Retirement party - the best

On Friday October 25th I had the most amazing time at the retirement party planned and executed by the staff and board at CDSA. Jazz music from the Peter Jamero Project, greeted me upon arrival as did 100 or so guests. The venue was beautiful, the food was great, we played a wonderful CDSA video in which I looked so young. :-) I guess it was only about 7 years ago that we produced the video but it was great fun to see it again after all these years. The facilitator Mari, from School's Out Washington, did a great job and spoke from the heart all evening. All the speakers were entertaining and gave heartfelt thanks to me and kudos to CDSA for being a great agency. Many staff and former and current board members were present along with funders and community partners. My family and friends were there and one of my oldest friends from the Nisqually tribe presented me with a Pendleton blanket, a Native tradition.  Nick our board president announced the formation of a, Caryn Swan Jamero scholarship, of which my grandson Kimani will be the first recipient. He attends a CDSA program now and will be 4 in March. I was presented with many other gifts and honors from staff, friends, family and well wishers. The many people who came forward to publically praise and honor me really touched my heart. We introduced Brianna as the next Executive Director of CDSA and she was able to share a few thoughts and warm wishes. Maile, the senior executive assistant and board liaison, over the last  year and half,  coordinated the party and made it all happen in a way that looked and felt effortless. I know Rhonda our fabulous HR Director and Lindsey with our Development department helped make it the wonderful event that is was too. As I said in my 'thank you' email to staff and board earlier today; I now count that evening as one of the highlights of my life. I will cherish the memory of that night for the rest of life. It ranks right up there with sailing up the inside passage to Alaska, the birth of my children, my wedding and other momentous occasions.

When times are tough or I am down in my journey to wellness, I will remember the love and appreciation that was given to me by so many that evening. It is funny that I wrote a speech to give at the end of the evening and then decided at the last minute to just wing it and speak from my heart. Many told me it was inspiring and touched them, a few said it was the best talk they had heard. I think my husband taped it for me to see later.  Below is the talk I didn't give but I think it captures some of the essence of how I was feeling anyway. The punctuation and spacing is not correct because it was notes to talk by and wasn't gong to be published like this but I think I'll just leave it "as is" since I don't have time right now to edit it. :-)

Thank you everyone for these kind words of appreciation. It has been my honor and my life’s work over these last 21 years to serve the children and families of our community by helping CDSA expand and thrive as an agency. I am very blessed, with the knowledge that I made a difference in the lives of many. I can say I was never bored and that I stayed challenged to do my best right up to the end.  I always believed intensely in our mission and vision, in the action we were taking and the work we were doing. We can help all children be more successful and happy from birth into young adulthood. We can end the achievement gap and cycles of poverty that hurt young children.

 

 I grew to understand the importance of overcoming obstacles, problem solving and enabling the dreams of others.  I worked with many extraordinary and brilliant teachers, CDSA staff, community partners, field builders, and advocates. I was always learning and growing right along with everyone else as was CDSA as an agency. We have a 'growth mindset' that means we are driven to always improve our work and be more effective. That’s why we enthusiastically embraced using data for continuous quality improvement.  We have believed in staying informed of new research, taking risks and striving to implement best practices. We have had partners and funders who made a lot of our excellent work possible over the last 2 decades.  

 

I know I can’t name them all – there are so many;  UWKC, Gates Foundation, City of Seattle, OFE: Office for Education, DSHS, Seattle Public Schools, OSPI; Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Seattle Foundation, the Federal Food program, Medina Foundation, NW Children’s Fund; these and countless others helped us continually move to higher and higher quality programs and give out more scholarships. Thank you to all my colleagues at SOWA, YDEKC, SEAT, SPS Learning Partners Group, Roadmap Project and the many other CBO’s we partnered with.

I’m proud of the work of many people at CDSA and of my own contributions to its success. We are all so different and each of us have beautiful talents and unique contributions. It is important to take the time to observe ourselves and reflect upon what our unique contributions to this life and world are and can be. Are we using our talents? Are we fulfilling our destinies? As I leave I have a full heart knowing I gave my all for many years at CDSA. This ED job was a great fit for my unique talents and I was able to flourish and be in my element of discernment, observation, giving and loving.

 

A year ago when I was diagnosed with cancer I began spending more time being in gratitude for all the opportunities I’ve been given in this life time. What is important ?? and What matters most in life???; Who am I and what do I uniquely offer the world?? Ask yourself these questions.

 

These questions reaffirm my long held belief that life is good and all about loving ourselves and others. We are all enough just as we are. I can remember many times when I let wisdom about what to do flow through me. I let my heart and compassion help me to lead the agency. We all have inner wisdom. Although these are some of the last moments of this chapter of my life and this career with CDSA , I realize I’m saying good bye to my “work family” but I’m not saying good bye to my belief about living from a positive place and seizing every moment. I will be letting goodness flow through me to others, showing compassion, listening, understanding, exhibiting my love for life, living in honesty, integrity and gratitude for all that I have – no matter what I’m doing. I plan on playing with grandchildren, visiting with family and friends and traveling to warm climates near and far. I plan on continuing to be joyful, enthusiastic and happy.

 

It will be fascinating to see where and how all the endless opportunities before me unfold. Having an illness like I do really is a blessing in that it is easier to live every day in a state of gratitude not knowing exactly how many more days, months or years you have. But none of us really know what’s going to happen in the mystery of life and if we all lived this way all the time we might make some different choices.  I am glad I made the choice to fully express my unique self at CDSA for all these years and to work as hard as I did because it made a difference.

 

 

 And because I worked so much I owe a really special thanks to my family and close friends many of whom are here tonight and my husband Peter Jamero; while they consistently encouraged me to work less; they also supported me in this passion of mine in countless ways.

 

 Thank you to the Peter Jamero Project band for playing tonight, to our speakers, to Mari for facilitating, and for my special executive assistant and board liaison, Maile Kaneko, for organizing this event and to Brianna and the board for leading CDSA into the next era.  Another special thank you must go to Rhonda Withrow, our gifted HR Director, who has held my hand for the last year since my diagnosis. She has helped me in countless ways to understand my many options, to get short and long term and social security disability and finally to make the big decision to retire. I really don't know what I would have done without her. She navigated the hiring of the new ED and is leading the agency through other transitions that my leaving causes like the hiring of Brianna's replacement. Thank you form the bottom of my heart.

 

I’ve been reading a great book with lots of quotes in it and ran across this one by George Sand, a French female writer in the 1800's, just this morning:

 

 “One is happy as a result of one’s own efforts, once one knows the ingredients of happiness ----- simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self-denial to a point, love of work, and above all else a clear conscience. Happiness is not a vague dream, of that I now feel certain. “  

 

I leave you with a clear conscious that I have done all I could, as well as I could do it and have loved it.  I needed courage in many episodes at CDSA and I often put my own needs behind those of the agency. This job has brought me much happiness.  Thank you one and all for contributing to that happiness, as I sail into my next big adventures whatever and wherever they may be.

I am leaving in a few minutes to clean out my CDSA office on a Sunday when no one will be there. I am doing it happily now with out any tears. It was good that I waited as just a week ago I felt more sad and now feel filled with joy and feel very appreciated and recognized for the work I've done.

Thank you again everyone for such a remarkable send off.