A Message from Susan Ann . . .
Spring has arisen in my heart. The yellow flowers in my backyard desert garden are ready to burst. Even though we had a freeze in St. George this winter (extremely unusual) my grape vines survived. Happy Spring!
It was the perfect time of year to convene our annual Crones Counsel Mother Board Meeting March 13th to the 16th at my home. Joyce Perata and Carol Friedrich arrived at the St. George Municipal Airport right on time and were met by Janet Morrissey (who had arrived the day before by car) and myself. We were so happy to finally be face-to-face. Our first stop was at Ramona Adams home to say hello. Unfortunately, she was not home . . . but two men were working on her deck. We visited with them and glory be! One of them took our business card home to his wife and, as a result, we have two new registrants for our Gathering. Magic was already afoot.
We then traveled around the corner to the Abbey Inn where we will meet in November. Our lovely Paige Martin, the hotel event planner, met us and showed us everything. The women loved the hotel! Yay! It is going to be a grand place to meet. I think all of you will be pleased.
We spent all day every day working and planning. Singing and laughing. We wasted not a minute. The event is planned, the daily schedule is in order, the volunteer committees are formed, and we have a logo and a brochure is in process. Best of all, we have some surprises planned for you that will make your socks roll up and down.
I am so thankful for this group of women. They know who they are and they know what they are about. They love Counsel and we all have a vision for the future. Our registration is up and we know you will do your best to bring new women to our Gathering and reconnect with those who have been away a year or two. We are counting on you to come, to bring your friends, and enjoy the St. George hospitality.
Counsel Mothers Meeting at St. George
By Janet Morrissey
This was my first trip to St George, and I enjoyed this beautiful town and the people who were kind and caring. The surrounding red mountains are brilliant and a treat to the eye. Even though the hotel is on a busy street, one only has to lift her eyes to the horizon to view the red mountains.
My granddaughter and I stayed at the Abbey Inn on the last night of my stay. The two queen sized beds are comfortable with ample space in the room, including a microwave and refrigerator. The complimentary breakfast is one of the best. The Abbey provides every kind of breakfast food. The one I liked was the quarter sized waffle with blueberry or strawberry topping.
I liked the ballroom we will be using. It’s bright with soft colors. There will be space for the artisans, separated by a room divider, making it convenient for all of us.
In addition, several restaurants are within walking distances. Ricardos is across the street, MacDonald’s on the corner, and adjacent is The Black Bear.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Abbey in November. Visit the Abbey Inn website.
Register as soon as you can . . .
Joyce Perata, our registrar, has let the Board know that registrations are coming in at a predictable and steady rate. It appears that all of you are excited and ready to support the Counsel in continuing on into the next decade.
It is extremely helpful to have early registrations. So, please, register now either online on our website or you may send your registration (which you can download from the website) by snail mail to Joyce Perata 340 21st Street, Boulder, CO, 80302-8013. To contact Joyce you may email her at joycedp7@gmail.com.
You will also want to register with the Abbey Inn Hotel. Our event planner has told us that women are already booking their rooms! Fabulous. The phone number for the Abbey Inn is 1-800-780-7234.
Our theme for 2014 is “Luminous with Age.” The membership was given a survey in an earlier newsletter and, those of you who voted, choose this theme as your favorite. The Crone Mothers then went to work on designing a logo, soliciting the opinions of many of you, before we made the final decision. Here it is.
If any of you would like business cards to help promote the next gathering please contact Susan Ann at sastauffer@bajabbb.com. We are also producing a new brochure that will not be specific to the Gathering. It will be a brochure that explains Crones Counsel, who we are, and what we do. Inside the brochure will be an insert that announces and invites women to the 2014 Gathering. If you would like to have brochures, again, please contact Susan Ann at sastauffer@bajabb.com .
HOLD A WORKSHOP?
Contact Della Huber, 345 W 58th St, #7-B, New York, NY 10019, 205-266-
1398, DellaHHuber@gmail.com
LEAD A CRONES CIRCLE?
Contact Patricia Weller, P.O. Box 595, Paonia, CO 81428, 970-527-5421,
DruidWoman@aol.com
RESERVE MARKETPLACE SPACE?
Contact Marta Quest, 2020 Hwy 99, #5, Ashland, OR 97520, 541-816-1158
GmomMAQ@gmail.com
Thank You Marta and Kianna and all contributors to the Crone Times
So many of you have written us to tell us how pleased you were with the last Crone Times. We hear this after every issue is received. A big “Thank You” to Marta Quest and Diane Bader (Kianna) for the many hours they contribute to this endeavor. We so appreciate you. And to all of you who contributed your stories – Thank You! Truly, your stories, your writings, are a very important part of our organization. Crone Times is essential to our herstory as an organization. Thank you, every one of you, for creating the twice-yearly Crone Times.
International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2014
It seems important that the membership of Crones Counsel be aware of global events that support the freedom, equality, safety, and empowerment of women. This is an important event that has happened every year since 1911.
