Tag Archives: United Methodist Women

A Special Evening

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A woman …Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” ~ Diane Mariechild

“How was it?” my husband asked as I walked in the door from being out for the evening.

“Lovely, simply, lovely. From the candlelit church, to the great food, to the stories read and carols we sang. It was well attended. About 50 other community ladies came to the event,” I replied. “I enjoyed all of it.”

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The “Women of Christmas” was hosted last week by the United Methodist Women of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It was a very special evening. At the center of the event were readings from a book with the same name, staring characters Elizabeth, Anna and Mary. As stories were read I reflected upon the characteristics these three admirable women carried. I’ve seen many of these like qualities in my friends and acquaintances that I have encountered throughout in my life journey.

women of christmas Elizabeth, Mary and Anna, all ladies of yore, were written about in the Bible. The author, Liz Curtis Higgs beautifully crafted stories that are relevant for women of today. Although I have heard the Christmas tale so many times over, I will now look at the story and the characters with an enlightened perspective.

As part of the evening I was so pleased to see a woman, Katherine, who is 90 years of age be recognized for her work within our church. She was given the gift of a pin with a little star sapphire, not nearly equal to her value to our community but still a beautiful gesture.

I’d like to thank the United Methodist Women for a wonderful evening. A lot of work went into the event.I am grateful I attended.

This blog is brought to you by EVVY award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crafty & Committed Ladies

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“Each of us is an unique strand in the intricate web of life and here to make a contribution.” ~ Deepak Chopra

The place was a bee hive of activity last Thursday as the United Methodist Women prepared for their Fall Fare which took place on Friday, November 13th. The community at large looks forward to this event every year, and it part of the traditional holiday happenings in Steamboat Springs, CO.

As I helped the women get ready for the Soup and Pie lunch we recalled the names of several ladies who had been part of the past success of event but have moved to higher grounds. Their legacy still lives on. Take for instance, Hope. Someone in her family has seen to it that her special cardamom braided bread still appears at the bake sale. It arrived in a beautiful woven basket with a note saying it was “In Memory of Hope.” There was even a book that accompanied the delivery that held some dear pictures of the lady who always made this special contribution while on earth. When the basket arrived, I decided to add a little embellishment of festive ribbon to the bags of bread. Hope’s legacy was deserving!

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Hundreds of people come through the open doors of the United Methodist Church annually to begin their holiday season at the bake sale and to have lunch with their friends.

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There were also crafts (such as aprons, notecards, embroidered flour sack towels, handmade scarves and more), recycled Christmas decorations and Equal Exchange coffee and special vanilla from far off reaches of the world and jars of jellies and jams. The United Methodist Women of Steamboat Springs, Colorado take great pride in the event. They are crafty and committed. Many learned homemaking skills decades ago from being members of 4-H.

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Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow. We will be talking about trends in the building of NOW communities, and why this is important to the social, emotional health of our nation’s people.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Tree Decorating Lifts Spirits

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This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in. ~  Theodore Roosevelt

Last Thursday evening I had an unexpected request from Lift Up, an inter-faith thrift store and food bank where I volunteer twice weekly. I was asked if I would help decorate for the annual “Festival of Trees” at the Tred of Pioneers Museum in Steamboat Springs, CO. I and three other volunteers, who I rarely come in contact with each other, because of our differing schedules and duties, had a great time together!

Our tree was sponsored by the Community Food Bank at Lift Up. Ninety or ninety-five percent of the “food-themed” decorations that went on the tree were donated to the thrift store or came from recycled materials. Georgi, a very creative and energetic person had used her skills to make some of the ornamental food from plastic bags and “Mod Podge,” a crafting material. She also made the tree topper – a red chef’s hat. The tree turned out beautiful. Here are a few pictures.

Below: Georgi is here in Steamboat for a one year stint with the Colorado Episcopal Service Corps. She would make a great full-time resident of this community.  She has yet to experience a “three wire winter”  since she just arrived in town a few months ago from Pennsylvania.  (That’s what locals call winters when snow so deep it reaches the third wire on fences (in other words, it exceeds your armpits!). And it happens frequently.

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Below: A few full-time employees of Lift Up

Lynn food bank mgr

Angela case worker

Below: Four representatives for all the dedicated people who make Lift-Up the

wonderful non-profit organization that it is.

Hundreds and hundreds of volunteer service hours are donated

annually.

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As Christmas grows nearer, I will share more pictures of the beautiful Festival of Trees from the Tred of Pioneers Museum on All Things Fulfilling. They were all delightfully decorated.

