Doug got up and dressed in his professional clothes this morning. After breakfast he packed up his brief case and was determined to go to his office for “a couple of hours”. His caregiver did not encourage such a trip and even offered to drive him to and from. Doug, however, was determined to go by himself.
Letting go for me is not easy but for him his being controlled all the time isn’t easy either. I know that Doug’s work is as much an avocation as a vocation. It has been way too long for him to be away. He has missed his office family.
Soooooooooo I got my camera ready to take his picture as he got into his car. Instead he sat down in a chair. His mind was willing but his flesh was still weak.
For those of you who read my blog and are not acquainted with Doug’s work, he is one of the 4 administrators of the Texas Conference, the Adventist’s denomination’s state headquarters. The office is located about 20 minutes from where we live.
As a denominational headquarters it oversees the work of Adventist churches, pastors, and Adventist-run elementary and high schools. The geographical territory does not include the Texas pan handle and parts of West Texas. There are 40 thousands members of the Adventist church in Texas being ministered to in many languages by 200 pastors. The Conference also includes 22 schools and assists in the credentialing and training of their principals and teachers.
The 4 administrators meet regularly each week in what they call the “Officers Meeting”. Doug takes the minutes for those meetings.
It was advised that several of the employees at the Conference office were coughing, sneezing and blowing their noses so perhaps Doug would want to reconsider coming into the office for fear he’d catch something.
As it ended up Doug did go to work today. With the help of the Communication Director the free video conferencing system [referred to earlier in my blog] brought the four all together. Doug was in his home office and the three others 20 minutes away at the Conference office.
I could hear laughter ringing throughout the house. Doug was working but at the same time having fun with his colleagues. He did take minutes of the meeting with his fellow officers. He did dictate them to his Administrative Assistant.
When all was said and done, Doug saved energy—his own and his car’s--and lightened his carbon footprint.
~Carole
