Unexpected Employee Benefits

When my young daughters were old enough to be responsible for themselves for a couple of hours a day, I decided to go back to work. The only part-time office job available was doing overload work for the administrative assistant on the Unity Magazine staff. That position served as my introduction to Unity teachings and the start of a 37-year career at Unity World Headquarters.

I knew absolutely nothing about Unity and its teachings, but for some reason, I knew there were tunnels under the buildings. When I told my mom about my new job and the tunnels, she explained that I had actually been there as a very young child (for a baby shower given for my aunt’s sister-in-law, who worked at Silent Unity^®), and I had even been in the tunnels. Being a born-and-raised Baptist, Mom was a bit concerned about my employment at Unity. When she shared the news with her friends at church, they all decided to pray for me. While I don’t think it was the affirmative prayer that Unity teaches, I appreciated it nonetheless. Mom even came to a continuing education class where longtime Unity minister and teacher Frank Giudici taught about the Book of Revelation. He explained things metaphysically, and Mom went away thrilled by a totally different perspective on the book.

Divine Order

Despite my Baptist upbringing, I quickly found that Unity teachings fit very well with my beliefs. Being a go-with-the-flow type, learning there is a divine order to my life was a wonderful discovery. There’s great peace in knowing that if my indecision on something means I missed an opportunity, it wasn’t my opportunity, and something better is coming. Seeing the Christ in others reinforced the Golden Rule, my favorite Bible verse growing up. I’ve had the pleasure and challenge of working with a diverse group of people, including coworkers, ministers, writers, and constituents. Sometimes it takes a brief centering prayer to get there, but accepting others as they are and knowing we’re all one makes everything go more smoothly.

This isn’t a Unity teaching, but I’ve also learned how important teamwork is in life and in working at any organization. You can’t just look at how a new process or idea impacts your job because it’s bound to affect other areas as well. It generally takes some compromise, but if you look you can find a solution that works for all.

One of my greatest blessings has been to work for people willing to challenge me and allow me the space to learn what was needed to meet those challenges.

Blessed in Many Ways

I’ve been blessed in many ways throughout the years. Working at our beautiful campus is a blessing. Tough days have been lightened by simply taking a walk past the fountains and through the gardens or sitting quietly in one of the chapels. The nature trail was a perfect location to train for a 10-day backpacking trip, and it’s still my dog’s favorite place on earth! My children and grandchildren have been blessed to be able to explore the grounds (yes, including the tunnels!) growing up.

One of my greatest blessings has been to work for people willing to challenge me and allow me the space to learn what was needed to meet those challenges. I’ve learned how the publishing industry works for both books and magazines. I’ve learned project management and so much more than I can list here. My bosses have been half that blessing; my coworkers are the other half. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most dedicated, passionate people throughout the years. What is great is that while they care about their jobs, they care just as much about each other. They truly consider themselves a family. It’s a family I’m going to truly miss.

This article appeared in Unity Magazine®.