Evidence that the Lakeside Women's Club has strong leadership is the current president, Barbara Browning. She has had a long career in teaching and family life, including shepherding her family into their current Lakeside lifestyle. I've only known her about three years, and as I recall it was cultural issues and not religion or hobbies or book club that brought us together. One amazing feat was her convincing me to prepare brief devotions for the weekly meetings of the Women's Club for summer 2022. You wouldn't think that someone who loves to write, explain, cajole, argue, research and ramble for 20 years on the internet and who has been scribbling in some form since I was 6 or 7 could be so hesitant to speak in public. I'd rather pull weeds or clean an attic than speak to an audience. I get light headed, the room swims, and I can't put a sentence together. But when Barb asks, you just can't say No. Her secret seems to be she believes in people! So I came up with a plan to make it more palatable.
Last summer one of the Lakeside chaplains for the week was retired Methodist pastor John Ed Mathison, a well known (but not to me) motivational speaker who established Leadership Ministries in 2008 when he retired after 36 years as pastor of Frazer Memorial UMC in Alabama. His current ministry includes a Daily Message, a weekly blog, a daily radio message, and weekly videos and of course, extensive public speaking. He's authored a number of books, and I bought one based on his radio ministry titled, "Got a minute? 365 Daily inspirational messages for those on the Go!" To open a LWC meeting one only needs a minute or two, and it shouldn't be the heavy theological themes I'm drawn to. So along with my own morning devotions I've been checking different "minutes" in his book to use this summer. John Ed does a lot of sports, youth, and goal setting themes. I hate setting goals, so I avoid those; I'm not athletic, so I skip those. However, John Ed didn't get to be famous without knowing how to draw in a diverse, busy and even not so religious group. It's also a podcast, so you can download an app and listen to him in his sweet Alabam voice. https://johnedmathison.org/ I'm looking forward to sharing some of those radio minutes this summer.
Today I read about Liz Smith, a director of nursing, who fostered and then adopted a baby girl, Gisele, who was born physically challenged and extremely premature. In a minute John Ed told her amazing story. I know so many adoptive and foster parents at Lakeside (and in Columbus) I thought it would be a good story to share. Ever the researcher, I then checked the internet for the story, and found it had been featured on a number of TV and news stories. From there I went to the Facebook page of Franciscan Children's Hospital in Boston where Ms. Smith worked and read many more stories of some of the children, parents and staff of a remarkable facility. So now I'm a "follower" of that FB page. https://www.facebook.com/FranciscanChildrens
https://nurse.org/articles/nurse-adopts-baby-no-visitors/
https://lakesideohio.com/about-lakeside/community-organizations/lakeside-womens-club/
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