Sharing A God Incident in Progress -Third dream - My Personal Testimony... This is My Truth and Love Through God

Notes from dream: russian voice, daughter, wanting to have me play on Sunday, are you sure? daughter, apologized, read blog/talk blog with father... How do you know... 

Result after pieces of dream analyzed - Testimony re Holy Spirit

Good Morning! Woke up at 3 AM and soon was roaming over the many things that I would include in My Testimony...But, as I thought about it, I want to share it as I write it in draft, also... And, as I had thoughts fly through my mind, the above song came into my mind. YES! That would be the first song to be used... 

I don't remember a time when I was not in church as a young child. My widowed mother made sure that her four children was there every time the church opened... My early life was spent singing children's songs, learning sufficient enough knowledge to play hymns for church sometimes... 

I was baptized at age 13. I was then old enough to begin to form my own thoughts about this new experience. Songs were the basis upon which I built my prayer life. You see, I don't really pray for this or for that. We didn't pray before meals at home, except on Sunday when the preacher and his wife came for dinner. That's really not trying to be funny. It merely reflects our early life. All I can remember was that my Mom was always working and we grew into a family that took our food and watched television when we were able to first buy one.

I was born as a fatherless child. I've often wondered how I would have been if that had not been so. My father, Glenn, was killed in a mine accident when Mom was already pregnant. I was named after him. But, I never knew what a father was, until I was 13 and became a child of God, officially, that is...

I had already begun learning, listening, and then accepting the words I learned in song... It was then, even that young I questioned words, attempted to learn exactly what they meant when I said them. So I began to form my personal relationship with God. Right now, He's telling me He was watching...

These two songs were most important to my life... One was telling me that I was being invited personally to open the door to Jesus. The other was me asking that Jesus come into my heart. I took words literally. I think I've always known that God was inside of me...always...no matter if I KNEW what that meant or not...

At first after joining the church and being baptized, officially, LOL, I started paying attention to the rituals that were part of the Baptist Church, where we worshipped.

We spoke the Apostle's Creed each Sunday...

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

It was at that time I started to connect, working to learn, working to understand. I formed my own interpretation from these two set of words that I heard often in church. God was my Father, Jesus was my Friend, and the Holy Spirit was God living inside of me... I pause here to mention that at no time, was The Apostle's Creed actually explained. At this present time, I find this as part of the problem. Religions have been created; people were told what to believe... Well, even then, I knew I was a Baptist--whatever that meant--and not a Catholic which one of my best friend was, so I began to question... As I read this from the internet, I notice that the c is not capitalized in this version. But, frankly, that doesn't make sense either. So I looked up the word and it means all-embracing! Now it makes sense with my personal understanding... God is God, no matter what different people call him... Me, I've been members of Baptist and Methodist churches... I've attended Presbyterian churches, and monastery prayer meetings, so I've been following the definition of the word, loving all neighbors...Anyway, I digress...

I've read much since around age 13, you know, but I've never needed to change my interpretation of my relationship...God resides in Me... my body, my life... And, even, when I've turned away to explore Me, the human, He was within me. I knew that, but it was just like a period of exploration... Well, God, I need to know more about Where I live... That started, of course, when I was graduated from high school and began working at age 18.

By then, however, I had also been changed as a human. Through men I had learned of my sexuality. The church doesn't teach it. My family didn't speak of it as an issue, other than hand me a book on beginning menstruation. Those men were, obviously, members of the church. That continued throughout my life at one time or another. I was a pretty child, without a father, but that should never have meant that I was "available..."

Early in my teens, after being baptized, I did one of the things that many people try. to allow the Bible to open and it could tell you a message from God... I did that once. It opened, really it did, to a page talking about family... I don't know whether it was my early abuse or not, but my immediate reaction was...doubt... I wasn't sure I ever wanted to be a wife and mother. I've always believed that God heard my thoughts. I have never married and have had no real desire to. Yes, I explored the sexuality that had been awaken much too early. In various ways. I have chosen not to write about those experiences as I originally planned. Today's world is so sexualized that anything I say in a testimony would be duplicative of all the millions of stories that have been forced upon girls and women... by religious men...

