June/July 2010 - Coulee Region Women's Magazine

FROM THE EDITORIssue 50, Volume 9, Number 2June/july 2010publisherDiane Raaum, Doug SolingereditorBetty ChristiansendesignerRenee Chrz, Innovative Graphics, LLCMarketing Account RepresentativesCarol SchankClaire Ristow-Seibweb masterMader Web Design LLCPROOFREADINGMary MalahyphotographyJanet MootzdistributionCitywide Marketing Services, L.L.C.Coulee Region Women is published six times peryear by Coulee Region Communications, L.L.C.816 2nd Avenue S., Suite 600, Onalaska, WI 54650.Subscriptions available for $17.95 per year (six issues).Send check to the address above.All unsolicited manuscripts must be accompaniedby a self-addressed, stamped envelope.Coulee Region Women assumes no responsibilityfor unsolicited materials.©2010 Coulee Region Communications, L.L.C.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced without written permission from the publisher.Coulee Region Women magazine does not necessarily endorsethe claims or contents of advertising or editorial materials.Printed at Crescent Printing Company, Onalaska, WI.Printed in the U.S.A.For advertising informationcall 608-783-5395www.crwmagazine.cominfo@crwmagazine.comWhen I was in graduate school outside of New York City,I banded together with two other volunteers to teacha Friday afternoon writing class to middle school kidsin a nearby homeless shelter. Kate, a New York Timeswriter and the mother of tweens, provided insight into the middle schoolmind. Kim, a poet, showered the kids with metaphors and unconditionallove. I, the essayist, was the disciplinarian.The kids lived behind security doors, played on concrete and often didpoorly in school. But every Friday afternoon, we found them crowded byour meeting-room door. They gobbled up our exercises, taught us theirvocabulary, performed raps and mined memories. There were days wepainfully coaxed words out of them and days we couldn’t get them to sitdown. But we always left feeling we’d done something good.One Friday morning, I opened the Westchester Journal News to discoverthere had been a drug bust at their facility the night before. I recognizedthe surnames of several kids in our class, and realized their parents hadbeen arrested. We didn’t expect to see those kids anytime soon. Sureenough, a good half of our class that day was in protective custody.But the next week, they were back. They sat huddled in parkas withhoods drawn over their faces. They did not write. They did not talk. Butthey were there.Their very presence taught me so much: that trust is a gift, that creativitycan be a haven, that nothing can be taken for granted—which is whythe fact that three ordinary women showed up every Friday afternoon,without fail, supplying love, understanding and a few good rules, wasterribly important.There is no greater teacher than life, and the stories in our “Live andLearn” issue reflect just that. Take a lesson from Connie Mettille, a Winonawoman who relearned to walk and talk after a serious car accident, and whohas done so with grace and gratitude. Learn the secrets of marriage fromHazel and Ortis Price, who boast 72 years of experience. See life throughthe eyes of a family living with autism, in which each day is a new lesson inliving. Discover how to educate yourselfin local classrooms, in dancing lessons,on family trips and neighborhoodassociations. And celebrate with us our50th issue of Coulee Region Women aswe share our own life lessons. We lookforward to publishing many more!As you do, stop to consider not onlywhat you can learn, but what othersare learning from you, often by yourvery presence. When it comesto living, and learning,we all have somethingvaluable to share.We want to hear from you!Send comments, suggestions, ideas or originalrecipes to: Coulee Region WomenEditor, 816 2nd Ave. S., Suite 600, Onalaska, WI 54650.E-mail: editor@crwmagazine.comCoulee Region Women is now on !Be sure to sign up as a fan at www.crwmagazine.com to shareyour thoughts on our stories and learn more about upcoming events.www.crwmagazine.com JUNE/JULY 2010 7