Friday, August 12, 2011

Tender Mercies

Hi everyone! =) I’m happy to say I have one last day (tomorrow) with the Cavetts! I thought you all would be happy about that and I am too! I have to admit, I was temped a few times to just tell Anne the truth that I wasn’t going to school and that if she couldn’t find a replacement I could work another week (she freaked out a lot), but thankfully I held to my guns and it’s for sure my last day tomorrow. I also wanted to share my experience with shopping. You all know I’ve been shopping and cooking a lot more since working as a nanny. When I started working I had NO idea how to shop really or where anything was at the fry’s on 22nd and Harrison. I remember going up and down the same isles looking for peanut butter or course ground mustard or other silly things like liquid egg. 90% of the time I would find a gentleman at fry’s that was always sweeping the floors. Always. And he helped me So so much. We would pass by on iles 2 and I’d ask a question about where something was and he send me to isle 4 and by the time I had found that item he was there with me again and I would ask another question and he’d send me back to isle 1. I was always asking “where would I find this?” or “what are these?” and he would either know or find me someone who did know. Anyway a year of this happened and gradually I would go shopping and wouldn’t need to ask him anything. Then the past two weeks Anne Cavett has been on the South Beach Diet and guess who had to prepare all the crazy meals? Me! So needless to say my shopping list turned out to be a 3 page list of items she needed for her meals.



On top of such a huge list, the boys have been out of school and I have been taking them with me on my shopping adventures. So last Monday I was having a rough time at the store with the boys. so many questions about so many different things and I couldn’t find half of the stuff I was supposed to find. Poor Mom was getting a call every 10min.. what is this? Is this the stuff it’s asking for? But even with mom’s wonderful help I still had a handful of items I just could NOT find. We had probably been at the store for a good hour and a half and the boys have started acting out, hitting and running around. It had gotten to the point I wasn’t even looking for the item I needed, I was looking for someone who worked at fry’s so I could ask them, but I couldn’t find anyone. I was getting so sick of shopping. I was soo frazzled, over-whelmed, and at my breaking point to say the least. Then,….. I look up and my friendly guy with the boom comes sweeping the floor. I yell YAY! And he looks up in surprise and then smiles. I look away, embarrassed that I had actually yelled out, but I was just that happy! I knew he would help me! Within 10minutes I had found the rest of the ingredients I needed and I was finally checking out. While they were ringing me out I asked, “Do you know the guys name that works here and is always sweeping the floors?” and they knew exactly who I was talking about, he really is ALWAYS sweeping the floor. His name is Josh and he’s a maintenance guy. =) Anyway, thanks to Josh, the boys and I got back to the house alive! Since it’s my last day tomorrow and I wont be doing any more grocery shopping, I thought I would write a thank you card to him! This is what I wrote:

“Hi, you don’t know me personally, but you have been SUCH a huge help to me this last year! You probably know me by “the girl that doesn’t know what or where anything is at the grocery store” and I know you by “the guy that sweeps the floors.” Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for helping me! I’m a nanny and when I started over a year ago I had no idea what I was doing or where anything was at the store, and I remember asking you a ton of questions. I’m proud to say my grocery shopping skills have improved a ton. Then recently, the mom of the kids I nanny, has been on a crazy diet. The recipes have called for absurd ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce nonetheless find anywhere at the store, like pimiento, marjoram, or edamame. Who knows what those are? I didn’t. That’s why on Monday I was so grateful to see you and for your willingness to help me! Thanks so much! This week was my last week as their nanny so you wont be seeing me anymore, or having to answer all my questions, but I wanted to show my gratitude for your service!

By the way, my name is Patricia. I heard your name is Josh! It’s nice to meet you!

I know Heavenly Father helps us all even if it’s just a matter of sending someone to help at the grocery store. I know that was the case for me. Josh was an instrument in the Lords hands because I needed help and he was there.

Normally Mondays are hard with the Cavetts, but this Monday was a killer. Emotions where running high as I walked through the front door. I had burnt my whole right hand cooking dinner (long story) and was on the verge of tears. I, of course, started spewing the events of the day, good and bad. It was a hard day but the hardest of times are when I notice how much I’m helped. That day, I noticed. =) I’m grateful for that!