How many times have you looked in the mirror and wondered, “Who is that person looking back at me? Surely that face does not belong to me, because I’m not nearly that old!” When someone makes the statement that we are only as old as we feel, that age can make very dramatic swings from…
As patterns of religious and philanthropic participation are changing across all types of groups and organizations, I think about IOKDS, an international, interdenominational, and intergenerational Christian organization. Trends of lower religious affiliation and activity may be leading to less charitable time and money giving as well as less community engagement. Can our local, state/province, and…
Our daughter has recently co-authored an educational enrichment book entitled, “Better Together.” The book focuses on how working together eases the workload, brings new ideas into the classroom, strengthens the learning process and builds relationships. When applied to KDS, having a Circle Project can bring new life to the group, which strengthens the circle, the…
My husband, David, grew up with parents who both had “green thumbs.” Their love of gardening planted a seed in him so that as an adult he took classes and became a Master Gardener. During our years of summer trips to Chautauqua, he and Ron Carter spent many days working to make the properties sustainable…
Music, particularly singing, has always been a part of my life. I grew up singing in all the groups I could join all through my public school years: mixed choirs, girls’ glee clubs, Madrigal choir, and of course my church choir. I also played trumpet in our Jr. High-High School bands. I took a break…
Like many others around the world, I was stopped in my tracks by the news that the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was burning. This majestic, seemingly indestructible, ancient seat of faith was vulnerable to destruction. The work of centuries of builders, stone masons, architects, carvers, glass workers, and artists had created a legacy –…
You have met at least one connector – maybe you are one! These members are engaging, warm, people-persons. They start conversations in grocery store lines, on train platforms and in church halls. Gifted and personable, they may or may not also be leaders. They don’t need to be leaders to have a real and lasting…
In May, we will be gathering together to take care of IOKDS business. IOKDS Conference 2019 will be held at the historic Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. Why historic? The story goes that President Theodore Roosevelt on a stay at the hotel said of his morning coffee that it was “good to the last drop”. That…
I belong to a very small Circle in southern Ontario. Our members are so geographically spread out that we meet only 4 times per year. At every meeting we raise some Circle funds through our “Books for a Loonie” (translation: you can buy the gently used books we bring for one dollar each) and other…
Weekly, my trip to the heart of the city includes an 8-block walk along a major city street. There are “regulars” on every block holding out cups and signs with some version of the “cold, tired and hungry” message. They wear their hard lives on their faces, and keep all their worldly possessions stacked around…
If I were to start a career as a rapper, I would choose the handle R.K.IK, pronounced archaic. That reflects how I feel when I meet the next best thing in technology. Whatever I am trying to learn to do, my limitations are clear. My thumbs won’t tap fast enough, software never feels intuitive, I…
November is a good month to be thinking about peace. November 11, 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1 – the war that H.G. Wells called “war to end all wars”. Clearly it was not that. At sunset on the 100th anniversary, in Canada, bells will ring 100 times from…
You can’t miss it when you drive down the street in Brookhaven MS. The large Maltese Cross on the upper side of The King’s Daughters Medical Center is visible, welcoming and identifying. The KDS founders knew that “the sign we wear” would help people find us and learn more about us. It was designed to…
I love the fall season. As child it meant a new outfit for school, new pencils and best of all, new books. As adult I find a sense of renewal in the fall. Fall feels like the start of a new year to me. The harvest is in, the wind is cool, and all living…
I don’t mind waiting. It doesn’t frustrate me to be in a line at the grocery store, the gas station, or the doctor’s office, for example. That’s time I gain to think undisturbed by phones, computers, devices, or people. I choose not to use express lines at the grocery store because “express” is a code…