When I was 18, I was fully prepared for a work world. I planned early to be a secretary. This seems contrary since at that time, most bosses were men, but I was naïve about most worldly things. I wanted to help somebody. My older sister had taken a business college degree when she changed her mind about being a nurse. I saw that what she had to pay to be taught, I had learned by taking the commercial course in high school. I was hired in July of the year I graduated by the Office of Personnel at West Virginia University. 

I had no future career goals specifically for many years. I was happy in all the jobs I was in. Things opened up and I chose to accept upgrades as available...Many years flew by. 

During that period, I can't remember the year, I was asked to go with a friend to a meting of the Full Gospel Business Men's Association. Which reminds me to say that I am not a "man" hater. Rather I preferred to stay away from those who choose to treat women as some do... Full gospel meant exactly that. At one meeting I was baptized with the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues. At another, I was given a gift of prophesy to share a message with a local pastor. Interestingly, it was from that church who that pastor retired, that I met the new female one for whom I served as her representative to get her book published... Or should I say that connections were already beginning to take place in my life preparatory for my leaving my professional career at WVU.

A major change in the hierarchy of the University's administration area was made. They added an additional layer between deans and director and the presidential cabinet. That was the beginning of the end. For me. Here was a layer of men, in my case, who knew nothing about what my duties were and didn't try to find out... I was forced to hire people or work with people who took no time to learn anything, they simply wanted to do what their professional training was, without regard to working within a total office environment. Ultimately it led to my doctor saying, "Choose your job or your life." I was diagnosed with what has been accepted and recorded as "Job Burnout." I chose life. I retired, having sufficient years in service, to retire with full benefits coverage. 

 

My favorite scripture - made into song

I Will life up my eyes unto the hills...

I knew I could not afford to continue to live in my condo.

My brother-in-law's mother had died and they had to sell  their home, since his father had already died. Bill was the executor.

I was able to buy it with the money I got from selling my condo.

Before I had left the University, I had started working with a former secretarial supervisor who was now a small Christian publisher and learned about publishing a book. Later, we moved into a book review site activity.

I've been reviewing books for more than 20 years...

It was in the 7th grade when I met and grew to be friends with the first Black girl I had a relationship with. On campus, then, I was to meet people from all parts of the world. I discovered that people were the same no matter what their religion, sex, or nationality. Some were good; some were bad... It was not until 2015 when I began to meet evil...and it was those in politics...

It was then I began to feel God so much more closely... In fact, it seems his selections of music are being made before I even get to think how to continue writing... Yes, Jesus is Laughing... as I continue to type for much longer than I had thought I would...

You see, that is why I know that God is speaking across the world through Book Readers Heaven, where I have been led to merge the world's religious/political worlds into something that has gotten out of control and far from God's Love and Truth... I know it... But I believe I am to tell you all that read this testimony that God indeed loves each one of his children. That not one is special--all are special in one way or another. What each of us does with Him is entirely in our hands.  We either choose Him as I did early in my life and learn enough to understand that He is indeed living in each of us... Or we ignore the great I AM, choosing to have a religion without His Love and Truth...

It's been 2000+ years since the birth of His Son. Two Thousand Years!!!! 

The variety of religions that have been built by man have varied widely...Beliefs systems have been created, edited, rewritten and published under different languages... Or different versions. Or totally different and new words from a god which may not be of God... Or inspired by god... Or... Let me stop there, because I could go on and on and on. But the latest that's been done--choosing the name of Jesus Christ, and mixing it with violence into Christian Nationalism, to demand obedience, loyalty, and honor to other than the one and only I Am is, I use the word, blasphemous (I didn't wait on what word God might give me)... What about disrespecting God Our Creator! As simple as that. I know it and 99% of all people know it. God's created us with Free Will and many chose Barabbas instead of Jesus...

He GAVE HIS SON and some still chose a criminal life... MY thought in wondering, right now, has He given up? But His Spirit speaks and I am comforted in knowing He has Not. His Love is Supreme. But He points out to me, daily, that my mind is full of information based upon a life of Living with Jesus as my Savior.

