What Is Happening Today On Gather - Monday, April 7, 2008

 I am so glad to be back on Gather. The surgery went well (0r they say it did).  I am still in a lot of pain and it will be three months before I am able to do regular activities again. I am not even allowed to lift my purse or my "bag" as my husband calls it.   I guess I just carry too much "stuff" around with me. :) One just never knows what they will need when they are out and about though. Right?

Victoria, Thank you so much for your help while I was in the hospital. I knew the gather community would be in safe hands with you handling my article. Jennifer, Thank you for helping Victoria out-  while I was gone. Gather is such a great community to belong to.

Often I read articles about complaints but like life, everything comes with problems, the gather community is no different than everyday life. I love the Gather community. No, it is not perfect but then neither is anything else in life.  I have found some wonderful people here in  this community. Wonderful, kind and compassionate about things that are important to them and their lives.  The Gather community has something for everyone in it.  There is a group and a place for the varieties of subjects that we are interested in. Not all groups are tailored for all of us.  Thankfully, we can find our niche in the community just as we find friends with the same interests as ours.  What a a Great community to be a part of. Welcome to the Community of Gather!

 If you ever have any problems within the gather community, you can find official help here. The Official Help Desk is  your one-stop place for help on Gather. Here you will find a daily "Help Desk" article in which you can post your questions or concerns about using Gather. Gather staff from the Member Support team will drop in regularly to answer some questions. However, Gather is a huge, flourishing community, so we also rely on other members to stop in and assist. The  members are strongly urged to interact with some personal experience  - to be good Gather citizens by stopping by and helping your fellow members. If you have a concern, question or just a comment, the gather help desk is the place to post them all.

I am sure you have been hearing about Dorothea Benton Frank's new book Bulls Island. It is set to be released on April 8th.  As a gather member, you have an inside track on this book as well as the author. You can read chapter one Excerpt from "Bulls Island" here. New York times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank was born and raised on Sullivan's Island South Carolina. 

I am excited to give you the news that you can chat live with Dorthea at 6 PM Eastern Time, this evening, Monday April 7th. You will first need to be a member of the Gather Community and then  join the group  Fictions Readers. Once you have done that, you are good to go.  You can find out more about the live chat on April H. article  here. Hope to see you there!

Have you heard??  The discussion's that started March 3rd about the book "A New Earth" is still going on!  Have you had an opportunity to join in -  on the discussion yet?  Well now is the time!  These discussions have been going in a direction that anyone would feel comfortable joining in, even if you have not read the book. Now how cool is that?            

 Each Tuesday, this discussion has been keeping the members of the Gather Community more aware of themselves in a new way.  Yes, these discussions are all about YOU!  Tomorrow Tuesday, April 8th @ 12 Noon Eastern Time (Yes it is another time change) you can join in the discussion in the A New Earth Group. This discussion will take place on Chapter 6 of the book. You can Download Your  FREE workbook Here.  

To prepare for this discussion, you may want to do the awakening exercise for chapter 6: Breaking Free of the Pain-Body.  Chapter 6  is titled "Breaking Free. "The first Question on the list of Chapter 6 of the workbook is "Do you experience drama (periods of intense emotional negativity) on a fairly regular basis in your relationship with your spouse, partner or another close family member? When was the last time you experienced an episode of drama in this relationship? What triggered it? How long did it last? What did you feel and what did you do in response to those feelings?"

Oprah read a poem written by David wagoner, during the Chapter 5 webcast. David Wagoner is an award winning poet and novelist.  You can find the words to that poem here.  The poem is covered by copyright, so I cannot not post it here. It is worth the time it will take you to go read it though. It is beautiful.   

I so wanted to join the discussion last week but surgery prevented my plans. They up-ed the time of my surgery the  night before.   I hope this information will help you to prepare for the discussion on Gather Tuesday April 8th @ Noon.  I am so excited to be able to join this discussion with each of you. Will I see you there?

Have you had a chance to read Christine Stump's article titled "What do Eckhart Tolle's book_A New Earth_have to do with yoga?"

Have you had an opportunity to check out the photos that have been submitted to the smile group yet? There sure are some cute and very attractive smiles going on out there.We have some beautiful people in our community and they are sharing their smiles with the rest of us.   It is not too late to post your photos of those smiles. I know that as summer draws nearer, we each have more reasons to put on that smile.  I know you or someone you care about would love to win that iPod@touch & $100. iTunes@ Gift card! It is not too late to show those smiles. You can find out more here.  I will keep checking back in to see if you have posted your smile yet! See you at the Smile Group!

Melanie Charlton Fascitelli, author of the wonderful book "Shop Your Closet."   Melanie wrote this book  as a result of her strong opinions about closets  design, fashion  editing and inventory and what to do with clothes once you've let go of them. Her book is amazing and she has published an article telling the members of the Gather community - just why she did write "Shop Your Closet -  The Ultimate Guide to Reorganizing your closet with style."

 Summer is on the way and when it arrives, it brings with it...... Vacations! Woo Hoo For vacations! Summer also arrives with all the beauty of Nature and wildlife that our minds can hold. I love summer. I love nature and I love the wildlife. I am a country gal in all its simple forms. 

j - Frugal Mom-r. owns a group called Nature and Animal Photography.  If you love nature and wildlife, you will love this group. This group is for all of you, who love to take pictures of nature and animals. Post all your best pictures, write about them, share poetry about them and let us see nature though your lens.

Does hearing about a wonderful kind and compassionate person just make your day even better?  Lisa B. owns a group called Sharing Selflessness.  Members of this group watch for selfless acts in their everyday life and report on them. Join us and share the hope you see in the kind acts of others! We all need encouragement from others - when our own life is not quite perfect.

J. Corn is a very active member in the Gather Community. Jane's articles are always very interesting. She is the owner of the group Homework Helpline.  A group for those who are pro-active but sometimes need help tackling homework assignments. This group offers support to students and parents who work hard on homework but occasionally (or often) find some assignments challenging to do. Tips, suggestions. resources, sites will be offered. Community support is desired to make this group one that helps us learn together how to find the best links and sites out there. Jane started this after her son hit a snag in a challenging homework assignment and Gatherers came to the rescue in record time!   School may be nearly over for the normal year but the summer term is just beginning.

I always have a space reserved just for you!  A place where your opinions are always welcome.  Is there something that you would like to see changed on the "Today On Gather" articles?

Do you know of some exciting activity that is going on in the Gather Community?  Please just let me know.

Just let me know by making a comment in the comment section.  I will be back to chat with you again tomorrow.

Today On Gather article is published each weekday to the group Today On Gather and Gather Essentials: News .

You will find many more updates in  past articles.