The Power of Student Leadership #AWSL2015

Coach Jamie, the chairmen of #AWSL2015 and results of their service project

Yesterday, Gregg and I traveled to Puyallup (in case you're not local, that's pronounced pyew-all-up) High School, through a driving rainstorm the likes of which we rarely see, even here in Western Washington. I had been invited, through a message sent to Katie's Comforters Guild's Facebook page, to address the 2015 Fall Leadership Conference of the Association of Washington Student Leaders. This wonderful group of high school students and advisors gathers annually to learn and grow, and then take what they have gained back to enrich their local school communities.

The group modeled their theme this year ("We Over ME") on some of the motivational concepts of the Seattle Seahawks (#WhyNotUs, #AllIn, #MakeThemNotice). They asked me to speak to them on Day Two (theme: "Why Not You?") of the three-day conference, before they began their annual service project: making blankets for Katie's Comforters Guild at Seattle Children's Hospital. Each school had gathered fleece for the project, and sent it along with the delegates to the conference. Coach Jamie, advisor to the conference's hosting team, wanted to help all of the students understand the power and purpose of what they were about to do.

As the name AWSL suggests, their programming includes a huge emphasis on developing leadership skills; what isn't apparent, until you enter the conference, is the joy, fun, energy and freedom-within-structure that is part of the organization. I felt it as soon as the students began to gather in the gymnasium; it was like a pep rally for human potential.

I had prepared a short speech and sent photographs of the Guild's work to Coach Jamie. I packed two of Katie's comforters to bring along with me. I prayed and listened and felt that everything was ready to go when I went to bed the night before the event.

Yet I awoke yesterday morning with an inner knowing that I needed to re-write the speech.

In the wake of recent school shootings, I felt moved to speak to the group about the power of simple presence, of helping others to know that they are not alone, of knowing that we are not helpless in the face of tragedy. I sat down at my laptop and the words poured out of me, just as they needed to do, by Grace.

When we arrived in Puyallup, we were warmly welcomed. The "Varsity Team" (conference chairs) Kelty, Nicholas and Kenton introduced me to the crowd: hundreds of energetic students. The lights were turned down and a spotlight shone in my eyes, so I could see only my notes. After sharing the message, there was a huge outpouring of love and gratitude from the students. They stood and clapped, lined up to hug me and say their personal "thanks," briefly told me their stories of connection to Seattle Children's Hospital or to someone with cancer, and then they departed in teams to make blankets.

Gregg and I were taken on a tour of the school by the conference organizers, meeting and taking photographs with some of the teams as they worked.

This is what love-made-visible looks like

After an hour had passed, we were called back into the gym so that the results could be reviewed and tallied. Imagine our surprise when the total came in at 396 blankets!

It was hard to hold back the tears as the students admired the immediate results of their teamwork: nearly 400 blankets of all shapes, sizes and colors of the rainbow. They asked me to sit for photos and continued to thank me, but I thank them, because they made this miracle occur. {If you are a user of Instagram, go to #AWSL2015 to see the student delegates' postings.}

To Jamie, Kelty, Kenton and Nicholas, 

to every student member and advisor of AWSL, 

to every school which sent delegates,  

Thank you! 

I am overwhelmed by your generosity of spirit, and inspired by each one of you! 

Our schools, state and country will be in good hands under your leadership.

"I Can Do Hard Things"

We had a happy Easter here - David surprised us by coming home for the weekend, and we hosted family for dinner. I hope your weekend was equally happy.

I've recently been blessed by a series of letters from the pastor of Grace Episcopal church on Bainbridge Island; they have enriched the Easter season for me. I have been thinking a lot about the events of Holy Week, and what Jesus' words and actions mean - what they meant for his time, and what they mean for me, in my time. 

In the last 24 hours, many sparks of inspiration have flown. Today, this appeared in one of my devotionals:

" 'Do not be afraid.'

"These words were spoken to the shepherds at the beginning of Jesus' life, and they are spoken to the women at the tomb, first by the angel and then by Jesus himself. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of life in all its beauty and all its messiness; do not be afraid of death in all its many disguises - perhaps the death of a beloved friend or family member, the death of a dream or the overwhelming deaths that come as a result of disaster or war. We live in a Good Friday world, and yet we proclaim that God's love is bigger than any grim, bleak, terrible thing the Good Friday world can throw at us. The diagnosis, the heartbreak, the tornado, even the funeral, is not the last word.

