Nearing the end...

Well, we are nearing the end of my year. It is hard to believe, but it's coming fast now. In a month, I will be home. In two months, I will be in DC. eek! So no real updates here, at work I am having those conversations about transitioning families after I leave. That's hard. But at the same time, it's kind of gratifying because I've really built some strong relationships with the families I work with. And though on paper it's not like I have a lot to offer a 35 year old mother of 5 in the way of parenting advice, the beauty of the system at my job is that's not the point. It isn't about me providing any information, it's about supporting what SHE is doing, and maybe giving a few ideas along the way. And that has been really eye-opening. So as I close up, I'm sorry I am not a blogger. However, if you read this sometimes, I appreciate your support. This year has been hard sometimes, eye-opening, and extraordinarily rewarding. I will forever feel different about a lot of things thanks to this year. My view of what it means to be strong, what hardship looks like, and what it really means to be a great parent have all opened up for me. People truly are amazing, and I have had the chance to work with many people who embody that. I am grateful for the conviction that I don't want to work a desk job. That a willingness to learn really does mean a lot. That even though I'm loud, I can actually listen pretty well too. For all these things and more, right now I am feeling a tremendous amount of grace more than anything.

Warning: rant follows....

I obviously was not cut out for the blogging life. But it turns out I just need big events in order to be pushed into writing. The current one is not too exciting. I'm sure many of you have heard about the difficulties with state budgets around the country, and Illinois is no different. They are proposing cuts to just about every social service. This is one of those moments where I want to shake people and say they should be begging for an income tax increase, if they just would take a second to consider the repercussions. Today that started to hit home, as four of the people who work for my organization were laid off. Four teachers. And the kicker is that with the budget like it is there is virtually no chance of them getting early childhood jobs anytime soon. It just makes me sad. I guess I just hear the rhetoric of "taking care of your own" over and over, and I get so sick of this myth that everyone can equally take care of theirs. Thousands of families in Illinois need a subsidy to be able to pay for childcare, so they can work, go to school, and get the chance for a better life for their kids. And even if someone's belief system allows them to think that these parents earned what they get, what about the young kids who will have worse educational outcomes long-term because of an inability to support a 1.5% income tax increase? Ok I will stop now, it's just that things like this make me angry.

Don't mean to be a total Debbie Downer, because other than that things really are great in Chicago. My job is going well, I'm really enjoying it, but the one downfall (other than government funding) is going to be the leaving. This job is just so based on relationships that it is going to be hard to leave. Not to mention leaving all my housemates and all my Chicago friends! But this weekend I get to see Kate (housemate) and AJ get married, which will be great, along with some exciting trips up soon!

Happy Summer!

Weddings and Spring

My brother is married! Oh my goodness. The wedding was really fun, they had a beautiful ceremony and really nice reception. Jackie looked so beautiful (Joe looked pretty good too ;) ). I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a long time, which is always gratifying. Kathy took me out to a fancy dinner downtown Thursday in Chicago, and Friday morning we walked around downtown before driving to Galena for the wedding. Friday night was the rehearsal and appetizers at a restaurant in Galena. The restaurant was great, we had a couple different rooms so people could just sit and mingle.

Saturday we woke up and walked around downtown Galena. The town is really cute, sort of like Stillwater in that it's a river town that runs on tourism and antiques near as I can tell. Then the wedding was at a chapel about a half hour outside of town, up on a hill. I played my flute and read the poems without falling apart too badly, which is always good. Joe and Jackie left the wedding in a horse-drawn carriage, and the weather held out and didn't rain on them. Afterward everyone headed back to the hotel, where the reception was held. My mom's friend Joni did all the flowers, which were so beautiful. They played "Circle Game" for Joe and my mom to dance too, and it was quite fitting as she sang that all the time to Joe when he was little. All in all, a pretty great day.

It's Spring...who knew?

Studying consumed my life, so it's been so long since I updated who knows if anyone will even read this. Oh well, here goes. It is April in Chicago. It is finally warm enough some days to remind you that it will eventually be nice. I am finally done studying, and it feels great. So great to have some time again. Friday I finally caught up on many of the things I had been putting off: cleaned my room and my car, and did laundry. It was great.

Saturday I headed up to Milwaukee to visit Kathy and Bilhenry. It's always great to see them, and it was really fun to get to go to the church where Kathy has been the interim pastor. They took me to the art institute, which is always exciting. On Sunday the Easter bunny even came! All in all, it was just great to see them and really great to be up in Milwaukee.

Now on to this weekend. My aunt Kathy is flying in from California to Chicago on Thursday night. We will hang out Thursday night/Friday morning, then head to Galena, IL for Joe's wedding. Should be pretty exciting, sounds like there will be a good Shields family and friends turnout.

