The View From 40,000 Feet

Traveling from Philadelphia to Geneva for my briefing gives me a lot of time to reflect on what is before me, what coming back to the Red Cross will be like, what I may find living and working in Sri Lanka, what I may find in my new life. WHAT HAVE I DONE???

The last month has been a whirlwind of cleaning up, sorting out, selling off, packing up and many bittersweet farewells. I have lived a wonderful life in San Diego for the last five years. I have met and worked with some pretty amazing people. Being with the Waitt Family Foundation gave me a rare opportunity to view philanthropy from the supply side for a change. The Waitts themselves are generous and it was a kick working with that family and those who came in and out of the orbit of the Foundation.

Being somehow affiliated with Gateway Computers has fed my fascination and love of technology and innovation. The Foundation has funded either directly or indirectly hundreds of non-profits. I got to know many of them very well. They are all trying to make a positive difference in their communities and the world. At the risk of leaving some out here are a few that I personally worked with most closely: InfoTAP, Mid City-CAN, Hope in the City, San Diego Grantmakers, Council on Foundations, National Geographic Society, Community Solutions, San Diego Domestic Violence Council, The Family Justice Center, Envision San Diego, YWCA, American Red Cross Chapter of San Diego/Imperial Counties, San Diego Organizing Project, Nonprofit Management Service, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Christ the King Catholic Church, San Diego Community Technology Coalition, City Heights Community Technology Center, San Diego Regional Technology Alliance. (I'll add more later).

What about the people who were so much a part of my life? And especially those who turned out to be friends? I am going to take the diplomatic way out of that and not list them. I will name the last five I saw in San Diego, true blue friends who will always be with me somehow: Candice and Wendy (of course); Miriam, Patty and Susan. I am fortunate to have these five women in my life.

So what is the view from 40,000 feet? Blue sky, clear and sunny. There will be lots of disasters along the way, many challanges to overcome and tests to succeed. There will be suffering followed by relief. The outcome is bound to be positive. More to come on this bolg.