"Fill us with the hope, courage and faith of Easter." -  Jeanne Lischer, A Daily Spiritual Seed

And from Richard Rohr: 

"Seek joy in God and peace within yourself; seek to rest in the good, the true, and the beautiful. It will be the only resting place that will also allow you to hear and bear the darkness."

Last night, on the PBS series, "Call the Midwife,"  an accident resulted the death of a young man, and as the characters grappled with their grief, I caught this line - perhaps I'm misquoting it, but the gist was: "God is not in the events, but in the response to them." 

And this morning, at the beginning of yoga class, our instructor read the following excerpt from an article in Sun Magazine. It's part of an interview with author Barbara Kingsolver:

"There’s something I have said so often to my children that now they chant it back to me: 'You can do hard things.' I sent my kids to a Montessori preschool, and thank heavens I did, because most of what I learned about parenting came from those wonderful Montessori teachers.  They straightened me out about self-esteem.  There’s this myth that self-esteem comes from making everything easy for your children and making sure they never fail.  If they never encounter hardship or conflict, the logic goes, they’ll never feel bad about themselves. Well, that’s ridiculous.  That’s not even a human life.

"Kids learn self-esteem from mastering difficult tasks.  It’s as simple as that. The Montessori teachers told me to put my two-year-old on a stool and give her the bread, give her the peanut butter, give her the knife — a blunt knife — and let her make that sandwich and get peanut butter all over the place, because when she’s done, she’ll feel like a million bucks.  I thought that was brilliant...When a task was difficult, that’s when I would tell them, 'You can do hard things.'  Both of them have told me they still say to themselves, 'I can do hard things.'  It helps them feel good about who they are, not just after they’ve finished, but while they’re engaged in the process."

All of these words of wisdom help to remind me that life is not "wrong" when hard things happen. Hard things are a natural part of life, and as we rise to meet them, we grow; we grow stronger and more flexible, more mature and useful. 

The greatest growth in my life has come from the hardest things. This does not necessarily mean that I enjoy the difficulties, but as my yoga teacher reminded us, we can show up, and practice - gently, willingly, courageously (and sometimes humorously) do our best.

And then, tonight, I saw this.

This article (and video) took me back to the Easter love of God, of Jesus.

Yes, we can do hard things.

Thanksgiving...and Graduation

Tonight, I'll be finishing my course through the National Speakers Association's Northwest Speakers Academy. I've been taking classes through the academy since February, and am thankful for the opportunity to learn from professional speakers and trainers about how they do what they do. This class has helped to bring me more up-to-date on current trends in business (especially for the self-employed), and it has exposed me to many different business models and styles of presentation, from keynote speaking to workshops, on topics that run the gamut from accounting to comedy - and sometimes, even combine the two.

I'm giving my final speech tonight (I am supposed to memorize it, but that's not going to happen - I have it down to notes, because that's how I roll). Each one of us will be videotaped by a professional, in front of a live audience. (I might even post it, if all goes well...)

Here are a few fun photos from our visit to see my parents over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was wonderful to be with them - and with David - for a week! I hope your holiday was filled with the company of loved ones, the riches of gratitude - and very good food.

beautiful flowers - a welcome sight in November!

sunsets are breathtaking

girls' spa morning and lunch afterward

always plenty of good restaurants to visit

rooftop happy hour

playing tennis: the boys, ranging in age from 21 to 58 to 86

a last hurrah at our favorite palapa bar on the way to the airport

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes...
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior. 
O LORD, grant salvation!
O LORD, grant prosperity!
...The LORD is God, and he has given us light." - Psalm 118

 Thanks be to God.

Happy Nearly-Summer

Flowers on Fjord Street

Happy nearly-summer to you!

It has been so busy around here that, though I often think, "I want to write about that," I haven't been able to stop and jot down any reflections. These days, my writing is done for class. What has been keeping me hopping? Work, class, exercise, family, friends (rinse, repeat). We are enjoying the gorgeous summer sunshine, and spending as much time out of doors as possible (no gym memberships here; exercise is taken outside, rain or shine).

We celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary in Victoria, B.C., one of our favorite cities. After taking the M.V. Coho from Port Angeles to Victoria early Friday morning, we dropped off our bags at the hotel and set out on foot to explore. We walked every day, between six and 10 miles, all over the city and its lovely neighborhoods. There is so much to see, and the people are low-key and friendly. Walking helped to burn off some of the wonderful meals we enjoyed...

Sushi lunch at Sen Zushi

A room-service gift from the hotel to celebrate our anniversary

 Cafe Brio - one of our favorite restaurants - the freshest local food and wine, with excellent preparation. After dinner, we stopped at the Irish Times pub for a nightcap and live music.

Up early on Saturday for breakfast and the start of the Swiftsure Race. This included a walk along the gorgeous shoreline, up to Beacon Hill Park.

A stop for refreshment at our favorite coffee shop, watching the world go by

Rooftop dining with peek-a-boo view of the harbor (after appetizers at an oyster bar)

22 years - so much gratitude and love for this man!

View  of the Empress Hotel as the M.V. Coho departs Victoria Harbor

We window-shopped, admired cottages and their gardens, enjoyed street performers, savored a historic bookstore, took in treats, local color and music at a farmer's market, browsed along fisherman's wharf, visited a bicycle shop, dropped into a shrimp festival, looked at real estate, walked around the harbor to see floating homes, walked and walked and walked. Just three days and two nights felt like a real vacation.

David is back at home with us, working at his summer job. It's wonderful to be able to see him in the mornings, eat dinner with him, and just be together as a family.

My days have been filled with class, homework, workshops and meetings. I'm learning a great deal, meeting interesting people, finding out what has been going on in the world of commerce since I left it 13 years ago, and enjoying the process. I've also been spending time with my parents - we love having them nearby.

Maribeth and her daughter, Taylor, were here for two days and a night, and we had a blast walking the beach, visiting favorite haunts and catching up.

Lunch at the New Rose Cafe at Bainbridge Gardens

Friends, peace, sunshine and beach glass - a perfect day

Tomorrow, our cousin Rebecca is coming over, and we are going to put together fabric kits. She will take them to her friends at the Stillaguamish Grange, where those good people will make blankets for Katie's Comforters Guild. We are thankful for their support!

Spring Joys

These lovely flowers are in planters in a little shopping center on the main street of Bainbridge Island. We went for a walk around town and they brightened my day so much that I wanted to share them with you.

I've been busy doing homework, learning a great deal and enjoying it immensely. I'll be in class two times during this week and am looking forward to what we're going to learn. Everyone I've met through NSA is interesting, kind and energetic, and the curriculum is exciting. It's been a long time since I was in school and I'm finding it stimulating. It came at just the right time, and I am grateful to have this opportunity to learn new things.

Gregg and I took a quick trip to visit David last weekend. It's a 5-hour trip from the west side of the state to the east side, and the terrain changes dramatically as you travel.

The view from home

Snoqualmie Pass in April

Crossing the Columbia River at Vantage

Eastern Washington - look at those clouds!

 It was lovely to see David, and take him out to eat some good food...

Sushi & Sashimi for three of us to share

He and Gregg went golfing with our cousin, Kim while I did homework at the hotel. Afterward, we all gathered at Kim & Mary's house for dinner.

Kim & Gregg are like brothers. It's fun to get together and hear stories of the days when they were growing up.

We enjoyed walking on campus with David and seeing the beautiful Catholic symbols and art.

Detail on a stairway railing

This statue needs no explanation.

There is new grotto on campus, which is dedicated to Mother Mary, in memory of a beloved priest (Father Tony).

They have candles and lighting sticks available for anyone to use.

I lit a candle; there is such comfort in this simple act of prayerful intention.

We took walks through downtown Spokane, marveling at the power of the waterfalls on the river.

Rainbow, faintly visible on the left, by the bridge

A beautiful, renewable resource - spring snowmelt!

The Brews Bros. coffee shop gave me a pink lid for my coffee cup - a simple addition which made my morning java special.

It's good to get away and get a fresh perspective on things...but it's always wonderful to come home again.