My Testimony MUST, at this point in Time, Speak of just how sad I know He IS that we have not yet learned even to love our neighbors which is the only thing that Christ asked of us... 

Listen to the words of this song that I've sung solo many times, and in my head many more times... In the last decade, I've been feeling isolated. I was told by a trusted friend that if I was a Christian I must be Republican! Where and when did politics become part of my life with God?!! I rejected that immediately. I cried to have lost someone I still love but had to pull away from for my own health. Then my niece called and asked if I wanted to have her daughter help me as I was moving into a number of surgeries ahead... I quickly said yes, and have received God's Family that He knew I needed... A young girl in her 20s who is totally in sync with all that I believe (or at least willing to get to know what I think and consider it rather than immediately judging my words). I've been an introvert all my life, but I excelled in the business world where I talked professionally with many people and knew I was being accepted as being a responsible, informed individual. I was recognized as the person God had created by the professional world at least until the end...but politics was to split the family? I could not deal with it... I quickly said I Love God More... and separated from that individual and any other who try to say that the republican party is God's choice... It simply is a lie and a use of God in the latest scam attempted to rule the world...

I feel like I'm preaching now, LOL  Anyway, This is God's World! The Great I Am, The Savior--I chose Him and He never turned His back on me, even when I did that to Him... He was always around, nudging, sending messages through music, books... I had to find my way to a firm stand. It's taken 80 years for me. 

Please don't take that long is my only final thought. My life has been an overall good life with My Lord. The World's people have often not been as kind as our Father, our Creator... Many have again chosen Barabbas, a Criminal, a Conman to be their golden god. He is not real. He is a puppet of others who chose gold, riches and power over God's Love and Truth... Money in itself is needed. Greed for money and power corrupts. Money means little to me as something to be desired. God's Love and Truth fulfills my personal set of needs. 

When you realize that God is a part of you, it is a realization that indeed God resides in each of us and able to hear His Words. Love and Truth. When we see anything contrary? Our Mind, through God's Truth and Love, opens to what is really true...

Through history and all that has happened, so many people cry out for peace, for food, for shelter, for protection... there has always been those who said No... But, now, right now, all parts of the world are looking at their neighbors, wanting what they have, as if that is the most important thing in the world... Hating, stealing the lives of others...

While ignoring the Creator who has blessed Earth with all that it has...

Like I learned from Spock - that is Illogical~

I guess my priorities were not the rights ones... LOL... The dream about writing my testimony was last week... I was writing the same day on my other dreams... My writing a testimony at my age, after never having made one, seemed dauntless... so I do what many of us do, I procrastinated... Well, you see what happened... I woke again early and was given my first song. As I began to sing it in my mind, I was given an urge--go listen to it now...of course it was not spoken words, merely the Holy Spirit urging, as usual... I've accomplished what He wanted--to tell my life story of Living with Him, My Father... Living with Jesus, My Friend... and Living with His Spirit within my mind and body.

As I said, I wanted to give a little bit of drama, by sharing the full experience, as much as can be shared in words humans speak. God doesn't speak words, does He? Yet if you Listen and are open to Hear, you will KNOW God's Words of Love and Truth.

This then is indeed, my relationship with God... My Testimony... It is now 6:27... 1/14/2026; I was born 3/8/1945...

My full name is Glenda (after my father) Ann (After an Aunt) Bixler. My father was of German descent. My Mother was of German descent--Ellenberger. When I was born right after Hitler had tried to rule the world as is being seen right now by a number of autocrats, when I asked my mother about my background, she quickly said "you are American!" and I knew the subject was closed and never asked for more information. 

At this time, I have come to feel a great urgency to protect the claim of my mother that I am an American, Land of the Free... I pray it remains... Yes, I fear another world war is being attempted... The World is being divided by rich madmen--they are not sane to propose killing people to gain ownership of land that belongs to God's People - All People!!!!!

Stopping for breakfast... Back to Proofread and publish later...

Open YouTube and find this video immediately... I had breakfast as normal with The Last Word...which, also talked about Minnesota... 

