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{"id":17794,"date":"2010-04-19T16:15:33","date_gmt":"2010-04-19T20:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/blogs\/theanchoress\/?p=17794"},"modified":"2017-03-10T17:52:21","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T17:52:21","slug":"elder-sons-sweet-girlfriend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theanchoress\/2010\/04\/19\/elder-sons-sweet-girlfriend\/","title":{"rendered":"Elder Son's Sweet Girlfriend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\n
\nI\u2019ve never given her a name;<\/strong> 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 \u201ctime-management\/personal-drive\u201d coup that is so impressive, I have to give a public shout-out to a kid (okay, they\u2019re all grown up, but \u201ckids\u201d 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<\/em> job -because right now even a pays-lousy-doesn\u2019t-treat-you-very-well sort of job is a job you hang on to.<\/p>\n

In her spare time (!) she drives out \u201con the island\u201d to perform in a play, because she likes doing that, and because people benefit from it. And because she has a very big heart \u2013 the sort of heart you get when life has demanded that you grow a big one, to survive.<\/p>\n

This morning, Kitty called with the big news: she\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n

We\u2019re so happy for her. And so proud!<\/p>\n

She\u2019ll 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 \u201cchildren grow up and go away\u201d part, very much.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll have to get used to seeing less of Kitty, but this is life. She\u2019s really beginning her great adventure, now! How can we be anything but excited for her?<\/p>\n

And Elder Son has snagged a temporary job, too \u2013 who knows, maybe it will lead to something permanent down the road. I have faith!<\/p>\n

Yay! People we love -who are in that demographic currently dealing with 20% unemployment<\/a>\u2013 have found jobs they think they will like!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m 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!<\/p>\n

Rejoice with Sweet Girlfriend, aka, Kitty!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"