Welcomne to new Spellbinders, June 27, Saturday.

Dear new Spellbinders

Allow me, before we read any feedback from you to say what I appreciate about what we did in the last three days this week.

The first thing I did yesterday was to email Charlie Hardy, Charlie Eyer.. Barbara Barr and Evelyn to say how grateful we are for their generous participation and help yesterday. .

Here are the outcomes I value. We managed to create a safe place where all present, if they so chose, could risk telling before our entire group-, a story. This came from 1) modeling, 2) generous encouragement, 3) practice first in groups of three, then in groups of six, and then with my challenge to risk it before the most encouraging group they would ever stand in front of, and, incidentally to earn the right to take home my WWF book.

I am very pleased that both Charlies, Barbara Barr and Evelyn Geller were able to contribute freely and generously, and that they felt comfortable doing so. They added a great talent and diversity of modeling to our process. We were able to have a diversity of LIVE modeling without the potential intimidation of watching a video of a professional storyteller.

I am also pleased that I was not so intimidated by Germaine that I did not risk throwing myself FULLY into the task and having great fun doing it. Enthusiasm can be caught not taught, and that is what they needed and really wanted, even if no one said so.

I am also pleased that we were able to include the importance of Voice training and practice, with 2 handouts I prepared just for that skill, which we have not respected sufficiently, but Germaine herself set the stage for seeing storytelling as a Performing Art.

Finally I am pleased that so many of this group volunteered to tell before ALL OF US on the last day, and often with such talent and group appreciating. I feel that was a WOW experience for many of our group. IN 4 years of training we have not had such at the end, (but this is likely as much due to those participants we had this time, and offering promise for our continued healthy growth.)

I am incredibly grateful for all Greg and Kelly of the LPL do for our group. I will be “on a high” for what we all together did for the advancement of this mission in Fayette county for days to come. And Jessamine county to boot!

I went Friday evening to a surprise birthday dinner with all my children and grandchildren, with three coming from Virginia Beach for the weekend. What a day yesterday turned out to be! My talkative family was able to keep it a secret. Wonders!

Charlie and I will both celebrate our 80th together on July 12 here and invite both veteran and new Spellbinders to share a love of stroryteling. We were both born in 1929 and our birthdays are just a few months apart.

Thank you for risking yourselves with us this week. Welcome to this exciting work of love in which we share our hearts with the young via the art of storytelling.

Sincerely,

Paschal the Rascal.