by Sage Hagy
Every year as spring begins I look forward to going to Pilgrim Park in Princeton, Illinois for the Women’s Connection Spring Conference. I love seeing old friends and meeting new ones. In 2025, this started on the drive to Princeton, where I met Sydney VandenBusch for the first time and an old friend, Karen Kortsch, drove the car. Sydney had played a game of Buses, Trains, Planes, and Automobiles, substituting walking for the airplane component to be with us.
Thursday evening was a relaxing time of saying hello to old and new friends. I set up the sale of items for the benefit of our scholarship fund. Deb Czarnopys-White was working on downsizing, and she donated some lovely things to Women’s Connection for us to sell. I myself turned in early getting a good night’s sleep.
On Friday, we all enjoyed a leisurely day in our beautiful surroundings. Some women joined Gretchen Ohmann in learning songs from the Raging Grannies. This is an organization that has been around since the 1980s. As quoted from their website, “We are out in the streets promoting peace, justice, social and economic equality through song and humor.” Even those that stayed in the lobby enjoyed hearing the singing and laughter.
Women also spent the day working on puzzles (thank you, Angela C.), coloring with colored pencils (thank you, Kathy Miller), and walking the grounds (thank you, Gaia). This is the second year that we began with this extra day to gather together and enjoy each other’s company. It is something that we will continue next year. After dinner, we had our opening ritual. Pat Hyams wrote inspirational words for us even though she was not able to attend this weekend.
Saturday started my favorite way, with a walk with Tori. We did not tackle the hill this year, but stayed on more flat ground while enjoying the nature and bird songs of the campground. After breakfast, we had our keynote led by Peighton Carter. Pey and her daughter, Abigail Bailey, both have Ehlers-Danlos and have written a book, “Bendy Bones and Stretchy Skin.” Pey led a lively discussion of living with one’s individual personal challenges.
I did not attend Pey’s workshop after lunch, but I heard very positive talk about it. I did go to Tayuh Underhill’s workshop. Tayuh took the spoon theory of chronic pain developed by Christine Miserandino and personalized it. She gave us a baggie with a certain number of spoons and a colorful die. She had written a script that encompassed a normal day and we saw how many spoons it took. It was very informative and illuminating for everyone in the group, those that have lived with chronic pain and those that have experienced the ups and downs of everyday life.
Saturday night we had a campfire, where we gathered to sing and make s’mores. I had not had a s’more in years, what fun. For me, gathering around the campfire brings back many memories. It is a time to remember those that are no longer with us and the joy of being with friends.
Sunday morning again for me started with a walk with Tori. We found the camp’s vegetable garden. After breakfast, we opened the circle. It is always hard to end the weekend, but we are also reenergized by our time together. This year, I hope this weekend made us all aware that we can be differently abled in ways that are not always visible and we should treat everyone with care and consideration.
