The Gift of Giving: the most important gift of all

GIVING...

What does it mean to give? Is giving more important than receiving? Of course it is.  Side note: It is now December and I am happy to talk all about Christmas and the season of giving since it is December and not November. Back to my point. 

For many years growing up, I was always for Christmas morning so Stevie and I could run into the "play room" to see our overstuffed stockings and throw back the sheet hanging in the door way to our living room, run in, and see all the fabulous (and numerous) gifts underneath the tree.  Each Christmas Stevie and I would spend a whole 30mins to an hour ripping open our presents just to see what we got.  To see if Santa (and eventually our parents) knew exactly what we wanted.  As we grew a little older, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and would always put Jesus in the Nativity Scene but the main event was always the presents.  As the Christmases went on, the presents kept coming and sometimes we would even compare the amount of presents each of us got.  My parents even have a picture of the Christmas morning with Steven holding his new pair of skis and myself with a pile of presents to represent the comparison in price between our presents.  We appreciated everything we got but from the earliest I can remember, my favorite part of Christmas was shopping for my parents and brother and then giving  them their gifts on Christmas morning.  I always loved to play Santa, deliver their gifts, and wait to see their reaction.  It was always a joy to see a smile or a shocked face when they opened the gift because not to toot my own horn but I'm really good at picking out gifts for people. (Although this year, sorry to say it family, my budget is a little small because of the volunteering but you will all get something I promise!)

  The Gift of Giving...the most amazing and important gift of all

Now doing a year of volunteering is all about giving but this week we did something special for the Christmas season that was another great giving experience.  About 20 years ago, a husband who worked at St. Rita and his wife found themselves falling a little short on money and gifts around Christmas time.  Friend's of the family graciously helped them out and they were able to give their children gifts for Christmas.  The following year when they were in a better place, they made a vow to help one family in need each year with Christmas presents, clothes, food, etc.  Well one family became three, then 5, then 10, and now they serve about 25 families a year.  The organization is called Angel's Touch and we were lucky enough to help out with their service this year.  Angel's Touch delivers food, winter coats, hats, gloves, toys, and presents to all the families in need.  Tuesday and Wednesday night the four of us went to the warehouse and helped wrap presents and fill food boxes for each of the families.  Then today, MC and Molly helped deliver some of the gifts and food to the families while I helped out at the Catholic Charities Christmas Party for our clients, another fun way Catholic Charities gives to our clients.  Tuesday and Wednesday were such great experiences where over 20 volunteers came together to wrap presents, and gather food for families in need.  The unique part about Angel's Touch is the organization serves mostly middle class families who are struggling for the year.  These families have either lost a family member recently, most likely a parent, or a parent has lost their job.  Pat and Georgette, the two co founders of the organization in Chicago, stated that there are a lot of families in need around Christmas but the families who usually don't get the help from other organizations are the  middle class families who are struggling.  This organization is amazing and I was so happy to be a part of it.  Molly and MC said delivery was amazing today and it was great to see how happy the families and kids were when receiving their gifts and food.  People were so grateful for the gifts Angel's Touch gave them.  There are more gifts to be given next weekend so hopefully I will be able to help deliver next weekend.  

Below is a poem I found on their blog that someone wrote about the organization:

AN ANGEL'S TOUCH

The tender touch of angel wings,
Brush softly past your face;
Summoned by soft spoken prayers,
To stand here in this place.

Called to keep and guard you,
To touch your heart with love;
Sent as special messengers,
From a holy place above.

Sent to whisper words of peace,
To calm a restless soul;
Sent to watch you as you sleep,
Their angel wings unfold.

They cover you with tenderness,
They watch your slumbering face;
They call you into peaceful rest,
As they stand here in this place.

They walk beside you every step,
As you go about your day;
Their mission is to guard you,
As you travel on your way.

So if you feel a tender touch,
A breeze upon your face;
Just know I prayed for angels,
To keep you in this place.
Allison Chambers Coxsey
©1994

My day at Catholic Charities was another great example of the giving season and the wonderful things Catholic Charities does for our clients.  Clients and staff came together for a fun afternoon of food, games, activities, and pictures with Black Santa (aka Hot Dog).  My station was temporary tattoos which was I became an expert at by the end of the day.  Even though the tattoos would ware off in a couple of hours, it was great to see the kids smile with excitement as the tattoos magically stuck to their skin.  There were also raffles, toys and other prizes given out throughout the day which was great for all of our clients to get a little something extra before Christmas.  Some of the Christmas presents we sent in for at the beginning of the year have started to arrive and have slowly started to take over my cubicle. I am very excited to be able to give out these gifts and toys to my families in need because everyone deserves to smile during this season of giving even if they can't give something in return. 


Thanks for reading and remember to ask yourself: What/how have you been giving this season?

Chicago Fact: Chicago’s first municipal Christmas tree was lit in 1913 on Christmas Eve by Mayor Carter H. Harrison in Grant Park. The tree was a 35 foot tall Douglas Spruce which was decorated with 600 multi-colored lights and topped with the Star of Bethlehem. In December 1956, the City’s Christmas tree was in fact one large tree that had been created from many smaller trees.

Thanksgiving, a time to be thankful

My last post was a bash on how Chicago has totally skipped over celebrating
Thanksgiving but I want to take part of that back by telling you my Thanksgiving
experience in Chicago although the Christmas decorations are still up and have now
multiplied since my last post. As mentioned before, Thanksgiving is a very special
holiday to me and perhaps in my top three favorite holidays (Christmas and my birthday
are up there too :) ) so when I found out that I wasn't going to be able to go home this
year for Thanksgiving I was bummed but also excited to spend the holiday with my
family and community here in Chicago, including my roommates and our neighbors.

A week before Thanksgiving Day, the Doulas at my Catholic Charities office hosted
a Thanksgiving dinner for all of their clients and their families to come and celebrate
together. Griffin was on Kairos that week but Molly and MC came to my office that night
to help me and the other staff serve the dinner. As we all gathered in the dining room,
one of the girls gave a wonderful blessing and Ms. Wilson, the Director of the Doula and
Teen Case Management programs, explained the activity for the night. She had set up
a Tree of Life and cut out a bunch of leaves for the girls. Each girl was given a leaf and
asked to write what they are thankful for. Then each girl stood up said what they wrote
and brought the leaf up to the tree and taped it on. Here are some of the responses
from the teen moms:
"Hi My name is _____ and I am thankful for my family."
"...I am thankful for my son."
"...I am thankful for life."
"...I am thankful to wake up every day."
"...I am thankful to find out today that I will be graduating on time."
"...I am thankful for my education and all the support I have in my life"
"...I am thankful for my daughter and the baby that is on the way."
"...I am thankful to be alive!"

