Amazing Grace has won the race....

Last July 2016, I lost my job. Some of you already know and I have been going back and forth as to whether or not my little bump in the road was worth sharing with everyone else, but my blog (for me) is also a place where I house my memories. I read it probably more than you do, so it will serve as a reminder to count my blessings, and I have had so many the past six months. I also hope it will encourage someone else who might be going through a similar situation.

And if you are, I can tell you this....every little thing will be OK.

When the news came, it wasn't a sad time. I was almost a little relieved. I was ready for something new. I had been taking stuff home for a month, so there were no tears. I have been working since I was 16-years-old, so I was ready for a much needed break. I'm not saying it was easy. There were times I was getting a little worried.

After a sixth month lovely vacation, it was nothing short of divine intervention when a former colleague at the company I left 12-1/2 years ago, invited me to a small Christmas lunch on Dec 13 with the old gang at Brios. Cindy emailed me on Facebook and invited me and said "Please say you can make it. We'd all love to see you!" I haven't seen my former colleagues in 12-1/2 years, so how could I say no to such a nice invitation. It was a lovely lunch. Only five of us. Me, Cindy, a retired VP who I supported when I worked there, and two colleagues who are still with the company. We all took turns at the table catching up with what was new in our life and, of course, when it was my turn, I mentioned that I was looking for work. I wasn't sad about it and told them that I was thoroughly enjoying my time off.
On January 25, Linda, one of the girls from lunch, called and said they had an executive assistant position opening up. She lined up an in-person interview the very next day and a telephone interview two days later at 10:30 am with the CEO I would be supporting. The CEO emailed HR shortly after our call ended and by 11:10 am, before I even left their office, I had the job.

So I have returned to the company I left 12-1/2 years ago. I have come full circle.

April 1st was my two month service anniversary.
I have had so many blessings throughout this 'life transition' and I stand amazed and humbled by God's grace. I also stand amazed at my friends. Remember the angel 'Clarence' in the movie 'It's a Wonderful Life'...."No man is a failure who has friends."

MY SIX MONTHS OF BLESSINGS:

• I was shredding some junk mail about two months into my 'vacation' when I came across an unopened envelope from an insurance company who I cancelled a year earlier. Inside the envelope was an insurance premium refund dated 3 YEARS ago in the amount of $540.00. The insurance company reissued the check..
• My IRS refund came nine months late, but it arrived the SAME DAY I needed a new hot water heater.
• A colleague regifted to me the $100 I gave to her 10 YEARS AGO when her husband lost his job! Her note said "I remember the kindness you showed me when my husband lost his job and I had a hard time making ends meet. It's my turn to do the same for you!"
• Another colleague and former police chief in the Air Force sent me a check with his thanks for what I do for the CMPD. He said this is for AHOP, and his gift helped fund my November 15 lunch/dinner for my friends in blue.
• A CMPD sergeant gave me a monetary gift out of her own pocket with a thank you note. I thought the thank you note was for the cream puffs I had just delivered and didn't see my special gift until I got home.   
• A CMPD officer across town personally called me shortly after I lost my job. "Are you going to be OK?" he asked (worried about my finances). "Do you need anything?" I thanked him and said "I am gonna be just fine!"
• Another CMPD officer and good friend never let me forget that he was my safety net should I need help financially. I didn't need to call on him, but it meant so much to me that he asked. 
• My long-time best girlfriend and her husband sent me a check with a note that read, "This is for AHOP....we believe in you! She said..."We don't care if you spend this on cream puff boxes or your mortgage....we just want you to keep it."  

....and I NEVER FILED FOR UNEMPLOYMENT!

You can't out-give God!

Saw this at Hallmark -- I think I will buy it.
I have the perfect spot for it!

On a more humorous note....my best girlfriend in Tampa called me the day after my first interview to learn more about this new job opportunity. It was 9:30 am and I was still in the bed watching Perry Mason (my morning routine). She laughed. I kind of miss my mornings with Perry. ♥

An epiphany for AHOP....

This week has been a GREAT week! It didn't really start out that way though. Just a lot on my mind about work, about life (my life), and about AHOP.  

