"Life is not about finding yourself, Life is about creating yourself"
Many years ago I ran across this quote at a gift shop in New York called Grandslam. It was on a card and I bought it along with two others and had in framed. To this day it hangs in my room and gives me a little bit of inspiration as I leave for the day or maybe frustrates me a little when I feel like life is creating me and I am not creating myself. A few months ago I think God had me in the right place at the right time. I was taking some of my teenage boys* to a youth program called PALS and a really cool lady told me about Ramapo for Children. http://www.ramapoforchildren.org/ Basically, Ramapo for Children is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit organization serving children with special needs. Ramapo’s mission is to serve children with a wide range of emotional, behavioral and learning disabilities in a dynamic and stimulating outdoor environment, providing educational and recreational experiences that promote social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth. What a plug I just gave them! Kudos for me. ha ha. Anyways, I decided to apply after a little thought, probably not enough! Sometimes you have to live in the moment or the moment passes you by and never do what you should have been doing. That is how it is with me anyways. After two weeks they called and set up a phone interview. Now, you should all know that during this time no one knows I have applied, because I had to figure out some things before people could know. The interview lasted about thirty minutes and the guy told me to think about it and call back on Tuesday to check in. The last question he asked me really struck home with me. He said, "Maggie, I am going into a meeting on Friday with the hiring committee and we are going to start placing people we think belong here. Tell me why I should tell them to hire you?" Without any hesitation in my voice I said, "This is my passion. This is where I belong." In that moment I knew I had created myself. I was starting to make my mark on the world. Needless to say I was hired! So, in 19 days I leave to start a new adventure in my life. One that I have created or I suppose one that I was always going to create, but had to go the long way around to find. God knew what he was doing with me! Woo hoo!! I am extremely excited, nervous, and scared, but mostly ready. Ready to be changed and ready to help. I have heard this job will be one of the toughest summers of your life, but one of the most rewarding. I am ready to grow, learn, and come back forever changed. I am ready to live in the moment. The moment I created.
* I don't actually have kids. These are the boys I work with at the youth home I work at.
* Ramapo is in New York. The place where I found the postcard.
