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News and Notes from around |
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| the World of Job's Daughters |
MIJD MARCH 2007 ACTIVITIES |
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News and Notes from around |
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| the World of Job's Daughters |
MIJD MARCH 2007 ACTIVITIES |
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Our visit with the girls from Bethel #2 started with a regular meeting on Monday night. I was able to protem, although a younger girl had already memorized the Chaplain part for the Mother Mick Ceremony. They performed a beautiful ceremony which was similar to the Memorial Ceremony and at the end we placed white flowers by Mother Mick’s picture. There were six girls present at the meeting and I was excited to see that they were getting ready to host a protem/birthday party held at a bowling alley. They even read one petition during the meeting! We were presented with a handmade tote bag with a hot air balloon on the front and signed by all of the girls. Inside were cookies, a chili bell and a deck of cards all symbolic of New Mexico. Mrs. Barbara Harris, Supreme Director of Music from Queensland, Australia, played the piano and livened up the meeting. I was thrilled to eat some southwest cookin’ after the meeting; the chili was especially delicious. Someone went all out on Irish decorations and we felt right at home from the time we walked in until the evening was over.
The council meeting with the Supreme Guardian was held at Golden Corral. Naturally Erin Nicole and I sat with the girls and we laughed quite a bit as we got to know each other. Most of the girls travel long distances for Bethel functions and each Daughter seems very dedicated. I hope they continue to hold prospect parties and get some new members involved. Rio
Rancho, New Mexico We met some of the council over dinner at Outback Steakhouse (how fitting for Mrs. Harris!). The Bethel Guardian and Associate Bethel Guardian are married and are active in several Masonic bodies. They explained that the reason the Daughters couldn’t make it that night to dinner was because they had a Rainbow meeting. I was happy to see that girls were actively involved in both Masonic organizations and looked forward to meeting them the following night at the meeting.
We arrived plenty early and met the Daughters as
they came in. Initially I
planned on proteming but there were eleven girls present and they did a
super job on their own. Some
of the guests in attendance included a Past Grand Master and the current
Grand Worthy Matron. Their
Honored Queen is nineteen years old and attending college, I found out
afterwards that was her last meeting as the presiding officer.
She is one of the few older girls and will be missed.
I was impressed with their ritual work as many of them had only
been in for a few meetings, their hard work paid off.
We were presented with New Mexico t-shirts, ornaments and dream
catchers. The Librarian did
a tribute to the Australian national anthem and flag which made Mrs.
Harris feel right at home. The
council met while the Daughters enjoyed a reception with a variety of
foods and desserts. We had plenty of time to get to know each other and I hope to
keep in touch the Daughters from both Bethels in New Mexico. Sightseeing! On two different occasions we toured Old Town Albuquerque. I enjoyed shopping and found some nativity sets in a small shop. There were a lot of vendors on the sidewalks between the adobe buildings who were selling beautiful jewelry with stones that are unique to the Albuquerque area. Mrs. MacCubbin took us to an awesome Mexican restaurant and talked me into getting both red and green chili on my enchiladas- Christmas style. Right away I could tell the food was authentic and I thankfully saved room for dessert.
Also while we were in town we checked out the
Botanical Gardens. My favorite was the tulips and hyacinths that were in
colorful bloom in a green house. There
was a dessert exhibit which reminded me of our trip to Arizona. We enjoyed the lake, some geese and a kid’s play area with
huge plaster ants, vegetables and a maze.