AHOP has been going in different directions for a while now, and it has changed a lot in the last four years. I think about 'what's next?' all the time. Not that that's a bad thing. I just think about it a lot.  

Then Tuesday night, the tide changed and Annie had an epiphany. I think some may refer to it as an 'ah-ha' moment. 

I made a special cream puff drop to my new friends in the Metro Division. This was my second puff drop to these big-hearted 3rd shift officers. I have gotten to know them through my volunteer work in the gift shop, and I knew there was something special about them because they never fail to stop by the gift shop to say 'thank you' before they leave. They are all just super nice and a class act. 

So when I emailed one of the officers to set up a day and time to stop by, I received an email back saying "they would wait for me outside and greet me with open arms." 

Well, they weren't kidding! They surprised me with these lovely spring flowers and a thank you card. 

I won't tell you how many cream puffs each officer had (I plead the 5th...what happens at AHOP, stays at AHOP), but I will say that they LOVE them! I stayed for roll call and had such a nice visit. 

So here's where the epiphany comes in....

I have been so busy moping around missing my 'family around the table', that I didn't take notice at how much the officers all over the city were enjoying the other stuff I was doing. I kept thinking I wasn't doing 'enough' or making a difference because I wasn't serving my friends at the table.

But to the contrary. After receiving the text message on Monday from my friend Sharon, and my wonderful visit on Tuesday -- well, I thought my heart would explode with happiness on the way home.

If making cream puffs and other treats is all God wants me to do right now, I can do that! AHOP has evolved once already and she will probably evolve again....I just need to listen to God's still small voice.

♥

When I am blue.....

Nobody has a perfect life.....not even AHOP. Trying to juggle everything in a single working girl's life is not always fun. I down right hate it sometimes. I have to put my big-girl britches on many times and do things I am not particularly good at, like calling the cable company to yell at them and tell they have the worst customer service on the planet; bartering/negotiating when getting quotes for projects around the house (painting, yard help, etc.) I'm terrible at it.

And you would think I would get some kind of satisfaction when the negotiations turn in my favor, but I don't. I am so emotionally exhausted from the whole thing that I just want it over.  

Today was one of those days I had a lot on my mind. When the crapola comes down so fast I think I need a hard hat, but then the thick clouds of life seem to pass and I get a text message that chases away my blues almost instantly, like this one. Still, after almost 4-1/2 years of cooking for my sweet friends in blue, a simple text message puts a smile on my face and a few happy tears in my eyes.

♥

What a mother sees.....

In December 2009, four officers came to my very first dinner. That was over 4-1/2 years ago and I remember exactly what I served -- lasagna, salad, garlic toast, sweet tea, and I think I made a cheesecake for dessert.  

One officer reached out to give me a hug to say thank you before he left. I patted him on the back (my secret way of checking to see if he had his bullet proof vest on, and he did), and I thought to myself that very first night, "Oh my gosh...you're just a baby to have such a big and dangerous job!" And I can say this to some of these officers because I AM, after all, old enough to be their mother.    

So many of these officers right out of the academy are so young, but they have been put through the endurance wringer with extensive testing and training (written, psychological, and physical.) They have chosen a noble profession and certainly not a profession for the faint of heart.  

Whether an officer is 21 or 51 they are out there doing what they love....serving and protecting their community, and so many in very volatile and dangerous areas.    

In reality, they may look like this.....

Picture credit: Tampa Police Department (my hometown)

But in a mother's eyes, they will always look like this.

    

~  ~  ~  ~

What is a policeman ~ by Paul Harvey

~  ~  ~  ~

"When God Made Police Officers"

When the Lord was creating Police Officers,
he was into his sixth day of
overtime when an angel appeared and said,
"You're doing a lot of fiddling
around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order?
A Police Officer has to be able to run five miles through
alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter
homes the health inspector wouldn't touch,
and not wrinkle his uniform.
He has to be able to sit in an undercover car
all day on a stakeout, cover
a homicide scene that night, canvass the
neighborhood for witnesses, and
testify in court the next day."

