I keep putting forth that I want you all to think of yourselves as leaders and to take heart and courage to volunteer to lead wherever you can.  Not the rump kind of leadership - we have had too much of that in our history, leadership as a grab of power.  We need true leaders, leadership as service to people, which has to include listening to people, being open to new ideas, keeping a dialogue, working together with other people towards common interests.  Now I put out a need - I sent to a number of leaders in Europe my need for them to work together and plan the tour this yer for Ellika and me.  And I got a response I did not expect.  Our assistant for the past several years, Simon, emailed me back he is willing to take on the leadership responsibility of planning the tour.  Since he will again be driving us, he says, it makes sense for him to be the one to coordinate and plan it.  In the years since he volunteered to assist us he has taken on much more than just driving and doing our heavy lifting. He enters in to every circle, leads clans, counsels, plays with the children, and sees that everything goes well.  At the end of the tour he contrives to make circles wherever he is, he reads and translates some of our written material and keeps on learning more about what The Circle Way is and how to make it function best.

So folks - here now is a fine example of what we need from each other.  We all have a goal to make the world better.  But we cannot do very much alone.  We need each other.  We need people who are aware enough to see what is needed, brave enough to step up and volunteer to make it happen and make it work well, and open minds and imaginations that can innovate and encourage and inspire others.  I am grateful to the many of you that are doing just that.  For others who have not found places to volunteer and lead, please ask yourself what is in your way.  Is it a lack of confidence in yourself?  Have a session with a supportive listener and explore this question, sort out your confusion,  give yourself a pep talk and go into action.