4/17/2015 Relay for Life Corning, NY 2015

Aleathia says:

Recently my daughter brought home her nomination packet for the National Junior Honor Society.  It is the first time that her school is participating in this type of society and as her mother I am so very proud of her.  In reading over the material she was a little nervous about the qualities she didn't have and was starting to get down on herself.  She is kind of shy and therefore doesn't have a lot of experience in the leadership department or the service department.

I found out that she and her father participated in Relay for Life last year....how did I not know about this?  It seems like my child has two different lives sometimes.  I feel a bit lost when I don't know about the girl that lives at her dad's three days a week.

Yesterday I had decided that I wanted to put together a team for Relay for Life.  In the last few years I have lost my grandmother, my aunt, and my cousin to cancer.  My boyfriend lost his grandmother to cancer.  My daughter lost her great aunt to cancer.  I have several friends who have battled cancer and won.  This is such a couragous thing.  In 2000, I had pre-cancer of the cervix.  I never considered it having cancer because I didn't have chemo or radiation.  I had a surgery and some follow up and did not have to do much more than that.  I don't feel like I battled anything other than that month before I had the surgery where I felt like my life was altered forever.

I work in the Emergency Room and I see my community battle cancer all the time.  Some are young, some are children, some are my co-workers, some are old.  With their battle comes the battle the family must go through as well.  Being in the healthcare field lends me to have that hope that someday, despite Big Pharma, we will find a cure for cancer....someway, somehow.

Last night there was a meeting for the volunteers (Chloe is helping with the Luminaries) and I attended because Chloe was there.  This group of people is so excited about this project.  They want to spread the word and have as much of the community attend as possible.  Cancer touches all corners of the city you live in whether you are rich or poor.  It's devastation feels the same across the line.  It was inspiring to hear all the great fund raising ideas and community outreach projects that people are thinking up.

After we left the meeting, Chloe and I were brainstorming the different things we could do.  She is going to set up a donation area for gently used clothing for abuse victims that will go to help patient't at the Corning Hospital ER.  Half of the monetary donations collected will go to Relay for Life.  I thought that I could put my fabric scraps to use by making Lavender and Rice Eye Sachets to help soothe tired eyes and tension headaches.  She was very excited and told me that she loves volunteering and that it makes her feel so much better about herself.  I never knew this about her because she keeps a lot to herself and isn't always expressive about what she loves and doesn't love.  It really made my heart happy.  She inspires me to be a better person.

So last night I made a post to my Facebook page to see if a few of my local nurses and friends would like to join the Corning ER and Friends Team.  I was shocked to find that within an hour I had 17 people on my team.  It really made my heart get all warm and fuzzy.  I live in a great community and work with fantastic people.

If you would like to visit my fundraising page and donate you can find it here:  Corning ER and Friends Team.

Thank you for your support.

3/30/2015 What Is Missing in the Workplace Today, Hand + Foot

Aleathia says:

Anyone that knows me knows for sure that Hand + Foot is my favorite place in Corning.  It isn't just because the food is fantastic....and it is.  The chef and his team put out amazing food everyday and it is consistently good which I can't say for a lot of other restaurants in the area.  JP takes special pride in the food he puts out and we always love when he is working in the kitchen.

It isn't just the great beer and booze selection that I love.  It is the knowledge of the bartenders (Charlie, Matthew, Kurtis) and staff (Erin, Laurel, Caleb) who do their best to try everything so they can describe it for you and help you step up your drinking game as well as help you get out of your narrow window of acceptable tastes.  They remember what we order from the times we have come in before and are quick to recommend beers and bourbon they think we will enjoy and they have been spot on every time.

It isn't just the cozy atmosphere that I love.  It is the long communal table of light wood, the exposed brick, the great music, the sound of conversations and laughter that fill the bar.  It is people singing. It is life happening.

This is the first time in my entire life that I look forward to going to a bar.  I have always hated them because they were pretentious or too dark or full of people using the space as a meat market.  This place makes me happy.  I always learn something when I am there.  I always have a good time.  I always leave there wanting to come back.

Last night we had a date night.  The kiddo was at her dad's and we both had off work (finally) so we went for dinner and a drink.  It never ends with one drink, but that is because we love being there.  It is our place.

We sat enjoying the music and the bourbon when I saw something wonderful, something missing from the workplace today.  The owners made a special Sunday dinner for their staff.  Laurie was back there for hours making a beautiful pork roast and vegetables.  The owner!!  These owners work their tails off making Hand + Foot a wonderful place.  They love their staff.  They take care of them and in return they pour their hearts into making this bar a destination.  When tourist seasons starts I can only hope to find a square inch for myself.  It is going to be packed.

I grew up in a restaurant.  I started working at my grandfather's place when I was 12 years old.  I would go there after school on Friday's and peel shrimp, roll napkins, prepare side salads, do dishes and whatever else was needed.  I got paid $5 and given dinner.  It wasn't the money that mattered but the fact that I participated and learned something.  I belonged.  After I left there I worked here in Corning at Boomer's in the kitchen.  I was proud of the food we made there.  It was tough work in a small space, but it was what I loved.  Later in life I worked at a deli in Seattle and then was a baker at The Urban Bakery on the lake as well as another place on Phinney Ridge.  I worked at Starbucks in both Atlanta and Seattle.  I have slung hams at Honey-baked Hams.  I have worked at an Asian-British fusion Tea House.  Most of my life has been spent feeding people.  Now, I save lives, but I often miss the restaurant business.  It is brutal, but slightly more thankful than what I do now.

I commend Dan and Laurie at Hand + Foot for treating their employees like they do.  I never once in my life had an experience like I saw last night.  I almost teared up at the bar, because it gave me faith in small business and in my community.  I need to see those things once in awhile.  We need to see that more often as humans.

Support local businesses whenever you can, wherever you are.  These people need you to keep their businesses alive and to offer their perspective of the world.