Thank You

Thank you. Those two words encompass almost 22 years of gratitude.

I moved to A New City on Dec 31st, 1987. I started working for the My Place of Employment one week later. Little did I know the impact that that Place of Employment and all the people I have crossed paths with along the way, would have on my life. As I sit here today and reflect on the years, I am in awe.

Thank you for hiring me. I was at a huge crossroad in my life when I packed up my young family and moved here. Having a job was crucial.

I moved here and knew very few people. The friends that I have made along the way can all be directly or indirectly linked to people that I met at work or because I was working. I’ll never forget the first people that took me under their wing and befriended me. And it only got better.

Every person that I have worked with has made a difference. People that I may have never uttered a word to … have made a difference. I have sat back and absorbed so much from so many. I have worked for and with an amazing group of people. I have admired so many and tried to adapt a little piece of everyone’s goodness into my being. I am a patchwork quilt of everyone I’ve met. Thank you for being part of my life and the person that I have become.

I was given many opportunities during my years at My Place of Employment. When I had the urge to challenge myself and the desire to learn … all I had to do was ask. I was directed toward the path of learning. As challenging as those correspondence courses were at times, they gave me the confidence and tools that I would need to keep growing. To think that My Place of Employment not only encouraged me along the way … but paid for it as well is a tremendous gift. Thank you for allowing and encouraging me to learn.

I have had some life changing times during these past 22 years. It seemed that every time that I needed a chance to regroup and take on a new direction, the ability to do so was provided through work.

The opportunity to move around to different branches and challenge myself in new and exciting (okay … honestly, they were quite scary at times) ways. Every frightening change that I made allowed me to grow. And to meet even more of our wonderful staff.

My maternity leave and the following year leave-of-absence gave me the opportunity to look at new options. Working from home was a high priority for me and thanks to that leave and having the security of knowing I had a back-up plan, I was given a golden opportunity. I could try.

When my year was up and I had to decide whether or not to return to work, I was given yet another golden opportunity. The ability to work one day a week. I had the best of both worlds. I was home all day and every day with my young son and a world surrounded by children as I ran my daycare. Then I had Saturday. A day among adults and a day to challenge my brain in bright and shiny new ways.

I was wearing thin after 9 years of the ‘Saturday only’ portion of my career. Then another (unbeknownst to me at the time) opportunity landed in my lap. Emergency hernia surgery. The best thing that happened to me in this decade. I couldn’t go to work the Saturday following my surgery. I knew it then, but was deathly afraid of admitting it. I couldn’t go back to working 6 days a week.

Once again, I was granted a leave of absence. One year. A year to decide where I was going from here. I knew that I had to find a way to work only 5 days a week. Whether it was working from home, running my daycare … or returning to My Place of Employment full time. I had a year to decide.

One never knows what will unfold in life. I went with the flow and as the year was drawing to a close, I knew the direction I wanted to take. I wanted to return to school to hone some skills that I hope to utilize in my next career-direction. Book-keeping from my home.

Today is formally my last day of work. I said good-bye to some old friends this morning and hello and good-bye to some friends I hadn’t yet met. As great as it was to be surrounded in what I have come to know and love about My Place of Employment (great people and a supportive staff) … I knew my time was up.

My years with My Place of Employment have given me so many opportunities. Opportunities to grow, learn, explore and try new options.

As I hear of some of the new challenges that everyone at work is now facing, I hope that there is a glimmer of the positive out there. I’ve never met a challenge that didn’t better me and change my life in a positive new direction. I just hope that everyone finds their ‘best life’ as they work through their own personal challenges. At work, at home or at play … there is just so much to explore.

When I look back on the years with My Place of Employment … I can honestly say that they changed me. I believe I’m a better person than I was when I walked through those doors on January 7, 1988.

Thank you.