Friday Off

I love having every other Friday off! With public service, we have some odd hours compared to the "typical" 9-5 workers. We work evenings and some weekends, and it's different from week to week. After 23 years of this schedule, it seems quite normal to me. I work every other Saturday. The weeks that I am working Saturday, I generally have Friday off. I've come to cherish these Fridays.

Sometimes I use Fridays to get important things done. I will schedule Dr. Appointments and medical tests on Fridays if they allow them. Some Dr.s (surgeons, in particular) don't have office hours on Fridays, but for them I try to schedule appointments in the mornings on the days when I'm working late (and consequently going in late).

Sometimes I use Fridays to catch up on housework things: shopping, cleaning, dishes, cooking, laundry, but to be honest, my husband does more than his fair share of all of that, so I rarely have to spend an entire day doing that alone.

Sometimes I spend the day meeting up with friends and lunching.

Sometimes I go to the yarn shop. Today was one of those days! The Knitter's Mercantile is my favorite LYS, and there is a group of women to often meet there on Friday mornings. Everyone is welcome and there have been some huge crowd from time to time! Today there were just a few of us. (I heard they're meeting every other week at another shop - how could they!?!?!?)

I had a lovely morning at the Merc. I made some good progress on one of my Xmas gifts (shh!) and I met a few new friends. One lady was doing her first project with the magic loop method (a cool way to knit in the round). After Jan (the shop owner) showed her the basics, Maureen sat down next to me and I was able to coach her as she got it going. As we talked, we finally realized that we go to the same church - LOL. Small world, eh? She is starting to get knitters together to make hats, gloves and scarves for kids in South Linden (where I used to work) for the winter months. I'm so there!

I'm glad I was able to make a new friend and get a new outlet for charity knitting. I love knitting gifts, and knitting for charity is just as good or better. What could be better than knitting for kids in our own town who need it? I bet some of those kids have even used my library. Pretty cool. If you're on Ravelry, the name of the group is Handknits for Harambee.

Friendships

I've been thinking about philosophizing about friendships and stuff, but frankly, I'm pooped out. Working full time again, going to PT a few times a week, and still dealing with sinus issues (could I be allergic to my new branch?) has taken its toll. So, instead of some deep treatise, you get a few pics and captions.
I was able to take some pics of my staff at Linden before leaving there.
(Here's Jon)
They were . . . tolerant. LOL

William making his "sweet" face.





DJ and Keith - DJ doesn't actually work there, but she might as well!




Carol!








Erica!






Mike!







Tanya!








Vera!






Carmen, one of my best buddies from the Linden Community. She gave me so much good advice over the years I was there!





These next pics are from the wedding shower my mom, sister and I had for our new sister, Suzie. Don't we all look like we're having fun?
That's because we were! Suzie is a wonderful woman, and I'm very happy for both her and my brother. The wedding is coming up on July 25, so check back for more pics next week!



Lovely flowers in an old hand-painted china watering can. Is my mother amazing, or what?







Also last weekend, I got to see some old friends! I met Josie and Mackenzie about . . . hmm . . . 25 years ago? Kenz was about 5, and Josie and Kenz's dad were 2 of the youth counselors at the church where I was working. We hit it off instantly, and , although we've gone quite a while without really keeping in touch, I feel that she is still a dear friend. An added treat - Mackenzie has turned into a fabulous woman, and I honestly feel like we are instant friends again, just like I was with her mom at that age! Weird fact - she is now older than I was when I met her. LOL



I just want to say that I feel wonderfully blessed to have so many friends. Thank you all for the birthday wishes, and thanks for hanging in there with me through all the recovery crap!

Humbling Lesson

I attended a community awards ceremony tonight. It was all about awarding people in the neighborhood where I work for doing great things. They have a Beautiful House Award, a Beautiful Business Award, a Public Servant of the Year, a Young Athlete of the Year, etc. I love going to this because it reminds me of the best of the people around me.

This year, I cheered and clapped as the kids went up. YOu know me, I always love seeing the kids being honored. One of them, a High School Senior, won a Young Scholar of the Year. She has excellent grades at Linden-McKinley HS, and a list of other activities, accomplishments and volunteer work as long as both my arms together. It was really impressive!

After the ceremony I happened to share a table with her mother as we enjoyed some refreshments . . . and here is where I was humbled. Along with this young woman's mother, I also met her 2-year-old daughter.

Yup - you read that right - that amazing, bright, gifted, giving young woman is also a mother. She plans to become Bill Gates someday. She has dreams and goals and is already well on her way to making them a reality. And she's a mom.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know that we have lots and lots of teen parents in our world, and especially in the neighborhood where I work. I also know we have lots of great, bright, ambitious, talented teens who have high expectations for themselves and meet them. I was shocked at myself for not really thinking before about those young people who are both at the same time.

Kudos to that young woman, and props to her mother, too, for helping to make it all possible. Someone has instilled some important values in that young woman's life, and it's most likely been her mother.

I am humbled, my mind is more open than before, and I've learned a valuable lesson. Not every teen mom drops out of HS and goes on welfare. I knew it before, but somehow in the midst of all my do-goodery, I'd forgotten.

I'll try to do better now.