Post Mother's Day

Charles, my adopted six-foot-give, African-American, former bank robbing, mentally ill son who is also the janitor at my office approached Keller Deal's desk. Eyes half closed, he has one hand on top of his head.

"Mam, I know that you're white and I'm black, but will you be my mother for Mother's Day?"

Stifling a giggle, Keller tells him that she would.

"Well," he says, "I know that I'm a day late but 'Happy Mother's Day!'"

"HEY!" Joy screams from her office next door. "What about me?" Joy is the one who actually handles Charles money for him and she sneaks him candy which he loves and makes certain that he buys new clothes from time to time.

Unfazed, Charles says that she can be his mother too. I suppose that you can never have enough Moms.

And that's the kind of day it was at Union Mission yesterday. John Stephenson of the J. Bulow Campbell Foundation in Atlanta spent the morning with us touring the Magdalene Project as he contemplates helping renovate the now unoccupied housing program for homeless mothers and children.

Then it was lunch during which we reviewed the plans for the upcoming Starfish Cafe gala. Keller has everything under control. Or she can lie really well.

Then Skip, Lavanda and I reviewed plans for the future. Lavanda laid out her plans to us as she will soon be leaving us after 17 years for broader horizons. Lavanda's been the one in daily operations for the past six years. She is the Mom of Union Mission. It was a good meeting though and we ended in a group hug.

I was heading to Tybee for a dinner meeting when my cell phone buzzed a bit of serendipity presented itself so I made a U-Turn that Nascar would envy and headed back to town for cocktails and laughter.

Eventually I made it back to Tybee and Lucy Hall, Director of the Mary Hall Freedom House in Atlanta and I walked to dinner. Lucy is currently on a reality television show and I poked fun at her for it. She was already famous having won national awards and being covered by "Essence" and other magazines. We talked into the night about changes and what the future holds.

At 10:30 I took Goddess for a thoughtful walk and reviewed what ended up being a really great day. Now I'm off to meet Lauren for a meeting that may hold promise and it starts all over again! I hope!!!