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From the Desk of Doug
Not the postman
But, still on the job!
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds!” Those words, penned by poet Charles W. Eliot, were carved in stone on New York’s new post office in 1914.
Following recent surgery, I’m feeling a bit like that postal carrier.
It was exactly 23 years ago that bylaws were signed and this organization became a reality. I began this work on a part-time basis in 2001, and I assumed full-time duties in 2004. I was in good health, as I worked alone for the first decade…sometimes with the assistance of an intern.
However, as years were added to my life, physical problems appeared as well. First came a months-long battle with a deadly staph infection. Eight years later, there was a heart attack that demanded a triple bypass. Six years later, cancer was discovered in my colon, and that required immediate surgery.
But, thanks be to God, at age 87 I’m not only still here, but able to go to work every day, doing what I can for this wonderful organization. Just like that ol’ mailman!
Let your wisdom grace my years,
choose my words and chase my fears,
give me wit to welcome change,
to accept, and not estrange,
let my joy be full and deep
in the knowledge that I keep.
From the hymn Let My Spirit Always Sing
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