Hi-- Got back to my home computer just this evening. Looks like what I thought I had sent to the list a couple days ago from an unfamiliar computer only came to me. So here it is (perhaps again) (with a warm thank you for all of you who have chimed in and helped with this):
----Forwarded Message(s)---- #: 91749 S0/CompuServe Mail [MAIL] 15-Nov-05 12:27:26 Sb: Ideas please for a different closing Fm: INTERNET:76066....@compuserve.com To: Douglas D. Germann, Sr. [76066,515] Joelle and Tree and Koos and Lisa and Zelle and all-- Hopefully this will go to the list. Got a lot of good suggestions from you all and I thank each one of you and all y'all (as I've learned to say here in San Antonio (and to never say San Antone to someone from San Antonio!)). Apparently some of my responses yesterday went just to the people who sent their ideas to the list rather than to the list as I had intended. I just do not understand the foreign systems I am having to use while away from my computer! So I hope you will forgive me for mis-sent messages! And especially I hope you will know how I thank each one of you for your contributions. So here is what we did (and you will see your influence in the whole): Susan Hughes helped me go over to the Alamo and walk around the grounds and find an appropriate plant. It was a hummingbird bush (Susan can tell us the scientific name and correct what I say here--Susan?). It is indigenous to Texas and grows wild all around. It attracts butterflies (we saw a few wonderful swallowtails) and bumblebees. It's seed pod, when ripe, bursts open and scatters seed on the wind. This sprig we used for our listening stick. We started with a few moments for people to review their notes (reports are all on line at http://www.openspaceworld.org ) or to just enjoy the silence. A few people busily wrote notes, some closed their eyes. Then we brought out the listening sprig, Susan explained it, and we placed it in the center. It never made it back to the center but once or twice, flitting to and fro like a butterfly, landing in each person's lap by the time we were done. I had invited singing and one person sang and invited others to sing with her. Earlier in the day I had asked if anyone was good with scissors. Lucy volunteered and cut out footprints from half sheets of paper. She even drew in toes and put polish on the nails! So after the listening sprig made it back to the center, I passed around markers and Lucy's footprints and everyone took one of each. I asked each person to think of one word to say what they wanted to take from our two days together and out into the world, reminding us of Sheila's closing and how Sheila spoke of taking these people in our circle with us out into the world. I asked that they take the first word to come to mind. When they had that, they wrote it on the footprint, got up, took their chair with them, and put their footprint up on the sticky wall (the wall is an invention of, I think, as well as a gracious gift to be able to use from, Diana Lewis and La Leche League), and then stacked their chairs along the wall. Perhaps Ted Ernst has already posted on the website his pictures of the sticky wall of footprints and the stacks of chairs. With this, our circle was opened, and our possibilities widened beyond our individual dreams. It was over. Except for the feasting and celebrating later that evening at Mi Tierra. :-Doug. Germann With whom would it be fun to converse? What better time than now? -------------------------------------------------------------------- ----End Forwarded Message(s)---- * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist