Monday Morning Memo - 1.5.2026
Wider Horizons Events and Information
Men’s and Women’s Coffees this Wednesday, January 7:
The men will gather at Ada’s on 15th Ave E at 10:30 am
The women will gather at Denise Lishner’s, 1509 26th Ave E (at the corner of Galer & 26th E…decent on-street parking) at 10:30 am. Denise has quite a few steps up to her front door, with good handrails, but it’s an easy walk from the sidewalk to her Galer entrance. Please bring a treat to share.
Thursday morning’s All-Member Zoom is happening as usual this Thursday, January 8 at 9:30 am. Sue Lerner will send out the link and questions on Wednesday. Just a note: these very popular sessions took place on both Christmas day and New Year’s day…and lots of people showed up.
Join the Arboretum Walk, Sunday, January 11. If Richard Zerbe isn’t there, proceed without him. Richard and Diane are in the process of moving to Skyline. Meet at 9 am at the Arboretum’s Graham Visitors Center.
Share your New Year story at Storytelling, Thursday, January 15th at 4 pm. We have a place for one more storyteller this month. A New Year's resolution gone bad? A New Year's resolution that really worked? A special New Year's Eve event with a twist? Or, a story of your life of travel or your career or...another story you think might resonate with others. Please be in touch with Debbie Ward: debbieward222@gmail.com or send a text/call 415-686-0941. Thank you for volunteering!
I want to acknowledge the many members who made our Fall Fundraising Campaign a success. We raised more than $120,000, exceeding our goal by $30,000. What happens with these funds? Most of them go to supplement the revenue from member dues (which have not increased since we began more than 10 years ago) and that revenue supports our operations: my salary/benefits, insurance, member support like social work, events, and more. The remainder is added to our investment fund to assure sustainability going into the future. I’ll be getting out my thank you’s and tax acknowledgment letters this week. Let me know if you’d be interested in thanking some of our donors who aren’t members. That is always a lovely thing to do.
And thank you to all the hosts of our holiday events. Eight extremely varied and creative events, attended by a duplicated count of 91 members, took place from early December – January 1.
Sharing
Susan Adler shared information about the Ikebana Seattle Branch Online Winter Exhibition—it’s accessible through January 19, 2026. Susan says, “I am not exhibiting this time around but it is a lovely collection.” Here is the link https://seattlesogetsu.wixsite.com/home/2025-winter-exhibition Check it out to bring more beauty into your life.
Here is a link to information about a presentation by a world-renowned expert on Creative Aging, Dr. John Zeisel on Thursday, January 22 at the Frye Art Museum. This free event will share a hopeful vision of the future of dementia care. Seattle is a leader in established programs that support people living with dementia and their care partners. Register here if there is still room: https://fryemuseum.org/calendar/event/creative-aging-speaker-event-dr-john-zeisel-hopeful-vision-future-dementia-care
This article, shared by Micki Lippe, may change your life: https://www.blog.lifebranches.com/p/aging-out-of-fucks-the-neuroscience