Peace in the Midst of it All

Today I am so grateful for PEACE. Peace in the middle of swirling thoughts of things to be done and people who will be impacted by my unexpected move away. I claim that peace as I figure out how to approach some of the transitions.

Two people will be hardest to tell.  One is Tommie, an 84-year-old friend with whom I have a particularly close relationship since the death of her husband 21 months ago. I spend several hours nearly every Saturday with her.  She is pretty active during the week; Saturdays have been her hardest day when she is excruciatingly lonely. So I began the pattern of being with her. She either makes us lunch or we go out, and then we play several games of Scrabble and talk. She regularly tells me how much it means to her, that I am her guardian angel, and more.  I dread telling her I am moving away.   

Then there is Tom, the man I work for.  He is 74 years old and still running his own business, a small promotional products company.  I have been his administrative assistant for the past 3 years, working 20-25 hours/week. He has Parkinson's Disease and in 2014 he
went through the months-long process that concluded with Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery. The improvement in his health and quality of life is incredible.  He says he doesn't want to retire; he doesn't know what he would do with himself (I've never understood that position with all the possibilities and opportunities at our fingertips).  

On the one hand, I have wanted to quit the job for a long time and this is my "out"!  I have a 30 minute commute each day, 5 days a week to work and it eats up so much of my time and energy that I would rather use building my own online business. On the other hand, it will be a challenge to find someone that he is comfortable with coming into his home-based office and taking this quirky job for a moderate income. Prior to my beginning when he was still in a regular office, he had 2-3 disastrous experiences with employees.

In both cases, I am feeling responsible for the other person's well-being.  Am I over-inflating my importance? How can I approach both situations with sensitivity and care without tying myself into more time than I want to and can afford to spend during the time between now and the time we leave? What can I do to help fill the space that I have been filling with each of them without taking on more than I need to?  

These are the questions for which I seek wisdom, guidance and direction. I open myself to hearing and acting in love.