”Tulips are at their perennial best in ideal conditions!“ This was the response given by flowers expert, Frans Roozen, to the ever pressing horticultural puzzle, “Why don’t tulips always behave as perennials?”
April 20th was heyday for Silver Spring 1314! Live, beautiful, flowering tulips “decked” the meeting room, and the agenda in its flowery splendor was a special rendition of Kim Crews’ creativity. It was little wonder then, that the word of the meeting was blossom—an intransitive verb.
As if May flowers burst forth ahead of the April showers, all 21 attendees, including two returning guests, were at their perennial best! This particular meeting must have been the kind of experience that motivated Doris Lessing, British writer, to say, “Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capabilities simply by being given the opportunity to do so.”
Like proud eagles in flight, attendees harnessed every opportunity and every challenge to soar higher and higher. No one dared to lose the momentum. Each leadership and each speaking role was a stellar performance!
Kim Crews, in her role as TMOE was a delight—a real pace-setter! There was no question as to whether she prepared for this role. She added value in a variety of ways. From her introduction of each leader/speaker we learned of their particular affinity to flowers. The secret’s out! Joan Phillip’s charming personality lies in her genes—her father was an amateur horticulturist, and she is particularly fond of pink tulips!
There were double-bloomers too! Merlyn assumed the role of Sgt-at-Arms and also gave a speech, while Joan Phillips graciously presided as President, and was also Table Topics Master. Eldon was Master Evaluator, and volunteered at last minute to fill one of the role as speech evaluator.
Table Topics was a blast! From the Quote Garden (website) Joan Phillips rolled out quotes dating back as far as the 16th century. Remember literary/poetic favorites such Dickens, Shakespeare, Herbert, and Browning? Like a champion, Desiree Payne ‘danced’ verbally for about two minutes to the tune of the unfamiliar Shakespeare quote, “Oh, how the spring of love resembles the uncertain glory of an April day.” Great impromptu speech Desiree!
The three speeches were inspirational and powerful!
Merlyn Kettering spoke first—from the heart. Transitioning from his powerful and appropriate opening, “It’s not just flowers that blossom, people do too,” he unfolded in an almost solemn manner, his Rite of Passage. Can you guess the Rite of Passage that is associated with: socks and shoes taken off, towel draped around his waist, a basin (of water?), and a chair? Yes, the Ordinance of Feet-washing it is! We saw the magic of using props to add character and value to a speech—a firsthand illustration of true humility, and another opportunity to know Merlyn better!
Una-Mae Kettering ‘s speech titled, “My Path” provided much food for thought. She methodically and skillfully used the analogy of a waiter to inspire us to reach out and serve others. Could it be that this analogy also bore the underlying principle upon which Una planned and executed her path to growth as a Toastmaster? Let’s spread our wings and soar with her to greater heights!
“Setting the Tone” was Barry Piatt’s speech title. This was packed with powerful punches. One of them was his very personal and compelling story as a 9-year old, and the brilliant action that he took—that set the tone for his career as an adult. It was clear that with Barry’s wealth of knowledge, experience, and dedication as a Toastmaster, he is poised for control of the lectern and gavel at a higher level. See Barry in action at the District 36 Convention next week!
In his usual confident manner, Eldon Ralph led the evaluation segment of the meeting. Every attendee participated! Pauline Brown and Shirley Jarvis evaluated the first and second speeches respectively. The third required a round-robin evaluation. It was great hearing the many perspectives as to what worked and suggestions for improvement of Barry’s speech.
Another key component of the meeting, the reports, were provided by:
Mike Nolan – Timer, Marcia Snyder – Grammarian/Ah counter, and Fiona Morrissey – Listener’s report.
Social Time is special at Silver Spring 1314. Much gratitude went to Mike Nolan and Shirley Jarvis for providing delicious snacks.
In their concluding remarks, the Master Evaluator and President (acting) both agreed that the meeting was another well-spent time of fun and sharing!
Come soar with us at our next meeting!
