June 2008

Dear Family & Friends,
We've officially passed the halfway mark of 2008, and I'm aghast at how fast this year has slipped away! Spring hasn't officially given way to Summer yet, but the weather has already started to resemble last year's summer of drought, and, here in NC, we never got caught up from the water deficit from last year, so we're praying for more rain. Our lawn, which started out so beautiful this Spring, has started to look brown again, and I'm hoping that we won't have a repeat of last summer. My roses are doing very well, blooming profusely with the first wave of rains and warm temperatures, so that I was able to give them away almost daily to prevent them from just withering away on the branch. They're into their second wave of blooming, and looking beautiful.
My mimosa tree (grown from a seed) is covered up in those frilly pink blossoms that look like tiny feather dusters; the gardenia bush has set a plethora of buds from which I already found one open blossom; the crape myrtle is cautiously blooming; the mother's day gardenia plant has resurrected once more and given me a single perfect bloom; the magnolia tree is showing it's petticoat of heavily perfumed flowers; the Texas Star has bushed out nicely; and the butterfly bush evidently appreciated the extreme pruning I gave it at the start of Spring, because it's also covered in nascent bloom sprigs which will explode into fragrant color spikes that attract bumblebees and butterflies so nicely. The Spring blossoming flowers have mostly shown their colors, while the day lilies and tiger lilies are just now in full bloom, and the hostas are starting their blooming season too.
We were finally able to replace the rotting four-by-four garden borders built to look like a split-rail fence, and now the flower beds are framed by rounded-front charcoal/red brick edgers, as well as the magnolia tree and the smaller circle of hostas around the crape myrtle tree. The look is so much more professional and very neat/orderly. I'm tickled to have that done, but am still figuring out how to incorporate my rock collection into the design. As part of my travels all over America, I've picked up colorful rocks that I've found in every state to which I've gone on contract. Most of them come from state or national parks, they vary in colors and sizes, but most of them I recall where they came from, so there's sentimental value to them, if nothing else. Now I have to find a place for them in this newly professional-looking scheme...

July 28, 2008

One of my friends wrote recently to say she wanted a real letter about what I've been up to, not just forwards, so here we go. As you can see above, this letter was started in June, and that's about as far as it got. You don't have to be working a 40-hour week punching a time clock to wonder where the days go. Some may wonder what I do to keep me busy since I'm not "working"...smile, or at least try to. Well....let me see...I'm technically unemployed, but self-employed, so having to try to scrounge a job from wherever I can, doing whatever I'm most qualified to do. Have had quite a number of really interesting Interim Management opportunities slip right through my fingers since April 2007, and it took a lot of time and effort to get through those searches and then lose the position. Job hunting can be a full-time occupation all by itself, and when you're self employed, it becomes a task that can't be ignored for very long without risk of getting forgotten in your field of expertise. Going a whole year or more without any Interim OR jobs doesn't look so good on the resume, but explaining why is a bit of a challenge.

Besides looking for work, there's keeping the home here in Greensboro maintained, and that takes a good bit of time too. I'm fully responsible for the maintenance of the yard as well, and while I have a man to mow the lawn (we don't have a lawn mower and when I'm gone for months at a time, you can't just let the grass grow), but keeping up the flower beds is lot's of time consuming work. This past year has been a challenge in that department because of the severe drought NC endured. It took extra time and effort to recycle as much water as possible that was used in the house so that I could keep the roses watered at least minimally to keep them from getting burned up by the heat. We had an extra hot summer too, along w/the drought, so it was a challenge just keeping the roses alive.

Then there's the time spent with my parents when they were able to be here at the house. They appreciated my efforts to help take some of the weight of their duties from their shoulders, so I spent a great deal of time helping with the numerous requests for assistance from Suriname, did most of the grocery shopping (of course most of you know I enjoy shopping, so it's no chore), and ran a lot of errands when the need presented, so that Daddy could concentrate on his more official duties. His health has had some acute challenges this past year, so helping even with mundane chores gave him relief to deal with more pressing needs.

