The truth is I've been trying to write this post for a while, and it's proven to be way more difficult than I thought it would be ... for lots of reasons. In fact, I decided on my drive home from work this evening that while I originally thought I would publish this post at the end of August, tonight was the night that felt like the right time. I'm not sure why that is exactly, that tonight is the night I'm choosing to share this post with all of you ... it just feels right to me. As to why this has been a hard post to pen, it's because the person I'm writing about is someone who is not only very special to me, she's very special to more people than I can count.
My first conversation with Donna was on the phone when she called to ask me to come in for an interview at SHS ... sometimes it's hard for me to believe that was almost 11 years ago. Like so many of the life-changing events I've experienced over the years, I didn't have even a remote idea of how meaningful, how important, how ... well ... life-changing that conversation and my subsequent interview with Donna would truly prove to be. For as many things as I can't remember, I remember in vivid detail the day I first walked into SHS to meet with Donna, down to the clothes I was wearing ... get this ... I wore a skirt to that interview, folks ... I sure did, I wore a flipping skirt. I was super nervous that day for many reasons, not the least of which was that I knew the company I was working for at the time was in big trouble after losing its largest account. And I knew I already had offers from a couple of other companies, and they were pushing me for a decision. And I had three children living at home who needed me to keep a roof over their heads, clothes on their bodies and food in their tummies. And I had heard so many great things about SHS and knew several people who worked there ... I wanted the job in a big way.
I was surprised at how quickly my nervousness evaporated as Donna and I began to chat about what was involved in the position she was looking to fill and other typical interview stuff. At least I was surprised back then ... now I know why my nervousness disappeared that day. I felt an instant bond of friendship with her from the moment we entered the conference room, and it didn't take long for our interview talk to shift to talking about our children, our mothers and Donna's grandchildren (including her then most recent one whom Donna herself had delivered on the front seat of her car). Our conversation that day was warm and friendly, and there were two things I told my children that evening when I got home ... that the lady who interviewed me was really nice, and that my gut told me the SHS job was the job for me. A few days after my initial interview with Donna, I was sitting in the same conference room being interviewed by "the posse" ... a large group of folks from the various teams I would be working with. Obviously, I passed their test and became an official sheephater a few weeks later, and the rest ... as the old saying goes ... is history.
There's no possible way that I can begin to do justice in describing who Donna is ... if I tried to share even a miniscule portion of the multitude of things she's taught me over the last 10 years, I'd be writing for a very, very, very long time. Perhaps the closest I can come is this ... from Donna I truly learned what it means to not only have a servant heart in the business world, but how to put that heart into action on a daily basis. She taught me what it means to be willing to go the extra mile to get things done to the best of my ability ... she taught me how to put the needs of others before my own ... how to be a team player every minute of every day ... how to think outside of the box in order to solve a problem. Donna taught me what it means to be a great employee, but so much more, she taught me what it means to care enough to invest myself in the lives of the people I work with and treat them with respect, honor and dignity.
As I'm sure is true of all supervisor and employee relationships, Donna and I have had some ups and downs over the last decade. But no matter what was going on, whether it was business-related or personal, I have always known one thing ... Donna is my friend, and she cares deeply about my well-being. She has stood by me through some tough stuff in life, and she's stood there with an unfailing and abiding love and spirit of acceptance and encouragement ... Donna has stood by my side when so many others decided to leave ... she's been there for me through it all. We've welcomed new members into our families ... we've laid our mothers to rest ... we've experienced problems with our health ... for the last 10 years, we've done life together. Donna and I have spent the last decade of our lives growing a friendship that we both know will weather any storm and endure as long as we are breathing.
Donna is retiring at the end of August, and it's difficult for me to imagine what it will be like not to have her leadership and guidance in our offices on a daily basis. And though I know our friendship will remain strong and that it reaches far beyond the work environment, I also know that I'm having a hard, hard time thinking about her not being a part of SHS. You see, in many ways, Donna has always been sort of the torch bearer for the fire that is our agency. She's the mom around the joint ... taking care of every little thing and every single person, including me. SHS without Donna seems like pancakes without syrup or fall without football or babies without blankets. Having said that, I know beyond the shadow of any doubt that my friend is making the right decision both for herself and for her family. And though things will inevitably change in our offices after she retires, Donna's legacy at SHS will forever echo through the walls of the buildings and remain etched into the hearts of all those who love her.
So ... my dear friend ... my sister of the heart ... this one's for you. Thank you can't even scratch the surface of my gratitude to you for all the ways you've helped me over the last 10 years. I wish you all the wonderful, amazing, spectacular things that life has to offer ... I know you will enjoy every moment and treasure every memory you'll be making. Because I know you, friend, I've been changed for the better ... because I know you, I've been changed for good. Thank you for loving me ... thank you for believing in me ... thank you for being my friend.
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