Back with family

Joel & I are attending the game tonight. Santana's pitching, there's a possibility of a sweep...I just have to go. I shouldn't be greedy though...we already have taken the series and I'm pretty damn happy about that. Santana needs (& deserves) a win though...and I think tonight's the night. I'll be screaming my lungs out!

Baseball has been a welcome diversion this week. It's been another week filled with big changes. Just a little over a week following my wedding, I have changed jobs. This past Monday I went into my job at the Y and gave my resignation--effective immediately. It had become a very difficult work situation in recent months. At some point, I'll probably write about that. For now, I just need to spend some time recovering from the whole situation. In my entire adult life, I have never quit a job and left without giving a notice...but this situation called for it. As a friend and former co-worker there said, "You can't be honorable, when they have not been honorable." When you have a nightmare about work on your honeymoon, you know it's time to leave.

Fortunately, I have been able to return to my old agency (Southside Family Nurturing Center)...another nonprofit that does incredible work with families at-risk for abuse or neglect (www.ssfnc.org). I worked for Southside for 9 years, prior to leaving for the Y for 18 months.

It feels good to be back with "family". I started with Southside in 1996 when my kids were still fairly young. At times Southside nurtured my family as well. Even though this work is hard and sometimes draining, Southside folks take care of one another. Laughter is heard rolling down the halls on a daily basis. We used to joke that when someone at Southside got married there were 3 sides--the bride's side, groom's side and Southside.

It's feels good to be some place where I know my work is valued--and valuable. I'm not going home with a fat paycheck, but I know I'm making a difference. That is so much more important to me. I may not leave this world having obtained a lot of material goods, but I will leave it knowing I have changed lives. I have seen kids start in our programs before they are even walking--and leave filled with promise. I have seen parents struggle with limited resources to give their children greater opportunities than they were given as children. That's not always easy to do when some days you are struggling just to figure out a way to feed your children. We live in a county rich with resources, but we don't always do a good job at spreading that wealth around.

So as I struggle to come to terms with the abrupt ending of one job and the beginning of a "new" one, baseball is my solace, my escape, my "happy place".

GO TWINS.