New Mexican Press Women

I'm in Santa Fe, New Mexico, reflecting on my speaking venue this past weekend to the New Mexican Press Women at the Mission Cafe on DeVargas Street.  R. Thomas Berner, President of the New Mexican Press Women, extended an invitation to attend their bimonthly meeting and present my book "Caring For Cynthia."  There was a very powerful, entrepreneurial presence in the audience.  The twelve members present were either published authors themselves, owned and edited monthly publications/newsletters and broadcast media, and, some present had won recent awards for their work in journalism.  

The Santa Fe winter sun pierced through lace curtains into the "Community Room" of the Mission Cafe.  At the table, we were surrounded by an eclectic decor that incorporated dried hydrangeas and the silver and gold lame´of artwork from local to religious.  After items on the agenda were discussed and the hostess' traditional frito pies were served, I was introduced.  I spoke for twenty minutes and, while I'm still honing my skills as a guest speaker, I'm grateful for not only having met this organization but to have had the privilege of listening to caregiving experiences shared that day. 

I'm noticing this:  it requires deep courage to publicly share caregiving experiences that are seemingly privately held and I notice the "catchiness" of the sharing - one person's share leads to another person sharing and soon, many share.   Imagine what all of those in the "Community Room" of the Mission Cafe learned that day - simply through our sharing!  I encourage caregivers to share their experiences of their caregiving journey on this blog - sharing imparts knowledge and little morsels of knowledge can make a tremendous difference in the lives of other caregivers and ultimately change the course of the journey for the loved one diagnosed. 

Visit www.newmexicopresswomen.org