It has been more than two weeks since my last post.

I don’t know why so many days have gone by… although there have been deadlines for grant applications, grant reports due, and an important meeting or two.

There have been COVID tests and vaccines, and talk of new machines (we need a new forklift).

There is time spent head down, planning and thinking. And time with feet on the ground, eyes quickly blinking as the sun streams across the sky without a cloud around.

There are new faces. One, a woman arriving with one black trash bag of possessions. I matched her paces and showed her the sleeping spaces. She was nervous and uncertain. Thankfully we have staff that assist with compassion and no need for confession. Many times I would rather be helping in direct service, instead of being in Zoom leadership training sessions…

We (Human Services Campus or HSC) did re-launch Project Connect! Once a program of my former employer, it fits with our mission and allows us to take the HSC model on the road for regional effect. As we ramp up, this event will be held every six to eight weeks or so, in locations around the Valley. We offer all kinds of services, from hair cuts and ID services, to employment and housing, our partners even set up a food galley.

And we finalized our Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report with copies sent in the mail and living digitally on our website. Looking back at a year of impact with our 16 partner organizations depicts a solid story of might.

When I started writing tonight I had a whole other vibe and idea in mind. Never did I think something of a rhyming poem would unwind. And it’s proving to be more exhausting than the free form, extemporaneous writing I usually whip up like frosting.