December 8, 2014 Meeting

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"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."

This quote by Albert Schweitzer was shared by our Invocator Ann. We hope that your inner fire can be rekindled each week with your fellow Preston Persuaders!

As our Toastmaster, Durai inspired us all with his story of how he followed his heart to reunite with his wife and support her through a difficult time, even though his mind told him it wasn’t the best thing for his career.

Amar’s mission is to change one of the most prevalent stereotypes about engineers. For Amar, engineers are not just calculators that can be tucked away in windowless cubicles, they are people with personalities that can bring more value than just their calculations. In his Ice Breaker speech he told us how he went from studying engineering in Kuwait at the time Saddam Hussein invaded to now leading an engineering firm in Texas with 12 other engineers. His speech was expertly delivered! An excellent start to your Toastmasters career, Amar!

Stephanie began by lighting the first two candles of her manora. She shared with us the story of Hanukkah that she has always known and then proceeded to set the story straight. Apparently the jews under the command of Judah Maccabee (“the Hammer”), weren’t as defenseless as Stephanie had been led to believe when they drove their Greek-Syrian oppressors out of Jerusalem over a two year period.

Brian got his speech started off by apologizing for not bringing props (food) for his after-dinner role-playing speech. He shared three funny and touching stories about his boss Kevin as he wished him well on his new promotion. Brian knew he had arrived in Texas when Kevin took him out to lunch for the first time and it involved a long shopping trip to the gun store.

During Table Topics we heard lots of stories from our members around the theme of following their heart. As if by instinct (Word of the Day), the Big 3, evaluators, and helpers all performed their duties to perfection!

Before being inducted, our newest member Mays shared how the members of Preston Persuaders provided the first space in two years where she felt she was herself, the way she was in her home country. Mays is a tremendous addition to our growing Preston Persuaders family!

We had three guests, Sonia, Saeed, and Sherry, who all participated in Table Topics. We loved having them and they are welcome back anytime!

As our meeting theme taught us, remember to follow your heart! See you at next weeks meeting!

Ribbon Winners

5-Star Helper - Jyo
Best Evaluator - Lisa
Best Table Topics - Mays and guest Sherry
Best of the Big 3 - Durai
Best Speaker - Amar
Spark Plug - Stephanie