At the Business Briefing in Anaheim at this August’s 2024 Convention, I delivered my outgoing board member speech. Many of my speeches center around stories, but not this one. This one is a poem.
I felt that a few stories wouldn’t capture the experience I had, and the gratitude I felt from being on the board. With the poem, I hoped I could share the feeling of experiencing joy in so many moments across these International Director years. I hoped everyone I had been with, and was grateful to, would see us together in one or more of these moments, and know the warmth of my feeling.
As I move forward into this new stage of my Toastmasters journey, I thought it was fitting to start by looking back at all of that joy. And so, I share it here.
Fellow Toastmasters
Here is a collection of my Board Member Moments of Joy
Just before the start
A campaign team crisis
Converted to uncontrollable laughter
The showcase : First time on stage since the pandemic
An amazing feeling to be there, connecting once again
Our first committee. Sharing our stories
Finding we are so different, yet have so much in common
Discovering Parliamentary Procedure can be a team sport
Like a single basketball team practicing on court
passing the ball together
finding the best way to get that ball into that basket
Being so deep into a topic that
all it takes is one magical conversation
at a District conference for things to finally make sense
Motivational mentoring moments
A swim that puts the world to rights
Walking on a frozen lake
Through a spice market
Over an ancient bridge
Under a modern one
Together
Feeling the energy of Toastmasters together
wherever we are, chatting and celebrating
Seeing the WHQ team dancing the night away
on the last night of an amazing convention they created
Overhearing someone speak about our work
and finding it good
Seeing friends rise up and lead so well
Not every moment was joy, of course
Other emotions are available too
But as I come away, these are the moments I’ll cherish
That I want to wrap up in a great big bow. A gift
Thank you to everyone who helped me get here
To everyone who helped me be here
To grow here
For here, there is joy