After an embarrassing layoff in my thank-you note project (my last note went out over two months ago), I am happy (well, more like relieved) to report that I wrote two notes over the weekend.
Note 1
This one went to the woman who pretty much runs the lunchroom. She updates the schedules for the monitors and kitchen helpers, which is a feat in itself considering it is next to impossible to get four or five parent volunteers every day. Part of that task includes sending emails begging people to volunteer because if there are not enough monitors, then the kids cannot go outside for recess. But wrangling the kids is the most difficult task. She has to move the line forward, keep the cafeteria down to a dull roar, and dole out discipline as needed. And that is just during the eating portion of lunch. While outside, someone almost always falls down, throws a ball at someone else too hard, or does not share a jump rope or other toy, and she has to deal with that as well (more so than those of us who monitor).
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this woman, herself a mother of more than a handful, does an amazing job. She is tough but caring, and this year she saw to it that the kids have actual things to play with like giant balls, jump ropes, and hula hoops. (Last year, the kids pretty much just ran, walked, or sat.) But wait, there is more. Since I recently started working, I now send J to the after-school programs at the school, which this woman is in charge of. I have such peace of mind knowing my kid is there, a kid who is always disappointed when it is time to leave. For that reason alone, I should probably send this woman a couple dozen thank-you notes!
Note 2
The recipient of my next note is a kindred spirit—a former coworker who was 86ed in the same group that I was. The first Monday we were out of work, I felt lost, so I called her. Within a couple of days, she was on my home phone speed dial, and we commiserated pretty much daily until she found a job a couple months later. But in those three years since we went through that heart-breaking experience, we have remained friends (she is currently is the only friend who has a spot on my speed dial). We get together a few times a year, and we email or chat on the phone about once a month, mostly when I am on my way to or from my mom's. She has become my voice of reason, giving me forceful yet somehow nice advice when I need it and a sympathetic ear to listen to when I need that even more. In addition, she has been a great supporter of my kid's school, buying a raffle ticket or candy when she can. If you would have told me five or six years ago that we would have become good friends, I might not have believed it, as we are at different points in our life. But I am grateful we are. And now she knows how grateful I am for our friendship, although I am pretty sure she knew that anyway!
Here is hoping I can find a few more people to thank. Feel free to throw out some suggestions!
Note 1
This one went to the woman who pretty much runs the lunchroom. She updates the schedules for the monitors and kitchen helpers, which is a feat in itself considering it is next to impossible to get four or five parent volunteers every day. Part of that task includes sending emails begging people to volunteer because if there are not enough monitors, then the kids cannot go outside for recess. But wrangling the kids is the most difficult task. She has to move the line forward, keep the cafeteria down to a dull roar, and dole out discipline as needed. And that is just during the eating portion of lunch. While outside, someone almost always falls down, throws a ball at someone else too hard, or does not share a jump rope or other toy, and she has to deal with that as well (more so than those of us who monitor).
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this woman, herself a mother of more than a handful, does an amazing job. She is tough but caring, and this year she saw to it that the kids have actual things to play with like giant balls, jump ropes, and hula hoops. (Last year, the kids pretty much just ran, walked, or sat.) But wait, there is more. Since I recently started working, I now send J to the after-school programs at the school, which this woman is in charge of. I have such peace of mind knowing my kid is there, a kid who is always disappointed when it is time to leave. For that reason alone, I should probably send this woman a couple dozen thank-you notes!
Note 2
The recipient of my next note is a kindred spirit—a former coworker who was 86ed in the same group that I was. The first Monday we were out of work, I felt lost, so I called her. Within a couple of days, she was on my home phone speed dial, and we commiserated pretty much daily until she found a job a couple months later. But in those three years since we went through that heart-breaking experience, we have remained friends (she is currently is the only friend who has a spot on my speed dial). We get together a few times a year, and we email or chat on the phone about once a month, mostly when I am on my way to or from my mom's. She has become my voice of reason, giving me forceful yet somehow nice advice when I need it and a sympathetic ear to listen to when I need that even more. In addition, she has been a great supporter of my kid's school, buying a raffle ticket or candy when she can. If you would have told me five or six years ago that we would have become good friends, I might not have believed it, as we are at different points in our life. But I am grateful we are. And now she knows how grateful I am for our friendship, although I am pretty sure she knew that anyway!
Here is hoping I can find a few more people to thank. Feel free to throw out some suggestions!
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