Author: vickie.gillespie

What a wonderful month it has been, with a few surprises along the way. My mission was to work with the homeless here in Baton Rouge, but instead I ended up painting for a new friend.  A few weeks ago I met this lady at a new bible study group I had visited for the first time.  The couple’s house where we met had been flooded last year and they only had a couple of rooms completed.  They had not been able to move in yet because they have been slowly doing the work themselves. They had cooked a big pot of gumbo and rice (the best ever) and as we visited I met Loretta.  As we talked I found out she was looking for a small house to buy, somewhere in my area of town. She said she was on a budget and in the price range she was looking, it would probable need some repairs or painting. I joked and said I would be glad to help her with the painting and my only charge would be a home cooked meal.  For those of you that know me, cooking is not something I do a lot of.  I gave her my number and a couple of weeks ago she called!! She was in her new home and asked if I was still interested in painting and how much do I charge.  I laughed and told her painting was not a business for me, but I would be happy to help her.  I mean, what else could I say?  I thought what have I gotten myself into.  Not that I did not want to help, but I have not climbed a ladder in 4 years!  So this week I finished 2 bedrooms and her living room.  I have to say I did a lot of praying before that God would give the strength to complete what I had promised. And of course he did and during the process a new friendship was made. Loretta turns out to be an excellent cook and now I am having to beg her to stop trying to feed me:) It has been truly a blessing getting to know Loretta. She is such a dear lady, and come to find out we have a lot in common.  My body is a bit sore now, but its a good feeling knowing I was able to help her.

This is the last day of my Sabbatical and I have been so blessed to have this time off.  I feel rested, renewed and ready to see my work friends again. Thank you again Kris for all you do for us.

I just made it home from a week in Gulf Shores, AL with my dear friend Mary and our 2 4 legged children. I met Mary 30 plus years ago at the cemetery where I started my career. Mary was the General Manager at that time. About a year later SCI bought the cemetery, built the funeral home and Greenoaks became one of their premier combos. She retired after 30 plus years in the business. Mary is more like my big sister and helps me so much when I am out of town taking care of my Dusty. We’ve not been able to get away like this for about 6 years, so this was very special for both of us. For many years I have always gone to Destin or Panama City when I traveled to the coast. We decided to try Gulf Shores because it was closer and its harder for Mary to drive long distances now. Everything was perfect! The beach was so much better than it was the last time I was there…….many years ago. The water was clear, the sand was white and the weather perfect. We rented a beach house, which was a first for me. We have always stayed in a condo. Not many of the condos will accept pets, and we were not going to leave them behind. After our stay in the house, it will be hard to go back to the condo:) The week was spent reading, long naps, a little shopping, the best oysters and drinks at the Flora-Bama and long walks on the beach. There is nothing better than walking the beach at sunrise talking to God. God has truly blessed us in so many ways, with so many beautiful things.

This past week was a quiet week for me. This was the year the kids spend Thanksgiving with my son-in-law’s family. But what a wonderful week it was to just take time to enjoy the simple things…like taking long walks with my little dog (Dusty) reading, and spending time with friends.  Even the weather was perfect…the sun was out, it was warm with no humidity. We don’t get that many days here in Louisiana with no humidity!  When you slow down, its amazing how many beautiful things you can see.  God has blessed us so much and I count my blessings every day. Not only do I have wonderful friends and family, but I am so blessed to have such a great company to work for.  I think back to when I was considering applying to FDLIC, I went online to  check it out.  That was the year of the first Sabbatical and the first thing I did was call my long time friend Mark Childs.  I ask him if this company was for real. It sure sounded a little different than where we came from.  He laughed that wonderful laugh of his and said yes!  So 7 years later, here I am and saying YES every day. Thank you Kris, our board of directors and everyone that works for FD for making this company what it is!!

Amazing how fast this week has gone by! First on my list to do my first week was a real cleaning of my house, closets and yard….Well none of that happening. I think God had other plans for me. One of the things I wanted to do while I was off was to visit my best friend from High School that I have not seen in maybe 3 years. The last time we spoke was about 6 months ago when she called to tell me who died from our small community of Simpson. I was surprised when she called the week before my Sabbatical started. Of course my first thought was….who died? But no she had ran into another one of our girlfriends from High School that wanted us 4 ladies to get together for a mini reunion! And that is just what we did last Friday Night! It has been a long time since I laughed so much. I think we were getting a little loud in the restaurant when the table next to us leaned over and said ‘If I had to guess, you are the class of? These ladies were my best friends all thru High School. Three of us had met 3 years ago for supper, but the other one I have not seen in 40 years. It made me really stop and think about how important our friends and relationships are. I feel so blessed to have been able to have this time with these ladies and we have committed to getting together again soon.
On a sad note, the one that called me is suffering from some medical problems that the doctor from the small town can not diagnose. She is not able to drive any longer and is always in some type of pain. Her and her husband are raising their 2 grandchildren and hard for them to go out of town to seek another opinion. So I am working on getting her in to see a doctor here in Baton Rouge. I just pray that I can be of help to her, and I ask for your prayers as well for my Friend Eloise.
I was also able to spend some quality time with my youngest granddaughter who I am so very proud of. She will be starting South Eastern University next year to study to be a Physician’s Assistant.
It has been a great first week spending time with friends, family and just enjoying my down time.
Thank you Kris and our Board of Directors for this time. I feel so blessed to be able to work for such a great company with so many wonderful people. It is hard for people to believe when you tell them about our Sabbatical time.
I wish everyone many blessings during this Thanksgiving week.