My Interview

Anna and I decided to meet for a “lunch date” so that it was a relaxing atmosphere for my interview. We meet at Panera’s bread eatery in Jordan Creek mall. Anna is a very petite and beautiful lady. She is the type that just draws people to her with her smile and demeanor. She sits down and we start to talk. She’s very open from the get go which makes me excited to get started.
She has been a nurse for 6 years in Labor/Delivery and will be working as a midwife in a few months. She is very excited to embark on her new adventure. She tells me, “ I am ready to make a difference in these women’s lives and help to give these babies a good start to life.” She works for a hospital that handles many low income women. She offers them pamphlets regarding services that are available to them but wishes that she could do so much more. She tries to give them any hints and tips on what they can do to be sure that they giving themselves the best care while pregnant, all while being on a budget at the same time.
I explain my quest to her. I tell her that I want to make a difference in people’s life. I want to be able to make them stop and think about how they could help others . Maybe even to spread my generosity and kindness onto someone else in some shape or form. She thinks that my quest is going to be a difficult one, but thinks that I am going to learn a lot from this experience. I told her that learning was my main goal and I was hoping to maybe change the attitude of those around me at the same time. I told her that I was also hoping that this would rub onto my family so they could realize just how thankful they should be for what they have.
We started discussing what made Anna decide to choose this career. She starts to tell me about some things in her life. She met her husband while she was in high school, got pregnant, and married very young but was bound and determined to graduate from college. She says, “The minute that pregnancy test came back positive, it changed my life. “ She was bound and determined to make her dreams come true. She has me convinced that anyone not matter what the circumstances are, can do what they put their mind to. She worked very hard and had the support of her family. She just recently got her Masters degree in Nursing and feels she is living proof with the right support you can live out your dream. She is still married to the same man and has four beautiful children.
We start talking about ways that I am going to be able to help others out. We talk about just the simple things like paying for a coffee and holding the door open then start talking about other possibilities. She suggests feeding the homeless. She invited me to come to her church. Once a month members of her church gather together donated supplies and make meals for the homeless in Des Moines area. After they have made the meals then they load everything up and distribute them. She says, “It’s very rewarding. It seems odd but its something that I look forward to every month. I really enjoy talking with them and seeing the joy on their faces when they have a hot meal. ” I told her I would take her up on this offer. We discussed what kind of food is served. As she is talking a light bulb in my brain goes off. There is so many different ways that I can take this quest. It just depends on how much work I want to put into it and how dedicated I want to be.
She agrees that small things every day is a great goal for my quest but encourages me to do something on a bigger scale. She suggest a helping to do drives maybe weekly or to have a goal for every week. One week do a drive for the local animal shelter and the next collect supplies for feeling the homeless. She says there are so many people and animals in need that the possibilities are endless. She encouraged me to use my imagination. She then started to talk to me about Family to Family. Her family is involved with it and said she thought it would be a great thing for me and my family. I explained to her that I wanted to get my kids involved whenever I could. Family to Family is a nonprofit organization that connects two families together. One family here in the Midwest and then one in a poverty stricken area. Once a month I am given a grocery list of things to purchase and package up costing approximately $31.00. The package is then sent to a family who‘s annual salary is well below poverty level. She says they encourage the kids to include letters about their families and their lives. She said that its something her kids look forward to every month. She feels like it really helps her kids to realize that not everyone has what they need like our family.
She also suggests a few places where I can drop off my kids clothes that they have outgrown. She thinks it’s a great idea to have the kids help to pack them up and determine what can go to the needy kids. One of them is a local shelter for women who are involved in domestic abuse. She said many of these women have nothing but the clothes on their back when they leave their house. These women are trying to start a new life on their own and need all the help they can get.
As Anna talks about the things that she has been involved in I can see the sparkle in her eyes. I can tell that she is very proud of herself for being involved in making a difference, and I hope that once I am done with my quest that I will feel the same way! She really opened my eyes to a lot more possibilities for my quest. I definitely would not have thought of these things on my own. I am very happy that I decided to interview her. My brain was going a hundred miles a minute after our interview. She has planted a few seeds and now I just need to let them flourish to see what will become of them. I cant wait to get started on this quest.!