With each of these responses, my smile grew bigger and bigger. Everyone in the room
was clapping and smiling knowing that even though these girls may not have planned
to get pregnant and be a mom at this age, they are thankful for the life they are living
now and the child they have. As this exercise went on, I looked around the room to see
the smiling and loud cheers of the Doulas and staff that supported these clients and
helped them to become the women and moms they are today. It was a pleasure for
my roommates and I to experience this exercise and be able to see the great work of
Catholic Charities. After all of the leaves were on the Tree of Life, my roommates, my
coworkers and I lined up behind the buffet table to serve out Thanksgiving dinner. It
was great to see how many people we fed and to be able to do some extra volunteering
during this great holiday. I really enjoyed serving and sharing a meal with my co-
workers and were glad that Molly and MC were able to experience this time at Catholic
Charities and its amazing staff.

As the dinner went on and as I drove home, I thought to myself, how can people that
are struggling always be so positive and thankful? I know this may seem like a silly question to ask because everyone deserves to be positive and thankful but I
cannot imagine the hardships these teen moms have gone through in the past
and maybe even in the future. My favorite part about this night was seeing how
blessed and happy the teen moms were. Maybe the best gift of teenage mothers
is their baby. Over the months I have worked as a Case Manager, I have met
moms of all ages and all of them love their children very much. Some are more
scared then others; some are a little depressed because of other things that are
going on in their lives but all of them love their babies and want to do everything
they can to give them a loving and beautiful life. After I came home and again
on Thanksgiving Day, I prayed for my clients and all of the single moms in the
Chicago area that they will always be safe and healthy no matter what life brings
them.

Thanksgiving Day for me was another great day in Chicago. Even though I didn’t
wake up to the smell of turkey cooking in the oven, I did get up and watch the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade with my roommates as I called and talked to my parents on
their way to New Jersey. I also did make ambrosia to bring with us to our Thanksgiving
dinner which everyone enjoyed. It was definitely a bittersweet day for all four of us at
times but we had each other and helped each other through the sad times. Molly and
I got to Skype with our families which were quite the situation to figure out but it was
great for all of us to meet and see our families over the internet. Even though it would
have been nice to be home, it was still a great day filled with food, laughs, love, and
family.

After watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Skyping with our families, JBird picked
us up and brought us to his brother Bob’s house who graciously welcomed us into their
house with his wife Carol and their son Bobby. All four of us, JBird and his son Paul
spent the day with their family lounging around the house, eating, drinking wine, and
watching football. It wasn’t the typical loud, Moretti/Burns family Thanksgiving but it
was very nice to be with family and share in their traditions. After dinner which included
delicious stuffing and turkey but no brussel sprouts or the other 10 sides Mom makes,
my roommates, Paul, and his cousin Bobby all took a nap beside the fire in their living
room which is a tradition I would like to start at our house Mom and Dad although our
couches are really comfy in the living room! After our cat nap, we enjoyed another
glass of wine, watched TV and went home to go to bed. It was sad not to be with the
family at Uncle David’s house but it was great to have a family Thanksgiving in Chicago
with our community and family here. The rest of the weekend included watching Elf,
relaxing, and going ice skating in Millenium Park which was a lot of fun. So the holidays
are here and I can’t wait to go home to see all my family and friends. Sorry Mom
and family that I wasn’t there for Thanksgiving but thank you to JBird and his family
for having us as part of their family for a great Thanksgiving meal and day with great
people.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to take time to thank God for
all of the wonderful people and things in your life this holiday season. My roommates
and I are truly blessed for all the amazing people and opportunities God has given us
and we thank Him every day for all He has done for us, all He is doing and all He will doing in the future.

Chicago fact: The game of softball originated in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, 1887

Tis the.....umm not yet!!!

For many people the Christmas season is a time of joy and love shared with family, friends, and loved ones.  Don't get me wrong its the same for me but in December, not November, not before Thanksgiving.  The stores are already playing Christmas music (I'm sure Price Chopper is) and there are already decorations going up around town.  As I drove down my Michigan Ave the other day on my way to a home visit I saw Christmas Candles and Candycanes hanging from the street light. "You have GOT to be kidding me!!" I said as I stared in confusion.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm no Scrooge but honestly Christmas in November and before Thanksgiving?! Not ok in my books.  I feel like these premature Christmas and holiday decorations are taking away from the great feast day that is Thanksgiving.  I would understand if they were doing Christmas early in Europe, Africa, and any other place besides the U.S. because they don't celebrate Thanksgiving but for us to overlook Thanksgiving, I think its rather rude!  Maybe I'm being way to overdramatic but I don't like to do anything Christmas or holiday related until December 1st.  

Thanksgiving, in  my opinion, is just as important of a holiday as Christmas is because you get to spend time with family and friends in addition to eating delicious food.  I really enjoy Thanksgiving and am sad that I'm not going to be able to be home with my family this year but I am thankful for J Bird and his family for inviting us to their dinner.  Thanksgiving is really a time to give thanks and be grateful for what you have in addition to helping others in need.  My roommates and I have talked about doing a soup kitchen or dinner of some sort around or on Thanksgiving day to serve people in need and enjoy the company of other people in addition to the ones we will be eating with.  Also Catholic Charities is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday at our office that me, Molly, and MC are going to go to.  I don't think many of my clients are going to be there but there will be many other pregnant women, babies and other people there to share in a great dinner together.  I am excited to be able to show my roommates more about my work site and to get to know more people that I work with in addition to the clients we are serving.

