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How quickly the days and seasons roll by when we are busy! Since beginning my duties as President, I have had the pleasure of attending many Women’s Institute functions and District Annuals. It has been wonderful to be able to put faces to names and to see how unique each group is and yet how similar. Because I value the educational and social opportunities that Women’s Institute provides, I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend the meetings and celebrations and only wish that timing and distance had allowed me to be present at more. Everywhere, the welcomes were warm and the hospitality was superb. It is inspiring to see the dedication, ingenuity and pride of so many Members. Many memories have stayed with me. I was impressed by the oral histories presented at Renfrew South. Their Tweedsmuir Coordinator made audio recordings of some senior Members sharing their memories. Hearing each woman’s voice tell her story was remarkable! The guest speaker at Hastings District emphasized that we need to get back to basics! She said our grandmothers had it right by eating fresh wholesome foods and drinking water, getting lots of exercise through their hard work and getting plenty of sleep. This really accentuated the value of our Back 2 Basics theme. A Frontenac Member told about her mental and physical preparations for a grueling climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro and her experiences reaching the summit. She urged us to face our own challenges and obstacles and climb our ’personal mountain’. At Peterborough’s District Annual where the focus was on youth, some young students bravely and competently delivered their school speeches. My belief in the good values and capabilities ofouryounger generations was further reinforced when I listened to the l"a@‘1ޢh\£‘l“ ‘ ' ‘ngg‘fld achievements and aspirations ofthe scholarship recipients at Prince Edward District and President Nancy’s words, "Dream, Desire, Decide, Do”. I urge every Member to make an effort to attend her Area Convention and District Annual. It is a rewarding way to make new friends, to gain knowledge and inspiration and to support the hardâ€"working executives. At the August Board Meeting, we were updated on the latest developments at the Lee. I am eager to make a return visit there to see the exterior painting that is being completed after preparatory repairs. This will be a wonderful facelift! r We accepted the recommendation that ’Real Life Stories be our provinceâ€"wide topic for the Canada 150 project. Let’s get started on our stories! Ideas might be generated by answering the 150 questions for Canada’s 150th. (The questions will soon be available on our website.) In response to the many letters and suggestions to streamline our organization, a committee has been set up to begin the process of restructuring. We are twing to keep communication lines open, so please read and share all correspondence from the office and continue to contact us with your ideas and concerns. I am looking forward to representing FWIO at the ACWW Triennial Conference in India. I am certain to have many stories to share when I attend Area Conventions. I hope to see you there! ‘ ELEM)??? Board Meeting November 19 â€" 21,2013 Annual General Meeting January 8, 2014 ‘ W‘Ezgm’m‘““aamu£ 3