Birthday Traditions: Giving and Receiving

Barbara E. Key, 2008 Graduate, GWLN Women Leaders for the World (WLW) Program

Two special birthdays have just been celebrated. Linda Alepin turned 65 and GWLN turned 6.5.

Generally birthdays are associated with gifts: the gift of the life of a child, an animal, a cause for the world, and new opportunities for women, children and families.

Each evening before dinner I sit quietly and reflect on the gifts I have received and given during the day. Three and a half years ago I received a gift from GWLN. It was the gift to participate in organizing the leadership training program for 2007. When I started to take the wrapping off the box, I realized it included many individual gifts such as belonging to a community of people who accepted the challenge of educating women leaders. As I became more active in GWLN, so my gifts multiplied as I coached women to share their story of transformation to achieve social change.

As a child I remember my birthday parties filled with friends who were running with excitement and calling out loudly. Now I invite friends to sit around the table and share food, good times and dreams for the future. These birthday traditions remind me of those we celebrate during each GWLN annual leadership training program. Conversations, excitement and visions are a part of the Global Innovation Dialogue, graduation event and long nights in the dorm filled with conversation.

Linda, I hear your radical vision unfolding to build a community that connects us all using technology. I can imagine holding my next birthday party virtually by inviting friends in the global world to join me in conversation. We will be sustained by sharing what we are proud of and what we will do in the next year rather than by food. The excitement of how we can change the world together will remind us of when we were children, laughing and calling out loudly.

You, Linda, have been instrumental in guiding GWLN network members to seriously embrace global causes through economic security, health, the environment and social justice. Women, children and families are receiving the gift of self-relianceas more and more of them climb out of poverty.

Linda, my gifts of friends and conversations are now international rather than national. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! Your gift of an invitation to participate in GWLN fills me with joy and expectation. It is surely reason to be optimistic in 2011.