Reminiscing ...

Man, I miss these days ....



Ben was about this size when the Olympics came on and he would bounce around during gymnastics routines, standing triumphantly with both arms raised above his head at the end. What I wouldn't give now to have a video of that!

They grow too fast ...

Required Reading

If you don't already, please read Girl's Gone Child's post today about parenthood ... unless you are not a parent, don't plan on being one, and never had one. She is an incredible writer always, but this one just tugged at me more than usual!

Happy Thursday, all ...

New Job, New School Year, New .... hmm, what else?

Well, we made it through our first week of me working and the boys attending school. I, for one, am exhausted. I fell asleep last night watching Project Runway, then I fell asleep again this afternoon reading a new book (that I was enjoying, I might add!) It's a tired, old joke, but this work stuff is really hard work. Getting up to an alarm clock every morning - something I haven't had to do all summer, and even last year I would get the boys up and out but then I could return to bed if I so chose - but no more.

Both boys are happy with their classes. Ben is having a bit of an issue figuring out which math class he should be in - I may end up going in next week to talk with the teacher and/or the counselor, but for now he is trying to manage it on his own and I am so proud - but also wistful that he is old enough to be doing this on his own. Such maturity, such pragmatism, such good communication he is exhibiting! Warms a mother's heart.

And my job. I so appreciate the support and love I have felt all summer long from all of you as I have searched and searched and searched for a job, and now the shared pleasure and satisfaction you all show me that I have finally found employment. The job is ... well, to be honest, it's just a job. It's not my dream job, not even, really, a step in my imagined career path, but on the other hand, my career path has never been straight or steady or paved or even visible, so who knows, maybe it is part of the path and I just don't know it yet. I am now the office manager (though sometimes I say I am the administrator to try and make myself sound more important!) of a small church. It's a Unity Church. Every time I say that, someone inevitably asks, what denomination is that? The answer is "it's a Unity Church." Unity was started as a church in the late 1880s by a couple in Missouri (where the church headquarters still are, today.) From their website:

Unity is a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer. Unity honors the universal truths in all religions and respects each individual's right to choose a spiritual path.

Unity teaches that each person is a unique expression of God created with sacred worth. Living from that awareness transforms our lives and the world. Unity emphasizes the creative power of thought in our life experience. We refer to this as the Law of Mind Action. When we take personal responsibility to choose life-affirming thoughts, words and actions, we experience a more fulfilling and abundant life.

Unity emphasizes the importance of applying spiritual principles in our daily lives.

Unity teachings continue to evolve as we identify, embrace and apply spiritual insights and the spiritual implications of new discoveries.

Deepak Chopra, The Secret, New Thought ... all are related to Unity Church. It's an interesting religion, no doubt.

The church I am working at is small and growing. Currently there are about 100 members - there were more until a change in ministers brought about issues that divided the congregation about two years ago. The current minister and members are working to overcome that time in history and build themselves up again. I see a lot of potential for my talents to be put to good use here. In my first week, I have been learning a lot about the daily operations - not too much about the faith itself (though pretty much everyone I meet asks if I am going to join the congregation. From my past experiences, it is usually better for office staff at a church to not be a member of that church. That can get messy.) The people are friendly, welcoming, and eager to work with me. The minister is from Nigeria originally, and was an engineer prior to becoming ordained. I am in charge of the day-to-day tasks including keeping the website up-to-date (I will eventually be working to get them to let me to completely overhaul it!), doing daily Facebook and Twitter updates (I have been resisting Twitter for as long as I have known about it - who knew it would become part of my job responsibilities?!), all types of internal and external communication, overseeing some volunteers, supervising the general management of the building (supplies inventory, making sure maintenance is done, etc.), mail, email, and phones, and then pretty much anything else that comes through the door. I love the variety and breadth of my responsibilities and tasks. I hope that I don't get bored six months down the road. The very best part? I will be receiving my first pay check on Tuesday. And the biggest challenge? (I said this on Facebook - mine, not the church's - already) ... it's located one block from Culver's. Today I treated myself to a hot fudge shake to celebrate my first full week.

This morning I was thinking about the date. 9/11. The strange thing for me, today, is that on that 9/11 I was working in a church, too. I remember getting calls at the church - it was a primary election day and the church was a polling place - and we brought up a TV and had it going so people waiting to vote, and the election judges, could watch. Is there significance in the fact that I have come full circle to working in a church again? I don't know.

New favorite blog

I have a new favorite blog. It's written by two grandmothers (at least one is a great-grandmother.) Well, at least that's what they say, you know how it is with the internet, you can never be sure anyone is who they claim to be. But they have such an entertaining way of presenting what I believe. I find myself needing to find ways to laugh lately when looking at anything political in our nation these days. Margaret and Helen provide that.

Working Woman

Yesterday I started my new job. After months of searching, applying, interviewing and not being picked, I finally got chosen to be on a team! I am the new Administrator at Unity South Church here in Bloomington. It's part time (25-30 hours per week) and (for now, anyway) I always have Fridays off. The church is small but vibrant and growing, and there is a lot going on - plenty of challenges to keep me busy and lots of room for me to be creative and innovative.

This pic is from my first morning. In somewhat atypical fashion for me, I was way more stressed about what to WEAR to work than about what the work would actually be like. The last few jobs I have had (last 18 years' worth) I have either had a uniform to wear, or I could wear jeans. This job calls for something one step above jeans, and I don't think scrubs would work. They'd be comfortable, yes, but probably not give off the right image. So I spent quite a few hours fretting about what to wear on my first day, and this is what I came up with. My favorite part of this picture, though, is Colby. He saw me posing, and looked at Brian with the camera, and he deliberately walked over to me, sat down where you see him, and stared straight into the camera lens, until Brian told him the picture was taken. Then he moved away again.

So now I have two days under my belt, and I am liking it. I am eager and ready to dive in and see what I can offer the church, and see how all the different pieces of my life - with the new job and the boys going back to school - are going to all fit together. But I do have to say, after a lot of years of setting my own timetable for everything, this getting up early to go to WORK is a tough transition.