May 03, 2020
How does a large family connect in a pandemic? Zoom, of course. I come from a large family. I have 12 older siblings which makes me the baby of the family and #13. Having nine of us on this Zoom call together was pretty amazing. The furthest sibling lives in Korea…proud VFW member and the closest lives in Marcellus, Michigan. He is the one in the middle…our oldest sibling and very fitting that he is in the center because he is the glue that holds our family together…the most giving and humble human I know. He is 17.5 years older than me and there were two sets of twins in between. Yep, I believe my mom was a saint.
Let me tell you that it has been quite a hoot getting these siblings operating Zoom. Our last call we literally spent the entire call coaching certain ones through the Zoom logistics. This time (since we had some 1 to 1 trainings for whom will remain nameless) we got to actually have conversations, chuckle that all nine of us wear glasses, and laugh at some childhood stories. Like the time our elderly neighbor who didn’t speak much English came over and sat down in our TV room. The gentleman, I believe was locked out of his house and was waiting on his family to arrive home. He sat down on a chair right on top of someone’s open face peanut butter & jelly sandwich. We all sat there in silence. Tonight, no one seemed to remember whose sandwich it was.
So in these strange and crazy times of social distancing, it is wonderful that we can connect via Zoom. From Michigan, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, New York and even the date/time difference in Korea…..til’ we meet again. I think this pandemic has taught us a new trick that we can utilize any time we want now.
How does a large family connect in a pandemic? Zoom, of course. I come from a large family. I have 12 older siblings which makes me the baby of the family and #13. Having nine of us on this Zoom call together was pretty amazing. The furthest sibling lives in Korea…proud VFW member and the closest lives in Marcellus, Michigan. He is the one in the middle…our oldest sibling and very fitting that he is in the center because he is the glue that holds our family together…the most giving and humble human I know. He is 17.5 years older than me and there were two sets of twins in between. Yep, I believe my mom was a saint.
Let me tell you that it has been quite a hoot getting these siblings operating Zoom. Our last call we literally spent the entire call coaching certain ones through the Zoom logistics. This time (since we had some 1 to 1 trainings for whom will remain nameless) we got to actually have conversations, chuckle that all nine of us wear glasses, and laugh at some childhood stories. Like the time our elderly neighbor who didn’t speak much English came over and sat down in our TV room. The gentleman, I believe was locked out of his house and was waiting on his family to arrive home. He sat down on a chair right on top of someone’s open face peanut butter & jelly sandwich. We all sat there in silence. Tonight, no one seemed to remember whose sandwich it was.
So in these strange and crazy times of social distancing, it is wonderful that we can connect via Zoom. From Michigan, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, New York and even the date/time difference in Korea…..til’ we meet again. I think this pandemic has taught us a new trick that we can utilize any time we want now.
A Single Ray of Hope celebrates 16 years of being in business in July 2022! How is this even possible? It is an amazing milestone for me and I am extremely proud and a veteran and woman-owned business.
Where did the idea come from to open a Concierge Service in Portage, Michigan? Well, myself and two dear friends would gather over frozen strawberry dacquiri's and making jewelry while brainstorming businesses to go into. My friends chose other routes and were equally as successful in their career paths, while I pursued opening A Single Ray of Hope's Personal Assistant & Concierge Service.
Still today, I love being of service to people. I am blessed to meet and work for a wide variety of clients. Individuals of all walks of life....some working professionals both with and without families, retired seniors and their adult children, various businesses and more. I love getting to know people and hearing about their fascinating lives. My reward is knowing that my service is giving them the ability to focus on what is most important to them. It's about the value of time and how they choose to spend it while handing of their TO DO List to a trusted business.
I started my business as a way of giving back to others. My youngest son has special needs and many family and friends helped guide us over the years, providing respite, words of encouragement, providing helpful information of where to go for services and assistance. The term...it takes a village is true. Others helped us and I wanted to help others in return.
Another reason for my business is I saw my mother who raised thirteen children end up struggling later in life with Alzheimers. I'd visit her in her nursing home and think...is this really how life should be for a women who worked so hard to put her children through catholic school by donating her artistic time & talents, staying up late at night just to have a little peace & quiet, stretching a dollar beyond belief, and raising a good family? Mom's put themselves last, we do it willingly but in the end, we are doing a dis-service to ourselves and our families. I thought life shouldn't have to be this hard. How about a providing a service so that people could enjoy life more instead of running in a hundred directions?
Many times, I don't see a lot of my clients....I'm in and out of their home during the day while they are at work. Shopping is done, errands done, dry cleaning is hanging in their closet, meals prepped or cooked, prescriptions picked up, library books returned, service people have been to the home such as plumbers, etc. My business gives my clients some breathing room and that is how life should be lived.
You get the picture. It's about work life balance and peace of mind....for both myself and my clients. Life is short....take time to smell the flowers.