Yesterday's punch to gut
Yesterday, before I even had my coat off, my Asst Dir informs me that one of our beloved board members died the night before of cancer. It was a sudden onset. She'd gotten back from our national convention in mid-December, went to the dr. and was told she had cancer. She could light up the darkest warehouse....
Two hours later, I was told that one of my very favorite persons (former board member) was in Johns Hopkins with lung cancer metastasized through her bones. I work for a jewish organization and I'm the only non-jewish person on our very small staff, and she, more than any other person welcomed me like I belonged and wasn't some sort of outsider. The outlook is grim...
That malaise lasted all day. This next item happened in the last two weeks:
I'd recently received word that the son of an Illinois friend of some 40 years was playing with a handgun. He'd had a recent love affair with all things gun-related. Apparently he wasn't that well acquainted with the piece as it went off. The bullet went up his nostril and severed his brain stem. He was 19. He'd signed to be an organ donor when he received his learner's permit. Apparently 22 people benefited from this tragedy. The transplant group said this was the largest group to every benefit from one person... He was well liked by peers and adults, pleasant, cheerful, and always helped out his mom, dad and two other siblings.
Anyone have stock in Kleenex?
Well.. back to the national accounting software that keeps hiccuping on the server, and trying to write a report for a recent fundraiser...
And trying to summon up the fortitude for a conference call with the Hdqs office and all us office mgrs out in the hinterlands just after noon...
Two hours later, I was told that one of my very favorite persons (former board member) was in Johns Hopkins with lung cancer metastasized through her bones. I work for a jewish organization and I'm the only non-jewish person on our very small staff, and she, more than any other person welcomed me like I belonged and wasn't some sort of outsider. The outlook is grim...
That malaise lasted all day. This next item happened in the last two weeks:
I'd recently received word that the son of an Illinois friend of some 40 years was playing with a handgun. He'd had a recent love affair with all things gun-related. Apparently he wasn't that well acquainted with the piece as it went off. The bullet went up his nostril and severed his brain stem. He was 19. He'd signed to be an organ donor when he received his learner's permit. Apparently 22 people benefited from this tragedy. The transplant group said this was the largest group to every benefit from one person... He was well liked by peers and adults, pleasant, cheerful, and always helped out his mom, dad and two other siblings.
Anyone have stock in Kleenex?
Well.. back to the national accounting software that keeps hiccuping on the server, and trying to write a report for a recent fundraiser...
And trying to summon up the fortitude for a conference call with the Hdqs office and all us office mgrs out in the hinterlands just after noon...