There's a lot of stuff I keep to myself. I'm sure you find that hard to believe, but it's true. I've always said that I try to do things because it is the right thing to do, not so that others will notice. But to tell this story, I have to tell you a couple of things that I wouldn't otherwise. Please excuse them.
Billy and I have our favorite causes that we support monetarily. It will come as no surprise to anyone that they are primarily based around the care and support of animals. This world is full of causes, most of them honest and worthy, but it seems like with animals the choices are always one of two - a "regular" shelter or a no-kill shelter. Obviously we prefer one over the other, but we support both. We want to give every animal possible a fighting chance. It has always just broken our hearts that these sweet little animals that want nothing but love and companionship so often end up at a shelter, and worse, because of the thoughtless, inhumane acts of human beings. We're just trying to help those who can't help themselves.
That isn't to say that we don't help human causes as well. We do. But more of that is with time than money. It has just always seemed to us that there are plenty of organizations that help men, women and especially children, who, like the animals, are also innocent victims of the poor decisions of the adults around them, that we could divert our funds elsewhere.
This is a time that we didn't.
We live two blocks from the residential shelter for abused children. (We also happen to live two blocks from the abused women's shelter. But that isn't really relevant to this.) I'm also friends with the director of the children's shelter, she and her sister, so it wasn't a surprise when I received a Facebook invite to a "Going to College" shower. I read the invite, thought "oh how nice" and responded as I do to anything I get on Facebook with a "maybe". See, it was on Thursday afternoon from 4-6. I already had our Kiwanis Club quarterly social on Thursday from 5 to about 6:30, bunco from 6 to 8:30, and a church meeting from 6:30 to 8. As all my Thursdays are, I was booked. (One of these days I will point out to all these organizations that there are actually 7 days in a week they could choose from!) I actually didn't give the shower much more thought. I was out of town last weekend and then working all week so it kind of slipped.
Until I checked my Facebook page Thursday morning.
The event was on my wall as a reminder. I reread the blurb about the young lady for whom the shower was being given. She was a resident and had been accepted to a pre-pharmacy program at a college on the Coast. I thought about it a minute or two, realized that Billy and I had purchased some gift cards the week before and still had one and I thought I could stick that in a card and drop it off at lunch.
Seemed simple enough. Asked Billy if he cared if I gave away the gift card. In his true fashion, he responded, "well, I'm usually more all about the animals, but this seems goods too."
Conscience assuaged, I left for work.
But I'm still thinking. It's a problem I have. Kiwanis Club - whose mission is to change the lives of others one community and one CHILD at a time. I'm thinking here is a good opportunity to help the life of one child so I emailed the president to see what he thought. Great idea, he said. Run to Wal-Mart and get a $100 gift card from the Club.
Done.
I signed the card for the whole Club since we weren't having our regular lunch meeting that Thursday and the shower was only a few hours away.
That's when I decided to actually attend the shower. It was no longer just a little $30 card from us, I was also representing a larger organization.
What a wonderful decision I made.
Let me tell you about "Faith", the young lady I met. (Obviously Faith is not her real name, but its close.)
First of all, the shelter was all decorated and food spread out on the table. Dips, burgers, cookies, the works! And a lovely young lady was sitting at one end of the room, surrounded with gifts of sheets, towels, and all manner of other things a new college student needs for her dorm room. I gave her the cards and she opened them and her face truly lit up. "This is so nice!" she exclaimed. And it was genuine. You could see it all over her face.
Then the director pulled me and another lady aside and told us Faith's story and why she was so special. She wasn't the first the resident to go to college. There had been football players and other young people go on. But none quite like this.
Faith had suffered all manners of abuse from almost birth. Her drug abuser biological mother had her parental rights terminated after her boyfriend repeated sexually abused and raped Faith as a toddler. Yes, you read that correctly. She was a TODDLER. Preschool.
Faith was placed into the State foster system and ultimately adopted. Before the ink was dry on the adoption papers her new "mom" started beating her. And continued to do so until Faith was old enough to start hitting back at around age 14.