Christmas is a special time of year as well where everyone gets to spend time with family and friends in addition to eating meals and giving and receiving of presents.  Since I can remember I have always enjoyed the giving of presents more than the receiving.  Giving involves thinking about that person and finding something special for them that is both meaningful and significant to both you and the person you are giving the gift to.  As most of my family and friends know, I love to give gifts no matter how big or small.  Christmas is a time of giving and I think many people forget that sometimes because of all the hussle and bussel of having guests and making sure everyone gets what they want.  As time comes closer for me to go for Christmas I have been thinking about what I want my Christmas to be like and if there is anything I want.  Honestly the word want is one that is both significant and challenging in many instances.  Want can mean a dream or something that you desire whereas need is something that is closer to a human need or necessity like food, water, shelter, etc.  So the only thing I want or would like for Christmas are some TOM shoes other than that I honestly don't need anything else.  I really just want to spend time with family and friends and talk with them about my AV year and the service I have been doing.  

A challenge: Take time this holiday season both Thanksgiving, Christmas, and whatever other holiday you celebrate to volunteer and give back to some part of that community.  Whether that is donating to a toy drive, donating can food, helping out at a community dinner, singing Christmas carols, or just spending time with family and friends who you haven't seen in a while.  Take time to reflect on your life and the things and people that matter the most.  I can almost guarentee that it will make your holiday season that much more special when its all over. 

Chicago Fact: Chicago also has a tree like in NYC that they will be lighting November 24th.  At least they wait until the end of November to do the major decorating!

Why...

Why is a big question to ask.  Take some time to ask these questions to yourself, to others and to God.  Ask yourself Why.

Why are there so many injustices in the world?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why are some kids forced to grow up so fast?

Why do some teenage girls get pregnant?

Why do some people have no support system at all?

Why do we have daylight savings?

Why are so many people unemployed?

Why are so many people living below the poverty line?

Why are there child soldiers in Africa?

Why do some people get a second chance when others don't?

Why am I so blessed?

Why am I here?

Chicago Question: Why do Chicago public schools have to suffer from budget cuts when they are the ones who need the most time/resources?

 

Friends and Family are amazing

People say that you can pick your friends but not your family.  This is true but I wouldn't change anything about the friends and my family today.  Even though I am far away from them, they are still a big part of my life and I try to keep in touch with them as much as possible.  Whether its a phone call, an email, a Facebook message, a text or this blog, I have tried to keep up with as many friends and family members as possible. (Side note: I know I am slacking on keeping in touch with some of you so I will try my best to get better at this)  While these ways of communication are good at times nothing beats seeing your friends and family in person and getting a huge from them.  This exactly what has happened to me the past two weeks and what is going to happen again this weekend.

Two weekends ago, so Halloween weekend, my parents were in town for a conference my dad attended and of course to visit me and meet my roommates.  They arrived on Friday evening and I picked them up, drove them to my house, gave them a little tour and then headed to dinner with my roommates.  We went to a family owned Italian restaurant called Franconello's which is right down the street from our house.  We all enjoyed a delicious dinner and was joined by J-Bird and Julie at the end of our meal.  Then it was time to hit up Western so we went to Rhino bar with all the St. Rita people.  My parents got to experience Rhino bar first hand.  They met all the people who work at St. Rita and my mom  yelled  "Oh my goss This place is so fun!" as soon as she walked in the door so I think they had fun haha.  After the early night at Rhino we went to our hotel in the city for a good night's sleep before our big day in the city.  Saturday morning we got up and did the grand tour of downtown Chicago.  Mom thought it would be a good idea to do her hair as she does every morning until she stepped outside to The Windy City and there was no fixing it.  The tour included a lot of walking to the Bean, Millenium Park, Navy Pier, Michigan Ave, deep dish pizza at Giordano's, and the top of the John Hancock building for an expensive martini.  Then it was back to the Palmer House hotel to rest till dinner at this amazing seafood place called Hugo's Frog Bar which was amazing food but a long wait past our reservation time.  After dinner we met two of my roommates, Molly and MC, at the hotel so we could change into our halloween costume (Ghostbusters complete with backpack :) check out the pictures on facebook!!) and head out on the town for a fun halloween night.  The night was fun and very entertaining, including eating apple pie in the hallway outside my parents room with a cow! HA!  Sunday Mom let me sleep in and we did a little tour of Beverly and my work (she got very quiet when I pulled onto Michigan Ave).  The afternoon we went back downtown to shop on Michigan Ave/the Magnificant Mile which can be drastically compared to my not-so-magnificant mile of Michigan Ave in Roseland.  The day ended with a great dinner at a steak house with my mom, dad, and one of my dad's co-workers.  Monday my dad and I had to work but my parents took a cab to my office in the afternoon and then it was off to the airport to catch their plane home.

Tuesday of that week was also a fun time.  My dad had told me about a jazz night downtown that his company was hosting.  Since my parents flew home Monday night, my dad gave my roommates and I the invite to go.  So we went and had a blast!! I tried to serve as a representative of Dad and NJM/CLI but I didn't know many people there; although I did get introduced to the owner (co-owner?) of the company Michel LaPierre who was very nice and glad to meet me.  The best part of the night was when Marla, who had a lot to do with the set up of the party, gave my roommates and I one of the trivia questions that was going to win a digital camera.  Funny part about this is that MC had lost her camera at a bar a week before we came to Chicago so she was in need of one.  So extroverted Janine marched right up to the dance floor when the guy was going to ask the question and as soon as he said, "What is BB Kings Birthday? Day and Year?" Before he could even get year out, I yelled "September 16, 1925!!!" The guy then gave me a look and was like "how did you know that? can you prove it?" "I just know it!" I said.  Then I was like, "I'm Jim Moretti's daughter I just know it!" Then the response was, "O jeez really? Jim cuts my checks, here its yours!" As soon as he put it my hand I jumped up and down and everyone clapped!" So thanks Marla for giving us a heads up, thanks Dad for letting me name drop, and your welcome MC for the camera that has already been put to great use!!!

This weekend was girls weekend because Griffin was in Milwaukee for a conference so Kerry Wulpern came to visit and Carolyn Bartlett from Merrimack came to visit Molly.  We had a really fun weekend packed with lots of laugher, a fieta night with Margaritas, and dancing.  Friday I had to work but Kerry, Molly, and Caroline came to visit me at the office and I gave them a quick tour/explanation.  After our Mexican dinner on Friday night and then we hit up Rhino bar and some continued on to Brewbakers.  Saturday we slept in and the girls went into the city to walk around Michigan Ave.  I met up with them for deep dish pizza then came home to rest before our house party on Saturday night.  Sunday Kerry and I went into the city and did the boat Architectual Tour which brought us throughout the Chicago River telling us about all of the buildings.  Mom was very jealous when I told her we did this but I told her she can do it when she comes in February.  We had a great time walking around on the beautiful day and catching up on life.  Monday morning I drove her to the airport after an exciting weekend in Chicago.

