Posts filed under ‘leadership’
Earthen Vessels
Pastor Annette shared the music she had chosen for the weekend retreat ahead of time so that I could learn the pieces on my guitar. I was intrigued by the theme—Earthen Vessels—and the theme song by the same name, written by John Foley of the St Louis Jesuits. Each retreat member was to bring an earthen vessel hidden away in a wrapper of some sort.
Twenty-three women met at a church camp for our yearly Mount Zion Women’s retreat. Worship, theme, food and crafts are all planned in advance, assuring an organized and enjoyable weekend for all.
Upon arrival at the camp, we greeted each other. There’s always someone coming for the first time and those who return year after year. This time one of the new people had ministry experience and the other, from my hometown, was in seminary.
We introduced ourselves, put our earthen vessel, still concealed, on the floor in the centre of the meeting room. We were to write something about that vessel and not put our names on the paper. The papers were mixed up and we picked one from the envelope. Then the activity was finding the person who got our note. After everyone had found the person with their note, we revealed our vessel and shared its significance to us. There was everything from an antique container for liquor to a newer vase or pitcher that someone used for pouring maple syrup. My vessel was a small container that was made by my friend Valda who’s done a lot of pottery.
our earthen vessels
We ended our first evening session with worship, and sang two of the songs the pastor chose. Social time followed with all kinds of snacks around the large kitchen counter in the Stone House.
Doris and I had an 80-something senior sharing our room. We settled in and I told Pat a bedtime story, one I’d written for my first book. It brought a few chuckles. Was it the late snacks or the anticipation that kept me awake a long while? I don’t know, but I did eventually sleep.
The next morning, we had breakfast on our own, with the choice of muffins, toast, fruit and cereal. And the early bird, Donna, had the first pot of coffee ready. By nine am, Anne led us in stretches and movement to some lively music. Another tradition of this group is a lively game of Pictionary on Saturday night.
We started the morning session by examining the meaning of vessels that have cracks in them and watched the video with Leonard Cohen’s Anthem. After that thought-provoking poem, we considered how we, as earthen vessels, also have cracks in us, and we pondered how God loves us in spite of those cracks. One exercise was breaking down some old clay pots and discussion of those things that cause breaks in us. And when we have those breaks and let God in, that’s letting the light in.
Arlene and Ida putting finishing touches to their craft
Our pastor leader found something interesting as she prepared for the weekend, that there’s a Japanese art called Kintsugi, in which an artist puts pieces of pottery back together with a sort of glue to which gold is added “that give a new lease of life to pottery that becomes even more refined.”
I found our music worshipful and moving and the sessions provided great discussion. We listened to videos by Dr. Brené Brown, Jeff Christian, and the esteemed Jean Vanier, winner of the Templeton prize for his work founding L’Arche. All of these speakers had one thing in common, that they were willing to show their vulnerability. Jean Vanier said in the clip we heard, “Connection is why we’re here; it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.”
We ended our retreat with another session of worship, including communion and anointing of hands to go forward and use them in connecting with others and serving God while we did so.
I left the retreat encouraged, enriched and inspired as I know others did by their last words at our sessions. We have much to think on over the coming days and look forward to retreat next year.
Ida’s turn at Pictionary
Piece by Piece book signings
Please note that I have several book events already set up for Piece by Piece
April 13th, at Family Home Health Care Centre in Palmerston ON, from 11 am to 3 pm
May 11th, at Tavistock Public Library, Tavistock ON, at 11 am, reading and signing books
And I will be at the Tavistock Fall Fair in September. More news on that one later. All of my books available at this event.
More in planning stages
Special Olympics Summer Games 2018
Special Olympics Summer Games were hosted at St. Xavier University in the community of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, this summer, from July 31st to August 4th. Athletes across Canada have been training for this event for some time now.
