A Little Sunshine

I have always felt that this year would be critical to the success of Mrs A and I's relationship. It had been four years of one real life crisis after another.

It kinda came to a peak last Christmas Ever when R called up to say that she was in need of saving, that she needed me to come and get her. Just like the ninety-seven other timmes I have pulled her out of whatever mess she had gotten herself into.


I told her that the kind of help she needed I coulldn't provide, that she needed to check hetself in to a clinic. She told me "Fine, I'll just go kill myself!"

I told her that was between her and God. After thouroughly cussing me out, she hung up.

I spent some miserable days wondering if she was alive or dead, but after a while got used to letting her go. You have to let The Lord do his work in other peoples lives. You have to let them go, knowing they can't jusy run to you to bail them out. At some point you stop being a nurturer and become an enabler.

I didn't hear from her for a quite a while. Yes, I worried and fretted and prayed. I spent sleepless knights.

I heard from her when she called to tell me I was going to be a grandfather. I didn't ask her if she knew who the father was. Just to be mean. But the whole conversation, over a couple of days ended with her cussing me out again and hanging up on me, so I cancelled her cell phone.

She finally called to say she was coming over to get her stuff, which had been in the basement for almost a year. She and a friend had found a place and were moving in. She was going to look for work. She was off of drugs and clear headed.

She managed to repair things enough with Mrs A for us to have her here with the whole family at Thanksgiving. Everything went fine.

She called on Monday to say she had a job, at Target. She had stopped at one of the electronic Kioscs and filled out an application. When she finished, a message flashed on the screen "PICK UP THE TELEPHONE" There was a handset, so she picked it up and tentavely said "YES?" A voice as her to report to personnel. They offered her a job on the spot, as a shelf stocker at night. She didn't really want that. It would have been ironic, because her Aunt Susie is a shelf stocker at Taget at night in Minnesota.

The guy asked her to wait a minute, disappeared. When he came back he said that they had created a job for her on the floor, and she had to go to HR. She was told that as soon as they cleared her, she would start.

Her first day was Friday. After orientation she was told that she had recieved a pay raise and promotion, and was now in charge of logistics. Making sure that the right products were on the shelves and all that.

R. has an exceptional employment record for someone so young. She was assistant manager in Motor Clothes at Downtown Harley-Davidson for two years by the time she was 21. She was manager of Molly Maids for Mercer Island after that.

She will do exceptionally well, as long as she can stay away from the drugs.

So after a long journey in the darkness, there comes the dawn.