This coming weekend Kevin is finally coming into town and I am thrilled! I'm excited to show him the sites and where I work.  Were probably gonna spend some time in Wriglyville and around that area cause he is a boy and doesn't need to do the whole shopping on Michigan Ave.  I don't know what hes more excited about, seeing me or deep dish pizza :) I hope its the first one but I can understand his love for pizza.  

Having guests is a lot of fun but tiring as well.  I have enjoyed showing everyone Chicago and letting them experience my new life here. Chicago, Beverly, and Roseland are all wonderful places that are uniquly different and I love showing all my guests their highlights and their struggles.  So if anyone wants to come to Chicago to visit let me know and you can book a weekend!!

Fun fact: Chicago is actually built on a swamp and it got its name from an Indian territory named Chickagou

"Be the Change you wish to see in the World" - Ghandi

Last week I attended a Teenage Suicide Prevention Training at work that talked about teen suicide and how to help teens who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and ideals.  This was a pretty heavy topic to say the least but in the end after all the harsh statistics and horror stories, we (all the staff that were in the meeting including Doluas, supervisors, and other case managers) realized that we can make a difference to these people.  One of the things we learned about in the training was the signs and signals of suicidal people which include drastic change of behavior, trouble in school, isolation from friends, and many others.  There were also some obvious ones including suicide attempts, threats, and saying, "I am going to kill myself."  As we all listened and discussed as the training went on, I couldn't help but think to myself, am I capable of helping someone who is having these thoughts and actions? And the answer is Yes, we all are. Even if it is the smallest thing like talking about how they are feeling or telling them that you are not going to leave them until they get help, any little thing can help.  Now at Catholic Charities the procedure is to call a number that we have and ask them for immediate assistance but some people may not have this resource.  What if you were with a friend or someone else in your life came up to you acting really strange or told you that they were going to harm themselves? Would you have the power and strength to do something about it? Many of us probably think that we are uncapable of this because we don't have proper training or something but really just knowing how to help this person and staying there with them is something that is going to do a whole lot more for them in that moment then it is for you.

Now I know some people reading this may have completely different opinions about suicidal actions and thoughts/procedures which is fine because suicide is not really the point.  Don't get me wrong it is a pressing issue in our world today and I would love to talk about that at a different time but this post is about Change and what we can do to make the world a better place.

At the end of the two hour training, the trainer asked if we had any questions or comments about anything that was said.  For most of the training we all sat their and listened to what the trainer had to say and just tried to get through it but some of us had never had the training before and really paid attention.  So when we were all quiet for a while, we assumed it was over until one of my coworkers boldly said, "I have a question.  Honestly to me this training was pointless. I'm sorry but it was. How do you expect us to help these people when we don't have any training or resources to do so?"  Now this coworker started the day before I did, works part time at Catholic Charities and part time at another job counseling teens.  She is very smart, experienced, and honest.  But her concern was a valid one.  How are we supposed to help suicidal teens when we have no idea where to start? Now think about other things in our world that we may have very little information about/resources for like stopping world hunger, breaking the gender barrier, putting an end to poverty, stopping bullying in schools; the list goes on and on. Some people may look at this list as global problems that are never going to change because there too hard to fix while others like us at Catholic Charities, and I'm sure many of you, think of them as challenges and social justice issues that are calling our name.  This is exactly what one of the supervisors Ms. Wilson said to my coworker when she asked this.  She said, "We need to be the change in the world.  Every little bit counts and just by acknowledging the fact that this is a social justice problem and that we want to help, we are getting one step closer"  Be the Change! This is a hard concept for some people but it is very VERY important.  In our world today, we acknowledge that there are problems and social justice issues.  Great, the first step is done. But now we need to fight for a change and stand up for these inequalities to say that we want to change something that we think is wrong.  This can be as small as saving energy and gas by taking the bus, train or walking to work.  Maybe its you want to save money so you bring coffee from home instead of buying from Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts every morning.  Or it can be as big as stopping teenage suicide or solving the world hunger issue.  Whatever your passion/cause is, fight for it.  Fight for the teens who have these thoughts, fight for the single moms who are receiving WIC so their babies can grow, fight for the homeless people on the street, fight for the kids who are being bullied, fight for the people around you and the people who are in your hearts.  Be the Change. Do a walk for breast cancer, give money to a homeless person, make friends with you coworkers, listen to the stories of the kids in your classroom.  Find something you are passionate about and strive to make that change in that persons life.  Because as soon as we all start to change the world, there will be more happiness in the world and more people will realize how much of an impact they can make by just steping out and being the change you wish, dream, and hope for in the world.

Resource: For everyone who works with 7th through 12 grade.  Look up information about mandatory suicide education and awareness for your state.  The Jason Foundation is one offers training for students and school teachers in our area but look around for ones that are your state.

Fun Fact: There are a lot of squirrels in our neighborhood and I swear some of them are psychotic!!! We saw one do a backflip in our yard the other day! Watch out for the crazy squirrels they might be in your town too!!!

Fun facts about chicago: back by popular demand (aka Kevin)

So when I was talking to Kevin the other week about how bad I am at updating my blog he also told me that I should bring back the fun facts at the end of each post.  Now this was easier in Cape Town because I was learning new things about the culture and people every day, here its a little harder but ill do my best to keep it going.  This information came from both me and some websites that I researched.  So here is a whole post dedicated to them just for you Kevin :) 

Fun Facts about Chicago:

1) Chicago’s nicknames include: The Windy City, the City of Big Shoulders, the Second City, and The City That Works.

2) Chicago’s downtown area is known as “The Loop.” The nickname refers to the area encircled by the elevated (‘L’) train tracks.

 

3)The Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 110 stories high.

4)Four states are visible from the Skydeck Chicago (formerly the Sears Tower Skydeck). Indiana, Illinois, Michigan & Wisconsin.