And you can't trust the individual who is now Secretary of State who started that conversation about fingers...

Now, some people might question that I turn to the world immediately after my Testimony about Living with Jesus...

Truthfully, I don't see why...

Have I not already been working to document Truth about what is happening in the United States with the republican administration? In fact, did I not include that it was in 2015--not immediately after I have retired--that I was being pulled to bring God into my conversations?

I met this retired pastor through reading his book. He happens to live in Minnesota... Are you beginning to see the connections that are routinely come about?

Take for instance, my own identified connection about why Minnesota has been such a hot bed for ICE... I have not seen this in any news but, consider this...

The Governor of Minnesota ran against Trump for VP

Since Kamala pulled out everything for now...

Trump's ONLY retribution target therefore was

that man who partnered with Kamala

and who happened to live in Minnesota!

And... The Coach was VERY Popular...

He's a very nice guy...

Too nice not to seek vengeance against

if you are DJT who now has the power...

I guess what I want to point out, if I really need to for those who are routinely following my blog(s) is that God is really living TODAY! He's involved... He's speaking to people all over the world to ensure that protests are made, hopefully not the violent ones on each part of the fight...

PLEASE CONSIDER THIS... 

MATTHEW 25:40

KJ21

And the King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.

I have purposely chosen continued use of the connection I've seen wheren right at the beginning when God was offering His Son... There were people who chose Barabas, a Criminal...

There may be a Hell, There may be a Satan... There may be some cosmic constant fight between God and Satan... If any is true, I have already rejected it by accepting Christ as my Savior. If it is not true, but merely parables used to illustrate such things as "connections" for learning purposes... I've learned which is right and wrong. I know I would never have chosen Barabbas... I know that God is alive and Well watching as people are being tortured on the streets of a country that, originally, evangelical christians claimed were to be dedicated to Christianity... Well, we've seen what that decision to support Trump and the republican party has done, haven't we...? This is my daily life--it is part of my testimony...

Just as God is Living, I am still living in a world where criminals who chose to be criminals are living as well... It is a lie for anybody to say The Devil Made Me Do It... even if there is a devil... GOD gave us Free Will as He was creating us. Each of us must choose to want peace if we are ever to have peace...

Do you realize that there are more war areas now in the World then in history? Or maybe it seems like that to me since DJT is claiming the entire world for one reason or another. Both hemispheres are involved. Wars may have been larger. But there are MORE MEN who are choosing to go to war for selfish reasons--for power. This time, the youngest country developed as the United States of America is included. Our leader has chosen personal war against everybody, every country, every person. I believe, yes, that he is mentally incompetent to be in this position, due to the life he's lived, plus a christian group selecting a criminal (Barabbas) to be the leader to use for their own selfish desires... When governmental police at all levels are fighting in the streets, when there is no real need, there is something seriously wrong

This, then, is also a part of my Testimony. I will continue to cry out for those in need, for all neighbors who are all of God's creations... What is happening can never be said to be happening at God's direction. 

I speak because I was asked to share about my relationship with God Our Father... I will be sharing one particular supernatural story and several other smaller ones at a later time. These were "documentation" to answer my doubt and confirm that I was indeed communicating with My Father who is in Heaven...

Others have provided testimony that all men are Created Equal by God

Nonviolence is the answer...

This is the exact opposite of what is happening now

which includes all the earlier fights will be deleted from History

if it succeeds.

IT MUST NOT SUCCEED...

We Will Fight Against Evil As Long as Necessary...

...And the lion and the lamb shall sit down together...

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly... Re Murder of Ms. Good! and other Top Issues Facing America's Lives Today!

 

What do YOU Choose to Believe?

Please watch this pastor's interview to the end... His emotions are those of A Man of God...Ahhh, they cut it off... What you would have seen is a total emotional breakdown by the pastor for having experienced he was being treated by ICE agents, especially knowing that a young woman had been murdered... What would you do?

How do you see these videos? These are selected based upon my stopping for lunch yesterday and today... I tape a lot so I see news, normally a day later...

There are videos from various news sites. Do you think they are all seeing the same Truth? I Do...