From specialolympics.ca
Antigonish has played host to many Special Olympics Nova Scotia Summer Games, providing incredible support for athletes, families and friends alike. St. Francis Xavier University was chosen as the host for the athlete’s village and several sports, due to the tremendous quality games experience that can be offered to Special Olympics athletes.
photo shared by permission
photo shared by permission
Sandra McNeil wrote on Facebook, August 2nd: My beautiful sister, Jennifer McIntosh, won bronze in her 200m race 
💕
🥉
We are so proud of you Jennifer!
I have particular interest in the events because of one young woman who participates. I’ve known Jenn since she was a six- or seven-year-old and I see the growth and confidence she has gained by being a part of the sports. At this year’s Summer Games, she earned two medals—one bronze and one silver in the 200 metre race (bronze) and 400 metre (silver) races. Her team from Lunenburg-Queens athletics did well overall with everything from bronze to gold.
Of particular mention are the corporate sponsors who help the organization fund such games, at the regional and national levels. The athletes trained hard in their home communities under the direction of volunteer coaches and mission staff, which include members of the athletes’ families. Individuals qualify first at regional games and then go on to the next level, as happens in other sports.
Team Nova Scotia was cheered on by their news station, CKBW
The 2018 Canada Special Olympics Summer Games wrapped up in Antigonish over the weekend and the results were impressive.
Team Nova Scotia walked away with a total of 135 medals following the four day competition.
Search by province and sport. Photo by Sandra MacNeil.
Dr Frank Hayden, founder of Special Olympics, deserves much credit for this organization. His actions have changed the lives of millions. While doing a research degree in science, he noted that students at the Beverly School in Toronto could benefit by having a program of fitness and exercise, just like any other child. He was encouraged to go to the United States to work with the Kennedy family to begin an event there. Following those few years away, he returned to Canada to found the Special Olympics.
“I worked my butt off, along the way, but the success has been built on the fact that we have been able to find people like this,” Hayden said, gesturing at the activity around him.
His involvement in what would become Special Olympics began with his research into the fitness level of children with intellectual disabilities.
Hayden was present at the nationals in Nova Scotia along with his wife, to cheer on the athletes. And they, in turn, were glad to see him.
Photo from Cape Breton Post
If you wish to learn more about Special Olympics, go here. They welcome your support, in whatever way you can offer. Cheer them on too, when you have opportunity to see their events.
photo by of the SouthShore Breaker
Triumphant! photo shared by permission
Photo credits noted, several by newspaper and radio and others by Sandra MacNeil, sister of an athlete and a volunteer coach for one of the sports.
Kawartha Settlers’ Village
Search page given to our granddaughters on paying the entry fee
On one of our days away, we went with our host family to Kawartha Settlers’ Village that’s located just outside of Bobcaygeon.
According to the tour booklet for the village,
In 1990, the dream of establishing a museum to preserve history and the development of the area became a reality when a small group of people calling themselves the Kawartha Region Arts and Heritage Society convinced the village of Bobcaygeon to lease them the land to establish the Kawartha Settlers’ Village.
Follow along with me on our tour of some of the buildings. Here’s the map that’s in the program booklet. It’s an easy walk through for visitors of any age.
http://www.settlersvillage.org/tour-the-village
The receptionist at the main building gave each of our granddaughters a card showing pictures of things to look for in the village and a crayon to mark off items as they found them. It became a game for all of us to help them find the items.
Quilters meet regularly in the Wray House to learn their craft. There were many interesting quilts hanging in this home.
A rather colourful and picturesque quilt
A child’s room in another home
Our granddaughters interest was limited in some areas due to their ages of 6 and 8, although the adults could have spent more time. Another time perhaps. The girls did enjoy wandering through the village and checking off the items on their card. They awaited a prize at the end.
The firehall housed an old engine and hoses and hats. The building is a replica of the original Bobcaycaygeon Fire Company station.
The Fairbairn Church
a wooden offering plate
Inside the classroom, one modelling the dunce hat and one drawing on the chalkboard
What’s inside this desk?
Outside the trapper’s cabin
A warm rug inside.
If the printer needed a graphic for a newspaper or flyers, he’d have these images…
or even these images. Not simply drawings but carvings that someone had made.
And a bit of fun at the end of the Kawartha Settlers’ Village.
