The Young Woman's Part-Time Job

Many, many years ago, I wrote a story about a young, single woman in her 20s who, unlike many people today, worked two jobs.

However, her purpose was not the typical reason.

The full-time job was for her.

The part-time job was for everyone else.

With the funds from the part-time job, this woman ran a clothing closet and a food pantry out of her garage.

I don't remember her name or how long ago I wrote the story. But my office was the attic office in Channahon and likely before Ron and I started The Higher Ark Youth Group for our church.. 

So I'm guessing approximately twenty-five years ago.

Her story inspired me because it proved that one person through hard work can make a significant change. 

I don't recall why she chose to tackle this on her own. She may have run into obstacles that led her to simply fund it herself.

But that's how Ron and I got things done.

We rolled up our sleeves and made changes at our church.

Ron painted, using paint we bought.

Ron and the kids cleaned out, painted, and organized the pantry.

Ron stripped all the floor wax in the large and small halls and rewaxed everything.

I created an entire Sunday School program with our money, organized it, and paid for it.

We did the same thing for the youth group, remodeling three outbuildings (two garages and one attached wooden shed) on our property, hiring an out-of-work constractor to construct a fourth, and buying a shed for the "stuff."

The kids jumped in and stuffed Sunday inserts for newspaper carriers to help buy snacks and pop, etc. for the youth group.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a writer comrade contacted me and asked me to edit his second book. I'd always turned those opportunities down, mostly because my schedule was tight between family, my own writing work, WriteOn Joliet, my own fiction writing, and because editing is expensive, and I knew writers on the independent level would likely never make that money back, ever.

But he insisted he would not take "no" for an answer. So I took on this project and then a few more, charging far, far, far below industry standard rates, more of a stipend, really.

And that inspired the beginning of the book giveaways, including this book giveaway.

When my oldest son Christopher was born in 1982, we found few pamphlets by an organization called The Christophers that we began collecting for when he was older.

The Christophers had a motto that has always stayed with me: "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Lighting one candle doesn't dispel the darkness in the world.

But it can light up a room enough to see.

Happy Monday!