"He has to be in top physical condition at all times,
running on black coffee and half-eaten meals.
And he has to have six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said,
"Six pairs of hands... no way."
"It's not the hands that are causing me problems,"
said the Lord, "it's the
three pairs of eyes an Officer has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded.
"One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket
before he asks: May I see
what's in there, sir?
(When he already knows.)
Another pair here in the side of his head
for his partner's safety.
And another pair of eyes here in front that
can look reassuringly
at a bleeding victim and say:
You'll be all right ma'am."
(When he knows it isn't so.)

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve,
"rest and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a
model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol
car without incident and feed a family of five
on a civil service paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the police
officer very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the
elements of a hundred crimes; recite Miranda warnings
in its sleep; detain, investigate,
search, and arrest a gang member on the street
in less time than it takes five learned judges to debate
the legality of the stop... and still,
it keeps its sense of humor."

"This officer also has phenomenal personal
control. He can deal with crime scenes painted in hell,
coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder
victim's family, and then read in the daily
paper how law enforcement isn't sensitive to the
rights of criminal suspects."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger
across the cheek of the police officer. "There's a leak,"

she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to
put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak," said the Lord, "it's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades,
for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the
American flag, and for justice."
"You're a genius," said the angel.
The Lord looked somber.

"I didn't put it there," he said.

~ Author Unkown

Note:  I would like to point out that the above poem "When God Made Police Officers" was adapted by an original story by the late Erma Bombeck.  I didn't realize it until a friend mentioned it.  The story I found had no author's name linked to it.  Nobody could tell a story like Erma Bombeck. She was an extremely talented writer and a very funny lady.  Click here for her original story entitled "When God Created Mothers."

Picture credit:  Boy Officer (Google) and K9-Kid from Facebook.

♥

Sweet dreams, Miss Isabelle.....

I have always tried to preserve this blog to only AHOP-related stories and recipes, telling my readers that "it's not about me."

But sometimes it is about me.  I said goodbye to my sweet Miss Isabelle on Thursday and I am heartbroken. I held her sweet little face in my hands just like I always did at home and told her how much I loved her, and then she drifted away. 

When the AHOP light was on in the window for breakfast or dinner, Isabelle always enjoyed making an appearance in the dining room to say hello to the 1st and 2nd shift officers.  She would weave her little black and white body in-between their legs at the table or just sit there long enough so Officer Tom would pet the top of her little head.  She also knew if she bothered them 'just long enough', I would stop and feed her (again).  

Officer Tom always looked for Miss Isabelle before he left so he could say good-bye.  He would pass through the den where she was usually on the ottoman or in her big comfy chair and he would give her a pat on the head and say...."Bye Izzie".

The quiet in my house now is almost unbearable.  I would give anything to flip a pancake or two, or make a meatloaf right now -- just to keep me busy.  I have never missed my friends more.   

Sweet dreams, Miss Isabelle.....  ♥

"What we have once enjoyed 

we can never lose. All that we love 

deeply becomes a part of us."

~ Helen Keller

   "The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is
grief. But the pain of grief is only a
 shadow when compared to the pain of 
never risking love.”
– Hilary Stanton Zunin

No worse for the wear....

I was clearing off my dining room table one Saturday morning after breakfast for 1st shift when I noticed, for the first time, how one of my dining room chairs looked a little scuffed up.

I stopped for a minute while my brain tried to figure it all out.  Then I looked at the second chair, and then the third.  All six chairs were the same.  

And then it hit me – the dings and scratches were from the handcuffs and guns and whatever else the officer’s shiny black belt is packing. 

Before I knew it, I was smiling.  I really do have the family I have always wanted.

Now when I look at my well loved chairs, I am reminded of my big-hearted officers -- the Captain, the Lieutenants, the Sergeants, and the 45-50 Officers who have sat at my table -- all of the officers with whom I have had the joy and privilege of cooking breakfast and dinner for these past three years….and it makes me so happy! ♥

      

Happiness at Thanksgiving.....

