Long Hours

It's that time of year. The time when the IRS governs your thoughts and the dreaded visit to the Income Tax Office is one that must be done, no matter how you feel about what the government is doing with your money. I work at Lenawee Christian School during the day (40 hours per week), then work at Tax Pro Filers at the Adrian Mall nearly every evening and sometimes on Saturday. This makes for long hours but it sure helps me when it comes to paying the dreaded gas bills that happen to come during the winter months. This winter has been one of the highest heat bills that I can remember and it has to do with our irregular snow patterns and extreme cold. I enjoy working at TPF very much. I have learned so much in the two years that I have worked there. I have no desire to do taxes but I do all of the preliminary work, filling out the paperwork at the front desk, answering phones with a multitude of questions, greeting guests, making sure you have everything you need and the list goes on. During the busy season, I put in 70+ hours per week, but I can say this much, "I'm sure not looking for things to pass my time". It will all come to a screeching halt on April 15th. The rewards are so good at TPF. Just helping people get a refund brings joy to me. When we have to tell someone, "I'm sorry, you owe $7,137 to the IRS" (I did that today), it brings sorrow, but for the most part, it is rewarding. I love it when I say, "Your refund is, '$12,993". I marvel at how people manage their finances. The thing that I find so interesting about my job is the variety of personalities and the ability to witness (my boss is a Christian and so is everyone I work with). Today, I had a lady come in and sit and talk to me while we were getting her things together and she had been hit with a lot of unfortunate circumstances in her life. One son was killed three years ago by falling out of a tree stand and putting a branch through his stomach. Another son was in a car accident 36 years ago and is a parapalegic. Her husband died and she has physical problems. I was able to witness to her and that brought joy to me. We have dealt with a LOT of older people this year who do not normally have to file. Because of the Bush stimulus package, they have to file in order to get the bonus stimulus package and this has allowed us to see a lot of older people and it brings them joy to see that they will get 'free' money. They deserve it!!! Someday, when I am old and feeble, I trust someone takes a few minutes to 'make my day' by just sitting and chatting with me, because you all know that I love to visit and talk with people.