I was dropping off some things for Crickettinis for a Cure Charity Event for this Friday, and dropped in on a friend who is the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) director. CASA for children exists to prevent foster and abused kids from falling through the cracks of an overburdened court system.
For several years, I worked across the hall from her, and I knew how dedicated and passionate she's always been about CASA. I believe it takes special people to run the agency, and it also involves many very dedicated volunteers. As Wanda put it though, we wish we'd be put out of business!
Like many human service positions, it is stressful in more ways than one. In all the years I worked across from the CASA office, I never witnessed the stress getting to any of the workers. The seemed dedicated to the children, and Wanda just seemed always 110% efficient, capable and unrattled by the many situations that had to be handled.
So when I visited her yesterday, I saw another side of her that was pretty awesome. She has developed a passion for finding seaglass that washes up on ocean beaches. Beautiful, beautiful pieces, which she has turned into jewelry, which I found to be stunning. I fell in love with a soft aqua colored piece, which she told me had once been part of a classic coke bottle from roughly 20 years ago. It was just beautiful!
And I guess the best part of it was listening to Wanda tell about her love of walking the beach and discovering the sea glass, and her eyes lighting up when she recounted some of her experiences. She said the sound of the waves and the peacefulness of the beach relax her down several notches. She told me of the day that a fully formed seahorse washed up right at her feet. The seahorse had already lived its life apparently, because it was just the shell, but what a life savoring moment that had to be!
I loved seeing this other side, and hearing her talk about the serene beauty of her newfound hobby was a moment of peace and happiness for me as well.
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