I hope that no one will take the following to suggest that you don’t get youir tax dollar’s worth from me but if you start to think that way, let me point out that I frequently check and respond to emails from home …
I took Reid with me to work last Friday for a Christmas party and then to see my cube. (I don’t work in the same building as most of the people in my branch.) There were about 15 or so kids plus attendant adults in the big boss’ boardroom. It was too cute to see all the little people colouring and gluing while sitting in the chairs around the big wooden table. Reid ws entranced by the video that was playing on the wall. (She has never seen *Lady and the Tramp* before and probably won’t again for some time. I’m such a crusader.) She was having such fun watching and colouring that when I wanted to use the bathroom, she refused to go with me. I asked a woman who used to work with me at TC to keep an eye on Reid and then left. Reid didn’t seem to notice my absence. This is a big deal as she is sometimes shy around strangers. Santa came and gave kids presents. Reid didn’t want to sit on his lap but she did accept the matching teddy bears game he gave her. Once Santa left, we cleaned up our area and headed downtown to see my office. Reid fell asleep on the drive and was a bit cranky at having to get out of the car but since I had forgotten to bring the cash and snowits that we had collected for The Snowsuit Fund, we had to go up. I’m not sure she would have been impressed with my cubicle, in any case, especially having seen Ken’s office earlier in the week. His office is bigger and has both a door and a window while mine has neither. Reid was friendly but tentative when meeting my manager and the guys who work for me. They all seemed pleased to have met her (of course :+) and since they hear lots of Reid stories, it was probably good to have a face to go with the name.
We made a stop at The Snowsuit Fund offices on the way home. I felt blessed not to need to go there in order for Reid to be warm and I hope she understood a bit of what I said about us sharing the snowsuits with kids whose parents can’t get them.
Then, it was time to go home, load the car and head for Wheatley. Did anyone say, “and time for the freezing rain to start”? Of course, it did start …