Sounds like a failure in the system to me.
Faith is back in that system, though. In and out of shelters and foster homes and even mental institutions. She was exhibiting some of the worst possible behaviors - trying to strangle a roommate and burn down one of the shelters. Was ultimately diagnosed as bipolar but still, she had quite the records of issues following her when she landed in Natchez.
To our shelter's extreme credit, they view every child that comes through its doors as a fresh face. They are aware of the child's past but it gets left on the front porch and they are only judged by what goes on under their roof. The past is simply that, the past. Not to be confused with the present or future.
Faith starts to blossom in this environment. She commented to the director one day that they must not have known all about her and what all she'd done before. Her response to the director correcting that notion was a disbelieving "And you took me anyway?"
Yes.
Faith later commented that this was the first place that had seen her as person and not only as a behavior.
The inappropriate behaviors stopped and she started truly functioning like a real teenage girl. Not only going to school but passing and doing well enough to graduate. And graduate well enough to be accepted to a pre-pharmacy program.
THAT was why we were having a shower for her. Her personal accomplishments were what made her special. Virtually anyone would have "understood" if she had become just another victim of society and the system. Happens every single day. But SHE wasn't going to settle for that. Neither were those around her. I've seen that shelter and those women are incredible. I could not do what they do. Simply couldn't. But they gave her the space and support she needed to grow and flourish and not be satisfied to be a victim. She's going to make something of her life.
The second part of the story is one I'm still mulling over. You see, it hit her the other day that she was going to be 18 soon and would no longer be in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. She would be on her own in every sense of the word since she had no family and no home. And she was scared. What would she do in college over holiday breaks? She had no place to go.
As I said, the women at the shelter are incredible ladies and they aren't leaving Faith out in the world alone. She has a home in Natchez, probably staying with the director or other friends here in town.
Faith is going to make it. I can feel it. I hope I can find a way to help her. Maybe as a mentor or something. I have a cousin in pharmacy school in Arkansas - maybe I can do something there. I don't know.
All I do know is that I was blessed that day to get to meet her and I will continue to keep up with her. I'm very glad I left work 30 minutes early to drop off those cards in person. And when I left I congratulated her again on her accomplishments and she said "Thank you so much for coming", and she meant it.
There are a lot of Faiths in the world. The children that get overlooked or lost in the system. Sometimes they honestly don't need a whole lot. A stable environment, support, understanding, and the right amount of pushing in the right direction. They don't need their bad behavior "excused" but they don't need it lorded over them either. They need to be made to feel like they are contributing members of society and will be expected to contribute. Sometimes all it takes is for someone to have a little "Faith" in them.
They are only victims if they choose to be. They can be survivors.
And they are most definitely teachers. Teaching all us what it means to look adversity in the eye and not blink. Showing us what it means to truly live a life.
Good luck Faith! As I told my nephew on his graduation last week: May your path be straight and your steps sure. May you keep your eyes on the horizon, always looking for the next thing.
And thanks Matilda and all the ladies at the shelter. You took coal and made a diamond, as you always do.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
And There Was Dancing In The Streets
On May 2, 2011, the world heard the news for which the United States had waited almost 10 years. Osama bin Laden had been located and killed.
The face of evil was no more (quite literally if you believe the reports).
It was a little hard to believe at first. It's been so long and the media so often get it wrong. And I had not heard the President speak, only received the news the following morning.
But the celebrations had started. In my head I couldn't quit singing "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead!" from the "Wizard of Oz". There were pictures of people in the streets with noisemakers and music. It looked very much like New Year's Eve in Times Square.
And as much as I don't begrudge anyone celebrating this in their own way, I kept coming back to something that Coach Lou Holtz used to tell his players - (paraphrased) if you score a touchdown, just put the ball down in the endzone or hand it to the referee. Act like you've been there before, even if you haven't.
I wish we could have approached the event like an item on our to do list.
