Happy New Year! It is rare that I get to offer those wishes while still celebrating Chanukah. I still haven’t worked through my ambivalence about lighting the candles on our chanukiah on the same night we sang Auld Lang Syne. However, what I am very clear on is the joy and community we felt at the Temple Beth Tikvah Chanukah party where so many of us were together.
Many thanks are owed to our Chanukah party co-chairs, Ginger Weeden and Lynsday Gang, as well as the volunteer team they assembled. It cannot be said enough, that without the volunteerism that is so strong in our community, we could not offer the level of programming we are able to. Thank you to all who contributed and celebrated together! I hope those who weren’t able to join us, enjoyed an evening equally heartwarming and connected.
As the new year begins, I am aware that I am entering into the final months of my term as president. This time of year often demands reflection and (re)commitment to goals that move us in the direction of our values. Values are our North Star and the actions we choose toward our goals enable us in support of our values. As a member of the Temple Beth Tikvah Board, I have been guided by the values put forward in our mission statement: Community, Education, Worship, and Social Action. The actions we take to support these values are clear in our programming and are woven with the desire to ensure all are able to “Find Your Connection.”
On a personal note and as the President of our Board, I have been committed to supporting our TBT mission with a focus on increasing the effectiveness of our organization at the systems level. Targeting the areas of communications, programming, and succession planning. While I am aware this can sound more “corporate” than a faith-based organization might need, my North Star has been focused on two things: decreasing burnout in our volunteers and ensuring people feel connected within our community.
We can think about it somewhat like a growing family. When I was single, I kept my own calendar, bought all the food in my cupboards based on my preferences, studied when I wanted to, accepted/declined offers for activities without consulting anyone other than myself. The systems I had in place only had to work for me. When I became partnered, my systems had to change. Suddenly, to ensure connection, I needed to check in with someone else and consider their needs. Add-in a child and our cupboards weren’t big enough—we had to clean out the small appliances we never used to make room for bottles and diapers.
Now, as a family of four, with one teenager and an impending tweenager my systems have shifted. I’m calendaring for more people, with more needs. I’m managing schedules where two people who don’t drive need to be at two different places at that same time. I’m buying groceries for people who don’t like peanut butter or bananas AND for people who DO!
If I had remained committed to the systems I had in place when I was single, I would not have the family I do now. My partner would not have felt cared for or connected, and he would have had to work a lot harder than was worth it to connect to me. And if I didn’t adjust to more effective systems my kids wouldn’t feel prioritized or cared for.
While some may argue that a color-coded Google calendar that my kids each check seems a bit “corporate,” I go to sleep at night knowing it facilitates two things in our family: feelings of connection and a decrease in burnout. Effective systems aren’t “corporate” (although the language I use might be). Effective systems are a support system that allows a decrease in interruption to what matters.
So, in these final six months as Board President, you will (I hope) see continued evidence of the work we are doing to ensure that the maturation of TBT as a community continues in ways that support the values we were founded on.
Happy New Year!
Cere