"i have something i need to tell you all..."
i was dreading this moment all weekend, all morning at work. i went to bed with a headache (i probably get 1-2 headaches a year) and woke up with a stomachache. i headed to work, all the while praying that God would help me and prepare my clients. one of my co-workers walked in with a two quilts--one for a christmas drawing for the clients, and 1 for me...a soft baby-sized quilt with a giraffe on it. i'd pointed it out about a year ago when looking through a quilting magazine with her. she ordered the panel online and made the quilt for me:) i absolutely LOVE my co-workers and will miss them sooooo much when i'm gone. this precious baby quilt was a little rough on the emotions, as she and my other co-worker (who knew this quilt was coming...) know my desire to start a family and are eager to hear the words one day. i told my co-worker that i loved the quilt and will use it someday and she responded "i know". when 10:45 rolled around i started my group session on positive thinking, joy, and self-esteem. how fitting... when 11:43 rolled around, i started to feel a knot in my throat and stomach and everywhere else one seems to have nervous build-up in their body. i remembered the support i had in my husband and my wonderful friends (esp. thought about the posts you all left on saturday's blog) and that is seriously the only thing that kept my moving forward. as emotions rose, i spit out the words i'd been dreading, "i have something i need to tell you all. thursday is going to be my last day. most of you know my husband is a farmer, and we've decided that i'm going to stay home and help out more where i can." breathe................ i hate trying to talk when i'm emotional. my face is contorted, my chin quivers, and talk as loudly as possibly, though it comes out barely above a whisper. after the few gasps, i continued, "i really have loved working with you all. you are all wonderful people and i've learned a lot from you." a few clients came over to comfort me, some looked shocked, and the room was full of voices saying, "i'll miss you, adriane", "come and visit", "you sure have been a good teacher". however frustrating things have been in the past, it's truly been the people that have kept me there this long. i've seen potential, i've seen the most caring people one could ever see, and i've seen my clients as God sees them...worthwhile, valuable, and having a purpose. i pray i've spoken this into their lives as much as i was supposed to. throughout the day, i heard more affirmations that i have made a difference to my clients. one told me "you really are a good person. and you're beautiful. i hope you have fun on the farm." another said "i'm going to miss you...who's going to thread my needles?" yet another one told me on her way out, "i'm sure going to miss you, edwin. you've been awful good to me and taken care of me. i'm going to miss you a lot." i can honestly say that if i had to pick people to be on my "team" these people would be top on my list. thank you for your prayers for this situation. i'm glad the hardest part is over, now we can all deal with it through the week. thursday may be a little rough, but the way i look at it is: if i'm feeling this way about moving on from Candlewood, and my clients and co-workers are going to miss me, i must've been doing something right (God's grace!!!). God knew where i needed to be, how long i needed to be there, and He knows where i'm going.....