"Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear."
- Edgar Allan Poe
Good Day EWI!
Well, here we are a week later and the world, as I know it, has shifted on its axis. Just a week ago the board and I started our day with a breakfast meeting with the Tacoma and Seattle Chapter boards. It was a great meeting with wonderful conversation and sharing! Thank you to all of those members that were able to attend. You are accomplishing great things in your Chapters and communities and have so much to be proud of! I know your individual growth plans will come to fruition and am excited by the possible synergies between your two Chapters! There will be great things to come by working together.
Our corporate board agenda progressed as planned, but every so often I would get an update from home about the devastating rain and flood waters that hit our city, family and livelihood hard. I could not have made it through the weekend being away from home without the support of my board members and Wendy. My deepest gratitude ladies!
It is hard to hear that your family members have been evacuated and that your homes and businesses are first at risk, then later, confirmed to have been affected in the worst way. Flying home on Sunday with a bird's eye view of the city left me absolutely shocked. Such devastation everywhere along the rivers, and then everywhere else...life as usual. Surreal.
Thousands of people have been affected by this latest natural disaster wherein Mother Nature is fighting back. Inevitably though, it is the heartening stories of the community coming together, neighbor helping neighbor that sustain you through this. I had tears in my eyes when I read an article about children of an orphanage in Cambodia donating $900.00 to the flood relief here in Alberta. Amazing how small the world has become, isn't it?
Currently, we have grown from a household of two, to one of eight with my in-laws and my sister-in-law, her husband and their two children having moved in with us. They all live in High River which is a town just south of us, and very appropriately named! We are all safe and sound and in the end, that is all that matters. Being so intimately involved with this has allowed me an inside view to the worry and fear that prevails when you just don't know what the outcome will be. All of the town's citizens are still not permitted to re-enter their homes, and yet some people chose to ignore the evacuation orders and stay. This is where the rumour mill has kicked into high gear..."I heard that..." or "So and so said this". All of which cannot be verified and just leads to misinformed, frustrated people, eager to point fingers and lay blame.
I have recently been updated on some conversations and rumours within EWI...nothing earth shattering, but very disappointing that some members choose to start and then spread things that are just not true. Please....if you have ANY questions, the office and the board are hear to listen and address those questions firsthand. You can reach me personally anytime at 403.452.1277.
Negative untruths do nothing but erode the very core of our organization and I implore each and every member to really study and live our Core Values...Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Collaboration. Integrity really means doing the right thing even when no one will know you have done it. Excellence...are we acting like a professional organization by spreading rumours that hurt others? Respect is summarized best by the old adage, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." Recent behaviour by some certainly doesn't foster collaboration either. So, in closing on this subject, I offer you these additional quotes;
"Rumours are like songbirds; they sound filling but make a poor feast"
- W. M. Gear
"Rumors generally grow deformed as they travel"
- Edward Counsel
"For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarrelling ceases"
- Proverbs 26:20
So before participating and perpetuating something, please verify the facts first!
We are now just 81 days away from LCAM! I cannot wait to see everyone there and if you have not yet registered, remember that the early bird discount ends on June 30th.
As we move into the first week of July, my wish is that we all remain safe, surrounded by loved ones as we celebrate Canada Day on Monday and then Independence Day next Thursday. May the fireworks after a great day of celebration, glow long in your hearts!
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
- Karen
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