Click here for the photo slideshow from the Staff Holiday Party.
Soul Transcendence notwithstanding, one thing you have to say about MSIA: we know how to throw a wingding. And that’s what it was on Thursday, December 4, when well over 200 staff and spouses/significant others of MSIA, PTS, NOW Productions, USM, IIWP, Insight, Heartfelt, Good Works Foundation, John Morton’s staff, and Esprit Travel came together at Prana, home of the Traveler, for the annual Staff Holiday Party.
The place was all decked out in its Christmas finery, though the huge tree was still untrimmed, waiting for the evening when a new gang of people would gather ’round for that. Even so, the mood was festive and the holly and ivy were everywhere. (Watch out for the holly, by the way. It bites.)
Imagine the main foyer, the large seminar room, the small seminar room and the terrace outside the portico by the reflecting pool all filled with tables and decorated with (biting) holly and seckel pears (those little pears that are ever so tasty). It was something to see, and it was amazing how Prana could so gracefully accommodate such a large crowd.
We started the day at noon with an hour of spiritual exercises, then our Traveler, John Morton, called us forward around the Labyrinth into the Spirit of the day. Charged with Light, we filed into the dining room where a buffet was laid out that would have put any medieval lord to shame. There was poached salmon and roast beef, potatoes, veggies, breads galore, salads, incredible pancakes (wheat-free no less, though you’d never know it) and an omelet station where volunteers were omeleting up a storm. And, then there was the dessert table with enough varieties of sweet snacks to satisfy the sweetest tooth. (There was not one unsatisfied sweet tooth in attendance, as far as we could tell, though we did not check all the teeth.)
After the meal, we were herded outside so the horde of rampaging volunteers could re-set the rooms for the upcoming entertainment. Upon reassembling, Greg Blanchard called us into the Light by singing the Lord’s Prayer. We were further regaled in song by the Lovely Ladies of PTS, followed by the Kissing Cousins of USM. (We are still researching why they are the Kissing Cousins. We surmise that their lunch hours must be a real hoot.)
Of course the best gift of all was the sharing with John Morton John upheld the best traditions of the Traveler’s loving and wisdom, and the high point for many (though I may be biased) was when, in response to a request, he shared the story of receiving his ministerial blessing and read his blessing to us. In that he truly blessed us all.
The order of the day was unbridled fellowship and fun. The guests were incredibly cared for by the excellent team of volunteers that came forward to serve the staff for this event. The MSIA presidency, led by the beaming Paul Kaye with Vincent Dupont and Mark Lurie, had yet again done itself proud. Kudos also go to Helen Bradley and her MSIA Admin team who organized the event, and to Greg Fritz and his NOW crew who provided audio all over Prana and Prana’s grounds so that the guests could enjoy the day, the show and the sharing.
While service is its own reward, for the staff of MSIA and the family of related organizations, the staff holiday party is the icing on the cake (biting holly notowthstanding).
