touched my forehead, and I felt the love and compassion of my new family at that moment, as a bright light filled my heart.

The people left that night in a reluctant rush, more caught up and driven by the energy that filled and unified that Center, than by the thought of beating the parking crowd. Everyone was glowing, and wondrous at the vision they had experienced, excited about learning more about this new Meditation Center that had brought such a remarkable event. I was simply happy, honored and very, very proud of my new group of close family and friends. I felt alive!

(Photos by Franklin Hughes)

By Susan Barrington of the Sedona Community Center

One mitzvah leads to another. Those are words from a song that echoed from the sanctuary at St. John Vianney church on Sunday, November 13th, marking the start of the Fifth Annual Mitzvah Day of Sedona and the Verde Valley.

The Hebrew word mitzvah, means ‘commandment’ or more commonly translates to ‘good deeds.’ Mitzvah Day is an annual celebration of intergenerational, interfaith spirit-led community engagement.

Our goals for year five were simple: Register five hundred local volunteers and complete fifty community projects. We successfully enrolled in excess of five hundred participants by noon yesterday. We also developed a request list of fifty-four projects.

The only glitch in the day was a wee bit of weather. Not all of the work was able to be completed as scheduled because of the rain. But all who attended in spite of the meterologists’ reports were warmed by the shared spirit of good humor, flexibility and fellowship.

Mitzvah Day’s schedule was traditional. The community gathered late morning at our host site, St. John Vianney. The gathering ceremony included a greeting, songs and an interfaith blessing, this year offered by Rabbi Magal, Father JC Ortiz, Pastor Frank Robinson and Pastor Laura Aronson.

The volunteer projects, including work at nonprofit organizations and neighbors-in-need sites, were scheduled from 1 until 4 throughout the Verde Valley.

Participants re-gathered at SJV for a closing celebration, which included musical entertainment by the Cactus Cats, food and refreshments as provided by the Sedona Community Center and served by members of the Boys and Girls Club, and the sharing of mitzvah stories.

The Sedona Community Center organized this year’s event, which was co-chaired by Rabbi Alicia Magal of the Jewish Community of Sedona & the Verde Valley and Susan Barrington, SCC’s Executive Director. Mitzvah Day 2011 was made possible by SCC’s Communities for All Ages grant that was fueled locally by donations and in-kind services from local faith communities, businesses and individuals.

One of the important stories shared at the closing gathering by a volunteer who had spent the afternoon working at the Sedona Food Bank included the announcement that indeed many of the shelves at that important community institution are bare.

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and the Food Bank needs help. Our partner NPO is in dire need of both food and financial donations. This organization is preparing the holiday food boxes they will distribute to individuals and families-in-need for the approaching holidays. The FoodBank is responding to a greater need than ever before and so we ask for the community’s mitzvahs to continue.

So take a moment to clean out the shelves of your pantry at home. Or add a few non-perishables to your shopping cart this week. Bundle up the extras and deliver them to the Sedona FoodBank or to one of their donation points around town.

As Mitzvah Day now represents the advent of the holiday season in our community, let’s make a collective commitment to maintain the spirit of extension that was so evident yesterday. While we resume our hectic lives and insurmountable to-do lists, let’s remember to include acts of kindness toward those less fortunate around us.

Let us continue to become a community that takes care of our own as we take care of each other. May the contagious spirit of community engagement become a daily feature of the way Sedona does business, and life, as usual.

After all, once mitzvah leads to another.

SCC’s social services include home-delivered Meals on Wheels delivered by a devoted fleet of volunteer drivers. This meal program also includes our unique Breakfast Club program at no cost. In addition to food, our volunteers deliver compassion and respect.

Our Community Lunch is served at the center Monday through Friday at noon. This program is made possible by our generous, award-winning kitchen staff and our civic-minded Restaurant Partners. Guests are greeted and served by volunteers. $3 for seniors, $6 for those under the age of 60.

Our Transportation program gives senior adults “door-to-door” service to the store, bank and doctor Wednesday and Friday between 9 and 2. We are also available to transport folks to and from our Community Lunch on those days. Our professional drivers are the most kind and caring in the business.

Our Telecare program provides daily telephone calls to individuals in need of a wellness check seven days a week. This vital service is available free-of-charge to all Sedona-area residents and is provided by concerned volunteers.

For more information, to volunteer or to make reservations for our classes, events or social services, call 282-2834. We are located at the corner of Harmony Drive and Melody Lane in West Sedona.

Lunch Menu:

Monday: Pork chops, red cabbage, succotash, w/w roll, lemon pudding

Tuesday: Country fried steak, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, w/w bread, peaches

Wednesday: Roast turkey & stuffing, sweet taters, green bean casserole, w/w roll, pumpkin pie

Thursday: Closed Thanksgiving Day

Friday: Closed