Holiday Greetings

Wow! I cannot believe it is almost the end of 2011! When the holiday season arrives (and it seems to be arriving quicker for me than I expected!), I like to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. While this year has been more exciting than I ever could have dreamed, I am also eager to discover the opportunities waiting in the New Year. During 2012, I will meet many of you for the first time and reunite with old friends from previous years. My family of friends is growing and I am grateful for each of you.

Even with all of the excitement, this was a difficult year for my husband and me. We both lost our fathers and the logistics of our move continue to prove challenging. However, we are again reminded how priceless relationships can be. We have each other (he is the most supportive Delta Kappa Gamma husband ever!), and we have been supported in so many ways by friends and family around the globe.

So, for me, this holiday season, I wish to send you more than just holiday greetings. I do wish for you the most beautiful of holidays, the happiest of New Year Days, and a joyous time with family and friends. However, I also must send thanks to you all - your support and care have carried us through the hard places and strengthened us as we prepare for our future in Austin. I am ready for 2012 and looking forward to seeing you all.

And if I do not see you along the way, I hope to see you
in New York City in July.

Reflections on the Big Picture

For many of us as we move into this winter season, thoughts shift toward holidays and celebrations. Whether you are celebrating Halloween or another day of commemoration, this time of year seems to redirect our thought processes toward that season when schools are back in session and holidays become special.  For those of us who celebrate a time for remembrance or giving thanks, we begin to reflect on the parts of our lives that bring us joy and inspire our awe.

Several local chapters have graciously included me in their chapter meetings since my move to Austin.  I have appreciated their hospitality and warmth: Joy. I have enjoyed meeting with them, sharing in their enthusiasm, and experiencing new ways of accomplishing Society purposes:  Awe.   These are the women of DKG - sharing joy and enthusiasm, inspiring awe in everyone they touch, and painting daily in “real” colors the portrait of a key woman educator.

I am honored and grateful to be a member of Delta Kappa Gamma.  I realized shortly after my initiation the greatness of this organization when I attended a state convention and then an international convention. Of course, if I remember what truly happened, I was "volunteered" to conduct workshops, be a table hostess, work as a page and fill any other job needed at those conventions. Either way I remember it, I was fortunate:  my mentor members did not let me sit idle for long. They led me (or did they push me?) into activities at all levels of Society membership as soon as the opportunity arose.  I am just one example of the impact that can result from mentoring and support. 

Now that the Orientation and ReOrientation materials are available to all chapters, potential members and even veteran members can easily see the Big Picture and realize the EXPANSE of the Society and the HONOR of membership.  However, after the initiation is over and the refreshments have been cleared away, they still need our support.  As veteran members, we sometimes also need to be reminded to be proud of who we are as educators, to realize the wonder of DKG, and to understand how we fit into that Big Picture. 

So, stand proud that you are a member of a Society of key women educators and a part of a network of women who are making a difference worldwide. Share that Big Picture with members, potential members, and everyone you meet. Come and bring a new member to New York in 2012. Now that you have helped them see the Big Picture, help them experience it!    

Settling into Autumn in Austin

September was as busy as August, but fortunately I was busy in only one place!  While August brought travel and transition, September allowed me to begin settling in.  I am settling into my apartment and into my role here at Society Headquarters.  I have learned how to navigate Austin's traffic in the morning and how to park at downtown restaurants. In addition to learning how to run the copier, I have also discovered how to NOT disconnect you when you call me at the office!  Most importantly, I am getting to know so many wonderful people in the day to day operations here in Austin.



I am temporarily learning to live on my own again, because my husband is continuing to manage our place while I moved on ahead with one of our dogs, Sally Sue. Of course, we continue to work on arrangements to care for the ranch so that he can
move here with the rest of our "family" (two other dogs, a cat, three horses - unless he acquired another one while I was not looking- and a few chickens).  He looks forward to the day he can come "home" to Texas.

I continue to be amazed at the talented and dedicated women who are Delta Kappa Gamma.  In August I worked with the Educational Excellence Committee and watched with wonder at what they completed during their time together and continue to accomplish undaunted by the miles that separate them.

And then in September, I met with the Membership Committee.  Although a small number of women, they are a mighty force in strengthening what I call the backbone of the Society - our membership.  As we met together, I was again awed by the vision, commitment and focus of yet another incredibly hard working group.  It is no wonder to me that Delta Kappa Gamma has become such a force in my life and the lives of women around the globe.  With women of such vision, dedication, credential, and wisdom, how can we not be a moving force in education today?  If you have not discovered the wonder of our Society, check us out! If you are member, share your positive experiences with another key woman educator today.  If you are a key woman educator unaware of DKG and all that it offers, then seek out a member and ask how you can join.  Otherwise - just check us out! You will be amazed at how we positively impact education worldwide. 

A Great Transition for a Great Beginning!

Change can be frightening at times, but change is often the chariot of wonderful new experiences. I am honored and excited to join the DKG Headquarters Staff as Membership Services Administrator!  As my husband and I make the transition to Austin, we face many changes  - a time which in any other circumstance might lend us only stress and anxiety. However, I have encountered throughout the Austin area, both here at Headquarters and throughout the city, so very many caring and thoughtful people. 

Likewise, I am also getting to know many of you who are members of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.  So many of you have welcomed me with warm hugs and encouraging words at meetings throughout the summer. It seems that every time I answer the phone, one of you is welcoming me with warm offers of support.   Your emails have been filled with uplifting greetings and new ideas. You are all such enthusiastic and creative women. How inspiring you are!

August passed quickly with the move to Austin, the transition as I joined Headquarters staff members already hard at work on many end of summer projects, and a meeting of the Educational Excellence Committee.  The members of the committee have so many exciting projects and goals to share - I am amazed and awed by their energy and exuberance.  I hope you all will follow their work as they share about it in the DKG News, on the International Web site and through their blogs on the Social Network.

Speaking of the Social Network - have you joined yet? If not, I do hope you consider joining with the over 1000 DKG members who stay connected with each other through the Network. 

I hope to have a chance to meet each of you somewhere along the way; but if I do not see you before July of 2012, then I hope to meet you when we are both in New York City for the International Convention.  I look forward to serving you along the way and seeing you there.