The Women’s Center is almost up and running
The Women’s Center is almost up and running! The doors officially open Feb. 14th and the Grand Opening open house is March 5, 2011. Almost all the furniture, decorations and supplies are in and I just need to hang the curtains, put things away in an organized manner, and clean the bathroom. I’m excited!
My granddaughter came in to see it and was amazed at how peaceful and calming it was. I am hanging one of her paintings on the wall near my desk. She thinks it is too dark a piece for the peace and calm of the office, but I think it is just what the place needs. It is a self-portrait with a unique feature. The eyes are the windows of the soul and when you look into the eyes of the woman staring back at you from the canvas, you see deep into her soul. What you see is the part of you that is mostly hidden and the wounds that we all carry with us. She has this haunting look that seems to reach out and grab you. Yes, it is a dark piece, but it is perfect for the Women’s Center. We are all wounded and we all wear a mask. Half her face is hidden behind a mask you would find at a masquerade ball. Streaks of blood trickle across her opposite cheek. It is a reminder that we are all walking wounded. It will remind me of the scar-healed wounds that I carry and that most of us do. And it will remind me that we mask our pain and hide it behind a public mask so no one will know our circumstances. The mask isolates us and keeps us from reaching out for help. We must change that.
I plan on hanging it as part of the opening ceremonies. I also have asked a local poet to do a reading of her own work during the opening ceremonies. I now need to find a pastor, who is a woman, to provide us with a prayer to start things off.
One of the things I want to do is have women make flannel baby blankets that we can give to new mothers and young children in the community. They provide comfort and my teenage grandchildren still have the ones their other grandmother made for them when they were small. My 17-year-old granddaughter is always cuddling up with her to watch TV or when she is ill. I think this would be a nice gesture and do something good for the kids. Actually, my son, who is now 37, still has his “huggy” blanket packed away with his other memorabilia like his models and other childhood treasures in a foot locker. If and when he has children he wants to be able to pull them out and share his stories with his children.
There are many things the center can do in the community so I am anxious to get things going. Wish me luck! It has been a lot more involved, getting it started, than I expected. Just purchasing the liability insurance was an amazing adventure and a bit harrowing. I had not thought of all the scenerios that could arise from this simple act of opening the Women’s Center.
So, here’s to the future, may it be bright and successful!
Chris