Wash the car Check
Walk the dog Check
Pick up milk Check
Kill bin Laden Check
Soccer practice Check
Basically, the Navy Seals just did their job. For all we know, it simply was an item on their overall to do list. And they got it done.
I think it bothers me some because of the way we always react whenever one of our innocent soldiers or a journalist is captured and sometimes killed. The people in support of that behavior are firing guns into the air and dancing for joy and we can't believe that other human beings would act that way.
I am in NO WAY comparing the mastermind, orchestrator of the worst attack on American soil to our innocent soldiers, do not misunderstand me for an instant. I had family in Washington DC on that morning who saw the Pentagon and in New York City in the midst the chaos. Billy and I had our picture made less than two weeks before standing in the courtyard of Towers I and II in front of the gold globe and the sky that morning was just as blue as it was when those planes flew into the Towers and we could have been there. So no, I am not comparing the evil of that one human being to anything good. I am glad the SOB was DOA and I say good riddance to bad rubbish, but still...
I wish that, collectively, we could have just handed the ball to the ref and moved on.
Because there will be others. They are already plotting. And for all I know we fueled their desire to wreak even more havoc. We may get a short respite. We have done some serious damage to the Al-Queda organization. But it is by no means over. We might have scored a touchdown, but there is still time on the clock.
The face of evil was no more (quite literally if you believe the reports).
It was a little hard to believe at first. It's been so long and the media so often get it wrong. And I had not heard the President speak, only received the news the following morning.
But the celebrations had started. In my head I couldn't quit singing "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead!" from the "Wizard of Oz". There were pictures of people in the streets with noisemakers and music. It looked very much like New Year's Eve in Times Square.
And as much as I don't begrudge anyone celebrating this in their own way, I kept coming back to something that Coach Lou Holtz used to tell his players - (paraphrased) if you score a touchdown, just put the ball down in the endzone or hand it to the referee. Act like you've been there before, even if you haven't.
I wish we could have approached the event like an item on our to do list.
Wash the car Check
Walk the dog Check
Pick up milk Check
Kill bin Laden Check
Soccer practice Check
Basically, the Navy Seals just did their job. For all we know, it simply was an item on their overall to do list. And they got it done.
I think it bothers me some because of the way we always react whenever one of our innocent soldiers or a journalist is captured and sometimes killed. The people in support of that behavior are firing guns into the air and dancing for joy and we can't believe that other human beings would act that way.
I am in NO WAY comparing the mastermind, orchestrator of the worst attack on American soil to our innocent soldiers, do not misunderstand me for an instant. I had family in Washington DC on that morning who saw the Pentagon and in New York City in the midst the chaos. Billy and I had our picture made less than two weeks before standing in the courtyard of Towers I and II in front of the gold globe and the sky that morning was just as blue as it was when those planes flew into the Towers and we could have been there. So no, I am not comparing the evil of that one human being to anything good. I am glad the SOB was DOA and I say good riddance to bad rubbish, but still...
I wish that, collectively, we could have just handed the ball to the ref and moved on.
Because there will be others. They are already plotting. And for all I know we fueled their desire to wreak even more havoc. We may get a short respite. We have done some serious damage to the Al-Queda organization. But it is by no means over. We might have scored a touchdown, but there is still time on the clock.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
I Am 45 Today
And apparently I don't care who knows it.
I've always been a big birthday celebrant. (But I'm not fishing for birthday wishes, honest). I've always figured it was way better to have a birthday than to not have one. Beats the alternative I say. I will celebrate for weeks if allowed!
But today's birthday is a bit of a milestone, at least in my mind, and I thought I would reflect a little.
I've been really very blessed. I was raised in a good home. Parents that loved each other. Strong discipline. Good values. A wonderful foundation for becoming an independent adult. I'm lucky to still have my mother in my life. I won't pretend, though, that I don't miss my dad and wish that we could have had more years together.
I picked the right mate, the first time. I know not everyone is that lucky. I have a partner in my life that I cannot even imagine living without. He supports me. He challenges me. He stands beside me. And he loves me.
