ILCA is my professional organization.

If they decide to throw a Ceili (an Irish dance party) as a fund raiser and
I don't like to dance, then I don't have to go to the party. However, I
won't discourage all of you Step Dancers from having fun while adding to
the coffers of ILCA.

ILCA is my professional organization.

I need for ILCA to grow strong for my educational, professional, and
personal benefit.  Like in any family, when conflicts come, we need to mend
the hurts and go on--wiser and humbler and grateful for the resilience of
the human spirit.

ILCA is my professional organization.

I am most grateful for its creation and to its creators. I can't expect it
to continue working for me if I am not willing to work for it. I, who am
not naturally an organizer, need to find ways that suit my strengths, to
contribute to the health of my organization. And I need to keep myself
informed on issues of concern to my organization.

ILCA is my professional organization.

My organization needs my *positive* energy flowing to the leaders and to
the membership. Any negative thoughts I may have weaken the efforts and
benefit of all. When I disagree with a decision, I can do so in positive
strength instead of weak negativism. My negativism, even if I can find 10
people to support me in it, doesn't really serve me.

ILCA is my professional organization.

Last year, partly due to some negative posts, I elected to attend a major
conference other than ILCA.  It was great.  I had concluded that one major
conference was all that I could afford. However, some wise Lactnetter wrote
a post urging us to support our professional organization by attending the
ILCA conference. It was well worded and her positive energy touched me, and
I went to New Orleans.  I will be forever grateful to the poster. (I wish I
could remember who it was.  I'll bet I could find it in the Archives.) It
was a grand conference in program, but equally as grand was the sense of
comraderie and support that I felt with others of my profession. Just being
there made me say, "YES! We can do this!" Having that many people in one
place with a common goal is big-time powerful and certainly has a positive
impact on our work with mothers and babies.

And, of course, putting faces (and bodies) onto the personalities I know on
Lactnet was a stellar treat!

I wish I could have that same impact on someone who is wondering whether or
not to go to the ILCA conference this year.  This week I was again
grateful, because I was able to deduct both conferences on my income tax
return! I'm even getting a bit of refund.

ILCA is my professional organization.

I want to see each year anew. My little Beagle gets up each morning eager
for the NEW day.  She goes outside and, WOW! There is the back yard!  That
chipmunk just might be in the drain pipe today. If I stepped on her tail
yesterday, she greets me with wags and smiles at the door, because today is
a new day. I want to learn from her--life is made up of New Days.

See you in Boca Raton.

And maybe even somewhere else. I have decided I'd like to make a career as
Conference Attendee.  I am very good at it.

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee

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