Dear Friends,
What can we say about the year that's drawing to a close? The world has been wracked by terrible wars, famines, floods, record-breaking heat, bias-motivated hatred and violence, political extremism – and apparently Covid is back? I haven’t even mentioned the troubles we all have in our own lives. If you’re like me, you’re wondering when the crazy ride we’re on will stop so we can get off.
We will survive these difficult times. We are the lucky ones; each of us has a long list of things to be grateful for. Thinking about this organization specifically, I’ll offer that we’re fortunate to be women who have a lot of life experience to draw on when news is bad and times are hard. To get to our age, we have had to develop real expertise in the art of moving forward.
And we have each other. I hope you won’t think I’m corny when I say that the connections we make with each other, and the friendships that have grown among us, are a rare and incredibly valuable source of inspiration and strength. I get to interact with a lot of TTN women in my role as executive director, so I experience the power of this connection every day.
I also find joy as a regular member of the NYC chapter. Last week, for example, I sat down to a holiday dinner with my peer group feeling seriously used up. By the time we had finished laughing and were hugging each other good night, my heart was full and I felt hopeful and courageous again. I am so grateful to those women! I’m grateful that our membership in TTN made it possible for us to meet each other and end up sitting around that magical table together.
It seems unlikely that we’ll wake up on January 1st to a world where all problems have been solved. So where can we go for guidance? I’ll offer a quote from the great philosopher Dr. Seuss, who in his seminal work, Oh The Places You’ll Go!, said this: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
In many ways, this children’s book describes the purpose of TTN. We are more than 3,000 smart, competent women around the country who are not only taking care of ourselves through our membership in TTN but are also making a difference for our families, friends, communities and the bigger world every day.
We are clearly on to something! Our membership grew almost 10% in 2023 as we welcomed more and more women to our community, and we worked together – both within chapters and across chapters – to make improvements in our operations and offerings so TTN will be an even better place to belong in the future. Among the many new benefits you’ll see next year are on-line forums where you can discuss specific topics with women who share your interests or life situation. Forums will also be an easy way to reach out to TTN friends on days when you feel lonely.
Let’s continue to steer ourselves in a wonderful direction next year! I want to thank you from my deepest heart for everything you contribute to our community. Merry Christmas to those who are celebrating! I'm sending all of you my best wishes for good health and much happiness in the new year, and I am praying for peace in the world.
With love,
Darla