am learning to be happy.
I am growing like an apple tree.
I like to help people.
I like to help little children
To learn and to grow,
Like an apple tree.

I climb the apple tree
To reach the apple,
To be happy and to grow
Strong.

I am glad that Spring
Time comes when the
Apple tree blossoms.

For myself, my work life started as a preteen growing up in the southside of Richmond. My first job was the same as most children growing up in the city some thirty years ago, delivering the newspaper. Oh yes, the excitement of having spending money in your pocket was the dream of most young men of that time period. But the city was changing; it was no longer safe to be out going door-to-door collecting money for the papers. Before long the paper route was just a memory in the minds of us that are old enough to remember them.

As a teen, I worked summers, weekends, and after school for a building contractor. I worked as a laborer for many different types of skilled labor; electricians, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, and roofers. The skills I learned from working with these people have been a valuable resource for me as an adult. For many of my work-life duties and home-life projects I couldn't perform, if it were not for the skills that I learned in this period of my life.

After leaving school, I worked at a number of jobs for as short as three weeks to as long as two years. At some of these jobs I learned useful skills. Others, I learned what hard work was all about. But looking back, I wouldn't want to give up any of the life experiences that I learned at any of these jobs.

At the age of twenty one, I took my present job at Philip Morris. I didn't mean to make it a long-term career at the time. I went there for the money. But like many others, my personal life's responsibilities increased and I ended up staying with the company.

Now that I've reached the mid-life point of my life, I have decided to use the skills and knowledge I have gained along the way to start my own family business. I hope by doing this, I will make my work life much more rewarding for myself. It will also give me the chance to pass on some of the skills and knowledge that I have learned to my children. I don't want them to have to learn the hard way by making the same mistakes I did. To have the self-confidence to start my own business and have my family involved with me, will be a dream come true.

Afterwards we went into the attic where there was a lot of old stuff like books, dishes, wheels, and an old railroad iron. Furthermore, we found an old general's sword. We threw boxes and pails of junk like bed rails, and tv's out of the window. Next, we moved outside, loaded up the truck and made a trip to the dump again.

After that we cleaned out an old building. We took out a lot of old bottles. Next we stumbled onto a bunch of antique tobacco cans. Also, we found some old clay pots. Some were broken, others were not. We threw away an old woodstove and tv's.

Also we moved into an old chicken house and cleaned up nails. We also turned off the water and went to adjust the well. We removed the top when all of a sudden we saw two humongous black snakes. We used a long pole and smashed the snake's head. After that we threw it in the woods. The other one got away. We put the top on the well. We then put all the tools on the truck and we left. We were finally through.

Some of the drivers will go back out to begin clearing the snow off the back roads, so that people can get out on the road again to go to work and the store.

Thanksgiving is a special time to be thankful for my loved ones. I would like to buy a new car, a new home, and new furniture for my wife.

I don't like the snow, but it's part of my job to make the roads safe. My job is working on the road and driving a truck. I also enjoy driving a tractor. I like my job because it is outside.

I love going to school because it makes me feel better about myself.

A great leader for the people said, and I quote, "I have a dream." Sadly to say, he was not able to see his dream come to pass. I thank God that I am able to live one of my own dreams. My first insight of my dream came when I entered a program for my own alcohol and drug addiction. I will not go into all the details of my addiction but only to say that my addiction had me on the top just to have me fall to the depths of hell.

I entered a program called Project Return, a Therapeutic Community. There I learned of my many behavior problems that I did not know existed. The behavior aided in my addiction that had me trapped in a life of self- destruction with no hope.

After entering the program, one evening the Director was talking to me and a few other residents. As I looked at the Director sitting behind his desk giving positive talk, his words found a home in my spirit. For once in my life I realized my dreams and my place in life, helping others in the same situation that I had found myself to be in.

I graduated from the program and moved to Charlottesville with my wife and son. As the years went by I found myself involved with many different outreach programs where I could give back to life what life had given to me: O.A.R., A.A. Counselor, Jail Ministry, and the Charlottesville Runaway Shelter.

My dreams became a reality the day I was employed by the Piedmont Housing Corporation as a coverage staff member. After completion of my first year, it was noticed how well I interacted with the residents and staff, and when the position became available for Operation Manager I was encouraged by the Executive Director to apply for the job. I submitted my resume and was chosen for the position in April 1996.