As Jonathan Capehart said...we see it with our own eyes...

And I greatly resent watching the Republic Party leaders try to claim something that is DIFFERENT  from what others people see...

This is MY personal opinion and is provided purely for your information. I know I have more free time than most people; I sympathize. I do. Because I was exactly the same until I chose to retire early from West Virginia University...

But I understand that if you've watched certain tv programs that support the conservative agenda, perhaps even skewing it, I just want to allow another option for your consideration. 

God Bless

Gabby

Me Too! - A Single Christian Woman: Is Sex All that - Open Memoir manuscript, never completed

 

The Plight of Girls...Women in America

Hasn't Really Changed?

Where was the Church? 

She was Shunned

Is this what they call Christian Love?

Gabby Says: This video was a God Incident...

Who else could have brought this to my attention and with the topic discussed...?

Gabby Says: I don't remember how old I was...or what happened. I blocked it. But when an uncle died and the showing of his body was held within their home, I remember I walked in circles. Literally. It was a home that allowed moving from one room to another, until you completed the circle from where you came from, normally the kitchen where most of us entered the home."

I cried and I cried...It seemed everybody thought that I was grieving. Perhaps I should have felt guilty for my thoughts, but I didn't. But I remember my words that day...and they have never left me. I was crying because I was ashamed, even so young knowing that something had happened that I knew was...very...wrong... "I'm glad he's dead...I'm glad he's dead...I'm glad he's dead. And when I came through the circle where his body lay, I cried even harder... Yet, even today, I'm very glad he died. So whatever it was that he had done to me, it would not be repeated, ever again. And I cried because he was not only an uncle, but a leader in my church. And I could not understand... And I cried because he was a member of my family...and, since then, there have been rumors of other girls...being...touched...  And I couldn't accept the supposed love that he apparently did, or tried to do. And I could not understand... This is the first telling of what transpired on the death of one of my uncles, by marriage. It is fairly certain that incest continued from that man's action... For instance... his son touched me just once, when I was older...and I learned never to be alone with him ever again... I was ironing, having the ironing board between rooms so that I could have the light from an opened outside door, yet still see or at least hear the television. He came, delivering papers, I think. Deciding to stay for awhile, he squeezed behind me to go in to the living room. His arms came around my back as he moved, touching my entire body lengthwise and reaching to touch my breasts...

Unfortunately, those men were not the only ones. But, all were members of the church(s) where I was attending at the time.

You know, contrary to many who talk about incest, I found I had a different response, albeit, a harmful one. First, I'm a fairly intelligent and common sense type of woman. I knew that my first violation was...bad... I became more aware than I ever should have had to become in my early years and, even, into my adult life... More On another Page, of Course.

At the same time, I have shared the first, but just one, of my own personal stories... Because I think it is an important issue that is generally addressed within the church... In fact, I once considered years ago, writing a book called, Sex and the Single Christian Woman... Even more recently, I have figured out a way in which to do just that...

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS: If you are a Christian and have been sexually or physically abused by another...Christian, (or not--the religion of the abuser is not as important, don't you think? ...and feel called to share your story, here's what I plan on doing. I will be using my sister Blog, Just My Personal Opinion, Of Course.

Hashtag: Sex and the Single Christian Woman (or whatever the contributors identifies herself as), Tamar!

If you are a Christian married woman, I will simply change single to married... I believe it is important to know that abuse can also happen within marriages... Consider Bathsheba...

You may choose to use a pseudonym. I will be adding an email address soon. If you choose not to share your name, that's all right. I will consider what you've written and share if I feel it fits within the goal of allowing the "reality" of women everywhere. If I get submissions from non-Christian, but religious women, and you include your religion, or if not, feel free to identify yourself as you think of, as the person who wants to share her...secret.  I will include with the appropriate hashtag. If you trust me enough to give me an email address, even if created only for this purpose, I will communicate with you if I have any questions, or would like to have further expansion of your story.

It is NOT my intention to provide counseling! I do not have the skills to do so, even if I have the empathy and sympathy to recognize that, sometimes, it can be comforting just to know you are not alone and can speak of your personal tragic truth. 

