I think I’m finally getting my groove back. 
At least it hasn’t been four months since my last blahg. If I calculate correctly it’s only been about three weeks. That must be a record for me. I probably would have written sooner but…well read on and you’ll find out.
I have half-heartedly been trying to think of a topic for this new blahg. Some things have happened in the past three weeks that certainly could have been a good topic. We had a federal election here in Canada and the Conservatives were ousted and the Liberals, under Justin Trudeau, gained a majority. I was tired of politics so I decided not to waste my time on it. One note, I’m glad to see Stephen Harper go. Reminds me of the song, “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead, You Rascal You”. Not to be one to wish ill on him, I’ll change that title to “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Gone, You Rascal You”. Here’s hoping Mr. Trudeau, who is being sworn in today, will live up to all the electoral support her garnered.
The other topic I considered was the run Canada’s only baseball team, 
The Toronto Blue Jays, made towards the World Series. It was quite the time watching them in the playoffs. I have to admit, I didn’t follow them during the regular season but there’s something about a run at the pennant and the world series that swept most of us onto that bandwagon. The Blue Jays made a phenomenal comeback against the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series and certainly gave it their all against the Kansas City Royals in the pennant race. Kansas City was the better team and they proved it by going on to win the World Series over the New York Mets. Oh what could have been!
Neither of these topics really resonated with me for a blahg and even if I combined both topics into one narrative, I think I wouldn’t have been happy with the results. All during this time, something happened to me on a personal level that resulted in the motivation to write this current blahg. In June of 2014, I wrote a blahg entitled WANTED: ONE GOOD JOB. It was my struggle to find employment that was meaningful and empowering. Finding that one good job took some time, however, and is the topic for today.
I have detailed before, my work experience with the Community Development Council of Quinte (CDCQ). While I was employed there I had the opportunity to work along side some wonderful people. One of these people was my friend Sandie. She was in charge of some good programs at the CDCQ and I was always impressed by her. She left the CDCQ after I did but I would still run into her and always enjoyed having conversations with her. She was very progressive and her employment choices were always leading her to better opportunities. When I did meet up with her somewhere, she was always studying something and working to better herself. Eventually I learned she had become the Executive Director of the local chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). I knew she was the right person for that role and when our paths would cross at meetings or conferences, I continued to be impressed by her.
This past summer, I was contacted by Sandie to have a conversation with her about a project being undertaken by CMHA. I guess she too had been impressed by my skills over the years and wanted to know if I would consider assisting CMHA to pursue Accreditation. I was certainly pleased that she had considered me for the role but I frankly had no experience in the Accreditation process. What Sandie saw in me, however, was my research skills. Essentially that’s what the role would entail. It would involve investigating the various Accreditation organizations and guiding CMHA to make a decision that would best suit their needs. Looking at it that way, I knew I could do a decent job for her.
During the first two months of my employment as Accreditation Coordinator, it was certainly a learning curve. First, I had to get used to actually going into an office again. 
The last two employment contracts I had allowed me to work from home. Let’s say the dress code for working at home is quite different than those expected in a work environment where there are other people to consider. I enjoyed my work however and it was great to be working with/for Sandie. My friend Joan, who had also worked with us at the CDCQ, is also working at CMHA and it’s always fun to converse and kibitz with her. I was only employed for one day a week, Friday, and there were some days when old home week with Joan and Sandie prevented me from getting all my work done. That’s one of the perks that I would not trade!
After those first two months, I was given the opportunity to increase my employment with CMHA. One of the programs offered by CMHA is Mental Health counseling. There are individual and group sessions offered to community members as well as to tenants in the emergency shelters operated by CMHA. Sandie came to me again and asked me if I would be interested in performing the duties as a counselor. One of their counselors had been off on a leave and had been expected to return in November but had her leave extended until March. This left her case load to be shared among the other counselors who already had full plates. 
Sandie knew I had a background in Children’s Mental Health when I worked with Youthdale and offered me the counselor position for the next five months. So now I work Tuesdays and Fridays while wearing different hats.
So, what is the point of this blahg? Well, it’s about dignity. I wanted one good job and got two…with the same agency. Someone, in this case Sandie, saw the potential and the experience and took a chance on me. I didn’t even have to submit a resume. The first job was a quick meeting at her office and the counselor position was a phone conversation following an email. I can’t tell you how this has made me feel. No wait, of course I can tell you. I felt wanted again. Here was someone, Sandie, who recognized my skills and knew I could do a job that I, myself, was unsure I could do. Sandie is constantly telling me how nice it is to have me working at CMHA but I’m the one who feels privileged. It isn’t often you get the offer of one good job…let alone two.
I wanted to end this blahg with some appropriate music. I recently discovered that most of the music files linked to my previous blahgs had been deleted from my server. I’m in the process of putting them all back and making sure the links work. Of course this gives me the opportunity to add some new music files. 
In the past few months I have added quite a few jazz CDs to my collection by buying up some newly donated treasures at a local thrift store. One of the artists I really enjoy is Broadway star Betty Buckley. I bought eight CDs by her and one of my favorites was from her first album that she released in 1967. She’s very young and bubbly. One track I really enjoy is “Call Me.” It’s about someone being there for someone else. It speaks to what I’m doing now and what Sandie did for me.
UPDATE 2021:
I don’t work there anymore. It’s a complicated story and I’ve moved on. Enough said!