Eight? Random Things-
Well, I've lost track now, but I have been tagged by at least three or four people to play the eight random things meme. Here's what I'm supposed to do (though so many of you have already done this I don't know that it needs repeating.)*I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.*Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.*People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.*At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.*Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

ok more cows I'll try this, eight random facts, hmm
1. I went to Two Rolling Stones concerts as a teen and was fairly bored, in both times it was the guy's idea, . Years later now as a mother of three young ones, I offered the two programs to our male babysitter, he was estatic and still has them.
2. Peter, Paul, and Mary were my favorite as a teen , even got an autograph. I missed seeing them in 1989 because of surgery, let my daughter go with her father. He took me that summer to an outdoor performing arts center to see them that summer.
3. My daughters introduced me to the Indigo Girls and i have seen them twice, once at the same performing arts center I saw, P, P, and M and the other time at a similar venue in tthe western part of the state. Favorite song Ten Thousand wars
4. Madeleine L'Engle is my favorite author, I have most everything she has written, about forty in all and have heard her speak, preach, and spent one glorious Pentacost week end on a retreat with her.
5. When I was first married I was at a synod youth school and William Sloan Coffin was the guest speaker. I was dressed up in a favorite long dress with flowing eyelet sleeves and a big floppy brim hat. I sat in the back row, attracting Mr. Coffin's attention, he asked me to wave if I could not hear him, I was mildly embarassed but also pleased.
6. Once in 1987 my husband and I went to a fundraising event for our local PBS station where Bill Keeshan , Captain Kangaroo was speaking. It was at an old grand hotel in a reception area, I went to the bar, to get a drink, stepped back, into someone, I turned and said, very calmly, "Oh, I'm sorry, Captain."
7. I LOVE Mr. Rogers
8. Although L'Engle is my favorite authur I have four favorite novels by others. "To Kill a Mocking Bird, (read it several times)," A Prayer for Owen Meaney," and "Lamb: the Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend" I laughed hyterically and love to sing the song in it, "The Secret Life of Bees "
9. ok one more my favorite childhood memory of New York City is a sandbox in a playground behind Grant's Tomb. I re found it as an adult.

ok, eight people, Angelica, sil D.B., f.f. D.W., CynFingers, ( boy that came from a distant part of my mind), dear friend and mother of my beloved goddaughters, D.S., Brother L.,L'arche friend and the co creator of the O'Haire greeting,K.A., and last but not least, my dear sweet awesome friend and triathalon, J.A.

So I'll send you all a note and look forward to hearing from you, Daisy

so, a week later and I am finally getting back to writing, I don't have the level of energy when I get home to sit at a computer , I have a sweatshirt that says, "Too Many Books, So Little Time" , now it is so many blogs, so little time. My last day was better than I could anticipate. I had had no guideline provided for closing a practice, about 60+ clients and two offices to back up, it seemed daunting at first, but I thought long and hard and created a plan and carried through on it. Most of my clients came in the last day, at 1pm there was a general reception which quite a few dropped in on. Very kind words were spoken by the medical direct of adult medicine, the HR director, and even by the medical director of my department, someone I have had very little respect for. He is very emeshed with our director of counseling who is a very sick woman. My colleague figured out that the sicker she gets, the more his addictive behaviors come out. but apart from her, I could take in what he was saying and believe some of it, from her I would have not. Where was she? She left on vacation without saying a word, not a big surprise. In the past couple of months, others have resigned after me and left before I did. I watched her tear them up and was certainly in high alert, (I call it the meercat position) everytime I heard high heels in the hall I cringed and several women in the dept. wear them. But by the beginning of last week, I finally got to, "Let her, she can't hurt me." It never happened.

After the reception I met with asst director for the offical exit interview and then with the director, an old friend of 20+ years. When I had told him in February I was leaving, he listened to me and said, It sounds as if your time is complete here, I replied "Precisely" In the following months it has been said to many times by people there that I can always come back, if I don't like it, this is always your family. I had wanted to throw up, I had said this was an incestuous family and I only need one in my life. So back to C., I told him how peaceful I felt, he told me that in the past two weeks more people came up to him to express regret in my leaving and all I have done for the patients, how I advocated for them.. He then said, it only confirmed for him that my mission was done. He never once said, "this is alwasy your home" Praise God. I finished up with my last client who presented me with a 2' porcelain angel doll as a thank you, I was very moved, while wondering what I wouls do with it. My phone had rung several times in that session and when she left, the secretary appeared in my door and said the director wanted to talk with me. He actually called from Atlanta to thank me and wish me well. I was somewhat surprised but responded warmly. I was still not quite complete in closure but elected to come back the next day. Storm is a coming more later

It really is time I do something with this blog. My daughter has encouraged me in this route and I drag my feet sometimes with technology, (ask me how many times I have used the digital camera I receieved, unsolicited last Christmas.)
But I do like to journal. I am in a major transition in my life, joyfully, I must say. There have been several monumental times in my life but tomorrow's transition marks the end of working 12 years at a community health center as a social worker therapist, my first position since graduating from a social work master's program. It has been an intense twelve years and many people have crossed through the threshold to my office. Most of my clients have been awesome, sssssssuvivors of unbelievable events, many are very disenfranchised, and still live. I 've been threatened with smashing my curly headed face in, with getting a gun , and a few unpleasant words, but the majority of my clients have been wonderful and an honor to work with, I have been blessed by the opportunity to walk with them through this time and i have been gifted with seeing such growth inso many. My city has become a very violent city and many of the headlines of the last twelve years have somehow been in my office. The last two murders actually were children of employees of the place. It has been wonderful but it has also been a very very difficult place to work, much dysfunction. In december I finally decided it was time, ( a story about a little 2 year old who understood self care spoke to me) and I announced at dinner that 2007 would be lmy last year. I apllied at a private counseling agency in late January and was offered a position.. Because it takes awhile to get on insurance panels and because I was being "punished"for leaving " ( dysfunctional families don't like it when someone breaks free.) it took awhile to get them to release the necessary info so I could move forward. But the time has come, my office is almost cleaned out, the paper work is mostly finished and I say the final good byes. While i am joyful now I have run the gamut of emotions and some PTSD as well in the past two months, but all is good. I will start next monday at my new place. time off will come later. Thanks be unto god for this place of joy and anticipation.