A death, then new life in the City
Father died in October 1998. Though he went in only a month or so, it was a relatively peaceful time for me, one in which God's day-to-day presence was very strong.
All us siblings had chances to say goodbye together and privately to Father. The day before he died, I gave Mother, who was crying, a long hug in the hospital room. Father noticed this and later told me he was happy to see it, asking that I always try to be kind to Mother and get along. He seemed to understand, as I did at the time, that my gesture marked a new period of growth in my life.
During this entire time, God walked very closely with me. I grieved, but only a bit, and experienced great joy at knowing that Father had been transformed by the Gospel and that He belonged to God. I sang “His Eye is On The Sparrow” at the funeral in a new light grey suit, white shirt, light solid blue tie and yellow pocket handkerchief. I chose the colors because they spoke of the sun and sky, hope and peace and joy. And at the graveside, Lucille Lindh, our former pastor’s wife, held my hand, looked in my eyes, and said, "Victory! Victory!" She and I knew exactly what she meant.
My very first blog (before the word become widely known or used) was a prayer and health update page for Father, which I emailed to friends and family. It still exists, but I can no longer log into it. It was quoted at the funeral, and Father's obituary and favorite verses are still there.
I bought my first computer, a Gateway, from the gift Father willed to each of us kids. It arrived C.O.D. at my place of work outside Minneapolis, the reception desk at CogenAmerica, in our grand new office designed by Karen Brennan with "the very best." The staff sent flowers to the family. Within months firm was in trouble, and by the next spring and summer, it had been dissolved, and the small staff of ten or so given severance.
So, in the summer of 1999, with nothing to do but with a paycheck coming in, I hit the pavement in Minneapolis looking for work as an Executive Assistant. There was not too much interest back then in a male secretary, especially at the C-level. So I sat around in my underwear browsing the NYTimes' job ads. I did not know it, but the country was experiencing the Internet boom. Something stuck in my mind about maybe moving to New York City. Could it work?
I began doing the math. Cost of living... Salary...
It looked like it could work. I began sending resumes.
– p.k.
Next week: Efaxing, the Cayuga River, and the Newark Cogen Plant