I have a sister that started as a typical little sister and became one of my best friends. It wasn't always that way, and I won't say otherwise. But we reached a point in college where a true friendship started to blossom and has grown into something that I'm really really glad I have. She's one of the first people I call when I need something, or just want to talk. We even check in every once in a while just to say hi.
And she's blessed me with two nephews and a niece that fill my maternal gap. I love those kids with all my heart and soul and would do anything for them.
I have dear friends that I've known practically all my life and know that they are never more than a phone call away. Very comforting. We don't have to see each other often, or even talk that much, but they are there and I know it and that is all I need, really.
And tons of family that have made my life so far so worth living. Uncles, aunts, cousins too numerous to name. You all know who you are and that I love you.
I have some skills that have enabled me to earn a nice living, and some others that allow me to have some fun. Explore my creative side.
And my days start and end with the unconditional love of 8 wonderful puppy dogs. Billy brought the first one into our lives less than 4 months into our marriage and we've never been without at least one since then. Matter of fact, there was only one for one year. We got the second precious baby almost exactly one year later and we've had multiples ever since. I can't begin to think about what my days would be like without them. I'm not sure I'd know how to act! Or that I'd even want to find out. They are a handful and a half, but they're ours.
I hope that I have longevity on my side. My grandmother turned 97 in February, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility! With all I've invested in Oil of Olay products (honestly, they owe me a Christmas card!) I hope that when I am 97, I won't look a day over 90.
But I also know that I have no guarantees. I lost an old friend last month who was the same age I am today. He didn't make it to his 46th birthday. Yes, it was largely the result of poor choices, but still. None of us have any promises of a tomorrow, much less a better tomorrow than today. When I think about how many emergency asthma attacks there were growing up, and the couple of times I almost drowned, well I have to say I'm just darn glad to be here!
So I know have to make the most of every day. And celebrate the birthdays! It honestly could be the last. I have to keep scratching things off my Bucket List and keep working at being the best me I can be. And never take for granted that, as much as I love Scarlett O'Hara, tomorrow is another day.
I've always been a big birthday celebrant. (But I'm not fishing for birthday wishes, honest). I've always figured it was way better to have a birthday than to not have one. Beats the alternative I say. I will celebrate for weeks if allowed!
But today's birthday is a bit of a milestone, at least in my mind, and I thought I would reflect a little.
I've been really very blessed. I was raised in a good home. Parents that loved each other. Strong discipline. Good values. A wonderful foundation for becoming an independent adult. I'm lucky to still have my mother in my life. I won't pretend, though, that I don't miss my dad and wish that we could have had more years together.
I picked the right mate, the first time. I know not everyone is that lucky. I have a partner in my life that I cannot even imagine living without. He supports me. He challenges me. He stands beside me. And he loves me.
I have a sister that started as a typical little sister and became one of my best friends. It wasn't always that way, and I won't say otherwise. But we reached a point in college where a true friendship started to blossom and has grown into something that I'm really really glad I have. She's one of the first people I call when I need something, or just want to talk. We even check in every once in a while just to say hi.
And she's blessed me with two nephews and a niece that fill my maternal gap. I love those kids with all my heart and soul and would do anything for them.
I have dear friends that I've known practically all my life and know that they are never more than a phone call away. Very comforting. We don't have to see each other often, or even talk that much, but they are there and I know it and that is all I need, really.
And tons of family that have made my life so far so worth living. Uncles, aunts, cousins too numerous to name. You all know who you are and that I love you.
I have some skills that have enabled me to earn a nice living, and some others that allow me to have some fun. Explore my creative side.
And my days start and end with the unconditional love of 8 wonderful puppy dogs. Billy brought the first one into our lives less than 4 months into our marriage and we've never been without at least one since then. Matter of fact, there was only one for one year. We got the second precious baby almost exactly one year later and we've had multiples ever since. I can't begin to think about what my days would be like without them. I'm not sure I'd know how to act! Or that I'd even want to find out. They are a handful and a half, but they're ours.
