All That is Precious

Today we had a staff retreat with a twist - it only included the peons of the organization. Our first task of the day was to bring something with us that has momentous value and is precious to us.

It took me a while to come up with something... a picture is pretty easy to do but with Elliot's constant attitude problem, it'd be a total pack of lies about how much I cherish him. (I'm kidding.) (Mostly.) I was laying in bed thinking of what to bring and I looked over and saw my quilt from my Grandma Cropp. That quilt would make my list of "Top 5 Things to Grab Before Leaving the House if it's on Fire" so it'll be perfect.

We gathered that morning and introduced ourselves to the facilitator, giving a brief explanation of why the item we brought is so important to us.

I brought my quilt from my Grandma Cropp. I really didn't get to know her for very long but the memories I have of her are sweet: snitching cookie dough, teddy bear pancakes and picking strawberries for what seemed like all day long. I wish I could have known her longer. She made a bed quilt for each of her grand kids - likely 20 or so at the time - and she made them to be used. I'm happy I did because now it not only reminds me of her but it reminds me of secret forts and bloody noses and a general sense of comfort. Grandma Cropp is a constant reminder that life can be simple: one can be perfectly content being a farmer's wife, raising children and quilting in every spare moment. I try to remember that often.

Let the waterworks begin. Each person had a similar story and the facilitator was BLOWN AWAY by us. While I wasn't surprised, I was filled with love knowing we were all so very able and willing to share these most precious items with one another. (Something I don't think that would've happened if we weren't all in the same "class" at work.)

That one exercise bonded us together more than anything the rest of the day did. While I've always had respect for my fellow workers, I now feel a personal connection to each and every one of them.

And that makes work so much less work-like.