Elder Son's Sweet Girlfriend

I’ve never given her a name; Elder Son and she are both happy to keep their private lives pretty private, but Sweet Girlfriend -who I have decided to call Kitty- has pulled off a sort of “time-management/personal-drive” coup that is so impressive, I have to give a public shout-out to a kid (okay, they’re all grown up, but “kids” to us) who put herself through college while working part-time and then commenced attaining outstanding grades in a tough out-of-state graduate program, all the while commuting back to NY to keep a full-time job -because right now even a pays-lousy-doesn’t-treat-you-very-well sort of job is a job you hang on to.

In her spare time (!) she drives out “on the island” to perform in a play, because she likes doing that, and because people benefit from it. And because she has a very big heart – the sort of heart you get when life has demanded that you grow a big one, to survive.

This morning, Kitty called with the big news: she’s landed a job, in her profession, just miles from her school. A job with a salary and reasonable hours! A job with actual benefits which kick in after 60 days, as opposed to a year! A job that gets her off the commuter train and started on the rest of her life! With actual time for sleep!

We’re so happy for her. And so proud!

She’ll be living in New Jersey now, which immediately made my husband very sad. He is Italian and would like to build a family compound and keep everyone he loves near him, forever; he hates the “children grow up and go away” part, very much.

We’ll have to get used to seeing less of Kitty, but this is life. She’s really beginning her great adventure, now! How can we be anything but excited for her?

And Elder Son has snagged a temporary job, too – who knows, maybe it will lead to something permanent down the road. I have faith!

Yay! People we love -who are in that demographic currently dealing with 20% unemployment– have found jobs they think they will like!

I’m so glad for them! I feel like the woman in scriptures who swept her house to find the coin and then invited all her neighbors in to rejoice with her!

Rejoice with Sweet Girlfriend, aka, Kitty!