International Women’s Day 2014 Theme: INSPIRING CHANGE
Women’s equality has made positive gains but the world is still unequal. International Women’s Day celebrates the social, political and economic achievements of women while focusing world attention on areas requiring further action.
Inspiring Change was the 2014 theme for the internationalwomensday.com global hub and encouraged advocacy for women’s advancement everywhere in every way. It called for challenging the status quo for women’s equality and vigilance inspiring positive change.
The vast array of communication channels, supportive spokespeople, equality research, campaigns and corporate responsibility initiatives means everyone can be an advocate inspiring change for women’s advancement.
Each year International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. The first International Women’s Day was held in 1911. Thousands of events occur to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women’s groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day.
The following poem “WOMAN” was written by Federico Meyer, the Former Director General of UNESCO.
Woman
You brought with you
A new song.
But we did not let you
Speak out
Although yours
Is the voice of half the earth.
Woman,
Your eyes
Saw the world
Another way.
But we did not want
To know the meaning
And warmth
Of your vision.
Woman,
You carried under your skin
Of all colors
The seed
Of the future,
The light
Which could illuminate
Different paths
Rebellious
Yet peaceful ways,
Woman-bridge
Woman-bond
Woman-root
And fruit of love
And tenderness.
Woman,
Your hands outstretched
And your open arms
Enfold the immensity
Of refuge
And of comfort.
But we have not understood
The strength of your embrace
Nor the cry of your silence
And we carry on
With neither compass
Nor relief.
Woman,
With no other master
But yourself,
Live from now on
Equal and free,
Now as companion
Sharing
The same dream FOREVER.
Suzanne Gruba to join the Mother Board . . .
We wish to welcome Suzanne Gruba as a member of the Crone Mothers (Board of Directors). Suzanne finds Crones Counsel to be “a positive place where she loves to be.” She has demonstrated her love for Counsel with her bright smile, her fun-loving presence, her dedication to being our Web Mistress, to producing our newsletter, and now, again, by her willingness to join the Crone Mothers Board.
Suzanne told us that she “loves technology and communications; those are the areas that I have excelled in over time. I love networking and connecting people in a fun environment. I have had so many jobs that it is hard to even remember them all! Selling flowers on a street corner was fun, being an apprentice auto mechanic?. . . not so much fun when the weather turned cold. I love organizing and creating events and situations (real or virtual) where people connect. This is what I do best!”
Suzanne, you are exactly what we need at this time in our organization. We extend a warm thank you and an even warmer welcome.
Suzanne has been officially instated by the Board (03/10/2014) and you will all be able to welcome her as a new Board Member at our Gathering in the Fall.
A dear Crones Counsel member passed away this month, Diane Cornell. Many of you wrote to us about her with deep love. There were lovely memorials and celebrations planned by many of our Crones Counsel members which we hope you will all share with us at Counsel in November. The following words were written by Karuna Chapman.
I first met Diane when we both signed up for a Forgiveness workshop and we met at the registration table. Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and told me to pay attention. Newly single and loving to camp, I had some fears about doing it alone. Diane had flyers with her advertising camping trips for women and I traveled with her three times, to Sedona, New Mexico, and southern Utah, each time marveling at how easy she made it look to guide and cook for a group of us. Each trip was memorable, not just for the wealth of knowledge she shared but for the warmth of getting to know other like- minded and beautifully adventurous women. At home, Diane led the Wednesday morning hike in our area for Sierra Club and again, the knowledge she shared and her ability to enjoy the experience gave us all space to connect and appreciate the beauty of our natural world. She moved on to leading Sierra Club trips to Italy and Sicily and was looking forward to leading three more this year.
Diane and Joan Forest started and hosted our local Crones Circle together. When Joan moved to Arizona, Diane carried on and has created a monthly meeting which offered all of us fellowship and opportunities to learn something new or indulge our wild artist. It was Diane who encouraged me to attend the National Crones Counsel gathering in 2008 in Seattle and agreed to allow me to share with her the experience of some of B.C.’s wonderful hot springs. On that camping trip, we drove around as fast as we could with the door of our rented mini- van open to allow the little mouse which had become a guest, to jump out, thereby avoiding death in a trap. We were roommates at most of the gatherings after that. In Salt Lake City in 2012 we were supposed to share a room. Diane had been leading a trip in Italy and was scheduled to arrive home late the day before the gathering started. She planned to come home, wash her clothes and fly out to the gathering…except her luggage went astray and she wasn’t sure she would make it. Imagine my joy when she arrived about 9pm looking as though not a thing was amiss!
Diane was involved deeply with Inner Light Church as a minister of prayer, an usher, leader of meditation, bulletin board decorator, and space holder in prayer during the services. She led prayer walks in the forest because she loved to pray and walk in the woods. At an Inner Light gathering the night after her passing, numerous people named Diane as their best friend and the atmosphere was remarkably light because, as we remembered her, the stories were about good things and caring.
Diane lived her life in service and doing what she enjoyed most. She inspired all of us to make choices for doing what we loved. She lived an impeccable life, fully alive right up to the very last second. Soar on, dear friend, my heart sings you.