That's about all I've got for now. I will try to get back in the swing of things and write here once in a while!

February in Chicago!

It’s hard to believe it’s already February in Chicago! February marks the midpoint of my year with Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Pretty incredible. So in honor of 6 months, I thought I’d come up with a few things I’ve learned…
-Living with four women in a 3-bedroom apartment is not as scary as it may seem. Especially when they become your friends.
-Chicago drivers/parking are ridiculous. This has not changed. What I have learned is that parallel parking isn’t horrifying.
-5 women with 5 desks working in 1 small room can be both a blessing and a curse.
-What people want is not so complicated: to be treated with respect and as though what they say and feel matters.
-A few food items are essential long-term in my life: good coffee, good orange juice, and gorgonzola/blue cheese. The first of which I have a plentiful supply of thanks to several different gifts ;).
-Not as many things are essential as I thought.
-Small children will never stop being adorable to me.
-Small children change a lot in 6 months, and to get to witness that on whatever level is an honor.
-Big cities have something to offer even an open-space/outdoors loving girl like me.
-I really lucked out: with my placement, the women I live with, this city: all pretty great.


That's all I've got for now...Happy February!

I'm on a roll

After spending 10 days at home, I came back to Chicago with a few reservations. Getting back into the swing of my job I had heard could be a bit interesting, just getting back on track with families and actually having something to do/having visits the first week back. I shouldn't have worried, this week was the best I've ever had at work. See my previous post for a rockin' tuesday, then Thursday I helped put a crib together. Not what I expected to be doing at 22 years old, but it was really gratifying. I had a woman donate these beautiful cribs, and after I got it into my family's house I could see the mom eyeing the crib. I asked her if she wanted help putting the crib together, and she asked if I was sure I wouldn't mind. The woman is 8 months pregnant with twins, so it was nice to be able to make sure she didn't need to bend down and fiddle with things as much. It took two hours, but she was so excited to have it together. It was something simple, but it made me feel like I was able to do something small that actually mattered, something that made her just the smallest bit more comfortable and prepared to have these babies.

Then Friday was just wonderful. Had a great visit with one of my Spanish-speaking moms, and Kate, one of my closest friends from Grinnell and my housemate last year, was coming through on her way to DC. She talked Sarah, another of the closest friends/housemates, into driving with her from Iowa City and then taking the Greyhound back. So I got to have a Friday night with Grinnellians. Maggie, also from Grinnell, hosted in the southwest suburbs, and Emily R. Grinnell fellow LVCer came too. It was so great to be with old, new and future friends all at once. All together. Just happy and giggling. My sense of home, apart from being wrapped up still at home in Minnesota with my parents, is wrapped up in those women (and Mary Pat and Phoebe, the obvious missing pieces). It was happy, and I am so excited to spend some more time with Maggie who will be around Chicago!

I didn't get much sleep by the time we got to Maggie's house and woke up pretty early, so I lounged on Saturday. Then went to Dhiren's for a delicious dinner with some more Grinnellians. This morning, went to church and my housemate Kate helped me dig the car out so I can actually get out tomorrow. There was an empty spot, so we dug that one out and dug my car out just enough to move it. Then grocery shopping, dinner out in the neighborhood with most of my housemates (delicious gordita), and now I'm going to try for a bit of productivity.
Basically, I am on a roll. This week was just fantastic. I finally feel like I can do my job for the most part. I saw a lot of wonderful people. I did some really fun things, and had some down time. Now about that studying...

A good day

Today was a good day. And since I can’t seem to make myself journal on any sort of regular basis, I thought I should record it here. Nothing monumental happened, but I felt like I could actually do my job.
I made myself get up early, and had an uneventful drive to the YMCA, worked out, and managed to be at work by 7:30.
At work first I went to do outreach at the WIC office and talked to two moms, one in English and one in Spanish. They both seemed really interested in our program. It’s a good day at WIC if I even have one good conversation, so two is a real gift.
Next, I had a visit with one of my moms who has historically been quiet. We’ve been moving forward and she lets me in little by little, but it has definitely been a process. At this visit, a case manager from a different agency showed up to meet with my family. By the time the case manager left, the baby was fussing, so I resolved to finish our topic next week. I told the mom the baby must have had enough strangers for one day. Mom immediately looked at me and said “But you’re not a stranger, [the baby] knows you really well!” It was a proud moment. The baby knows me, and her mom has let me in to her life. That is all I dream of for my job.
Afterward, we had a site visit from the Baby Talk women. Baby Talk is the home visiting curriculum we use. The women are like the quintessential Moms. They are so excited you can’t help but be excited with them. It's just nice to hear some days that your job matters, that other people work in the same field and reinforce it's importance/legitimacy.
I got home from work, and studied for a solid hour and a half. All of this before 6 pm! That's what I call a good day....