I would like to go back to see the rose gardens when they are in
bloom in the summer- no doubt it would be breathtaking. I would like to thank Mrs. MacCubbin for taking us out to see Old Town and for picking us up at the airport (sorry for the confusion!). Another thank you goes to Mr. and Mrs. Shelton for taking us out for dinner and offering us rides to the Rio Rancho meeting and the airport. Leadership
Weekend, Peoria, Illinois The turnout for this Leadership Weekend was great! I was surprised at the Daughters and adults that represented jurisdictions in the Midwest, East Coast and even Canada. Our first workshop was done my JoNeil Smith, PGG and PGBHQ of Michigan. She talked about some personal struggles in her adult life and how Job’s Daughters helped her through them. She encouraged us think about why we put our efforts into Job’s Daughters and why it means to much to us in today’s society and in our future. The following day the Daughters and adults attended a morning workshop titled “Mean Girls,” also put on my JoNeil Smith, that touched on self confidence, friendship and why girls are so darn mean sometimes. The first workshop offered for the Daughters was presented by yours truly called “Group Dynamics, Make it Personal!” I gave them a personality quiz and talked about how different types of people offer different leadership traits. Everyone has something unique to bring to the table. The second workshop was “Love Languages” and presented by Mom Lawrence from Michigan. It was about how each one of us shows and seeks love in different ways and how Job’s Daughters caters to those needs. Very insightful! The final workshop was one on internet safety. It was about MySpace, chatting and revealing too much personal information on the web. We need to be careful out there! The adults attended similar workshops, although the only one I was present for was the one I presented. They certainly were attentive and I could tell they were having fun when they broke into their small groups! I was impressed with the entire weekend and encourage anyone reading this to attend the next Leadership Weekend that is available- I promise that you will get something out of it! I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Wilder from Michigan for all of their hard work in putting on the weekend and for allowing me to present a workshop. I hope that everyone in my workshop had as much fun as I did! Supreme
Guardian and Associate Supreme Guardian Reception The reception was held in conjunction with the Leadership Weekend at the Par-A-Dice hotel in Peoria, Illinois. I think the final count was close to 180 people in attendance. The evening included pork or chicken meal and a great deal of entertainment. The welcome was given my Darrell Vierling, ASBG and the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. The Lord’s Prayer was given by Bethel #98 Crystal Lake, IL who performed a touching interpretive dance to the Lord’s Prayer set to music. As soon as dinner was over, the party got started J. Presentations were given by the Grand Guardians and Associate Grand Guardians of Illinois and Indiana as well as the Grand Bethel of Indiana. Aunt Denise also received an award called the Distinguished Hoosier given to special Indiana residents from the governor, what an honor. Next Angela Osborne, Past Miss Illinois Job’s Daughter performed an Irish Dance. She is extremely talented and even gave us some history on the dance and certain steps she performed. Jamie Poff, Jr. Miss Indiana Congeniality signed “You Raise Me Up” next. During the close of the song all of the Daughters in the room stood up and formed a line behind Jamie. When she finished signing and giving remarks one by one the Daughters placed Forget-Me-Not seeds in a basket for Aunt Denise and Uncle Tom. By that time I was quite teary-eyed.
For a change of emotional pace a scavenger hunt was
next on the agenda. The
first rounds’ contestants included, Aunt Denise and Uncle Tom, Susie
Mentel, PSG, Louise Windbiel, PSG, Marilyn Olson, Chairman of the Board,
and Peggy Wiggins, BG of #2 in Indiana.
First an article was named (for example: a Kleenex, dry
cleaning receipt, lipstick, directory, or black comb).
Then the contestants had to find someone in the audience with
that item. When they
returned one seat had been taken away so the last one standing was out.
For the next turn they had to return the item before retrieving
the next one. I am not sure
if I was more surprised at the lengths some of the people went through
to dive- or fall- into chairs to win, or what people actually had in
their purses! It was a riot
and the fun continued with the special choir up next. The Supreme Officers, decked out in choir robes, came from the back of the room with very solemn looks on their faces. Bringing up the rear was Patricia Bartley, Supreme Librarian who bore a striking resemblance to Whoopi Goldberg with her wig and sunglasses. Sure enough the choir started singing “I Will Follow Him” and had the crowd crying with laughter by the end of their performance. It was complete with solos, hand motions, dances and a lot personal flair! The encore got Uncle Tom and Aunt Denise involved and it was hysterical! (If anyone is interested in an email clip of it send me an email.) I led remarks with a roast and tribute to Aunt Denise and Uncle Tom; I hope they don’t have a chance for payback on that later. The speech included antics from being on the road with Uncle Tom, Aunt Carol and Aunt Denise. However I concluded with something more serious in an attempt to tell them how much they mean to me, and how they have helped me with life on the road. I love them dearly and hope their evening was all they hoped it would be. Aunt Denise and Uncle Tom both gave their thanks and everyone enjoyed a performance by the Blues Brothers. The dance included some oldies that all ages could get down to. As people left the reception, there was no doubt that the evening was a perfect tribute to our Supreme Guardian and Associate Supreme Guardian. Bethel #5 met for one of the last times on March 18. While the council met with Aunt Denise and Uncle Tom, we chatted with the Daughters. They have six active girls, I believe three of them were sisters and two of them are high school seniors. I was impressed with their efforts to keep their Bethel alive but they reached a place where they needed to move on. During the informal meeting with the council I was relieved to see that there were no hard feelings, and both the adults and Daughters had agreed to the decision to close the Bethel. This certainly was not a case of lack of effort and it saddened me to hear that they had little support from the other Masonic bodies. The Daughters and council are to discuss options for keeping their membership until Majority and the possibility of staying active with a Bethel in Illinois. I wish them all the best of luck in their endeavors.
