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44 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2021 Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. "Rain never falls on just one man's door." ~ African proverb This is an African Folktale from Zaire that shows the interdependence of human beings in a community. In a certain village in Zaire, there lived an immensely powerful Chief. Whatever this Chief wanted, whether wise or foolish, he would order it and his counselors would say, "Yes, let it be done" because they did not wish to anger the Chief. However, there was one humble counselor who would never say yes or no. When the Chief asked him about a matter, the counselor would ponder awhile, then reply, "All things are linked." There was a time when the Chief could not sleep because of the frogs croaking in the marshes. After many sleepless nights, the Chief told his counselors that the frogs must be killed. As usual, they replied, "Yes, let it be done." The one humble counselor, however, did not speak. The Chief said to him, "Have you nothing to say?" The counselor pondered awhile, then replied, "All things are linked." The Chief thought to him-self, "This man only has one thing to say?" So, the Chief 's plan was carried out. All the frogs were killed, and the chief slept well for many nights afterward. He slept well until the mosquitoes rose from the marshes. There were no frogs to eat their eggs, so they arrived at the village in huge swarms. They made every night a sleepless misery, not only for the chief, but for all the villagers. There were so many mosquitoes, the villagers could not kill them all. The Chief called in his counselors. "Why," he demanded, "didn't anyone tell me that killing the frogs would be a foolish thing to do? Only the humble counselor gave me a wise thought – all things are linked – but I did not understand his wisdom at the time." The mosquitoes made life so unbearable that all the people left the village and built new homes elsewhere. Only the Chief and his family remained. Finally, the Chief left the village as well. So, you see, one ill-advised action affected the entire community. Remember that all things are linked, and it takes all elements of life to exist in harmony. United we stand. Divided we fall. The next Zoom meeting will be on Monday, Jan. 4. For more information, please call Betty Ann James at (951) 572-5538 or email infotoaacc@gmail.com. ~ Regina Thomas African American Cultural Club Italian American Club The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect all our clubs and groups, and as of this writing, we are not able to meet in person. Barbara Dipoma and I hope that all of you had a happy and safe holiday season, and wish that 2021 will bring us a vaccine effective on the coronavirus and the opening of amenities. We are looking forward to seeing you all again in person. Please stay safe and healthy and follow all the guidelines for your safety. ~ Barbara Dipoma and Jerry Monahan, (951) 212-8898 The flag of Zaire. The Republic of Zaire was the name of their sovereign state between 1971 and 1997 in Central Africa. It is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo