Penny Thomas
The retiree spotlight is on Betty Buerk, a 17 year public service veteran from the City of Washington, and she has a few shareable words for us:
“Yes, this pandemic has been a pain to a lot of people,
scary to even more people,
a major financial upset to many,
a fear of loss of jobs and business, and
a fear of what could happen to our loved ones.
BUT,
it has caused us to be thankful for what we have (toilet paper on the top of that list),
urged us to make more phone calls and get in touch with those we have lost contact with, and
let us spend more time with our families and loved ones, even if we are trapped inside with them.
Many will think I’m crazy, but I have enjoyed this time and being able to do for others. It’s not how I want to spend the rest of my life, but if we work together, this too will pass.
We hope.
So, keep those prayers going, and don’t forget to smile and let someone know you’re thinking about them.”
Betty had to retire after 17 years in public service due to some medical issues that left her on bed rest for a while. To not go crazy, she found a hobby. From bed, Betty was able to sew doll clothes for 18″ dolls to sell at craft fairs. She also did some crocheting, making over 100 baby doll bags that turn into a baby doll in a bassinet!
After a while, Betty was able to get around better and found a new love: shopping for others! School nurses were thankful Betty was able to find clothing deals for them. She kept their stash of “accident” clothes up to par. In addition, she shopped the good deals for children’s homes, homes for abused and neglected women and children, and of course, her friends and neighbors who were looking for additions to their collections. They knew they could depend on Betty to keep an eye out for their special collectibles.
Unfortunately, the pandemic put a halt on her shopping, and though Betty had plenty of doll clothes, there were no craft shows going on for her to sell them! Eventually, Betty ran out of closets to clean, so she went back to the drawing board of things to keep her busy where she found her niece asking for scrub hats for her and her coworkers in the medical field. Betty quickly set to task sewing scrub hats. Then, her neighbor asked if she could make him some masks. Before long, Betty was receiving more phone calls and text messages than she ever had before! Her hats and masks are still a hot commodity!
Of course, even with all of this new found business, Betty could never neglect her two favorite jobs she discovered during this time: (1) talking to her neighbors, some of which she has had over 26 years, when they walked by or when she would take her strolls and (2) sitting under her shade trees, counting the cars that go by. Betty explains, “It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it!”
From helping her 90 year old friend celebrate a socially distanced birthday to making sure our medical workers are properly hatted, this wonderful lady does so much for so many. The smiles she gives and shares are well appreciated. Betty states, “I pray for all of those that have experienced COVID 19, and I am thankful to all those who are working so the rest of us can be safe and comfortable.” So are we, Betty, so are we! AND, what is more, we are thankful for our wonderful retirees, like you, out there making the lives of those around them better every day.
