A Week Of Many Emotions!!

It’s hard to grasp everything that happened over the last 7 days. I was in Atlanta last weekend where it was supposed to be 77 degrees. I had clothes for 77 degrees, but the temperature on Sat was a drizzly 46 degrees. Needless to say I came back Sun night at midnight with quite the head cold. 

The only things I remember about Monday was that after 3 hours sleep I got to work on time, and that my cold was worsening by the hour! Tuesday was Halloween and it was the worst day ever! I don’t know WHY I missed Tim so much that day (the color orange, the candy or dressing up??) but I cried for a good part of the day. Thankfully my work family, especially my friend Holly helped me to get through the day. 

On Wednesday I was just happy that Tuesday was over! I took enough cold meds to get me through the workday and to the airport to get me to Greensboro, NC where I’d be speaking twice on Thursday at NC A&T University’s Center for Alzheimer’s, Aging and Comminuity Outreach.

When I arrived in Greensboro, Dr. Goldie Byrd  the Center’s Founder treated me to a fabulous dinner. She’s an extraordinary woman with incredible vision. I’m learning a great deal from her and am looking forward to our future collaborations. 

Thursday can only be described as incredible! I got an amazing tour of the Center and gave one presentation to the Center’s staff and the other to the caregivers attending the Center’s Support Group Lunch and Learn. 

I signed books and barely had time to use the rest room between presentations but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I even got a tour of the campus before heading back to the airport. I barely noticed my cold but was aware that my voice was gone.
Had a great day at work on Friday and got a ton of work done. I didn’t talk much since I had no voice. I was looking forward to a quiet Saturday preparing for my two presentations this week. 

Saturday couldn’t have started any better. I read, researched and printed information for hours and rested my voice. Then I received a call from my favorite Chief from work with the horrible news that one of our colleagues had died suddenly. How could a 44 year old Mom just die?  But no answers were available yet. Holly wasn’t just any colleague, she called me her “work mom”. I instantly started to cry and I was stunned and devastated! Holly helped me so much after Tim’s death and we were each other’s confidants. I will miss her so much!!

Today I attended church at Calvary Episcopal Church and then stayed for a luncheon to honor four Women of Valor selected from the Diocese of Washington. My Rector Michele Morgan nominated me for the award and I was one of the women selected. The award ceremony was led by The Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, who in her previous life was Tim’s supervisor on the Police Department. I was so emotional about the award. Kim and Kendal were there to support me and I’m sure Tim was smiling down on us too! 

Now that I look back on this emotional week that ended with the Women of Valor awards, I realize that all the women who impacted my life this week are all Women of Valor in their own right! So thank you Dr. Goldie Byrd, Holly Jafer and the rest of my work fam – Peggy, La Shawna, Jill and Angie, Rev. Michele Morgan, Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart and to Kim, who has overcome a lot in the last two years and is charting a new path. Thank you each and all for supporting me and giving me the strength to get out in the community to do the work I do. And none of this would be possible without my Mom Doris, my hero and the strongest woman I know. Love you Mom! Here’s to next week! Bring it on! 

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