What a Day

Today started out with a meeting at a property we recently acquired.   We didn’t know the status of the interior of the house and to our surprise, when we went in, it was a hoarder’s nightmare.   Stuff, junk, debris everywhere.   Papers, boxes, random things just strewn about.   The kitchen was a mess with prescription bottles (nothing dangerous) and a refrigerator we shouldn’t have opened, but did.

The power line to the house had been severed and the place was in disrepair.   But we didn’t care.   The house was inconsequential, mostly ready for tear down.   The lot was the important thing.   The lot had possibilities—so many possibilities.

The remainder of the day featured me sitting on my bed with my earbuds in my ears, making phone calls and following up with emails.   We have a new foundation and exciting news about raising money to honor our retiring head of school.  

Everyone I spoke to was excited—sad the head of school was departing, but looking at new opportunities and new chapters for the school which will be opened in the future.   I didn’t think I would like development work, fundraising, asking for money, talking about what could be done with money donated by generous people for a good cause.   But I love it.  

It was a happy day filled with good news and the occasional anecdotal retelling about what we found in an unexpected house on a parcel of land we thought we’d never acquire.

Tomorrow I’m making more phone calls.   I’m hoping we’ll raise a lot of money to seed the foundation in time for our head of school’s departure at the end of the school year.   She is much loved and beloved.   We’ll be sad to see her go, but we’ll remember her in years to come through the work she did to make the school what it’s become today.

The Big Boy Update:  My son is really into dancing lately.   We signed him up for a break dancing class soon.   I can’t wait to see what he learns in the class.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter is making hand puppets with paper, scissors, markers and a lot of staples.   They’re pretty creative.   The one this morning even had wings and a name tag in braille,   Tonight she was out of staples.   I’m going to have to order more at the rate she’s using them up.