Monday, September 24, 2012

Secretary - My high school dream

We have been in an organizational mode in our home this year due to several things happening.     After my Mother's passing, we had to clean out her apartment and kept a lot of her things and have been going through it slowly.     Our youngest son, Andrew, was married the end of June and moved to a new place shortly after.     He and his wife have some of their things here and to keep it organized and together, we put it all on our front porch.      We found out that our street will be going through some major reconstruction so we are attempting to move everything off the front porch and into another location in the house.   Most likely, this location will be in the basement or garage.   

With all of this happening, my husband is actively working on cleaning up both the basement and garage to keep things as organized as possible.     Since he was organizing the basement, he found high school yearbooks and we took the time to look at them again.     I had forgotten about what I had written for my high school future goals and dreams until I read it.   

One of my future goals while I was in high school was to become a secretary.     I took several courses in high school including shorthand (which I still use), typing, bookkeeping, etc.     I still have the skills, however, I never became a secretary professionally.   It wasn't until recently that my high school dream actually became a reality in other ways.     

When you own a business and are self-employed, you not only do the work yourself, but have the responsibility of a secretary, a bookkeeper, a marketer, etc.    It is a lot of responsibility and I love every aspect of it.     To become better known in the community, I have become involved with organizations that are near and dear to my heart.    Some may say that it is good for business; I have to say that it is good for the soul.    

On December 2nd, 2010, I was asked to pray for a family here in Rochester.     The family was due to have a baby named Rachel Alice Aube delivered by c-section the next day, December 3rd.     I was directed to a blog written by Stacy Aube, Rachel's Mama.     Rachel had been diagnosed with anencephaly and wasn't expected to live long outside of her Mother's womb.      The days and months going forward, Stacy wrote about her loss and I continued to read the blog daily.     I decided to reach out to Stacy after feeling lead to do so.     I wrote a note letting her know how sorry I was for her loss, but thanked her for saying "yes" to something that she knew would cause her so much pain.     Stacy and her family built a playground in Rachel's honor at the church grounds of Grace Community Church in Rochester with the help of local businesses and many volunteers.      It was at this time that I personally met Stacy and we fast became good friends.    

Stacy was approached that same year about having a 5K Walk/Run in Dover in Rachel's honor and having the proceeds donated to a non-profit of her choice.     Stacy chose to have the first year's proceeds go to Options for Women.     Again, I volunteered my time and was proud to be a small part of such a beautiful cause.      A non-profit was formed entitled Baby Rachel's Legacy and Stacy asked me to be on the board of directors.      We recently held our 2nd Annual 5K Walk/Run with the proceeds raised going to Family Builder's Ministry in Somersworth.      I'm proud to say that we raised $9,430 this year and the event was a huge success.    

When Stacy asked me to be on the board, she asked me if I would be interested in serving as the secretary during board meetings.      It wasn't until I read my yearbook that I thought, "Wow, my dream did come true".    I am a secretary.  

As I mentioned before, becoming more involved within my community was important to me.     Balanced Care is part of the Barrington Chamber of Commerce and because of that, I go to Business After Hours, Luncheons, and as many events that they have to stay active.     Several months ago, I received an e-mail from another member asking me if I would be interested in serving on the Board of Directors.     I gave it some thought, prayed about it, and eventually said that I would be interested.      There were nine positions available and twelve people would be running.      To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure that I would be picked, but much to my surprise, I was and will start serving this week.     I am actually excited about the opportunity and you will never guess what I was asked to consider doing.     That's right - serve as the secretary for the Board of Directors.   

As I reflected on my yearbook, it became even more evident of how blessed I am.     I am a wife that still loves her husband and am blessed that he loves me back, I am a Mother to two grown sons who aren't intimidated by sharing their love with me (They have a wonderful Father), I have a daughter in law that I adore, my husband and I have a roof over our heads and plenty of food on the table, I have a business that I love and doesn't feel like work because I love it so much,  and lastly, my high school dream of becoming a secretary came true.   

As Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true - - - if we have the courage to pursue them.      All this because of reorganization and reflection.           





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