5)The first drive-in bank opened in 1946 in Chicago!

6)The remote control was invented in 1950 in Chicago!

7)The late Mayor Richard J. Daley and current Mayor Richard M. Daley became the first father-son team to head the United States Conference of Mayors in 1996.

8) This one is ridiculous but really funny: Apparently its an actual law in Chicago that you can not eat in a place that is on fire!! well DUH!!

9)The name "Chicago" is a French rendering of the Native American word shikaakwa, meaning "wild onion" or "wild garlic," from the Miami-Illinois Language.

10)In the late 1920s, sociologists at the University of Chicago subdivided the city into 77 distinct community areas, which can further be subdivided into over 200 neighborhoods, one of which is Beverly.

Fun Facts about my neighborhood/our service/our home:

1)  Apparently Halloween is a huge deal around here because all of the houses in our neighborhoods are decorated and they have been that way since the beginning of the month.  This includes a huge inflatable and moving blow up cat that is in one of our neighbors yard!! According to J-Bird, halloween decorating is bigger than christmas!!

2) Beverly is located on the highest elevation and is among the three safest and wealthiest neighborhoods in the City of Chicago. So yes Mom were safe here!

3) Beverly is the only area in the City of Chicago with a terrain containing hills. Molly and I love the small hills that we have!!

4) Beverly has five Catholic parishes: St. Barnabas, Christ the King, St. Walter, St. Cajetan, and St. John Fisher. We have been to both St. Barnabas and St. John Fisher.

5)   For all of you who are coming to visit, you will notice that the ride from Midway Airport to our house is only about 10 minutes but it is very diverse.  Driving down Cicero you will see Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian neighborhoods, all on one street.

6) Known for its spacious homes, tree-lined streets, and racially integrated population (I wouldn't say that it was very racially diverse), Beverly has retained its reputation as one of Chicago's most stable middle-class residential districts.

7) Beverly's real name is Beverly Hills. HA!

Thats all I can think of for now but I will post more when I think of them!

Embrace the Differences

To start off I just want to apologize for taking forever to update you all on my life but for some reason my days and nights and weekends go by so fast I forget to write down my thoughts.  So finally, here are my thoughts from the past few weeks and I hope you all enjoy them.  

"Embrace the Differences"

This is a phrase I thought of randomly one day and it really stood out in my mind.  Everywhere we look there are differences around us, both around me and around you.  There are different people with different skin colors, heights, weights, eye color, hair color.  There are people living different lifestyles, working different jobs, driving different cars.  There are different scenes and things happening all around us: people are walking, people are driving, the leaves are blowing, kids are laughing, planes are flying, lights are changing.  Everything around us is different and I have found that embracing these differences make your life and your journey that much more important.  I don't remember which day it was that I came up with this phrase but it was sometime in the past few weeks and it has stuck with me ever since.  

"Embracing all differences no matter how big or how small."  This was something I wrote in my journal when I was thinking about things that I have noticed or learned lately that are different from what I am used to (aka the "norm" but I hate that word so I'm not going to use it).  One example of this is the following: remember that crossing guard I wrote about that I see everyday? Well a couple of weeks ago I stopped seeing her and I was wondering where she was.  Hoping she wasn't sick or gone for some reason.  Then the next day I was talking with my supervisor after a home visit (which I will talk about in a minute) and she told me that the city of Chicago had recently been hit with a huge budget cut which has affected a lot of businesses and people including the public schools.  So the public schools were forced to take two weeks off because they couldn't afford to keep the schools open.  Therefore, that is why the crossing guard hasn't been outside.  So the kids will be back in the public schools as of October 12th.  Now budget cuts are understandable unfortunately, especially with things today but to let kids out of school for two weeks during the first month of school is a little ridiculous.  Public schools of Chicago especially already have trouble with giving the kids proper education and keeping them in school so this 2 week break is moving everyone backwards before they can go forward with the school year.  Thoughts? For me and I'm sure my mom and all other teachers would say that this is absurd but at the same time desperate times call for desperate measures, which means taking the break and making it up at the end of the year. 

Second difference I found is pretty obvious but hasn't caused many challenges until recently.  As most of you know, the south side of Chicago is pretty rough in places and has a large majority of African American and Hispanic people.  Now Beverly, where I live, is all White middle class people but my office is in the complete opposite area.  I am the only White person (and girl) in the neighborhood, on the streets, and especially in my office but this does not phase many people.  My coworkers are extremely nice, helpful, and curious about who I am as a person and not the color of my skin.  It might be because all of the past AVs have been White females too but I see it as I'm there to help them and our clients just as much as anyone else is.  My coworkers may look differently, talk differently, and live differently then I do but when we're at work helping clients, we're all on the same level.  I may not understand the ways of some of my coworkers or the language they use but they know I am A. new, B. white, and C. from NH haha.  I am different and I am embracing that but sometimes its easier said then done.  For example, one of the first home visits I went on with my supervisor was to an area with a bunch of people outside including kids from the public schools who were out on the streets because school was out of session.  As we were walking up to our client's house, I see these two little Black boys playing near the house and staring me down.  As we walked closer to the house one of them said "Get that white girl out of our neighborhood.  We don't want that white bitch here!" Now at first I heard it, acknowledged it and wanted to move on but the kids were following behind us and were still talking.  Finally my supervisor turned around and told them to go read a book or something and to not say those types of things because they were not nice to say.  Eventually they went away and we continued on into our clients house.  This honestly didn't bother me because I was with my supervisor and because I knew I would be judged by someone eventually so this didn't upset me too much but it did reiterate the fact that I'm different, much different.  Being different is not a bad thing at all but somethings I think we all may feel uncomfortable when we are that different.  Whether it be look wise, job wise, gender, personality, or beliefs.  Everyone is different and that is something we all need to embrace, not ignore.

I would now like to share with you more about

• C--a 17 year old pregnant teen who has an anger problem and was a habitual runaway
• T--a recovered crack addict who is a mother of 5 children none of which she has custody of and she is pregnant with another
• K--a 24 year old mother of a 2 year old, who has major behavioral issues, and a 2 month old.  She is stressed and suffers from postpartum depression
• S--a 22 year old pregnant mother of a 4 year old who is going to college full-time and has a grandmother who is very conservative and protective
• Finally, J--a 25 year old mother who has an 8 year old son, a 6 month old son, and is currently pregnant with triplets.

