Everyday Hero

Yesterday was all about me. It was my birthday and I got gifts and lunch and dinner with friends and salutations from across the country. I felt so special but am glad birthdays only come once a year because if I had that kind of day too often no one would be able to stand me. I could easily get used to a tiara!

Today wasn't about me at all. Today was about humanity. Helping those in need without a single selfish thought. My best friend from college is a social worker. She has a client who is getting back on his feet after hitting rock bottom. He is a black man a little older than me (you know, 29.5) who had gotten this far in his life before anyone recognized that he had a major mental health problem. He was found living in a run down trailer with no water or power and was sleeping on the floor. Now, after lots of help from my friend and her treatment team, he is stabilized, has a part-time job and just got his own apartment and he's darned excited about his future.

The daughter of a Grady county tobacco farmer, my friend was privately educated through high school and college. She then got her master's degree in social work on her own with a zillion dollars in student loans and more part-time jobs than I can list. As a youngster, she worked on the farm tending livestock until she was big enough to crop tobacco and drive a tractor. This woman is not afraid of work. And she can't leave it at the office.

Today I drove her to Forsyth, Georgia, to pick up a piece of furniture for her client. Last week she had visited a warehouse there that houses a business for the sale of used hotel furniture and accessories and she purchased an item for the client. It was slightly too large to go into her car, so she had to leave it until she could arrange for a larger vehicle. This woman has come running every time I have needed her so naturally I agreed to go with her to get the piece today. On the way up there, she told me all about the client and how genuinely nice he is and how he really wants to work and support himself and be okay. It was clear she cared for him. After all, she gave up another Saturday and enlisted a friend to help. When we got to the warehouse, she gave me the task of looking for some framed artwork because the donated wall decorations he had were too girlie. And he really likes blue. She set out to find a coffee table and other items in his budget that would would be functional and look nice.

I was so touched by the genuine concern my friend has for her client. She wanted to get things for him that were not only functional, but fit his meager decor and personal taste. She wants for him to be successful as well as happy. How wonderful is that? And she is a social worker...one of the most underpaid, under-appreciated over-worked careers out there besides teaching. She is extremely intelligent and could have gone into any career she chose, but my friend decided to dedicate her life to helping others. If everyone in the medical and mental health professions were as dedicated to helping people rather than processing patients, our planet would truly be a healthier, happier place.

I am constantly getting attitude adjustments from my friends and my kids, whether they mean to give them or not. I was so inspired today and realized how selfish I am. I am a teacher and I do care about my students, but I don't drive 400 miles round trip on my days off for them. Nor do I spend chunks of my own cash on faith that they will reimburse me for it. I sincerely hope that her co-workers are also inspired by her and that everyone she works with will strive to be as dedicated and then pass that on. We should all be as fortunate to have a social worker, doctor, mental health care provider or teacher as dedicated as she is. So cheers, Cuzin, and thank you for your selfless spirit and the mostly thankless job you do!