I hope that I have longevity on my side. My grandmother turned 97 in February, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility! With all I've invested in Oil of Olay products (honestly, they owe me a Christmas card!) I hope that when I am 97, I won't look a day over 90.
But I also know that I have no guarantees. I lost an old friend last month who was the same age I am today. He didn't make it to his 46th birthday. Yes, it was largely the result of poor choices, but still. None of us have any promises of a tomorrow, much less a better tomorrow than today. When I think about how many emergency asthma attacks there were growing up, and the couple of times I almost drowned, well I have to say I'm just darn glad to be here!
So I know have to make the most of every day. And celebrate the birthdays! It honestly could be the last. I have to keep scratching things off my Bucket List and keep working at being the best me I can be. And never take for granted that, as much as I love Scarlett O'Hara, tomorrow is another day.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
We Wait, and We Watch
The Mississippi River is the highest it has ever been. And it hasn't finished rising yet. The crest is expected in about 4 or 5 days. On Thursday this past week we broke the record that had stood since 1937 when we crossed the 60 feet mark. And in my head I keep hearing Johnny Cash singing "Five Feet High and Rising".
Like many others, I walked to down to the river last night. I can't remember the last time I saw so many folks downtown. Not a lot of talking going on, just looking. And taking pictures. The little town across the river, Vidalia, is already starting to flood. The riverfront park is under water and the businesses are surrounded by sand bag fences. The water is creeping up the levee. It is only a matter of time. (Side note - for those that don't know - Natchez is about 200 feet above the river up on a cliff. Our house is probably another 30 feet above that. If we ever flood, there's an ark out there somewhere and there's other things to worry about.)
On our side, the casino closed last week. Some of the old buildings no longer in business were taken down. A sand bag fence along the riverbank turns and closes the street just on the far side of the last restaurant.
It is a scary time.
But here is what has impressed me the most - the spirit of the communities involved.
Parked along the top of the bluff were rows of recreational vehicles. And a Concordia Parish Sheriff's Command Post. And storm chasers. All parked on what is normally private property. Our office has offered our conference rooms and vacant office space to an attorney's office that will most likely be temporarily displaced. A coworker has given up valuable storage space to people needing to move their household belongings, and done so at no charge. There is an emergency animal shelter one block from our house in a city-owned building to house the animals, not only those abandoned but also those that maybe can't go with their owners to a shelter. It is being manned by volunteers from around the country and assisted by the locals.
We're seeing true neighbor helping neighbor, right in our own backyard. And we're not alone. Today, the Army Corp of Engineers started opening spillways to take some pressure off the river. That water that is being diverted to save Baton Rouge and New Orleans from almost certain disaster will most likely take out many small towns. Flooding thousands of homes. Earlier in the process, precious farmland in Missouri was sacrificed to blow some levees and do the same thing - flood specific areas to spare others.
And you know what? I haven't heard anyone complaining about it. Unlike the tornadoes that dropped out of the skies over Arkansas and Alabama and northern Mississippi a few weeks ago, everyone here has had warning. They've had time to decide what they need to keep, protect it and head to higher ground. They recognize that a natural disaster is simply and Act of God and nothing that could be avoided. And that sometimes someone has to "take one for the team" in order to lessen what could be an even greater disaster.
I'm proud of my "neighbors" - those near and far. It has actually restored some of my faith in human nature. I watched the citizen of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina blame everyone except Mother Nature for what they were experiencing. Yes, it was horrible. The storm itself and the flood after were unprecedented. But the looting was shameful and the blame was unacceptable.
You live in a soup bowl and high water could be a problem.
You ignore the orders to evacuate and you might get stuck on a roof or in the Super Dome with hundreds of others.
Instead, help each other and help yourself and keep everything in perspective. Remember to be thankful that you had warning and time to take action instead of hearing the scream of a tornado siren as you see the funnel cloud heading to your house.
Remember that this too shall pass.
Watch, and wait.