In between the visit to Davenport and Indiana Grand Bethel Honor Day I stayed with Darrell and Linda Vierling. It is always a pleasure with those two J. It was a great opportunity to get caught up and to enjoy a week together. Here are some of the highlights: Uncle Darrell treated Erin Nicole and me to pedicures one afternoon. Aunt Linda took us, along with Aunt Carol, to a tea house in Mackinaw. We even squeezed in time for shopping, too. Another evening Uncle Tom and Aunt Carol came over for supper and an evening around the Tripoley board. One of the best parts of the stay was the dinner show on Thursday night. They took us to see “Nunsense A-Men!” and we loved every minute of it! Uncle Tom and Aunt Carol were there and it felt awesome to spend a whole evening laughing together. I would like to send a BIG thank you to Uncle Darrell and Aunt Linda for letting me stay at their house. You two have both become very special people in my life and I appreciate all that you arranged while I was there. Thanks for taking care of me! Indiana
Grand Bethel Honor Day I was anxious to go to a visit in Indiana, particularly one to see their Grand Bethel. Membership of the GB of Indiana is comprised of HQ’s and PHQ’s of Indiana- with no age limit. To become Grand Bethel Honored Queen it is a five year commitment as one aspires to be voted Grand Bethel Marshal and move up the chairs as in a regular Bethel. Every year they set aside one day for the Bethels in Indiana to Honor their GB Girls and other dignitaries. We arrived at the Honor Day early and got ready for the meeting. The Grand Bethel Officers, Representatives, and Committee Members came in to a Disney themed narration. Once everyone was seated for the open meeting, the Lord’s Prayer was offered and presentations began. Each Bethel was allowed to make a presentation to honorees of their Bethel, including GB Girls, Misses and adults serving on the GB Council or as a Supreme Officer. There was even a presentation to the husbands and boyfriends of the GB Girls- they are lovingly dubbed the Road Crew. The presentations included everything from heart-felt gifts, songs, skits to poems and a lot of laughter. Erin Nicole and I were presented with cute socks (in honor of the GBHQ Gina Hodge), two t-shirts, a stress lamb and some chocolate. It was touching to see all of the love and support among the Bethels and I was excited to be a part of the day.
Following the meeting there were refreshments that represented each of the Job’s Daughters countries and some Disney themed games and activities. I had an opportunity to meet more Daughters of Indiana and I certainly can’t wait to see ALL of them at Supreme Session this year. In between the visit to Indiana and Missouri,
I stayed with Aunt Denise for a couple of days.
Her husband, Herb, and two dogs, McCree and Maggie, helped me
feel at home. It was great
bonding time for Aunt Denise and I and even though she will claim that I
broke her computer, Dell came in a few days later and it was up and
running just fine J.
She treated me to some unique dining specialties including White
Castle (love it!) and a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Special thanks to Aunt Denise for letting me be a part of your
family and for all of the laughter we shared.
