Sunday, November 23, 2014

Cleaning House

"[But] its no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."

- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland


Yesterday I cleaned out our home office.  It was a task well overdue. Besides the general straightening and throwing out old personal mail and papers, it was an opportunity for me to get rid of many of the items, books, notes and paraphernalia that I had accumulated in my job as the Respect Life Coordinator.  Much of these items were specific to a very specific job that I used to have. 

Unlike an accountant, nurse or teacher - I will not be looking for another position doing the same thing.  The position of Respect Life Coordinator was eliminated and unless I am willing to move to another diocese to look for a job, I will not be doing that job again.  Much of the personal materials I had accumulated over the years just won't be part of my future.  I may work for the Church again, I may work in the pro-life area again, but I will not be doing pro-life work for the church again. That position has been eliminated. I will use my skills from that position for other work but not the same work.   Frankly many of the items I went through I should have thrown or given away long ago.  Books given to me, notes from conferences, pamphlets, ideas, old programs - It was amazing how much baggage I had around the house.  

Yesterday was also the Adoption Mass day in the Archdiocese.  This was one of the last events of the year that I was working on before my position was eliminated.  Yesterday a variety of parishes in our Diocese celebrated the gift of adoption by including prayer intentions I wrote and handing out adoption materials I organized and held informational gatherings about adoption that I instigated.  I am proud of my work but it will no longer be my work and if it continues, (if others will build on that work I do not know) it is not my job anymore.  I would have attended one or two of those Masses when I was still working but I choose to go to a different Mass instead.  

So I loaded up boxes of books to give to St. Vincent DePaul and our Parish lending library, rearranged the home office and just for good measure had a bonfire to burn some of the items I cleaned out. There is something cathartic about a bonfire.  Like the Easter Vigil fire it is a sign of a new beginning.  



Next week we start the new Church year with the beginning of Advent.  

It is no use going back to yesterday... I wonder who I will be in the future?


* Note - make sure to return anything that is the property of your workplace (My items were personal)
* Make sure to keep items that you can use as examples of your work for your job search portfolio.






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