If you have spent much time with me, you have heard me say, “Everything from neurosurgery to belly dancing is about relationships.”  One of my best pals is a neurosurgeon, and I’ve always thought that belly dancing was cool, but I have never seen this type of dancing from my personal experience. I finally met someone who practices this cultural dance art form last week at the Lutheran Heritage Center.  Her name was Barbara, and she learned the dances through her Hungarian heritage.  Bottom line, we meet the most extraordinary and inspiring people at our little Altenburg site.  Just in the past week we have had visits from:  engineers of all types, church leaders, research scholars, farmers, students who helped us spiff the place, retired nurses, teachers/professors, antiques experts, and many other folks.  These relationships bolster us, inspire us, and make our work here loads of fun.

My pal who is a neurosurgeon taught me another phrase I frequently quote during volunteer training, “Joyous is the Price.”  It is my desire and my mission for all of our volunteers, patrons, and friends of our site to experience joy in their interactions with this place.

I am thankful for the folks who come here everyday and share their time, treasure, and talent to help us keep the doors open 360 days per year.  I’ll share some of their awesome faces with you today.  If you see them when you visit, tell them “thanks.”  No team on the planet better understands the importance of positive relationships and joyfully going about the work of telling our stories at this wonderful place.  Take care, Carla L. Jordan, Director