Central Chapter Year in Review
The year began fast paced, with enthusiasm and excitement counselors renewed old friendships and embarked on a new path with new members. The big accomplishment of the Central Chapter would have to be the successful turnout for the book drive, accumulating 5,750 books!
During the SDCA spring conference, Central Chapter was humbled with the honor of receiving honorable mention chapter of the year. With the excitement and camaraderie still blooming during the conference many in the counseling community where shocked to receive the news of Bev Penn.
Many Central Chapters members gathered in Mobridge for Bev's prayer service. Many counselors across South Dakota have come to know Bev as a kind hearted, witty individual with a passion for life.
As I end my tenure as Central Chapter president I would like to thank all who helped me along the way. Thank you to those who guided me and gave me confidence to do the job. I appreciate the opportunity to serve as your president. Before I go I would like to leave you with a story I received from my principal.
"There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things or people too quickly, so he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in the summer, and the youngest in the fall.
When they had all returned from this quest, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted-
The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise-
The third son said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with the fruit, full of life and fulfillment-
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that comes from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of the fall."
The moral of this story: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time.
Love Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the rest to God.