The girls showed their cards at the admission centre and got their little prize and could keep the cards to remember the visit.
If you’re in the area this summer, go to the village and take the self-guided tour. It was well worth the time and price of admission, which was quite reasonable.
Memoir Writing Opportunity
Do you know of a senior, who lives in Kitchener, who maybe doesn`t get out much but who would like to begin to share their stories. Everyone has a story.
I`m pleased to have been offered the time to present my workshop.
Beyond our resources
This morning I posted to The Word Guild professional blog, Canadian Authors who are Christian, as I do once a month.
Today, being Remembrance Day, I wonder how many of the returning or wounded soldiers relied on resources beyond them to get through active duty. It certainly would not be an easy place to be, despite claims of heroism and passion to serve one’s country.
To appreciate their effort and sacrifice, I dedicate my blog piece today to all members of the Canadian military in whatever role they played, whether front line or behind the scenes, such as mechanics and chaplains.
Here’s the opening to that post:
It’s rare that I go to the movies or even watch one on television, but recently I went to see one at the theatre with a friend, 3-D glasses, giant screen—the whole deal, except for the popcorn.
The Martian opens with a group of astronauts on the planet of Mars. The captain decides to abort the mission when a sandstorm comes up, and the team is in agreement—except that one of the six was hit with flying debris, and they believe him to be dead. The remaining crew members leave the planet without him.
On their return to Earth, the chief scientist at NASA announces sombrely that the crew has returned from the mission to Sol except for the sixth member, Watney (played by Mark Damon). They hold a funeral service for him back home and the other members of the crew go back to their duties. Sometime later, as NASA explores the planet by satellite, they discover movement at Sol and discover that Watney is very much alive, proven when he begins sending messages back to Earth.
Read more here.
Photos on this blog are copyright to C. Wilker, unless otherwise noted.
Coming soon– District 86 Fall Toastmasters Fall conference
You haven’t heard from me in a bit, but I’ve been as busy as ever. Sometimes speaking, one day of election work, and getting ready for a big presentation and still writing and editing.
Next weekend, I and many other Toastmasters from District 86 will gather at Blue Mountain resort for the Fall Toastmasters conference. We’ve had all sorts of discussions about it, regarding cost, workshops, accommodations, people receiving their Distinguished Toastmaster status, including two friends of mine, Dawna and Suzanne, who’ve worked so hard for a long time to achieve it. Congratulations to both of you. Well deserved.
We look forward to meeting fellow Toastmasters whom we only see at conference. We look forward to good food and some fun. And looking forward to the Friday evening workshop that I’ll be giving. It’s just about ready. For anyone who doesn’t know what Toastmasters is about, it’s a place to work on communication skills—not just speaking in public, but also on leadership.
If you’ve ever wondered about Toastmasters, pay us a visit on a Thursday afternoon—at the Energetics club in Waterloo— and see what it’s all about. While we’re learning, we’re supportive of each other and we have some hilarious and serious Table Topics. Leave it up to a certain member to come up with zany topics.
But back to the workshop. I tried it out on my club yesterday and got some great evaluations, both aspects that were well done and some that could use a bit of tweaking. It’s good to know that the content is solid. It’s like evaluating my own writing—I can’t always see it clearly. But I was assured that the content was good. So this week, I will be ramping up to the presentation. I won’t tell you more. There is apparently one more day until registration is closing.
Oh, and I’ll have a book table at the conference too, similar to what I had at the recent Canadian Networker Fall Business Expo in Kitchener. I’ll have the same books with me, including a new edition of Hot Apple Cider anthology in which I have a story.
Photo: Dawn Taylor-Gilders, KW Snapd
Me at the business expo, promoting myself and my business
Proud to have a story in this collection.
Will I see you at the conference?
One more post for Lang Village
The day at Lang Pioneer Village included a lot of stops. Our next one was the cider mill where people brought apples to be sorted, pressed and made into cider. The girls know about apple picking and they’ve tasted sweet apple cider, but this was interesting.