I do not intend at this time(always be prepared to listen for His Holy Spirit to guide you) to ever publish the book formally. I can foresee some copyright issues that may preclude that from happening. Rather, it is merely someone who feels compelled to share of her "Me Too" words, in a somewhat formal, sharing basis. I do reserve the right to edit/proofread any submission, without actually changing the words. 

The world is already in chaos... For women... abortion, rape, incest, sex, and children are often the central matters that have affected each individual life... I know it has for me... I know it has for the author of the book, Dusty Rugs in the Sanctuary.

A Personal Note: I have felt led by His Holy Spirit to be involved with today's political and violent happenings in America. I can therefore not project when any specific submission will be published. I suggest you bookmark both blogs. I haven't decided whether to actually share the articles like I would normally do. Any thoughts or concerns would be appreciated. They will be merged under a specific master Hashtag--Tamar If you don't know the story of Tamar, it will be shared soon.

Gabbie prays: Please allow those who YOU want to see this post be open to Your Purpose in participation. For I Can Only Hear and Try to Respond...

* Emphasis/Italics on Excerpt by Me...

1/10/2026 I do not remember writing this post, but it was obviously during the MeToo Beginning and posts were flying all over Social Media that this woman, or that, claimed MeToo!

At this time in this world where the role of women has greatly been affected through government, I don't think the activity described above about sharing personal stories is a good idea. We have all seen that this administration has no desire to deal with the over 1000 teenage girls involved with the Epstein scandal... 

But I'm posting anyway, although not distributing as I normally do (nor with others earlier written for my memoir) Women need to know they are NOT alone!

I just listened to the video again... It's perfect to illustrate my planned use of "Is Sex All that?" as a subtitle. It seems to me that through the ages, it has always been women who are blamed, somehow and in various ways, for "enticing" men to abuse them. This story is believable--too believable because it is not just one story that it out there to be told... 

It is my firm belief that when God said to love women as you love the church, it meant something different than what has been done to girls and women through thousands of years... and reading the Bible of what happened to King David's daughter was the start... That's why I believe the Bible is NOT the Word of God... It has been MAN who has created this world. Even the story of Eve just does not ring true logically... Don't blame Eve as the seducer of all sexual sin! It is rarely the sin of rape, for instance, which is instigated by women! If you can disagree, listen to the story in the above video again... especially what her family said about her "sin!"

Gabby

Emotionally Damaged: Living With Job Burnout - Additional Level of Supervision Created Job Burnout~

 

Emotionally Damaged: Living With Job Burnout - PTSD - Chapter 2

From the basement to the second floor, and then to the first... This picture shows the central open cathedral effect of Stewart Hall as it was when I started working for Dr. Munn...Dr. Barton...and then Facilities Analysis and Utilization. I had a few moves outside the building, one of them to Willey Street in an old house that the University owned. Later Facilities Planning and Management moved to the Evansdale Campus in leased space...

During the early years as I worked in Facilities Analysis and Utilization, we had what I would call centralized line authority. That is, while I would report to one boss--William Campbell who reported directly to the Vice-President for Administration, I would also have staff responsibility to all other vice-presidents and well as deans and directors, to whom space had been allocated for their use. I had the authority to work directly with those offices. This grew out of my responsibilities for classroom management, but continued as I took over space utilization, allocation and planning for renovations.

It was a cooperative arrangement that allowed me to see the full campus-wide space utilization information and work to respond to all needs across the campus.

However, when the vice-presidents began to add line authority assistant vice-presidents, the flavor of the organization drastically changed for me, especially. Colonel Hank Snoreck was appointed as the first assistant vice-president for facilities. Although nothing was officially discussed with all staff, I learned that Snoreck would not continue the organizational flexibility I had earlier been given. Instead, I heard things like: "I know more about what facilities they need--don't bother contacting them."

Well, I knew this wasn't and would not be true. 

It was then, that Snoreck moved Campbell upstairs.  At that time, WVU used the euphemism often to promote individuals to a staff role under a higher official, pending their being...moved...out...

