“Good morning, sweetheart,” David said as he got up to make our cappuccino. “Last Tuesday.” He walked out of the room. He’s been saying that since last week — our last Thursday, last Friday, last Monday, now our last Tuesday at our jobs.
Tomorrow is June 15, the countdown date, the day that’s been drawing near just about here, the last day of our jobs for both of us. For David, it’s been a little over 10 years, for me, it will be exactly 30. I started at the Coalition on June 16, 1981.
When I decided a little over a year ago to announce my departure from my job, I’d thought of leaving in March. “Are you kidding?” Adrienne said. “Three months short of 30 years? Just do the 30 years.”
So I decided I’d leave in June, but couldn’t decide the date. “Look in the records at the Coalition,” a friend suggested. “Find out what date you started and make it 30 years exactly.” So that’s what I did, except I looked in my journals to find my start date, not in Coalition records. As I’ve said many times, maybe even here in this blog, I have a well documented life. Two shelves of the book cases in my study are lined with journals and diaries, in chronological order mostly, dating back to 3rd grade.
It was easy to find the day I started at the Coalition. Adrienne was six months old and I was heading back to work after being home as a new mother. Now Adrienne is the new mother and I’m a grandmother. After today, my life as the Executive Director of the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence will be one day from being over. Stay tuned.
Grace Mattern 