Being the New Girl

I've been here almost a full week now. I arrived last Saturday afternoon. Hagerhill is only 3 1/2 hours from my grandparents mountain house (near Banner Elk, NC) - so whenever I need to get a dose of NC or some TLC from the family (or friends for that matter), it's nice to know i don't have that far to go.

I'm living at the Johnson House, with what will eventually be fourteen other volunteers. It's located right behind CAP headquarters, so I walk to work every morning. The house is going through a bit of a transition right now. Lots of people moving out and moving in over the next couple of weeks. I'm very happy with the set-up here. I have my own room - and it's not tiny either. Maybe even bigger than my room in my apartment. Most of the volunteers are under 30 and are from all over. Wisconsin, Michigan, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Kansas, West Virgina. I'm one of the first new volunteers in a wave of newbies to get to the house. It's been only as awkward as one would expect living with new people would be. I think the volunteers who have been here a while are really missing the volunteers who recently left - and aren't quite sure how they feel about developing a new community. I know I would feel the same way though, so I'm just hanging out and patiently awaiting the time when my new car smell fades, I break in the soles of my shoes, and I really feel like a part of the group.

But not only am I a replacement (of sorts) at the Johnson House, but at work too. I'm an elderly services caseworker with CAP responsible for participants living in Knott County. I have been shadowing the volunteer who I will be replacing this past week. Every day this week she had the difficult task of letting our participants know that she will be moving back to Ohio and will no longer be coming to visit with them. It was hard watching both Marcie and the participant tear up during each conversation. I had to remind myself that I wasn't the bad guy. But then after Marcie explained that I will be taking her place, each participant looked at me and smiled and said things like, "Well, I'll get along with her just fine", "I'd be proud to have you come and visit me", or "I know I'm going to love you too."

Talking about Marcie, Mickie, one of my participants, said, "We'll never be able to replace you. There's not another Marcie." Marcie replied, "No, but you can add." Mickie smiled and energetically agreed.

Change is tough. It can be awkward, frightening, and make us tear up. It takes time to get adjusted to and comfortable with. But we have to remember that change isn't always the bad guy. It's the opportunity to add experiences, not replace our old ones. That means that every time we face change we are given the chance to grow more, give more, receive more, learn more, love more, and be loved more.

I hope to have a lifetime of adding.