These may be considered my "high risk" or extreme cases but they are my clients and they are people just like me and you.  They are different and they need my help and our services to make their lives that much better.

Embrace the Differences.  Embrace who you are, embrace who others are.  Embrace the differences and you will continue to grow each day. 

From Beverly to Roseland: my daily routine

Everyday (Monday through Friday that is), I wake up, shower, get dressed, fill my travel mug with coffee, pack my lunch (which is usually leftovers from the night before), and get into my little White Two door Honda Civic to drive to work.  As I pull out of the drive way, I start my 15-20 minute commute to work.  Now this ride is really not that long and its only four five turns total but the journey is worth talking about.  The neighborhood of Beverly where we live is very nice.  Nice people, nice houses, families are economically stable and all of them are white.  As I leave the area of Beverly and travel south down Western Ave, my scene changes from trees, houses, and families to the hussel and bussel of businesses and cars until I turn east down 107th where the scenery changes back to tree, houses, families, and train tracks.  My two mile drive down 107th is quite diverse actually.  Although I don't know the names of the neighborhoods I am driving through, you can see the change visually by looking at the houses, the people, the conditions of the roads, and what other landmarks are along the way.  When I get to S. Vincennes and the overpass of the highway, the scene changes to an area of houses that are still pretty nice but the population is now Black.  I see the children walking to school as I drive along and when I stop at a stop sign at the corner of S. Sangamon, I smile and wave to the crossing guard everyday no matter which side of the road she's on.  Now when I did this my first commute to work, I was worried about turning onto the right streets but the fact that she smiled and waved to me gave me ease for the rest of the day.  This is the first highlight of my day and it makes me very sad when she's not standing there because of the rain or something else.  So then I continue on my way and make my way into the Washington Heights area which is a Black populated area where the houses are smaller, run down, but full of kids and people who are out making a better life for themselves.  This part of my journey is where the scene starts to include busy intersections, more train tracks to cross, convenient stores, and lots more people walking around.  As I continue down 107th, I begin to see more people around and the area starts to get a little "rough."  As I turn onto S. Michigan, there are no longer houses but now many stores, some are open for business while others are boarded up, lots of people walking and waiting at bus stops, and other businesses and traffic lights.  In the morning this street has plenty of people waiting for buses or driving but at 5 when I'm driving home, everyone is outside: talking to people, drinking out of paper bags, honking their horns, and blasting their music.  Friday's are especially crazy because people have worked hard all week and are ready for the weekend to begin.  My journey ends as I make a left onto 113th and then another left into the parking lot.  

It's amazing to see the diversity in just 15 minutes to work but the journey is amazing everyday.  Each day I see different people and each day I'm sure there is another story being told.  I feel so blessed to live in a safe and comfortable neighborhood as Beverly but I stop and think about what my life would be like living by S. Michigan in Roseland.  Would I be safe? Would I be accepted? I would definitly be a minority but I could learn so much from that.  It's amazing the opportunities God has given me and I thank Him everyday for giving me the strength and motivation to take this journey each day to serve the people in the area that really need my help.

As I got to work on Friday, I knew it was going to be a busy day.  I met three of my clients and learned more about the intake process and paperwork.  I don't have time to write out all the details but I will tell you one thing I heard from a client. "Thank you" she said, "Thank you for all the services you have to offer.  I appreciate you guys helping us single moms with things we need for our babies. "  This to me was mind blowing because first of all, there is this stigma of social services clients having a bad attitude towards help from people but this woman was so thankful for everything that we were doing and it was amazing.  Secondly, I was shocked by this comment because honestly I had just filled out her paperwork for intake.  I really didn't do anything for her yet that deserved a thank you but at the same time it made me smile to think that this is what I will be doing for the next nine months.  I will be the person helping these women,  I will be the person to give these services in order for them to raise their children,  I will be the one making a difference in their lives and mine. What a blessing this will be to honor and serve God though these women in need.  

A thought for you:  What is your journey like to work everyday? Are you on autopilot getting there and back or do you observe what is around you?  How do you feel at the end of the day? Do you feel enlightened or drained?  How are you making a difference for the people you serve?

God's gifts, my talents, and God's plan for me

On Sunday, Father Tom gave a homily during the family mass about, get this, A Christmas Carol.  As soon as he said this, I immediately smiled and thought about my dad who loves this movie and makes us watch it every Christmas Eve.  For years I thought it was so long and boring but recently I have come to appreciate the story and its meaning.  During his homily, Father Tom talked about how Scrooge sees scenes from his past, present, and future and reflects on different parts of his life.  Scrooge made the choices he did and suffered some of those consequences.  Father Tom said that the choices Scrooge made in his life are reflective of his greedy lifestyle that is all about work and money.  Eventually, after Scrooge sees the dark side of his future, the redemptive part of the story comes in and Scrooge is a whole new person.  He wakes up Christmas Day and is able to start a new life that is about other people and more important things then money and work.  Father Tom connected this story to the life of a Christian in which we sin and maybe make bad choices before accepting God as our Lord and Savior.  As we accept Jesus into our lives, we are then able to live a life of service and love for God and everyone around us.  The main part of Father Tom's homily was the idea that God has given each of us gifts and talents that are reflected in our everyday actions: in our jobs, in our families, in our friends, and every interaction we have.  The question becomes which gifts and talents are we using and which ones might we be forgetting about.  I think that God is a very sneaky person in this sense because He shows and tells us to be good Christians by serving other people with our talents and gifts but how are we supposed to know what those gifts are let alone remember to use them. 

