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
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Heritage Place( 320) 286-3118
Brookridge( 320) 286-3196
Cokato Manor Home Health Medicare Certified Home Health Agenc ncy
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Cokato Manor( 320) 286-2158
Edgewood Gables( 320) 286-2159
Centrex Rehab( Contracted) Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapies
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Senior Connections August 2018
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