The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

O Caring 8. Sharing {3? By Arthena Hecker I recently read an arti- 3" cle about spring cleaning. It talked about how we go about clean- ing our homes each spring. The article sug~ gested we should also “dust the cobwebs from our minds," and open our minds to new ideas and new experiences. But change is often a difficulf process for most of us, We like the familiar way of doing things. It’s much easier to carry on with the way it has always been done. I .)AS women. we should be used to change. ur lives have been in constant flux. As we grew up, experienced adolescence, and later married, we had to change. We changed when the children arrived, and then again when they grew up and left home. Later on in life. it’s back to the two of us and sometimes we’ re left on our own. Our lives are constantly changing, The Women's Institute organization is also changing. We are looking at new ways of operating. We no longer have the privi- lege of being funded by the government. At one time, a paid staff of government employees did much of the work now be- ing done by Women's Institute volunteers. Our history book tells us how many people were employed doing Institute business. No wonder we flourished. To flourish and grow today, we must all pull together. We must want what is best for our great organization. Spring clean - dust out those cobwebs! Clear your mind and make way for change. Yes, there are oing to be changes in the way we do i tings. but what the Women‘s Institute is about - For Home and Country - remains constant. $43 A special thank you to those who contributed to the disaster in Eastern Ontario and Quebec. What an outâ€" pouring of concern. Your generosity, thougth and prayers were most apâ€" preciated. FWIO have asked the Eastern Area Women's Institute to plan and organize a workshop on emergency procedures for members and their families during a disaster. such as the ice storm. They are work- ing hard on this and we will be hearing more about it. fit: The Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) Conference is being held in South Africa in April. Serious issues. such as literacy, the health and economic welfare and contributions to society of older women, the quality of children's teleâ€" vision programs, and the maintenance and restructuring of the rural environment will be discussed. We need to be aware of these issues and lobby our own government. Arthena Hecker is the President of the Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario. She can be reached at RR 1, Richards Landing ON FOR 110. Phone: (705)246-2377, Fax: (705)2464235. There appears to be some confusion about FWIO's Liability Insurance. Please, let me clarify this. No member of FWIO is covered under this insurance. This in» surance covers any member of the public attending a Women‘s Institute function anywhere in Ontario. If a guest at a function falls and hurts themselves, your Branch, DistrictorArea are covered ifthe individual chooses to sue. If you - a WI member ~ fall, you cannot sue. It is the same as your house insurance. You can- not sue yourself. Change is Such Hard Work! By Kay Quinton e are living in a changing world. Change can bring instability and un- certainty, which in turn leads to stress and struggle. But change can also be positive. For example, change can bring joy or challenge, such as a birth, a new job or marriage, Change can mean the end of something. When something ends our mind passes through stages â€" denial. resistance or avoidance, adaptation and finally in- volvement. In the final stage we begin to participate in the change that will benefit us most, When faced with change, remember the following: I capture the essence in one sentence - don‘t let complex issues bog you down I embrace the change - it takes energy to respond to change so prepare yourself mentally to be proactive and confident I avoid the BMWs or the "Bad Mouth and Whiners Club” - check your atti- tude, be motivated and welcome the change A group can fear change and wish to do things as they did twenty years ago. But wouldn‘t you rather be the driving force that initiates change and does something new and untried? Kay Quinton is a member oi the Falymra wr, Kent Changing Priorities [5 the pursuit ofhappincss and love a meanâ€" ingful endeavor or just st-lf~indrrlgt'nct'? What impact would - a happy, loving head of state hart un a nation, - a happy, loving general have on an army, - a happy, loving doctor have on a patient, - a happy, loving teacher have on a studt'nt, I a happy loving parent have on a child? You decide. Source. Neil Kaulman Home 8. Country, Spring '98 3