This concept of my gifts and talents is especially meaningful to me this week and next in particular but I'm sure will be relevant to my entire volunteer year.  Today was the first day I had contact with my clients.  For most of the morning, I made phone calls to my clients, explained the Family Case Management program to them and then set up a time for my supervisor and I to come visit them in their homes to complete the intake process.  After leaving about 15 messages, talking to about 6 people, and having at least 4 disconnected phones, I had initial contact with the clients I will help enroll and intake into our program.  Now you would think that a phone call and getting basic information about a client would be easy but hello what part of social services is "easy"?! Ya, not a whole lot.  Most of the clients were easy to talk to but it was very hard to get used to saying "Hi I'm Janine Moretti a Family Case Manager for Catholic Charities" to every person I talked to.  (Yes Mom and Dad, Case Manager is pretty official huh? :) )  So as life always is, nothing is every simple or easy so of course I had some bumps along my way.  One of them was when a father of a pregnant 23 year old answered the phone and asked me about the case management program.  When I told him about the services we had to offer, he went on about how him and his wife have been trying to get their daughter help with this pregnancy and into a program like ours.  He expressed his concern to me about how his daughter is never home, she's always "chasing a boy around" and how she really needs these services.  Since our program is voluntary, the client would have to come into the office or call me to verbalize that she would like to be part of the program.  This may have been a hard thing for the father to understand but I did give him all my information and hopefully it will be passed on to her.  This phone call was eye opening but also pondering because there are many pregnant women in Chicago that need our services and our help but it is up to them to make the effort to enroll.  The caring and protective father is trying to do everything he can to get his daughter into this program but the 23 year old needs to make her own decisions which is hard for the father to handle I'm sure.  

Another client I talk to today was what we call a "high risk" case which basically means that the client either has health issues, family problems, or sometimes even personal problems that will put her unborn child in danger.  This client had all of these.  She was currently pregnant and smoked.  She has five other kids but no custody of them, and she has had 6 other pregnancies that have either been aborted, still birthed or miscarried.  Obviously this client is in need of some serious help not just with her pregnancy but with her well being as well.  These are the things that I am going to find most difficult to deal with because people's stories are so different depending on what is happening in their life during that particular time.  The numbers don't explain the story and the stories don't even have to be explained.  The past is what it is and unfortunately no one can change that but our program can help this client and change her future as well as the future of her unborn child.  Now I know that there are so many more underlining statements and discussions in this information but the point I want to make is that God's plan for me, well at least this is what I think it is, is to help people in any way that I possibly can.  Right now that population seems to be these pregnant and parenting women who need my case management services and honestly this scares me.  One: I'm new to the area, two: I am a complete minority in the area I am working in, and three: how am I supposed to relate to mothers or pregnant women?  Even though these questions will always be running through my head, I am constantly telling myself that this is God's plan and purpose for me.  The purpose of life is a life of purpose.  Throughout this year I will strive to be the best case manager I can be for every client I come in contact with.  I hope to make a connection to each and every one of them by gaining their respect and trust.  I know this is not going to be easy but if God thinks I can do it, then I can do it.

With all that being said, take a moment and think to yourself: What are the gifts and talents God has given you? How are you using them?  Are you using all of them or just some? I encourage you all to think about and live out these questions tomorrow, this week, this month, this year, and for the rest of your life.

Random Chicago fact: Apparently you can drink on the Metra which is the express train going back and forth downtown.  Most of the people who communte into the city for work use this and have a nice cold drink on their way home. 

Patience is a virtue....and a hard one at that.

One of the biggest life lessons I have learned since coming to Chicago and living in community has been patience.  Now for those of you who know me, I am very much a people person but I also am always doing something and plan things out to every hour of my day.  In college, my planner was my Bible and I would literally be lost with out it.  Some people, cough Kevin cough, hated it because it ran my life but that was the way I got through college: being ridiculously busy, overscheduling myself, and helping as many people as I could.  In Chicago, things are a little different.  I still have plenty of things to do, plenty of people to interact with but I have yet to get a planner which is really annoying me but hopefully the secretary at Catholic Charities will be giving me one soon.  Anyways, patience has come up in a lot of my time here in Chicago including not planning every weekend out four days in advance, waiting for my boss to get out of a meeting, traffic, at the grocery store waiting in the ridiculous lines, and my favorite: waiting for the "function based" computer system to download a file or page with client information on it.  I have found myself taking a deep breath for a couple of seconds and getting the tension out of my body in order to realize the bigger picture of everything.  This, without a doubt, is going to be one of my biggest challenges this year.  I remember having trouble with patience in South Africa, Alabama, and Virginia but someone told me/I realized that people may do things slower or differently then I normally do it which is culturally based I guess.  The main difference I am finding this year is the difference in lifestyle between my life at Merrimack (aka go, go, go) to my life in Chicago/volunteering (aka slower but still busy/focusing on only a couple of things at a time such as community, prayer, and service).  Patience has always been something I struggle with at times in my life and I really hope that this year of volunteering will help me to filter out all the craziness in my life and really focus on what is most important to the people I am serving, my roommates, God, and lastly myself.  One of the themes of orientation was making your life about "we" instead of "me" and I strive every day to live a more selfless lifestyle so I can fully embrace everyone around me in order to fully serve them and God.  Thank you all for your patience and I hope that I will find more in my life soon.


Chicago fact: So this is completely contradicatory to what this post was about but since Chicago drivers are often very inpatient, I have learned to become a very aggressive driver.  Not because I want to but because I would get driven off the road if I didn't drive aggressively. Go figure.

An update...

So sorry i haven't updated this in a while but I have been busy with work, hanging out with my roommates, and doing things around Chicago.  I think I have finally gotten into a routine and am exctied to be settled into my new home and volunteer year.  Everything has been going really well so far.  We love our house and the people we have met have been very generous and friendly.  J-Bird and his wife Julie have been amazing and I cant thank them enough for taking us around the city and giving us plenty of food.  Since Labor day we have been very busy with volunteering, dinners with the Augustinian Priests, a high school football game, tubbing on Lake Michigan, and last night we went to a White Sox Game, which was a lot of fun.  Our seats were all the way up in the upper grandstand but the view was great.  Funny moment: the guy sitting right next to me caught a fly ball which was very exciting but I'm sure we didn't get on TV or anything fun like that.  As most of you know, the White Sox aren't the best team in the League so they lost horribly but it was still fun to experience a game.  Although, it was really hard for me to cheer for a Sox team but thank goodness it wasn't the Red Sox (ps Boston/Merrimack ppl, how are the red sox doing by the way? :) )!!  The crowd was fun too but of course not as crazy as Yankees or Red Sox fans.  There were also fireworks after the game which was really cool to watch from our seats in a dark stadium.  The ride home took a little bit longer then we thought, damn IL highways haha, but we made it home safely and got up this morning to go to work.  Apparently we are going to a couple of parties this weekend with J-Bird and a family mass at St. Rita which should be a lot of fun.  So theres my update for the fun stuff, now onto my volunteering.