Like many others, I walked to down to the river last night. I can't remember the last time I saw so many folks downtown. Not a lot of talking going on, just looking. And taking pictures. The little town across the river, Vidalia, is already starting to flood. The riverfront park is under water and the businesses are surrounded by sand bag fences. The water is creeping up the levee. It is only a matter of time. (Side note - for those that don't know - Natchez is about 200 feet above the river up on a cliff. Our house is probably another 30 feet above that. If we ever flood, there's an ark out there somewhere and there's other things to worry about.)
On our side, the casino closed last week. Some of the old buildings no longer in business were taken down. A sand bag fence along the riverbank turns and closes the street just on the far side of the last restaurant.
It is a scary time.
But here is what has impressed me the most - the spirit of the communities involved.
Parked along the top of the bluff were rows of recreational vehicles. And a Concordia Parish Sheriff's Command Post. And storm chasers. All parked on what is normally private property. Our office has offered our conference rooms and vacant office space to an attorney's office that will most likely be temporarily displaced. A coworker has given up valuable storage space to people needing to move their household belongings, and done so at no charge. There is an emergency animal shelter one block from our house in a city-owned building to house the animals, not only those abandoned but also those that maybe can't go with their owners to a shelter. It is being manned by volunteers from around the country and assisted by the locals.
We're seeing true neighbor helping neighbor, right in our own backyard. And we're not alone. Today, the Army Corp of Engineers started opening spillways to take some pressure off the river. That water that is being diverted to save Baton Rouge and New Orleans from almost certain disaster will most likely take out many small towns. Flooding thousands of homes. Earlier in the process, precious farmland in Missouri was sacrificed to blow some levees and do the same thing - flood specific areas to spare others.
And you know what? I haven't heard anyone complaining about it. Unlike the tornadoes that dropped out of the skies over Arkansas and Alabama and northern Mississippi a few weeks ago, everyone here has had warning. They've had time to decide what they need to keep, protect it and head to higher ground. They recognize that a natural disaster is simply and Act of God and nothing that could be avoided. And that sometimes someone has to "take one for the team" in order to lessen what could be an even greater disaster.
I'm proud of my "neighbors" - those near and far. It has actually restored some of my faith in human nature. I watched the citizen of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina blame everyone except Mother Nature for what they were experiencing. Yes, it was horrible. The storm itself and the flood after were unprecedented. But the looting was shameful and the blame was unacceptable.
You live in a soup bowl and high water could be a problem.
You ignore the orders to evacuate and you might get stuck on a roof or in the Super Dome with hundreds of others.
Instead, help each other and help yourself and keep everything in perspective. Remember to be thankful that you had warning and time to take action instead of hearing the scream of a tornado siren as you see the funnel cloud heading to your house.
Remember that this too shall pass.
Watch, and wait.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
But I Have Not Been Idle....
Feels so good to be behind the keyboard again - at least the half with letters, not numbers. I really learned last year that the blog has to take a hiatus during busy season. I'm typically not coherent enough to write, assuming I can even stay awake long enough after I get home. Most nights I can't.
But I have not been all work. I have not been sitting idly by.
The week of Easter I was in Washington, DC attending a review course and exam. I can now call myself a certified fraud examiner. Three more initials are added behind my name on my business cards. I have one more credential I'd like to earn. Maybe later this year. If I can find the time to study. That's the rub. One of our instructors in the review course noted that we were all there because "Life got in the way".
And that was true. I'd been studying off and on for 18 months. Some people there had received the materials in 2006 and had finally signed up for the course just to help them get it finished. It really did help me focus and I got the job done. All four parts passed and now it is behind me.
I also finished a course for a personal growth opportunity. I started back in the fall and finished it Easter weekend. I learned a lot about a subject matter that was interesting to me and made some positive changes in my personal life.
As a part of that study, I got to marry my best friend. Again.
This time was different. It was the two of us and the priest. Two witnesses and three friends in the congregation. One of whom played wedding photograper with her phone. My underlying theme, no dress no drama.
