Jack of all trades, master of none…. when I was growing up my mom said this often. I don’t remember who she was referring to but I remember thinking it was about someone who had a lot of jobs but wasn’t necessarily good at any of them. Now I believe that a person can have several jobs and be fairly good at a variety of things. OK, yes, I am talking about me. Some people think I have several seemingly random occupations but if you look carefully all of these “jobs” are intertwined and awesome.
First and foremost I have the job as a writer…. I say this only because, obviously, you are reading the column right now so you are number one. This job has been an amazing blessing to me. I am able to write about stories that mean so much to me. I am able to meet wonderful people in the community through the column that I probably would not have met otherwise and I get to talk about one of my favorite topics: food!
My second job is a caterer’s assistant working with the Cottage Gourmet. This has to be one of the best jobs I have ever had. I am given the opportunity to work with a mentor that has taken my palate to new heights and has taught me more about food in two years than I learned over a lifetime of cooking on my own. Many of the catering jobs are at weddings. These are wonderful moments to share in a couple’s best day. That ties into my third job, a licensed wedding officiant. I became a wedding officiant several years ago so that I could marry my nephew and his bride before he was deployed to Iraq. As it turned out his deployment was delayed and there was time to arrange a church wedding with his bride’s pastor but I have since performed more than 30 weddings. These wedding are so inspirational to me…with each “I pronounce you married” I am reminded of my own wedding day to Mike and I realize how lucky I am. This past summer I married Mike’s brother on the lawn of his parents’ home under the Decorah Eagle’s Nest. This is the first Holthaus wedding officiated by someone other than the family priest. It was such an honor. It was not just a ceremony celebrating the love of two people but also the joining of their families as they shared four grown children between them.
This brings me to my fourth job: school paraprofessional substitute.
When I sub at school I get to meet the most wonderful kids and teachers our community has to offer. I also hear their stories and I am inspired to write my own and share them with you. This brings me back to the beginning….a writer for you! Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me.
I have no special talents. I am only
passionately curious.
Albert Einstein
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