I have found my place in the world. My experience and the things I've learned are making a difference in someone's life. The more I give from my heart there is a warm feeling that goes through my body, and I know that what I am giving is from the very depth of my heart. It is God through his Son revealing to others through me what they need to hear to make a difference in their lives. I am living my dream, but it is only by the grace of God.

was resting one evening beside the road
And I saw this farmer
In the field he just hoed.
His face was all burnt and wrinkled
From the sun and the wind
But he was talking to the Lord
As if he was talking to a friend.
He said with a kind, soft voice,
"Corn tassles need tying, but there's no string
We haven't had any rain for such a long time,
The field's even dusty.
It's so awful hot,
The kids are even fussy.
The grass in the pasture field,
That should be knee-high.
If we could have a little shower, Lord,
It'd keep the cow from going dry.
Ah, listen at me talking. You think
I'm not grateful.
Well, if You didn't know me, Lord
You'd think I was being right hateful.
I haven't forgotten the calf You sent us,
And the money in the mail for the rent.
And that new preacher You sent us, Lord,
Well he's a fine young man.
He's sent these sinners to beat the band.
Well, I guess I'll mosey on home now, Lord,
I've taken enough of Your time.
I'll let someone else talk to You --
Their problems are probably bigger than mine.
So evenin' to You Lord,
And watch over us tonight.
But don't You worry now,
For everything's going to be alright."

I started working at Lucky Seven about two years ago. It was kind of rough because I'm different from most people, and mostly college students come into the store. They gave me a hard time at first, but eventually we started getting along.

My job there is really easy; basically all I do is keep the counter clean, keep the products stocked, keep the floors cleaned, and ring customers' products up on the cash register. A lot of the time I'm left alone, so that leaves me in control of the store. And a lot of the decisions that are made are made by me.

The job can also be pretty risky sometimes. When someone else and I were working, a man came into the store and attempted to rob us. Luckily, we were fine, and the guy didn't get anything.

This job is helping me until I get my GED and further my education. I don't think I'll ever find another job like Lucky Seven.

The job I have now entails a lot of stress. It is difficult to teach people things that they already know. By this I mean that I have to train them to read blueprints, plug wires, test, solder, strip, measure wires to length, prep wires, and crimp. The quality assurance person helps me out through much of my job set up such as testing software. He supports me a lot. He has the ability to pull master prints and see where the mistakes are.

My plan is to get my G.E.D. so I can advance to a higher position. Then the stress can be relieved off of me. At that point, I will be able to relax and do some of the things I've been wanting to do for a long time, such as enhancing my computer ability. With all of the new technology coming out, I believe that I can learn so much more within the years to come and achieve my goals.

Many people don't know what "severe and profound" means. It means a person who has severe disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, severe mental retardation, etc., and is unable to learn on a regular mental level. This child also has no right hip and functions on a 6-8 month old mental level, which means he is also incontinent.

My everyday routine entails teaching him to stand, to feed himself, and to transfer from his wheelchair to a regular chair. Things that people do with their babies, I do with a ten-year-old child. I have been asked how do I do it, and my reply is I enjoy it. To see a child do something that it had been said he/she could not do is an excellent feeling, especially when you are the one that helped that child achieve that goal.

When my in-school child stands up on his own with no assistance for a period of time or even when he attempts to take a step, that to me is an enjoyment. As they say, "It takes a special person to be able to do that kind of work."

The last part of my job is to prepare and present goals and objectives on this child. That adds to the stress of the day because I have to find time in my work day to type and have the goals and objectives ready by the deadline. This is usually the day I have to present them to the special ed team members and the child's parent/s.

The reason I believe people would not want my job is because of the physical, mental, and emotional strain it has on a person, and people cannot handle that. I plan to further my education by studying sports medicine and physical therapy just because I feel much more could be done to help the severe and profound, especially the child I work with and many others just like him.

Around 10:00 A.M. I'll give him a bottle of milk. When I went to look for his bottle, it wasn't there. His mom came aat lunch and gave me the news; the doctor had taken him off it. Jan said, "Please don't give it to him."

I soothe my patients by talking to them, smiling, and joking. I say "Good morning, how are y'all?" One patient says, "Well, son, I feel pretty good." "So y'all could walk over to therapy then," I say. "No, I even called this morning to see if you were coming," says the patient.

The patients' spouses stay at the Red Roof Inn. They are very sad. It's hard to make them feel good. But my favorite part of this job is Sawyer House patients, because I can laugh and joke with them.