| Grass Valley (Nevada County), California
 Well
sisters....we did it! We Gathered the Women here in Nevada County.
Each day of the week 30-40 women would attend our daily activities
wonderfully lead by local women.
Our big event on Saturday, March 13 raised the standards
for presentations in Grass Valley. Women walked into an old
patriarchal Veterans building, that had been touched by the
Goddess. White chairs in a semi circle, beautiful art, table
clothes on the networking tables. Book store complete! Our
speaker was Patricia Lynn Reilly, a feminist minister and
author, told her story, wove in OURstory and Invited Eve in,
for each of us to acknowledge where in our lives we have taken
a  bite
out of the apple. One women was heard in the bathroom to say:
They are talking like God was a women....do you think that's
possible??
We gathered from high noon until 5:00 finishing with the
reminder of WHY we do what we do -- for the sake of the children
and the future. A local class of 5th graders came and sang
about the Sierra Mountains for us.
The day was designed as a small version of the Gather the
Women Congress, inviting partner organizations who were set
up with round tables and each given a minute to present information
about her organization in short segments throughout the day.
We asked they come with quality displays and practice laser-like
descriptions of their organization and THEIR needs from us.
This format really made the networking come alive.
 The
opening Gather the Women mediation continues to be a very
moving experience of the WHOLE and was well received. The
women GOT what GTW WAS, not by the words, but by the experience
of inclusiveness, graciousness, beauty AND inspiration.
We used a well-done film on the standards of beauty set for
women. We also focused on the work of a local women and broke
into a "Lets Talk" process where women were invited
to gather in dyads, then by 4's. They were to talk uninterrupted
about what their gifts were.
Mary Elizabeth was a beautiful flowing hostess who opened
with "when women come together, wonderful things happen."
AND they did.
Below are some photos that tell the story.
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