Welcome to Connect, the Women's Yellow Pages eZine
for March

FROM THE DESK OF ELLEN FISHER, PUBLISHER, WOMEN'S YELLOW PAGES

For the last six months Bonnie, our eZine editor, has been talking nonstop about a project she initiated called JoyRox.net. It's a cross between geocaching, street art, and pet rocks. She colorfully decorates rocks, labels them with the name of the website, and leaves them for people to find. She is just as likely to leave a rock in a movie theater or library as a park or wooded trail. When someone finds a rock, they go to the website where they discover that the sole reason for JoyRox.net is to bring joy to the finder and then serve as a reminder that there is much joy in this world. They can also search a photo gallery to discover the name of their rock. 

One reason I am telling you this is because Bonnie asked me if I would take one of the JoyRox with me when I went to California in February. I was given carte blanche for where to place it. I had always thought the JoyRox idea was a bit bizarre, but when my friends and I spent countless hours laughing and contemplating where we would leave our rock and then scheduled a whole fun day of activities around our chosen destination (which turned out to be where John Denver crashed his pane in Monterey), I realized that this silly rock really did carry joy with it. 

The other reason I am telling you this is because when I was packing for my trip, I had the germ of an idea along the same lines of JoyRox... just a bit more personal. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I had to follow through on it. 

My idea was to leave one of my Dad's shirts (he passed away in December and I was having a hard time letting go of some of his flannel shirts) in a place that he loved in Carmel, California - the Tickle Pink. It's a beautiful and expensive Inn that he visited with my mother after she read about it in a AAA magazine. And, after she died, he took all five of us kids there. Whenever I am in the area I always stop by to take in the scenery and relive memories. 

On a beautiful February afternoon, my California friends and I sauntered into the Inn. We went to the back porch that overlooks the sea and I placed one of my dad's shirts on the back of a chair. I left a note inside the pocket that read, "This shirt was owned by Sam Fisher of Philadelphia. He passed away on December 27th. This was one of his favorite places in the world. I thought he should see it, in essence, just one more time."  

                       
Also in February, in lieu of an eZine, I sent out a Valentine greeting that contained a story about my father. I always get a lot of feedback from my eZine column, but the number of replies to the Valentine story was staggering. I received many stories of parental love, spousal romance, and memories of special Valentine's Days. But most of all I heard from people who were also grieving a loved one, be it a recent death or one from long ago. I was aware that comfort comes from the stories of others; but I had no idea just how important these stories would be as a form of healing for me. I thank you.

There are two important and wonderful women in our Women's Yellow Pages community who recently lost their husbands. Knowing how much your words and stories helped me, I hope you will take a moment to reach out to them: Kayte Connelly and Mary Cushing Doherty. This is what truly makes a community.                   
                                                                
Regards,                       
Ellen Fisher, Founder, Publisher and Shirt Leaver                                               

efisher@philawyp.com

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