My Valentine to Habitat

It seems to me that a lot of people use the new electronic journal aka blog as an excuse to rage against the system. Sometimes it's a political rant, especially during election year, and often it's a daily journal of everyman's life. More and more frequently, sometimes with unintended disastrous results, it's a rant against a big business and/or employer.

I'm here in the late night of a lunar eclipse to tell you how much I love my new job and the company I work for. Several months ago when my job search was at a standstill, a friend suggested I choose several companies that I wanted to work for and market myself to them. Being a self-employed web developer, I looked first at my clients. The one that immediately stood out was Trinity Habitat for Humanity. They do undisputed good work in the community, are good stewards of their money, and are just plain cool people. I'd known some of them for several years and thought to myself, hey I want to work there. At that place, for that cause, with those people.

Fast forward now, this weekend will be the end of my first month. Like a new love affair, the first days were heady with frequent emails to friends saying, "It just keeps getting better." The cynic in me has watching closely for the dark side, but I'm here to tell you, my friend, that I'm more in love with this company than I was before I started working here.

Today, I met others who are involved with Habitat: a donor, a house sponsor, a former affiliate board president from Hawaii. I listened as a Habitat homeowner told her story and watched the people in the room go red-eyed and sniffly.

I've had jobs before with good companies that hired good people, but I never felt the depth of emotion that I have for this company. For example, I was a Girl Scout as a child, Maggie and Joanna were Girl Scouts, and I worked for the local council for ten years. In all that time, I never had "green blood." I don't know what the equivalent term would be for Habitat lovers (surely not sawdust in your blood:-), but whatever it is, I have it. Actually, I have heard the term Habititus. Maybe that's what I have. All I know is that, like a life-changing love affair, it just keeps getting better every day.

P.S. If I have not already done so, I will be hitting you up for a contribution of your time and/or money, dear reader. Be prepared:-)