My job is almost over, and my feelings about my term ending are varied.  The first thing I feel is – and you already know it and I’m admitting it – relief.  Being the leader of a group like the Buford Lanier Woman’s Club is a huge responsibility, trying to keep up with schedules, obligations, and meeting agendas.   So I’ll be relieved of all those management duties and they’ll be passed on to Evelyn Ackerman, who will do a fantastic job as our president for 2012-14.   And I’ll also be relieved of the nagging worries that I’m not doing the job well enough or that I’ve forgotten something really important that I should have done for the club.

But beyond feeling a certain freedom from duty, I feel honored and privileged that you allowed me to represent you in this role.  You trusted me, and I thank you for that.  You gave me the opportunity to grow and to learn from you.  You expressed confidence in me to do the right things for the BLWC; and although we’ve had some challenges, we’ve come through together as strong as ever, adapting to our new situation.   I feel extremely grateful to all of you who rallied to come up with a different and successful fundraising event in the Fashion Fling.  Those monies allowed us to continue our mission.

Now we look forward to the new administration and its leadership:  Evelyn Ackerman, president; Jennie McCormack, 1st  vice president; Judy Lawson, 2nd vice president; Ellen Oakes, recording secretary; Janet Fesler, corresponding secretary; and Donnis Bowman, treasurer.  I congratulate them and wish them the best during their term and know you’ll give them the same support you gave to me and the 2010-12 board.   Because of their dedication and talent, I feel confident that our club will continue to be an important and influential part of the Buford Lanier area.

Of course, I’m feeling some sadness and emptiness, too.  I’ll miss the board meetings at my house. Our energetic, dedicated, and imaginative board members attended meetings way over in Cumming, encountering something unusual just about every month:  ice, snow, pouring rain, smoke detector malfunctions, not to mention dwindling parking space.  I’ll miss flicking the lights at the Sugar Hill Community Center.  I’ll miss getting to say, “Motion passed” and all the other highfalutin parliamentary terms I felt so important saying.  Most of all, I’ll miss standing at the lectern each meeting and seeing all of your beautiful faces! 

---Linda Baggett