We were treated to heartwarming stories, invaluable feedback, tasty dishes, and wonderful company on December 8, 2019.
Tasty dishes
When we decided to do Fireside Stories II back in July, I knew that it would be one of a kind. So did you, I guess, because our holiday showcase was sold out within a few hours after the invitation was sent out and the waitlist was getting longer each day.
The room was set up by Padma Ilangovan, Tina and Jiro Tomiyama (Jiro is a big behind-the-scene support person!). The tasty dishes were organized by Debbie Kenneybrew, Catherine Magruder, Anna Ziss-Patton and Caroline Kennedy. Mallery McMurtrey added a personal touch to our guest packet. The beautiful program was created by Tina and I designed the calendar.
2020 Calendars
Everything was perfect…except for the weather. It had been going downhill since Friday. What, SoCal? Are you saying that we’ll have rain on our special day? But the weather was on our side, too. On Sunday, we had some drizzle here and there, but by the time we started our showcase, rays of light started shining through the clouds. Beautiful colored leaves welcomed our guests. Yep, it was time to start our showcase!
Once again, StoryMasters exceeded my expectation. Oh, it was such a delightful afternoon, wasn’t it? (I’m truly sorry if you missed it!)
Our Toastmaster, Mallery McMurtrey, who stepped up at the last minute when the original Toastmaster couldn’t make it, led our showcase masterfully.
Five heart-warming stories were presented:
Escape from Irish Ridge by Margaret Mitchell: Her Aunt Margaret’s story kept us in suspense. I couldn’t wait to hear what would happen next!
At Mom’s Kitchen Table by Lin Van Gelder: Lin beautifully illustrated her mom’s story with tender—and hilarious —anecdotes and warmed our hearts.
Friday Night Lights by Michael S. Jones: Michael kept us engaged with his story about miraculous help for car trouble on a busy street. We all could resonate to the pain and hope with similar miracles.
That Would Be Silly by Antoinette Byron: Did Antoinette tell a true story or a fictional one? Ummm, I wonder which parts were true… Regardless, her story put smiles on our faces!
Your Mother Is Not My Daughter by Miyo Yamauchi: It was my honor to share my grandma story at our special event. The truth may never be known, but our curiosity was certainly piqued!
Jacki Williams-Jones conducted our constructive evaluation segment with Janine Burke, Kathy Falco, Tina Tomiyama, Jorge Sciupac and Aprille Isham. I always learn something new and useful from the feedback. Today was no exception! Oh, it was so good!
And of course, our meeting would not have been successful without our other key functionaries:
- Timer: Angelica Duran
- Word Master: Debbie (“Togetherness”) Kenneybrew
- Videographer: Judith Ferber
- Logistics/SAA: Padmarajan Ilangovan
- Cleanup: Everybody – you know who you are!
Thank you all for your continuous support and love for StoryMasters and the storytelling community!
Save the date for our next meeting, January 12, 2020. Until then, happy holidays and New Year, everybody!