It certainly would have been nice to have family involved, but, let's face it, most people don't get married on a Tuesday night at 5:30 after work. In the middle of busy season no less. Would not have been practical in the least to have anyone but those few folks there. But the most important person in my world was there and it was a simple service about the two us renewing the vows we first made almost 22 years ago.
Which is what weddings are supposed to be about. Not the flowers or the dress or the cakes or how many attendants in matching dresses you can line up beside you.
I also finished my Leadership Natchez class and will graduate on May 12. The importance of that program really can't be overstressed. I learned so much about Natchez through it. Things I might not have otherwise. And the important things - what our education and healthcare systems are really like; how to help our social services organizations that are helping others in need; that if I ever commit a crime it will federal since that prison was way nicer than the county and city facilities (that was only a joke - the part about committing a crime, not that the federal facility was nicer); and how to enjoy some of the truly unique cultural activities rooted in this town. Yesterday we capped it with the 2nd Annual Kickball Tournament.
So, I have worked, and worked a lot. But I've also played and learned and grown.
One of my audit clients uses Billy to clean their carpets. We had scheduled it initially for this weekend but when I looked at the calendar again I remembered the kickball tournament. It is a large commercial job so I have to help Billy with what I can, and it still ends up taking him about 15 or 16 hours. So I emailed the director and asked if we could push it back and told her why I needed to. A while later I received a response. It was fine to move it she said. Then she followed up "All I have to say about 'kickball tournament' - Life is not passing you by!"
No ma’am! Not much for standing on the sidelines.
But I have not been all work. I have not been sitting idly by.
The week of Easter I was in Washington, DC attending a review course and exam. I can now call myself a certified fraud examiner. Three more initials are added behind my name on my business cards. I have one more credential I'd like to earn. Maybe later this year. If I can find the time to study. That's the rub. One of our instructors in the review course noted that we were all there because "Life got in the way".
And that was true. I'd been studying off and on for 18 months. Some people there had received the materials in 2006 and had finally signed up for the course just to help them get it finished. It really did help me focus and I got the job done. All four parts passed and now it is behind me.
I also finished a course for a personal growth opportunity. I started back in the fall and finished it Easter weekend. I learned a lot about a subject matter that was interesting to me and made some positive changes in my personal life.
As a part of that study, I got to marry my best friend. Again.
This time was different. It was the two of us and the priest. Two witnesses and three friends in the congregation. One of whom played wedding photograper with her phone. My underlying theme, no dress no drama.
It certainly would have been nice to have family involved, but, let's face it, most people don't get married on a Tuesday night at 5:30 after work. In the middle of busy season no less. Would not have been practical in the least to have anyone but those few folks there. But the most important person in my world was there and it was a simple service about the two us renewing the vows we first made almost 22 years ago.
Which is what weddings are supposed to be about. Not the flowers or the dress or the cakes or how many attendants in matching dresses you can line up beside you.
I also finished my Leadership Natchez class and will graduate on May 12. The importance of that program really can't be overstressed. I learned so much about Natchez through it. Things I might not have otherwise. And the important things - what our education and healthcare systems are really like; how to help our social services organizations that are helping others in need; that if I ever commit a crime it will federal since that prison was way nicer than the county and city facilities (that was only a joke - the part about committing a crime, not that the federal facility was nicer); and how to enjoy some of the truly unique cultural activities rooted in this town. Yesterday we capped it with the 2nd Annual Kickball Tournament.
So, I have worked, and worked a lot. But I've also played and learned and grown.
One of my audit clients uses Billy to clean their carpets. We had scheduled it initially for this weekend but when I looked at the calendar again I remembered the kickball tournament. It is a large commercial job so I have to help Billy with what I can, and it still ends up taking him about 15 or 16 hours. So I emailed the director and asked if we could push it back and told her why I needed to. A while later I received a response. It was fine to move it she said. Then she followed up "All I have to say about 'kickball tournament' - Life is not passing you by!"
No ma’am! Not much for standing on the sidelines.
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