Mission Accomplished...Almost

It's been an incredible ride. Mission accomplished. With that, I have to bid farewell. I'm the happiest person in the world right now. It's better than I ever thought it would be.

 Jerome Bettis

I leave the house this morning for my last subway ride to work.  My goodness, how strange Monday will feel.  Last night I found myself thinking about this weekend, and all the things I have to do, but then I remembered that I don't have to rush to do them all in two days.  Now, I have a lifetime to accomplish them. I also know that, as a workaholic, it may be hard for me to realize that and slow down, but eventually, I know I will settle in to a new way of living.

I can honestly say that, for all its ups and downs, this has really has been an incredible ride. At this point I don't know whether I want to laugh or cry.  I guess it is safe to do a little bit of both.  Gosh, I remember back when I made the decision to stop working for the rich and instead do whatever I could to help the poor.  And what better way, I thought, than to try to stop poverty in its tracks by helping others overcome those addictions that had taken away everything in life that ever meant something to them.  If I could only help one person, I thought.  It will be well worth it, and has hard as it may have been, it WAS all worth it.  

Before I close out to get ready for work, I wanted to share the following little story with you.  Yesterday, was art group for the clients, and they were all busy in there making farewell cards for me.  It was supposed to be a surprise, but I knew. (Nosey me knows everything).  Well, even if it was a surprise, there was one client who made sure it wasn't so.  He came out of group bustling with excitement and headed right towards where I was sitting.  "I made you a card", he said.  "Oh, maybe I shouldn't have told you." (This client is not only battling substance abuse and  mental illness, but also has some degree of retardation) "Please don't throw it away," he added.  I replied, "Of course now.  I shall treasure it and hold onto it for the rest of my life." 

Later, as he was signing out at the front desk, I heard him proudly exclaim to the receptionist, "I made Mary a card today, and she said she will keep it for the rest of her life." Tears welled in my eyes when I heard this, realizing that my words had brought him such great pride and joy, and I thought to myself, "Mission accomplished."

Have a great weekend!!!