For the third time, I am completing my term as a sitting Board member for CSLT, and this is my last newsletter article as such. I must admit, it’s frequently been a challenge writing these columns, but I’ve also grown a whole lot through doing so, so it’s definitely been worth it. What to write about this time? Being on the Board, of course!
Since I’ve been on the Board three times but none of those times has been a full term, Rev. Janis dubbed me a “pinch hitter,” (I like it!) For one reason or another, three different board members were unable to fulfill their terms, so I was asked to step in and finish their duties until the next election. I recall the first time, when out of the blue, Pat Masters asked me if I would consider being on the Board. I was stunned. Surely, she had me mixed up with someone else, i.e., a competent, courageous, experienced person. But nope, she meant me. So, I braved my fears and insecurities, and stepped up to the plate, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
There was a learning curve involved and it took some time to build up confidence that I had anything at all to contribute to the meetings and my spiritual center. But I kept showing up and giving it my best shot, doing what was asked of me and sometimes even volunteering for an extra something I felt comfortable taking on.
Being on the Board is so much more than the monthly meetings and newsletter articles. The only other time I’ve ever felt a real ‘part of’ anything was at AA meetings, but being a CSLT Board member has provided me with a sense of community and belonging I never knew was possible to have. I’ve witnessed integrity at a very deep level, learned how to have respectful conversations involving differing viewpoints, and been a participant in supporting the Highest Good of the Center being the primary objective. I’ve watched us ebb and flow; I’ve seen new people come, others leave, old-timers return, and I’ve had an opportunity to not make anyone wrong for their choices. Everyone is welcome to walk through our doors, and I love that about us.
Over the years I’ve been on various teams around the Center (still am) and have taken numerous classes, but nothing has given me the clarity of who I am, who we are, and what we have to offer as much as being on the Board.
If you have completed Foundations and have been a member for a minimum of six months, you meet the minimum requirements to be a CSLT Board member. Is this yours to do? I promise you growth, a sense of belonging to something incredibly special, and joy beyond my ability to express. Elections for new Board members is immediately after First Sunday Potluck on October 6th – might you consider taking your turn as a contributing member at the most amazing level? If you don’t like it, don’t worry – I’ll pinch hit for you, LOL!
“If we search for it, happiness usually eludes us. Absorption is the key, but absorption with something outside ourselves: a craft, service, creation – these functions allow us to become enthralled and lovingly involved with what we do, take us out of our mind’s preoccupation with our own interests, and lead us to a fruitful state of being.”
Elegant Choices, Healing Choices by Marsha Sinetar, p. 77
–Renée Mercer, September 25, 2019