Most of you have husbands or wives, possibly children old enough to help with household chores, so all these activities don't seem too much to handle, especially if you're not having to go to work 40 hours a week as well. But it is a bit of a challenge to handle all that as a single woman, no husband or children to help. I've also attempted to start a boutique gardening business (since I've not had any nursing work), doing something I really enjoy anyway, and see if I can make a few extra bucks to get by. So far I've only acquired one client, a lady in her 70's who's pretty spry and loves her gardening work as well, but hasn't the stamina or strength I can offer to accomplish some of her tougher garden chores. She gets me on Tuesdays, usually about 4-5 hours in the morning, and I do whatever she wants done that I'm capable of. I've cleaned gutters, transplanted plants, cleaned/fixed small water fountains, mowed her 3' x 12' patch of grass, used a blower to clean up all the debris from the chores as well as the dozens of trees that surround her house leaving debris everywhere. Today we worked on her garden shed, cleaning it up and completely taking all its contents out and reorganizing everything into a more efficient and orderly fashion so that things are able to be found readily and used with a minim of fuss. Until I get another nursing position, I'll continue to seek more clients so that I can supplement my unemployment income somewhat.

During April and May, I also had a temporary client, my pastor's widowed mother, who loves flowers and lots of color, so I suggested to her that she allow me to create some beautiful perennial flower gardens. We started with just two, one medium sized with approximately 4 dozen flowers, and the other a smaller one for along a back fence to cover it's weathered facade with clematis. When those two were finished, she wasn't satisfied with just two, so got her son to rip out a 16-foot privacy-hedge of mature azaleas in front of her patio, and we created yet another garden of lovely perennials. Then, not content with my protestations that her yard doesn't get enough sun for growing roses, she ordered some hedge roses, and that gave birth to her fourth flower garden. The roses are doing fair-to-middlin' but one is trying to die, and she's not happy with my explanations that her choice wasn't a good one, and they are less likely to flourish than anything else I have done for her. We'll see about that.

In addition to a very complimentary client (she raves about her beautiful gardens), she and I had many conversations while she was "supervising" my activities, and she was quite concerned about my financial situation with being unemployed for so many months in a row (now 15). The upshot of our frequent talks about savings, investments, etc was that she transferred one share of Coca Cola to me this month! So, I'm now a shareholder of Coca Cola, and it's on an automatic dividend reinvestment program they have. My goal is to add a share per month (once I'm working again) to that program, which will grow into a tidy little nest egg in time. Her husband encouraged her early in their marriage to become part of an investment club with a group of ladies, which she did, and she is now living on the profits made by her own investment club. It's been fun talking with her and learning more about stocks and how she learned to invest, and how so many companies make it possible to purchase stocks directly from them without having to pay a broker for that privilege. Knowing that I can't keep on with the harder aspects of nursing forever, and not having any savings left since my continued unemployment last year used up what was a nicely growing nest egg, I have to find a better way to put away something for when I have to retire from nursing and find another way to produce an income.

Some very promising Interim OR Manager positions have come my way this Spring and Summer, none of which have turned into a job for me. Many factors are at play, not the least of which has been that the pool from which hospitals have to draw on for Interim OR Managers has grown exponentially in the past 5 years. Other nurse like me, mature, experienced, having issues with the day-to-day staffing situations, and perhaps needing the flexibility of self-employment due to spouse job situations, or whatever, have glutted the formerly sparse ranks of travel nurse OR Managers available, so at any given time, the competition for the available positions is pretty stiff, with many of them having an automatic advantage over me because they either have BSN's or even MSN's to offer those hospitals a little more snobby about their credentialling process. The answer to that is not necessarily getting a degree, because my style of management and interest in levels of management doesn't lend itself to having a degree that would remove me from the proximity to my staff that makes me better at what I do than most managers.

