I was feeling a bit sorry for myself,and a card drops through our letterbox and it was such a boost.
The power of a hand written letter is amazing and we should do more of it, the fact that someone has found the time to sit down and write and to post it, means a great deal.
There is a feeling of connection.
Doing what we do, as I have said before, is not always easy, there are always those people who say we don’t do enough, that sharing a cuppa and a piece of cake is pointless ect, and then there are the grandparents who you once supported decide to turn on you themselves. I have been on the receiving end of some dreadful behaviour, people out to make trouble, for some reason, but all that pales into insignificance when someone just writes to say, ‘Thank you.’
We don’t do what we do for thanks, of course, but it certainly helps enormously.
This time of the year as we know is a down month, and for us it is all about getting all our accounts and reports ready to go to the accountant, which I hate, in fact I couldn’t do that side of it, Marc is the one who does all that stuff, and I am very grateful that he does. Running a charity is not easy and we have strict guidelines to adhere to for The Charity Commission and the rules constantly change, just when you think you have your head around it, something else has to be done.
It is a fine balancing act of doing what we have to do, and then doing, what I consider the most important thing, supporting grandparents at a particularly difficult time in their lives.
I remember so clearly when Dame Esther suggested we became a charity, she said, ‘Jane make sure there are others to do the ‘business side’ to allow you to do what your aim is, to help grandparents.’ It was sound advice but it hasn’t quite worked out that way!
Anyway, to the lovely lady who wrote today, thank you so much. A lady that I have never met or spoken to but a lady that reads our blogs, and if in some small way that helps, then, job done. I hope she knows what a difference she made to me today.
This Friday is the first support meeting of 2018, and I look forward to meeting old friends and some new ones as well.
So tea and cake it will be!
Jane