In place of Bill Campbell, Jim Shaub, from Snoreck's former Air Force ROTC unit, first became Associate Director during the transition for Campbell. Then he was automatically moved to the Director position. Bill Campbell made the deal for me that he would agree to the organizational changes ONLY if I were made Associate Director... 

While I became Associate Director, at NO time ever did Jim Shaub ever sit down with me and review my former responsibilities, what they involved and how my staff were used to respond to those responsibilities. In fact, not only I was now over everything I had earlier been involved with, but now, I was given additional responsibilities pertaining to the Planning function which essentially covered the construction portion of the facilities planning function.

The next major disruption was that I had a manager position open within the Facilities Management portion of the office. Before I knew it, I had Colonel Snoreck leaning over my desk with his arms spread and staring directly into my eyes, saying, "we have our new Manager, don't we?" I was forced to hire Ken White. He was the second colonel moved from ROTC to Facilities Planning and Management. This time, though, Ken White had absolutely NO training, experience nor education in performing the duties assigned to my office...

In the meantime, Jim Shaub's directorship of the construction function had taken a dive--big time. He and his project officers had lost control of the multi-million capital budget allocated by the Board of Regents.

Instead of dealing with this problem himself, Jim merely assigned me the responsibility under my new title of Associate Director. Specifically, I spent an entire year going through every single budget transaction, specific allocations received, all disbursements, et.al. In order to complete this task, I had to use my former personal secretary and have her assist me in setting up a completed computerized capital budget cost accounting system!

I'd like to add a personal note: I do not have a degree in relation to my assigned duties. I studied, and worked on the job under Bill Campbell to handle and build onto the original position for which he had been hired...All of the others in facilities planning have a degree. Yet none of them were required to deal with tracking the financial costs for their assigned projects...

During my lost year of having to be totally dedicated to creating a new financial system, Ken White took over the Facilities Analysis Unit. Fortunately, I had already trained my classroom management staff and they were able to function on their own for the most part. Three other areas resided in the Office: Facilities Analysis, Facilities Inventory, and Facilities Data Reporting.

I had hired a competent computer specialist, but with White sitting back having discussions with his two ROTC comrades, there wasn't much of anything getting done in the unit that I had developed and had functioning effectively. To "conceptually" build the new system, Terry was unable to move ahead. However, he was trying to help out as much as possible with those in the unit, but when he came to me one day and said, "One of your staff members is banging her head up against the wall (literally) and I've tried to help, but don't know enough about the reporting..." I knew another catastrophic situation was underway...

To be Continued...

Emotionally Damaged: Living with Job Burnout - Early Format for Open Memoir - Later Changed Direction

 

Emotionally Damaged: Living With Job Burnout - PTSD - Open Memoir - Chapter 1

It was July 18, 1963, when I began working at West Virginia University. It had been an easy choice for me. It It was the closest major employer within driving distance. I car-pooled with my sister, Marlene, who worked in Morgantown as well.

My first job found me behind this large building and in the basement... See those steps of the left? Well, walk across the walk, go down the steps and turn right into the basement. Look to the right and you'll see the post office for the campus! 

I was hired to handle two duties. Secretary to the Assistant Director of Personnel and Records Clerk. I very much enjoyed working there and, when, the Director's secretary moved to join her husband in Pittsburgh, she had trained me to become the Secretary to the Directory.

During my time in Personnel, I was also elected to serve on the newly created WVU Staff Council. This was comprised of two representatives from each of the recognized classifications on campus; e.g., clerical, technical, service, etc.

Mr. Serpento became Director of Personnel at the time I also was being promoted to the secretarial position. Mr. Serpento was one of the best bosses I've had. He allowed me to act on my own for the majority of time... I remember once I was working to compile, edit, and publish a new WVU Handbook. That's where I first developed my experience as a proofreader. And began to build a reputation.

When I discovered a somewhat major error in continuity, I brought it to Mr. Serpento's attention. He looked at me and recommended I put the issue in a memo and send to Miss (Louise) Keener, who was the chief financial officer at that time (Controller). I remember quite well the comment she made to my boss when he went to the next meeting with those writing the handbook. "I've never had a secretary who would take the initiative to question the writing of those writing policies and procedures." Yes, I corrected the Handbook error before it was published.