O yeah- and our scrapbook page we made rocks! Grand
Bethel Mini Weekend, Branson, MO The weekend with the Daughters started Saturday afternoon with an intense game of trivia. I was pleasantly surprised to see nearly 300 people in attendance- what a turnout! As we came in the door we received a number to split the teams up. I was with a group of primarily Daughters but we eventually recruited a mom to help us out with trivia that was geared towards anyone born before 1980. Dad Ashley Underwood, PASG ran the event with a series of random trivia categories including one about people named Ethel, Missouri sports, Mickey Mouse, heart throbs, toys, games and even a section of Jobie trivia to name a few. We held our own and although we didn’t win, we still were proud of ourselves. In between rounds there were drawings for a bunch of door prizes, so many in fact that by the end of the game it became a free for all and anyone who didn’t get a prize could go up to the stage and pick one out. The rest of the afternoon was free time. The Grand Bethel Officers had a brief meeting, and the Bethel sales booths opened up. I doubt I have seen such a hearty group of sales people in all my life! I couldn’t even keep track of the raffles and baskets that I got tickets for. I have no doubt that each Bethel or group that was raising money made a significant profit. I was impressed with their sales pitches and prizes and equally excited when my name got drawn for the Grand Bethel basket!
The theme for the weekend was Glitz and Glamour and the Daughters certainly lived up to the theme for the formal dinner that evening. Every one was looking forward to the fashion show afterward. Each Bethel designed a pun outfit, for example one Daughter had a “dinner dress”. She had a salad plate on her head, a spaghetti plate on section and a cup for a bracelet. The creativity was unbelievable! I am sure your imagination can help you figure some of these outfits out: tank top, pea coat, penny loafers, tent dress, feather boa, fourteen carat (carrot) necklace, pill box hat, plain (plane) t shirt, pencil skirt, evening dress, million dollar dress- there was even a disco dress that was covered in cds, and a dress that was Puttin’ on the Ritz covered with Ritz crackers. The GG put together a Jobie t-shirt and crop pants for me. She and AGG had outfits that consisted of a straw hat, cowboy boots, turtle neck, sun visor, hand bag, and jean skirt and bibs that had the words Jean or Gene written all over them. Each Bethel had a model and a write up that described the outfit with some flair. I loved it and so did the rest of the crowd, it was a fantastic activity! Since the pool was occupied by another group at the hotel earlier in the day, the hotel allowed the Daughters to stay in the pool until 12:30 with lights out at 1:00 am. I heard that the water was cold, but that everyone enjoyed the late night free time. That would also explain why attire for breakfast the next morning was pajamas. The buffet breakfast hit the spot but unfortunately we had to leave before church started the trek back to Illinois. I was really impressed with the numbers and enthusiasm of Missouri Job’s Daughters, and I want to thank them for the Grand Bethel t-shirt, pin and umbrella. Another special thank you goes to the Grand Bethel for covering my meal Saturday evening. ThanksJ We arrived in Branson a few days before the visit started and stayed in Jack and Pat Bartley’s condo. Uncle Jack, one of the best tour guides in town, treated us to several shows. Country Jamboree was the first show and starred a young (and handsome!) quartet, another male and female vocalist along with a live band and hilarious comedian. Another show we attended was when Sapps and Vierlings arrived was at Presley’s. The Presley family is credited to have started the town of Branson and became the first show on the lonely highway. There were four generations of Presley’s on stage and I could see why their show has been so popular for all of these years. Branson also has a variety of restaurants, my favorites included a 50’s dinner called Hard Luck Café because the wait-staff were all recorded artists and sang while we ate. The other was called Cakes and Creams, we made it a nightly tradition to get a sundae, shake or even a funnel cake before we called it a night. Naturally we took some time to shop in some quaint shops around town and at a huge outlet mall called Branson Landing. The most adventurous trip was with Aunt Denise and Aunt Geri Kay to Arkansas. I wouldn’t say we got lost, but merely confused by back-road directions. After three different sets of directions, all going on different roads, we made it to Eureka Springs and enjoyed the rest of the day shopping in the unique mountain town. I would like to send a very special thanks to Uncle Jack and Aunt Pat for taking such good care of me while I was in Branson! Your condo was more than accommodating and made the trip extra special. Uncle Jack, you have to be the best tour guide Branson has to offer and I really appreciate all the time you took to show us around town and treat us to such wonderful shows and food. I hope we can do it again sometime! Jobie Love, Published as received
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