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     Covenant Group: Lessons from the Middle Years

Sunday, February 16, 2003

Sally Taylor

 

Rules Review

-         Respect the Talking Stick-one person speaking at a time, no interruptions, comments, questions etc. during check-in and first round of sharing on topic

-         Make I statements whenever possible

-         Use Active Listening

-         Respect confidentiality of shared information 

-         Avoid giving advice

o       May ask clarifying questions during second round

o       Speaker may ask for advice which will be shared later

-         Share time so everyone who wishes to may speak

-         Anyone may pass at any time

-         Encourage holding silences

-         Our open chair

 

Check-in

 

Opening Words-

 

Life is a process.  We are a process. Everything that has happened in our lives has happened for a reason and is an integral part of our becoming.

     One of the challenges of our lives is to integrate the pieces of our lives as we live them.  It is sometimes tempting to try to deny huge periods of our lives or forget significant events, especially if they have been painful.  To try to erase our past is to rob ourselves of our own hard-earned wisdom.

 

  from Anne Schaef Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much

 

 

 

     The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.

                          Madeline L’Engle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions:

Briefly summarize an event or lesson learned in your twenties that seems to define who you were during that period of your life. 

What events or people brought about a change in you during your thirties? 

What patterns do you see in your own life story?  in our collective stories?

Do we live our lives today based on the lessons that we learned in our middle years?

 

Check-out

   Joys and Wishes

 

Closing Words

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude to me is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill.  It will make or break a company… a church… a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.”

          (- Charles Swindoll, author & theologian)

 

Go in peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Business:

Group Business

   Welcoming a new member.

  Our Service Project!!

 

Next Meeting: March 2

 Leader: Shirley Paul

 

 Location:  

   

 Potluck Items

   Deborah/Mark

   Glenn

   Lynn

   Nancy

   Sally

   Shirley

   Staci

 

Group Concerns?