During that time, I also began to develop my research skills. Our Office routinely received a bulletin from the National Bureau of College Affairs, which provided all the significant changes from the federal government. I began to read and highlight all those that would affect WVU in any way. At that time, for example, the Accessibility Act was coming into use. I saw that it was coming and kept track of new and related developments.

This prepared me, later, when I moved into Facilities Planning and Management where I was responsible for ensuring all the classrooms on campus were made accessible for all issues of disabilities. More on that later.

However, first, after working in Personnel for 5 years, I applied for the highest secretarial positions on campus and was hired to work for the Provost (at that time there was only one), who was part of the central administrative leadership of WVU. I was hired and worked with Dr. Munn until he retired as Provost to return to just Director of University Libraries.

Also, during that time, a new Provost for Instruction was hired and Jay Barton was named. His secretary was the one who came to me, when she was leaving, and asked if I'd like to be considered for her position.

I was hired! And, I felt I was now in the "big time" for secretarial work. Dr. Barton was an enthusiastic and energetic new member at WVU. I was used to coming in early, due to still car pooling. Well, as soon as he saw me arrive, he called me in (around 7:15-7:30). He would dictate letters, scheduling needs, requests for pulling files, etc. He dictated enough in one hour before he went off to all the meetings that was scheduled that day--I gave him a typed small card to carry)

The thing was...he would dictate in one hour what could actually take about a week to accomplish! So I was always catching up, because the next morning, of course, I'd be in taking new notes. Soooo, I quickly learned how to deal with him... You see, there is no way that a secretary could project what he wanted to be prioritized as high during that morning session. So, if he asked about something not yet done, I would just go ahead and do it and get it to him, stopping whatever it was that I had previously been doing before he asked for something. To me, it was exhilarating! My speed for shorthand was growing, my ability to act under pressure was necessary, and when he went off to another country during a summer, he left me totally in charge of handling things... I loved working with Jay Barton!

But once again, somebody approached me for a new job. It was Bill Campbell, director of a newly created office of Facilities Analysis and Utilization, including classroom scheduling. I would still be reporting to Dr. Barton on all things academic... And I took the job.

During my tenure in this Office, I at first handled the secretarial duties, which were light, since I was primarily hired to handle classroom scheduling. A secretary was soon added and another individual at that time was handling the creation and maintenance of a university facilities inventory. By the time, ongoing changes were made, adding new responsibilities, I was upgraded, first, to Manager and then to Assistant Director...

Another reorganization took place which eliminated the former University Architect Office, and placed the responsibilities under Mr. Campbell as, now, Director of Facilities Planning and Management.

And then it started... A new Assistant Vice President for Facilities was named. Bill Campbell, who was also a great boss, was "moved upstairs..."

Note: As I make the transition to this blog, I considered trying to edit... But then, thought it might be a good training step to realize just how difficult writing a book really is... This particular post can be seen to have some duplicate information... That was during the initial period of deciding how and what to read... First, I started with two particular book titles: Emotionally Damaged: Living with Job Burnout and A Single Christian Woman: Is Sex All That? 

However, I was also a book reviewer by the time I decided I could start writing without it throwing me back into PTSD. And that's around 2015, when the world invaded my life and TBR books... 

My point is, that each of these pages would have to be reviewed, edited and rewritten, maybe several times to get it ready as a final manuscript... I know, because I once created a book which was published, by doing just what I'm talking about, for Enid Portnoy a professor at WVU. She handed me a packet of all her papers on a specific topic and I went to work to read, delete, add, merge into chapters, etc. It was a lot of work, but fun for me... So I knew what I would be getting into if I started writing myself...

Of the two, I love writing and sharing about books other people wrote... But, I also would like to leave some type of statement about what I did in my life... You see, I know that none of my family ever asked about what I did, or what led to my job burnout... Perhaps, somebody, someday, will find some bit of hope from just the fact that people can indeed survive being emotionally and mentally abused by their bosses, or family environment...