I was fully thrust into the festive spirit and it continued the next day as I helped the United Methodist Women prepare for the Fall Harvest Fair. We wrapped and priced all the baked goods, jellies, jams.

Come back tomorrow to see what that shopping experience looks like. Hundreds of people come through the open doors at the United Methodist Church every year to shop for the holidays and fill their empty stomachs at lunchtime with homemade soup and bread.

This blog is brought to you by  EVVY award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, Sue Batton Leonard.

Interweavings of Faith

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“I am sensitive to the value of faith and religion and spirituality in people’s lives because I’m a journalist.”  ~ Peter Jennings

Last weekend, I attended my third annual United Methodist Women’s (UMW) Retreat. http://bit.ly/9W2ac2. It was a great deal of fun! As in the past years, what made the experience so rich and rewarding was the broad mix of women in many stages of life. There were mothers with younger children, women with college-aged children, empty nesters, grandmothers and retirees. Everyone contributed valuably to the conversations regarding their own spirituality and the paths in life they have traveled to arrive at their thoughts. 

We took several topics throughout the day and broke into random small groups to discuss our feelings and opinions of how the subject matter related to our own lives. Lo and behold, several of those gathered in my group are interested in independently publishing their beautiful and fulfilling stories of their walk with faith.  

Of course, a discussion ensued about how in this day and age anyone can publish and sell their independent stories through e-commerce and e-marketing (selling and marketing publications on the world-wide-web).  

By the end of the day-long retreat, we had all found friendship and fellowship with many women we had never known before. The common threads of places we have traveled, experiences we have had and the spiritual beliefs we share, are often the ties that bind. 

Thank you to all who made the day a great success. The location in Steamboat had an awe inspiring landscape. I enjoyed the art and music, ate a lot of good food and gained a better understanding of what this thing called “yoga” is all about too!

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Sisters in Spirit

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“Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process begins.” ~ Jim Rohn 

Women all over the world are sisters in spirit. This weekend I attended a most fulfilling weekend with a group of United Methodist Women, sisters in spirit, right here in Steamboat Springs, CO. The gathering included a range of women in different decades and seasons in their lives, but we all shared something in common. We were all women who were on a quest to understand more about our place and purpose in this world, and how our spirits guide us in our daily living. 

Life Coach, Mary Nelson of www.reclaimyourselfandmore.com led the women in our weekend retreat in considering what areas of spirituality we are interested in exploring further. The possibilities are many, and a few of them included: 

  • Life Purpose
  • Intuition
  • Connecting with God
  • Angels
  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Journaling
  • Prayer
  • Wisdom
  • Affirmations
  • Laws of Attraction
  • Miracles
  • Reading Spiritual books
  • Faith 

Although we were asked to identify just one area, it was difficult to make a choice for some women, including myself. There is no right or wrong in how we as women chose to incorporate spirituality into our everyday lives. Our personal definition of spirituality is different and unique to each of us based on our own life experiences and beliefs. 

If given the choice, what area of spirituality would you like to explore the most? We would love to hear from you! Do you have a spiritual journey that you could share with others through independent publishing?

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

History Revisited

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“Most things in life require effort even if, years later, they seem easy” ~ Unknown

I slept all the way through American History. Every time those two words were uttered during my Junior and Senior High School years, I hit the snooze control button and off I would go into La La Land.

Recently, I had a second chance to learn about the battle of Gettysburg. I visited, for the second time since childhood, the battlefields where the three day war, that forever changed our country, raged. This time I learned!

I learned about “Pickett’s Charge” in a way that drew me in, rather than turned me off. I was able to observe from the largest canvas painting in this country, about the Battle of Gettysburg. The circular painting, which measures 400 ft X 80 ft, is enhanced by lights and an audio recounting of the battle, complete with battle sounds. I even got a glimpse of artist Paul Philippoteaux, himself. He painted himself onto the canvas, and into the scene, positioned in the middle of the battle. For more information on this artist, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Cyclorama. Thanks to the painting of artist Paul Philippoteaux, I have a greater understanding this 4th of July, of how our country and it’s citizens fought to gain it’s independence.

I am off to join the United Methodist Women, in cutting up strawberries for the Strawberry Festival being hosted by the Pioneers of Tred Museum, take in the nordic combined ski jumping and roller ski racing competition and the parade down Lincoln Avenue, in scenic Steamboat Springs, CO. far from the battlefields of Gettysburg. Happy Independence Day!

 

 This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.