October 16, 2017

Hello and happy fall!

I had to look at my calendar to remember what I did this week and oh yeah, I was studying - ha! I had a paper due on Tuesday and I’ve been working on several other papers as well. LOTS of reading and self-reflection and writing and more reading. I was going to go apple picking yesterday but since I will be attending the Boston LDS Education Conference next weekend I figured I better get some work done ahead of time this weekend. I did take a walk in the nature preserve up Snake Hill Road…

 

  

Someone told me that the rock walls around here are very old and it seems amazing that people would take the time to build them in the middle of the woods but then I learned that they were built on farms that the trees have reclaimed - nature always wins. The ferns lining the path are also quite lovely. 

 This is one of the books I’m reading and finding very helpful, not only for understanding teenagers but also, surprisingly, it talks about how adults also go through identity crisis at various times in our lives as live events happen and we experience either joyful or heartbreaking experiences. No wonder I still feel like a teenager sometimes! 

For my Leadership in Social Change Organizations class we had a team project to distill what we had learned from the class readings. This was the poster our group came up with - the face of leadership… What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you ‘in the box’? (From Leadership & Self Deception) the round face reminds of of the value of shared leadership with actively listening ears and asking questions more than lecturing or talking and above all vision based on love and light and inclusion for all. 

This weekend was also our stake conference and I took this photo of Lizzie Christensen and me. She recently moved into the Belmont 2 ward and I was introduced via email by Jennie Preece, a dear friend from Colorado. Lizzie helped me find my current apartment and lovely roommates who are pictured below. Danielle (on the left) and Jeralee (on the right) and I went out for ice cream after the session on Saturday evening. 

Elder Neil Anderson of the 12 apostles came to our Sunday session of Conference and held a fireside that evening that we went to as well. I got a photo of Danielle and Xavier (although you can’t see his face) after they shook hands with Elder and Sister Anderson. 

I’m finishing up this letter as I wait for a lecture about asking the right questions for the grad school’s Teaching and Learning week activities. This is the deans’ hall with paintings of all the past deans on the walls. 

     

and a view out the window to Gutman library.

  I hope that your week is filled with learning and opportunities to help others.