gems

last book i've read: I'd like to begin Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Any day now....
currently caressing my ears: million dollar mix
general mood: indecisive
quote: "Indecision is the graveyard of good intentions." --Unknown

I believe I work with one of the most selfless caregivers in this world. She goes out of her way to accommodate the ladies we work with, and her own history reveals the motives behind her desire to give. Her daughter had a daughter with a developmental disability, and despite everything, they did their best to make her life as normal as possible. When she died at the young age of 17, my coworker decided that she wanted to help more like her granddaughter, and thus landed a job with LSS. It's rare to find other direct care workers that have less genuine reasons for doing the work they do. Most of us need the money, like the work, but do no see ourselves doing this for the rest of our lives. Others claim they're in a rut and are looking for something better to come along. But then you find that one worker that has their heart totally in it, and after observing their work ethic, motives, and joy, one cannot help but feed off the positive energy.

On another note, I continually get drunk dials from one of my brother's former Marine buddies. Former because this friend is no longer in the Marines; he got out. The stories he tells me when drunk intrigue and entertain me. For example, Pete went to Iraq with my brother last year for eight months. During those eight months, my brother wrote home saying his roommate did not receive anything from his family back home and that a friendly letter would be a great thing for Pete. My parents one-upped his request: they put together a package of goodies for Pete. They also made one for Michael, which included family photos, which included a photo of me from a family vacation. Pete got ahold of the photo, and I went up on his wall where they lived. I guess he really liked the photo, and his girlfriend had broken up with him before he left for Iraq, so I gave him some hope, glad to help! Apparently there was a time of scandal when someone stole the picture as a joke, and Pete hunted it down and returned it to its place on his wall. Oh the chivalry.

More on fascinating people in life later....