by John

Field biologists are familiar with releasing organisms to the wild. Until today, I was not quite sure I appreciated how such activities could make a person feel. I have teacher friends who raise fish eggs in a chilled aquarium to be released in spring to re-stock salmon populations. I know of people who tag birds with the hope of tracking their travels. And I am sure almost you have seen nature programs of injured or orphaned animals being rehabilitated and returned to their natural habitat.

Today, I packaged the Proceedings for the 2011 Crossroads meeting. I was quite conscientious because these envelopes are to travel over the nation. One is going to Seattle and another is going to Tallahassee — from top left to bottom right corner. Others are going to California, the Carolinas, Georgia and New York state. The number of address labels was exactly 50 which seemed off by at least one. But indeed we have just 47 presenters and 4 facilitators. Since I already have my copy, it is accurate that there are 50 yellow envelopes waiting for the postman to retrieve tomorrow.

I tucked a generic note into each envelope asking the recipient to acknowledge they received their package. I expect to hear from more local Crossroads participants by the end of the week. And I am anticipating comments about the document’s appearance. I explained to our local copy company that since we were meeting in Texas, an orange cover would be nice. When I retrieved the materials today, they apologized for the color since it is not exactly subdued. They even referred to my order as: “Oh, the orange books.” So trick-or-treat!

Fly my little booklets. Find your way to welcome hands. When you arrive, take your rest and allow your keeper to open you wide and caress your interior. In just 10 days or so, you and your siblings will all come together in Texas. There your worth and value will become realized and appreciated. May your travels be swift and true. Looking forward to seeing you all, proceedings and people, in the very near future.