it's time to break the silence

two weeks ago i was hired by a mid-size social service agency that empowers people with intellectual and physical disabilities. my role within this community based organization is two fold insofar as i am the assistant coordinator of a school to work program that seeks to help high school students find competitive employment and i am also the employment specialist who accompanies the students through the job search process once they graduate. my days are packed full of vocational assessments, client meetings, job training and employment advocacy and i must say that i love it.

looking back, i realize that i have been passionate about accompanying handicapped individuals ever since i met gabe in ms. simmons' fifth grade classroom. this passion was further developed through a court ordered volunteer position at a handicapped workshop,* a magical summer at l'arche daybreak in toronto and ongoing interactions with a diversity of individuals in the greater beverly community.

i suppose this is a long way of saying that i am content with the ways my workday is spent for the first time in almost seven years. moreover, i'm finding that instead of being a drag on my marriage, ministry with s & s and essential relationships my work is now cultivating a creativity and passion that positively influences my other endeavors.

i have so much more to say, but i get to go to work. salut.

* which was the unintended result of a fraternity prank that devolved into a near felony. but that is another story (albeit on par with the saga of "airport girl") altogether.