Reading

I just read a lovely little book, "The Heroine's Bookshelf" by Erin Blakemore. She took heroines from a variety of fiction books and talked about their qualities: courage, faith, simplicity, fight, magic etc.  Great little book.

The preface was good too and made me realize how much I appreciate reading.  I've belonged to a book club here in Arlington for about 20 years now.  We've read many, many books.  I love being exposed to books that I might not have chosen otherwise.  I also enjoy sharing the books with friends.

I keep track of my book reading on goodreads.com.  That's another little treasure.  I love looking back over the past years that I've maintained a record and seeing all the books that I've read personally or read to my children.

Google Documents

What a wonderful thing!  Here are some things I have used it for:

Christmas gifts for family members (wish list, where it can be purchased, prices, what I've paid per child etc.)
Organizing an 11 year old scout camp for about 80 kids
Organizing a music theory test day for about 500 students
Planning menus with Jeff for extended campouts
Organizing church music (Sacrament meeting, church organists, and choir music)
Volunteers for elementary school for yearly fundraising auction
Planning vacations
Coordinating cub scout lists between packs

22 January 2012

I had a very unique experience today.  I visited a children's group at a church.  For singing time, the leader donned a belly dancer's apron over her modest dress and wiggled her hips (lightly) while the children sang, louder as they sang louder and softer as they sang softer.  The children also rolled a dice to come up with a number that corresponded to an action they would do while they sang the song.  The actions included singing with their backs to the front of the room, hopping, swirling around, and singing while they stood on their chairs.

Cleaning the temple

Today, I helped clean our Washington D.C. Temple.

I wiped down the covers of scriptures and hymn books, wiped down each black and white key on the organ and dusted the entire organ, climbed up on scaffolding and gently wiped each glass piece on 1/2 of a chandelier (while talking with a retired BYU English composition professor--and organist-- who had just spent about a year teaching English in China), buffed the benches in the chapel until they shone then wiped them with pledge, replaced hymnbooks in the racks, dusted all ledges, tops of doors, picture frames on the 2nd floor hallways and foyer, used Murphy's oil to rub down the wood walls in both ends of that main hallway leading to the stairwells, chatted (in spanish) with a missionary from Mexico whose husband had been a diplomat and had lived in France, China, and Switzerland, moved all the furniture in the walkway to the center in preparation for carpet cleaning.  The building is SO clean. . . every part of it.  Even the cleaning rags weren't so dirty.  Cleanliness is next to Godliness.  The missionaries there take it seriously.

This is the second year I have been able to help.  It really is an honor and I always feel like I learn things (even if I come home feeling more than a little discouraged about the cleanliness of my own house).  The cleaning supplies were so well organized on the shelves.  There were products for everything and procedures.  The woodwork is well-cared for.   There was joy in working and serving together.

One product that fascinated me was Butcher's Bowling Alley wax.  I googled it and learned that it's good on floors but shouldn't be used if the floor has been sealed with polyurethane rather than wax.  In any case, it really made the wood shine! Pledge was also a good product for the wood, and I guess Murphy's oil as well.

Collaborating

Ideals in collaboration:

To begin---the goal is initially described to the group.  i.e.  We need a Christmas party for a large group. Or, we need to plan a 3 day youth conference.  Our purpose (for the Christmas party) for everyone to be visually pleased, content with the food, comfortable with the company, and festively involved.  Or our purpose for the youth conference is multiple spiritual opportunities, opportunities to serve, fun mingling between wards/stakes/ learning something new (skill, information).

There is consensus on the outcome goal.

Then you get into the detail planning--how do we accomplish those goals?:

1.  Each person has a responsibility to bring something thoughtfully prepared to the table.
2.  Ideas from all are acknowledged and appreciated and noted. Respectful, encouraging, and thoughtful words are used about comments and contributions.  Smiling by the moderator is key.  Humor is often helpful.
3.  Not any one person's ideas are used mostly.  Some ideas from each contributor are used.
4.  People are willing (how do you create an environment for this to happen?) to modify, make new ideas, combine ideas---and volunteer to help make everything happen.  Everyone has talents to offer.
5.  The product emerges as ideas are synthesized, gathered, and melded.

How does consensus on the product occur?

 

Volunteers

I am a volunteer chairman for a big yearly event that comes up in February.  I have been the co-chair for about 7 years but this year, I have the main responsibility.  One of the changes I wanted to make was to update the application process and do it with a spreadsheet through email. (I know, it could be even better than that. . . but this is an improvement and should simplify our scheduling process).  I emailed the spreadsheet to all the those who participated last year, removed the old application form from the website, and crossed my fingers.  One participant in the event swore at me (via email). Another sent very disparaging comments about how inconvenient it was and how unthoughtful it was to change the application system a month before the deadline.  At the last big event this fall, the 1st year chairman resigned after being treated poorly and feeling so discouraged about efforts made on behalf of the group.  It's often difficult to find chairman for events and it's no wonder.  Volunteers should be appreciated. I'm determined to react graciously and patiently----that usually happens best if I have some time to plan my reaction.  I'm also trying to remain strong and not take things too personally.  I appreciate my co-chairmen who are supportive and uplifting. But, sometimes, I would like to share my views on the matter of volunteers.

Report on Bike Riding Goal

There are four of us who bike together.  Lately, we've been doing 30 mile bike rides.  We've done most of the major bike trails around D.C.:  Capital Crescent Trail, W&OD, C&O Canal, Custis Trail, Mt. Vernon Trail, Rock Creek Trail, and a few lesser known ones such as the Metrobranch trail, Sligo Creek Trail, the Northwest Fork Trail.  We've been up to the Shady Grove metro stop, out to Ashburn and Reston, northwest on the C&O canal trail almost to Leesburg, down to Mt. Vernon.  It's been a great month of October to be outside a lot and enjoying the beautiful fall colors!  We still have the goal of completing 100 miles in two days and hope to complete that goal in November.

I've added a few things to my bike (actually, Paul's bike):  a bike rack in the back with a pannier and fenders.  I carry a nice tool set and extra tube just in case.  I trust that between the four of us, we could figure how to change a tire. . .

Fall colors on October 29

This is a September picture along the C&O canal at one of the Locks.

Here's a link that shows a map of many of the trails we've been on this fall:

http://www.commuterpage.com/biketrails.htm