CONGREGATIONAL LIFE

The "Thunderegg" is the Oregon State Rock. With a volcanic heritage, it was formed in heat, cooled into pebble-thru-boulder-sized shapes that some people refer to as dragon eggs. Ancient Native American legends suggest that when the Thunder Spirits living in the highest recesses of snowcapped Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson became angry with one another, amid violent thunder and lightning storms they would hurl masses of these spherical rocks at each other. The hostile gods obtained these weapons by stealing eggs from the Thunderbirds' nests, thus the source of the name "Thundereggs."

Gen Smith recognized that we who were gathering together resembled Thundereggs: the women over 80 were old and grey on the outside, and beautifully marbled (thundereggs) and crystalized (geodes) by heat on the inside. Thus we became the Thundereggs.

We began meeting for soup on Thursday mid-afternoons in 1997 with octagenarians Alice Thompson, Gen Smith, and Florence Douglas. Martha Osgood was everyone's transportation. The conversations were so stimulating that we drew younger participants and had to move to Southtowne. Discussion ranged and ranges from politics, religion, crime, health, local news, local goings-on, families, recent sermons, books read, etc. There are no formally-planned discussions. We've met at Zenon, Coffee Corner, Grape and Grain, Blooming Branch and currently we meet in the large back room at Tsunami Books on Thursday afternoons from 2-4pm. There can be three women, or there can be 15. The conversation is interesting every time.

We welcome your participation, and drop-ins are welcome.

We honor Alice Thompson who died in 1999, and Gen Smith who died in 2006. Florence Douglas at 96+ no longer attends, but a number of us still individually take her on errands and to the Rose Garden.

Contact Judie Hansen for more information.