I am still learning a lot about the computer system and my job position itself but its been getting busier which is nice.  Last week I took public transportation into Downtown for a new student orientation which was a nightmare figuring it out but I made it there and back in one piece; well not one piece, the back of my heals were full of blood and blisters because of my new shoes but I survived haha.  Come to find out, Nora Clark who I used to dance with lives right next to the Metra station I took but I didnt know this until last night, go figure.  Then for Tuesday, Wednesday and today, I had to go to a training near downtown which I drove to each day because of course there was no trains around where I was.  The training was long but it was all about the computer system we have to use for our clients so it was very useful and necessary.  So today I got out of the training at noon and drove all the way back to the office just to eat lunch, do one chart, and have my boss tell me I can go home.  So here I am sitting at home before all my roommates and enjoying my extra free time because this will probably never happen again.  I still have a bunch of other random trainings to go to for various things but I am learning more each day which is exciting.  O another thing, I went to a training/meeting last week about assessments we have to do and one of the things talked about was doing home assessments in tough homes that are in not so good conditions.  When we were talking about this i remember stopping to think: How am I going be able to do this? Am I going be able to help these moms? Are they going even take me seriously?  These are the questions that are running through my head as I sit in this meeting and hear my co-workers talk about horrific home visits and home assessments they have been on. Honestly these are questions I ask myself every day thinking about my job but the more training I get the more comfortable I become with the idea of going into peoples homes and helping them in any way that I can.  My year as a case manager is not going to be easy but I am willing to take on the challenges and everything God puts in front of me.

Chicago Fact: The current major, Richard Daley, has served for 20 years and has decided not to run for reelection this coming February which will apparently cause a mess of the election process and the citizens of Chicago.

First Adventures in Chicago

We have been in Chicago for a week now and I am loving it all.  Last Thursday and Friday was my first days of work which weren't that exciting because I don't have much to do yet but I'm sure it will pick up soon.  For most of this month I will be reading policies and procedures, doing computer training, and going to other trainings around the city for workshops and such.  Then hopefully I will be going out into the field to work with some clients and shadowing these home visits with my supervisor.  Right now its a little boring sitting in my cubicle alone but everyone is very nice and helpful so I am excited to get started.

Now onto the fun stuff.  This was our first weekend in Chicago and it happened to be a three day weekend, awesome right?  So on Friday when I finally got home from work, my roommates greeted me joyfully and were ready for the weekend to begin.  That night we drove to the western part of south Chicago where we had dinner and great conversation with Cap Corps Volunteers who are also serving one year in Chicago.  It was a great opportunity to see how they lived, talk to them about their program and just have great conversation with people who are committed to a year of service with another organization.  The night was filled with lots of pasta, great conversation, and lots of laughs.  Saturday we slept in which was great, had our community meeting, and then Griffin and I went grocery shopping while Molly and MC went for a run.  Ok so of course working at Price Chopper for seven years makes me bias to all other grocery stores which usually doesn't bother me but OMG this one was insane!!! It was Saturday afternoon and the store, Fairplay, only had six registers on the front end! The lines were down all of the aisles and it took forever to get checked out.  At one point I turned to Griffin and told him that I was having an anxiety attack because one: there were so many people squished around me, two: there was only 6 registers, and three: I couldn't do anything about it.  Needless to say my first test of patience was in the grocery store and I refuse to go shopping on a Saturday again.  After making it home, we unloaded the groceries, which by the way we only went over our weekly budget by $5, and then got ready for the day.  After discussing what we wanted to do, we left the house at 330 and went to the Orange Line or L train to ride into the city.  We took the train to the Loop and got off at the Library stop where we proceeded to walk to the Bean and Millenium Park.  The day was beautiful and there were plenty of things to look at.  The Bean, for those who never heard of it, is a huge mirrored structure that looks like a bean and reflects everything around it.  We took some pretty cool pictures of us and enjoyed looking at our weird reflections.  

The next stop was Millennium Park where we saw the Jay Pritzker Pavilion where concerts are played throughout the year.  We then proceeded to walk in the direction of the water and found a stream in part of the park.  Griffin, MC and I stood in the water to get a picture but then got yelled at by park security who told us that we weren't allowed to be in the water.  Go figure, we get in trouble the first weekend but Griffin was right when he said there weren't any signs saying we couldn't go in.  After that little incident we went down to the water and walked along the edge of Lake Michigan which is gorgeous by the way.  We saw lots of boats and took some great pictures until it was time to go home.  We took the train back and stopped at Chipotle for some burritos for dinner.  We got home, ate our food, and then got ready for our first night out in Chicago.  We ended up going to this place called Sean's Rhino Bar which is about 4 blocks away from our house.  The bar was very fun and everyone there were our age or a little older and from the neighborhood.  The first hour or so we just sat buy ourselves cause we were of course the new people in town who no one wanted to talk to but by the end of the night we were talking to everyone and having a great time. 

Sunday morning we got up really early after a minimal 4 hours of sleep and went to St. John Fisher Parish for 8 am mass, which was very early but hopefully God gave us brownie points for actually going.  After mass we met up with one of our neighbors J-Bird and his wife Julie who took us out on their boat for the day.  We all pilled in the car, drove to Indiana, and put their speed boat in Lake Michigan.  The day was filled of sunshine, great company and an amazing tour of Chicago from the water.  We saw all the sights including beaches, Soliders' Field, the Bears Stadium, Navy Peer and downtown.  We were so thankful that we have amazing neighbors to give us this unique tour of the city.  After driving around for a while, I jumped into the 62 degree Lake Michigan, screamed so loud, and climbed  back on the boat after about 5 minsprepared.  Julie made an amazing dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, and fruit salad. It tasted so good and we are incredibly thankful for their gracious actions and for showing us around Chicago in a way that no one else could.  After a long day on the Lake, we spent the night watching American Beauty and Sister Act before heading to bed.

Today is a new day and we are excited to see what else Chicago has to offer.  Hopefully we will go into the city and have another fun filled day before starting work again tomorrow. 

Chicago fact: When saying street names you leave out "street," so we live on 104th and Maplewood not 104th Street