Lamentations 3: 22-23
...his compassions never fail. They are new every morning
Going To The Chapel, continued. Surprise, surprise, my man of mystery said, "OK." We proceeded to go through the bureaucratic hoops for marriage, went to LaBelle's (anybody remember LaBelle's?) for the wedding rings, and set about finding a preacher man. A.'s roommate (and co-worker at Unisys) was dating a co-worker of mine at CCC. Small world, ey? Initially we planned to act as their witnesses and they would act as our witnesses of marriage. But upon further consideration the other couple decided they wanted the big wedding with all the hoopla. They did act as our witnesses, however, and we were married at their church on August 27, 1980.
My grandmother and my aunt graciously put together a quick wedding reception at my apartment. A total of eight people were present at the ceremony/reception and J. (remember J.?) was very cheesed to have missed it. The state of Minnesota whooped it up on our behalf under the guise of a State Fair. We went to the fair directly after the reception and celebrated our newly wed status with a bag of mini-donuts.
Thus began our marriage in the good ol' state of Minnesota. From there we have moved to Australia, Georgia, Guatemala, Bolivia, and for now, North Dakota.
We have had two brilliant babies, acquired Spanish as a second language, learned marriage is a lot of work, dang it, traveled to Europe, worn out one passport a piece, and have had the privilege to assist people. If this sounds interesting, please stay tuned. Habitat for Humanity, Asperger's Syndrome, medical missions, a Masters in Social Work, memories of a halfway house, a detached retina, Visiting Angels, and bone anchored hearing aides will be forthcoming as well.
Presently I am employed as an Instructional Aide at an elementary school. I supervise the playground, assist in classrooms, supervise in the cafeteria and wipe tables. This is my second go-round as an Instructional Aid. From 1994 to 2000, I worked as an English as a Second Language teachers' aide. I assisted teachers in grades K - 12, throughout the city. I learned diplomacy as each school is its own little world, with large differences in morale and "the way things are done." I learned time management as I drove from one end of town to another to spend perhaps 20 minutes with a student, then hopped in the car and did it again. I got to know the families of some of these children from the Ukraine, Cuba, Bosnia, and Haiti. I learned to be grateful I did not have to flee my home to save my life.
I had a good laugh when a student from Cuba was learning to count in English from 1 to 10. He did great! Then I asked him if he could count higher. He said he could. Then he raised both hands over his head and counted, "1, 2, 3..." O dear!
Today's treasure has got to be the following. I am in and out of approximately five classrooms a day assisting various students. Today a second grade student, with whom I do not work, was leaving class early. He packed his backpack, put on his coat, gave me a hug and said, "Good bye Mrs. J!" Just completely out of the blue!!! I can learn a lot about kindness from these kiddos!!!