Besides which, I trust the Lord that He has a plan for me, and that He has had very good reasons for allowing this period of unemployment. It has allowed me time to give my parents my undivided attention when they needed it most, has allowed me to maintain the house/grounds in good condition, and given me time to become very involved in my church as a charter member, and part of the music worship team. My time with them usually takes parts of 2-3 days a week, and I've very much enjoyed getting so close to the critical workings of a fledgling congregation. We have a vital outreach to Jewish people, and I love the Hebrew worship songs I've learned so far. Our pastor has really opened up a new dimension of Scriptural understanding for me, which has deepened my own Bible study and appreciation, so my continued unemployment has truly had some significant spiritual impact on my life, and that is never a negative outcome.

My parents returned to Suriname on May 28th, and they are settling back into life there with their usual ease and comfort. The grandchildren in Suriname have recently lost another sibling to the inevitable march of time when you graduate from high school and become a Bible college student. David's two children are here in Winston-Salem, NC while Jonathan's two eldest, Matthew and Miriam are at Northland Baptist Bible College. Matthew just recently returned from a yearlong survey/study trip to Turkey to discover how the Lord will use him as a missionary to Islamic peoples in Turkey. He also recently became engaged, and the wedding is scheduled for June 18, 2009. He and his fiancee, Bethany Toomer, will be at NBBC this year, for her to finish her studies, and for him to complete his Master's. Miriam is a rising senior and an RA at NBBC, loving everything to do with her studies and college life. This fall, Seth, Ethan's eldest son, will start college at Ambassador Bible College in NC. Ethan is my younger brother, and Seth is the first of 8 children to leave the nest.

Ethan and Seth are here in Greensboro getting time to help Seth find a home church for his college time, shop for their Suriname needs, ship all the stuff they've been given and shopped for, and generally prepare for another two years of service in Moengo, Suriname where they minister along with Jonathan and my parents. With Ethan here, and Kim in Suriname (someone has to look out for the other 7 children), I've taken over the job of chef and housekeeper, and getting a bit of assistance with the leaf-raking from Seth in the bargain. I was a little apprehensive about cooking for two such big guys (both over 6 feet) and accustomed to Kim's cooking, but after my first meal, it became clear that my own life in Suriname and being part of the Champlin family certainly helped me to have similar cooking habits as they do. Seth's first response to my first meal for him was a slight upturning of the corners of his mouth and a satisfied "Ahhhh". He went on a little later to say that it was the first meal he'd had since returning to America June 30th that tasted like home. With a few tips from Kim, I hope to keep the men well-fed and as content with their food as either can be away from home.

This afternoon I received a phone call from an agency who had referred me to an Interim OR Management job in June, which had passed me by again, and the recruiter said that they've completed the part of their game plan that they didn't think I was qualified to do, and now they need someone who's more comfortable with the type of hands-on management that I'm best at. So, once more, I'm submitted to this same hospital, trusting that their renewed interest might mean a job this time! The timing will be good...they want to shoot for mid-August, and Ethan returns to Suriname on August 13th, so that should work out well, if they decide to offer me the job this time. Please pray for God's hand in this and an open door if this is of Him. It would be in Atlanta, GA, so I'd be able to fly (if need be) home easily for long weekends and not suffer jet lag, or drive if it was really long weekends.

Also had a phone call from a lady in Charlotte, NC who is a massage therapist that comes to your home for the appointment, and she's interested in my Jeep that is for sale. Her birthday is mid-August and she wants a "new" car for her business, as the old one is dying. She thought my ad in CARS.com was very thorough and was quite interested in my personal knowledge and care of my Jeep. I hope she will choose my Jeep, because it would be nice to know it's still doing something related to the nursing profession. Well that about sums up this year so far. Good to get this update done and feel like I'm not so remiss in staying in touch with my loved ones.

Love,

Debbie