I am thankful this Thanksgiving to have enjoyed another year of cooking breakfast and dinner for some of the kindest and most big-hearted CMPD police officers you'd ever want to meet.  They all mean so much to me.  I received three text messages this morning from officers wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving.  Their messages instantly put a smile on my face, but it also reminded me of how many officers around the country would spend this beautiful day in their patrol car instead of at home with their family.  Many officers worked an extra long day for the Black Friday retailers who opened their doors early.    

I shared my Thanksgiving with my good friends in Midland, NC.  I am thankful for their love and friendship throughout the years.       

Wishing all of my readers, wherever you are, a bounty of blessings and a safe and peaceful holiday season.  ♥

Perfectly imperfect....

For those of you who know me and think I always have my act together, I have news for you -- I don't! When I'm cooking breakfast or dinner, these poor guys suffer gladly sometimes because it’s not always perfect, and it's not always ready. I’m not a professional cook. I’m just an average working girl who loves fussing over a bunch of big-hearted police officers who work harder than anyone I know. But they never complain, and they genuinely seem happy to be here. They eat whatever I make and enjoy the conversation with the other officers, and with me. When I'm busy in the kitchen and my table is full, their laughter and chatter brings a smile to my face as I'm loading the dishwasher. Truly, it is music to my ears. I can sometimes hear that chatter when I close my eyes at night, just before I fall asleep.  

And it all goes by so fast. Dinner might take me all day to prepare, then poof...it's all over -- they're back on the streets, chasing down the bad guys and keeping our community safe.
  

When I hug my officers good-bye, I pat them on the back (my secret way of checking to see if they have their bullet proof vest on...and they do), and I jokingly say "don't be late for the school bus and play nice with the other children." Then I tell them to BE SAFE. I miss them all the minute they walk out the door and I start planning (in my head) for the next event.

In the end, it always comes together in the last five minutes, but it’s not always perfect. It is perfectly imperfect, and I think that's OK.
     

Mid-life, what ifs, and do overs.....how did I get here?

I've been thinking a lot about my life lately.  I'm the happiest I've been in a long time.  My best long-time girlfriend, Linda, says I am the happiest she has seen me since my move to Charlotte in 1991.  Would I be this happy if my life had gone in another direction?  How can a wrong turn, 35 years ago, alter your journey and path in life...for the good!  What if I had gone to college instead of getting married so young?  What if I had married the 'right' person the first time?  What if I had accepted that job transfer 21 years ago to move to Aiken SC instead of Charlotte?  What if my mom was still alive. All of these 'what ifs', had but one of them come true, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this new AHOP blog post -- there would be no AHOP.  My journey would have taken me elsewhere.  I wouldn't have moved to Charlotte.  I wouldn't have been victimized twice in 2008, and I wouldn't have the pleasure of cooking for these wonderful officers that I am so deeply fond of.  I wouldn't have the joy and anticipation of seeing my friends again on Saturday.  My wrong turn at 17 brought me here.

Seldom are people lucky enough to have a career 'do-over', but I came across a delightful (and inspiring) blog a few weeks ago about a woman who did just that. I was immediately drawn to it because of her occupation -- she is a police officer. Her story made me think about all of the 'what ifs' in my own life.  Her blog is called "The Bad Luck Detective." Written by Suzie Ivy who, at age 45, was going through her own mid-life crisis when she submitted an application to her local police department to become a police officer – and she was ACCEPTED!  In addition to being a police officer (now detective), Suzie is a writer and has published two books, based on her real-life experience in the academy and her occupation -- "Bad Luck Cadet" and "Bad Luck Officer."

You can read 10 chapters of the "Bad Luck Cadet" on Suzie’s blog.  She is my hero!

Not too many years ago, my job was eliminated.  I worked three jobs for a while to stay afloat and (not) lose my house. I went two years without health insurance and just prayed real hard I wouldn't get sick. It was a really hard time for me, but here I am...happily working one job and for a great company, blogging my little heart out for my boys and girls in blue....and for you. My life has been perfectly imperfect. 

My long-time friend also said, and she can't remember where she heard it, but she said..."We haven't had a perfect life, but we have had a perfectly good life." That says it all right there.

I boxed up all of my 'what ifs' tonight.  I'm not questioning them anymore.  I am where I am meant to be....and it's wonderful!