Senior Connections August 2018
CHANGING DIRECTIONS from Pg 1
ried , and start their own families .
Sometimes , she got to teach the children of her former students , and had the pleasure of being in touch with them as they parented their own children .
An unexpected loss
It was a great shock when Glessing lost the job she loved in a school she had come to cherish . She experienced sorrow at coming so close and then losing her dream of teaching at St . James until she retired . Her teaching had been more than a job , and she felt a deep sense of loss when she learned that , due to declining enrollment , her position was being eliminated . Another teacher would teach a combined first and second grade glass for the following school year . When she learned this news in January 2017 , her feelings ran so deep that she thought about resigning . In the end , though , she felt that she “ couldn ’ t desert her students ,” and she decided to finish the school year .
What next ?
Glessing said she was “ very fortunate ” to have a lot of support from family and many friends , students , former
Marnie Glessing of Howard Lake ( right ) has been enjoying her new job as activities director at Augustana Lakeside Apartments in Dassel . She is pictured with Aileen Swanson .
PHOTO BY DEB COX-JOHNSON
students , and parishioners , to whom the decision also came as a shock .
She decided to first just “ get practical ,” and used her free time to do some medical things she had postponed . She had her cataracts removed and then went through a
successful hip replacement . It seemed like a good time to get those taken care of as she considered options for the future .
She thought about secretarial jobs she had held early in life , which she had liked , and decideducation to brush up on her computer skills . She refreshed her experience with Microsoft Word and Excel through community ed , and started applying for administrative and secretarial jobs . She applied for a lot of jobs and got a lot of rejection letters .
As the rejection letters rolled in , she decided to take a step back and rethink what she might enjoy doing . These loves included the floral business and teaching .
She started applying again , to many places within reasonable driving distance , but once again , met with rejection .
She admits there were some very dark days of discouragement and depression , and she continued to be grateful for the support of family and friends . And she never lost faith that another opportunity would come when the time was right . She firmly believes that , “ when God closes a door , he opens a window .” She relied on her spiritual life and talked regularly with God .
More CHANGING DIRECTIONS on Pg 6
Quality Care & Quality of Life
�����������������������������������
Heritage Place ( 320 ) 286-3118
Brookridge ( 320 ) 286-3196
Cokato Manor Home Health Medicare Certified Home Health Agenc ncy
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
������������������������ �������������� ������������������������
Cokato Manor ( 320 ) 286-2158
Edgewood Gables ( 320 ) 286-2159
Centrex Rehab ( Contracted ) Speech , Occupational and Physical Therapies
2
Senior Connections August 2018
SeniorConnectionsHJ H . COM