Changing Seasons

The recent storms that have battered the Midwest have been nothing short of terrifying. Imagine going to sleep in a familiar world only to wake up to utter desolation, the community you once knew, reduced to rubble. Of course, the initial response is about basic needs, preserving life, minimizing the risks that come with downed power lines and broken gas mains. At some point—often a moment that is not defined or predictable—people shift towards “now what?” In the words of the ancients, how then shall we live?

The December 10^th decision of the APC Board to end merger conversations was not a tornado. It was not an earthquake, hurricane, mudslide, or fire. It did not do physical damage to structures or take any lives. As members of both organizations know, however, such abrupt acts can evoke a kind of grief that feels powerful, disorienting, and wounding. As one member noted, it is like a sudden death when there is no clear explanation as to what happened, no clarity about what one might have done differently. It is like going to sleep in one reality and waking up in another.

Last week, the ACPE Board of Directors met, and, as you might expect, the now-failed merger was the principal topic for the meeting. The meeting was supposed to be about a packet of 18 documents that were going to members for comments and questions about the merger. Instead, members shared feelings and asked questions, most of which could not be addressed because we simply don’t have a rationale for why these talks ended so abruptly.

The Board plans to let the matter rest over the holidays. In the new year, under new leadership and with new board members, they will begin the “now what?” conversation. There is no consensus currently, and many directors feel it is difficult to know how to proceed with so little information. The Board offered a special word of thanks to the following people who have faithfully served as volunteers in this process: Pam Lazor (Steering Committee); Amy Greene and Malu Fairly-Collins (Governance Subcommittee); Kimberly Willis and Mishca Smith (Finance Subcommittee); Roosevelt Brown (Facilities and Branding Subcommittee). Board members  Melissa Walker-Luckett, Shawn Mai, Linda Wilkerson, Dagmar Grefe, Claire Bamberg, Danielle Buhuro, and Tammerie Day also served in leadership roles. Gratitude was also offered to Onuka Ibe and Amia Grashin of La Piana Consulting who have walked with us throughout this process.

In addition to this discussion, the Board discussed the following items:

• Ted Hodge, Chair of the International Relations Committee, presented a Full Reciprocity Agreement between ACPE, Inc. and the Australia-New Zealand CPE Association ( ANZACPE). The Board approved this agreement as have representatives from ANZACPE. This means students and educators have full recognition and transferability between both organizations, much like what we enjoy with our Canadian Colleagues ( CASC/ACSS).
• The Board approved a request from the Leadership Development Committee to add three new members to the International Relations Committee. The Board also approved the slate of appointments for Curriculum-Educational Resources, International Relations, Professional Well-Being, Advocacy, and Research (note: all other committee members and commissioners are elected by the membership).
• The Board offered thanks for the leadership of Paula Teague who completed her director term.
• The Board thanked Linda Wilkerson who completed her term as Secretary/Treasurer. She was also presented with a gift from “ Story People.”
• The Board also thanked Melissa Walker-Luckett who completed her term as Board chair. For the past eight years, Melissa has served as a board member, chair-elect, and now chair. A press release celebrating her service was shared with her employer, Children’s Healthcare of Dallas, TX; a video was developed featuring several members offering her a personal word of thanks; and the Board presented her with a gift from James Avery Jewelers, a Texas-based jeweler known for many beautiful spiritually-inspired pieces.

I wish we had recorded the faces and tears (as well as the lovely Swedish folk song shared by Shawn Mai) for all of the membership. They offered beautiful examples of the deep love and appreciation the elected leaders of ACPE have for the organization, for one another, and for you as members.

As we look to 2022 and bring another year of pandemic practices to a close, I am reminded of a poem by Barbara Crooker, one that comes as a blessing and an invitation to pause over the next couple of weeks:

“Sometimes, I Am Startled Out of Myself”

like this morning, when the wild geese came squawking,
flapping their rusty hinges, and something about their trek
across the sky made me think about my life, the places
of brokenness, the places of sorrow, the places where grief
has strung me out to dry.  And then the geese come calling,
the leader falling back when tired, another taking her place.
Hope is borne on wings.  Look at the trees.  They turn to gold
for a brief while, then lose it all each November.
Through the cold months, they stand, take the worst
weather has to offer.  And still, they put out shy green leaves
come April, come May.  The geese glide over the cornfields,
land on the pond with its sedges and reeds.
You do not have to be wise.  Even a goose knows how to find
shelter, where the corn still lies in the stubble and dried stalks.
All we do is pass through here, the best way we can.
They stitch up the sky, and it is whole again.

(From Radiance, © Word Press, 2005.)

May we all be startled into something greater than ourselves in this season of Light, Hope and Joy. Blessings to you and yours as we make our way together.

Trace Haythorn is the Executive Director of ACPE and can be reached at  Trace.Haythorn@acpe.edu