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Posted on 08/24/2005 9:50:25 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Latest support group news...
You know I invited those friends of my son over yesterday? And their moms came? Well, we visited for four hours while the kids played!!
Come to find out, one of the ladies joined both support groups. She said she didn't know what to do, and her husband had said he didn't think she should join the new group, but she did anyway.
Ok, so she said she went to their meeting, which was the same night as when we voted to stay on every second Tuesday. That meeting was held after the new support group had an "informational meeting" for everyone who had questions about what was done. Many ladies didn't like what they heard at that info meeting and left, came to our meeting and joined BA CHEF. However, my friend didn't. She opted to stay and attend the new support group meeting.
So she told me what their meeting was like. She said, first, before their meeting started, at the informational meeting...people were asking the leadership (Celeste and the leader's husbands) some pretty hard questions. But they were obvious in that they wouldn't answer them...the leader would stand up and say "It's getting heated...let's move on to another question." People were pretty disgusted and many of them left in time to make it to our meeting.
Then, after the info meeting ended and their regular support group meeting started, they played a Powerpoint presentation that showed their "support group" and how active and close it was...showed members interacting and having fun...except about half the members they showed had taken issue with what the group had done and came to BA CHEF!
See, even though the support group was hugh, most people weren't that active...there was a core group of people who take it very seriously and they're the ones that are most active...and guess what...they were the ones that stayed with BA CHEF!
Anyway, my friend said that people were sitting there looking at the presentation and it was completely silent. Afterward, more people got up and left. Including my friend. She said it just suddenly hit her that shouldn't be a part of their support group and she left.
I listened to all of this and I said "Do you think very many people will be at our meeting in September?" She said "I think you're going to be swamped." Then she mentioned "As more and more ladies see people like [name redacted] choosing to leave, more and more are going to re-assess what has happened."
Well, I didn't know [name redacted] had left the other support group! This was a shock to me! She was very active...has organized many things over the years I'd known her and I really liked her...one of the few people that I regretted not being able to see again at the meetings. A leader of the new support group, no less!
My friend showed me her email, saying that her husband had decided that their family wouldn't be part of the new support group!
I don't know if she will be at our meeting in September...but oh, I hope so!
So the fall-out seems to be that more and more ladies are seeing that there is another option and that those who felt uncomfortable about the way they were treated are leaving the other group and coming "home" to BA CHEF.
This makes me feel so good, because when I declared to the world that I would not be joining the new support group, I didn't know another soul other than myself that had made that decision. Although there was private talk of re-organizing, I was the first person to publicly say "I'm signing up with BA CHEF."
Like the little stone that started the avalanche. :-) My husband is proud of me...I'm proud of me!
Sounds great 2J :~D
You oughta be proud!!
Yer gonna need a bigger boat.
A LOT of ladies didn't like what had happened, Hair...they just didn't know they had any options. And many like to stay with "the crowd"...
But as BA CHEF becomes more and more of a "crowd", more and more people are coming over. I mean, it's a pretty good deal we offer...they have a voice and a vote.
I wish everyone had taken the stand that a few of us took...but that's OK!!
Heh heh!
I've never done anything like this before...I'm always been a "crowd" person...but with Steve's encouragement, I decided that for better or worse, I had to take a stand and even if we were just a half-dozen ladies meeting in someone's home...so be it.
Now we "are" meeting in someone's home but I'm worried there won't be enough room!
Heh heh!! We'll see. I'm very excited about this next meeting. I'm working on the newsletter! I've never done a newsletter before. I'm using a template from Works...which is all I've got.
I took a great deal of pride labeling it "Volume 16, Issue 1"...Sixteen years of BA CHEF newsletters.
Ha! Exactly!
You gots all sorts of talents you didn't know you had. They just seem to pop up when you need them, don't they? ;o)
I'm glad things seem to be coming together. Our group meets in two weeks. I'm teaching basket weaving and macrame (we're making hemp bracelets) so it should be fun.
Mrsnad
I'll be the kid in the back tryin to light 'em. ;~D
Ha!! You know, Mrsnad...I was just praying about this last night...praying that the Lord would give me strength to be humble and never forget the arrogance of the former leadership and to help me to never take for granted the membership. Jesus and I had a nice long conversation around 3am this morning. I asked His forgiveness if I was at any time gloating, that I don't want to...but that I couldn't help but be happy.
I'm in the process of organizing that troop support "Christmas card" crafts day...I've got a Marine lined up to speak and mingle with the kids...I've just got to lock down a location and a date.
I guess so!
~shaking head in amazement~
And any other year, I couldn't have done anything...this was the year I was planning on getting back into the world, what with Steve finishing up...
I had no idea I'd get back into the world to this extent!
Just got a call from trini. She reports that she and Ruthy are OK and that Ruthy and family are all at Glen's. Ruthy lost some shingles off her roof, in addition to the mango tree and fence, and her nephew had a toe casualty when a door flew open and smacked it, and they took him to the Emergency room this morning to have it doctored. Anyway, there's few with power or internet or phones, but there was no flooding at anyone's home and they made it through OK.
Thanks for the update.
Now we just need Sam to check in.
Oh thank goodness!
Thanks for that update!
Ouch ouch ouch! I hope that toe casualty didn't involve a toenail...I hate toenail injuries more than loose teeth! A woman at the post office opened a door on Matthew's toe when he was a toddler and tore his big toenail half back...I nearly passed out. Sat right smack down in the middle of the post office and held his foot!
I'm glad everyone's ok with Ruthy!
Heh...my friend's brother just started work in admissions at Ave Maria. Wonder if he'd be the one you'd meet with.
Thanks, 2J! Remember we're an hour behind ya. ;-)
Oh yeah! So that would be 1400 hours, right?
That's good to hear. Was getting worried about no contacts...
GOod news! Thanks for keeping us updated!
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