Retirement is just a day away...!

It’s almost 21 years to the day when I first set foot in the library as a shiny, newly minted staff member. When Paula l’Hirondelle called to offer me the job, I was so excited I danced around the room, somewhat awkwardly since I was still connected to the phone. That was in the days long before cell phones and even before portable phones.

Now my last day has come and while I’m happy to retire and pursue new interests (like sleeping in and vegging out on the deck with fruity and mildly alcoholic beverages) this ending is bittersweet. I’m leaving behind a large part of my life permanently imbedded in the pages of the library, but I take with me a bountiful supply of happy memories.

I have been so lucky. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to work for than Dean. He has been the best! When I do something right he makes sure I and everyone else knows it. When I make a mistake, he always takes the blame. How wonderful is that? It has been a real joy to work with Dean.

The other person who has made my work life such a pleasure is Vanessa. We’ve often joked that we spend more time with each other than with our husbands so it’s a darn
good thing we like each other. And we’ve laughed and joked a lot over the years. The work always gets done and we have a fun time together while we do it. How can it get any better?

I’ll miss the laughs and the jokes. The work will still get done, but now Jannie will get the fun of finding out firsthand just how nice it is to work in Admin and enjoy the camaraderie that has been my privilege over the past 15 years.

Those of you with whom I’ve worked have touched my life in a wonderful way. You hear it all the time from customers – what a great group you are. You’ve made this a fabulous place to work. In a way I’m glad to be retiring from work and not moving on to a new place because no other place could compare. Honest.

Let me just finish by saying how blessed I’ve been to work here for over 20 years. Had I hand-crafted the perfect job for myself, I couldn’t have created anything better.

Au revoir.

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