We saw a big apple peeler and lots of barrels
We walked through an old barn where many piece of equipment were on display. It was a good place to stop and sit for a few minutes.
And a wagon without a horse. The girls climbed up and had their picture taken.
We walked down the lane and across the bridge to reach the flour mill
Here we are inside the mill with the guide showing us how the wheat is ground into flour. I was impressed how the young man there showed the girls the process on a level they could understand. He talked about and showed how the flour was ground, what flour was more valuable, and about all the equipment and what it did. We went up to the top floor of this large stone structure, looked at all the hoppers and tools, and looked out the window at the water below, then back down all those stairs and outdoors again.
We enjoyed the day and the girls were very interested in many aspects of this place. I’m sure we’ll be back again another year.
Thank you so much to all the guides and volunteers for telling us about the village and the people who lived in these places and worked at these jobs. Thank you for taking special interest in the way children understand might view the place and time. You made it a special day for them and us.
Toastmasters, even on holidays
I’m a long-standing member of the Energetics Toastmasters of Kitchener-Waterloo, and as we were planning our holidays in the Grandview Resort in the Kawartha Lakes region, I thought, I wonder what Toastmasters clubs are in the area. A google search brought up three in the area, one at noon in Peterborough, Naturally Speaking Toastmasters, as well as two others. Not being as familiar with the area as one who lives there year round, I decided on Naturally Speaking, a club that meets in the noon hour on Tuesdays.
With the help of Tony Nelson, founder and former member of the Energetics, now a member of Lindsay and District Toastmasters, I contacted Lisa from the Peterborough club and wrote, “I’d like to attend your meeting while I’m in the area. And I’m open to take a meeting role.” Lisa replied with an invitation to speak or take another role that had not yet been filled. I chose the speaking role. Before we left home, I got an email from Brian who was to be my speech evaluator for details on my project and I sent him a message too.
My husband and I drove into Peterborough that Tuesday morning after our initial few days at our daughter and son-in-law’s location. With the help of ‘Matilda,’ our GPS, we got to Charlotte Street, parked and walked the next block to Empress Gardens where the club meets. The seniors were at lunch on our right and the Fireside Lounge to the left where we met Brian Patrick and Susan Johnston who were setting up for the meeting.
At first it seemed as though the meeting would have a small attendance that day, not unlike our own club during the summer, but they trickled in, including Heather Watson, the meeting chairperson for the day. We were early, after all.
The meeting began with welcomes and a greeting on the theme of compost. This club, at least for today, had the speaker slot early, and I was the only one. Julia Ledgard, Grammarian for this meeting, gave us the word of the day, which was ‘dirt.’ With one hour to meet, there’s no time to waste and the meeting went as planned. Heather introduced me and gave my speech title, No Such Word, and it was time for me to speak.
For those who do not know about Toastmasters, we help each other with our communication and leadership roles through evaluations and the members took time to give me some feedback on my speech, both grow and glow as we like to call them. Grow points to help speakers improve their presentations and glow for the things they did well.
Jay Schiller, an organic farmer apart from his office job, led the impromptu speaking session as Table Topics Master. His questions were challenging and the speaking time was 2 minutes each.
I thank the members who offered both appreciation and constructive feedback that I will consider the next time I give this speech again, or another similar one. I appreciated the opportunity to visit this warm and welcoming club and would do so again at another such opportunity. Although each club is made up of different individuals, I noticed the same atmosphere that we have in our own club, one that welcomes guests and makes them feel at home, and a true and helpful spirit where we work together to improve our speaking and leadership abilities.
Thank you to the members for making my husband and I feel so welcome. Best wishes to you in your personal and group goals.
A photo of the members and guests that day, with me at far right, in the beautiful Fireside Lounge
Susan K. Johnston and Brian Patrick, holding up their banner. They joked that, between them, they represent many years in Toastmasters
Then before we headed out for lunch, we walked up the street and took some pictures of the city
I like how the newer buildings blended with the historic in colour in that square.
Looking across at Empress Gardens where the Toastmasters meet
Storygal's Blog 
Recent Comments