Almost There!

From time to time, Cielo Kramer, the food service manager at Cash Elementary School, shares her thoughts. 

By Cielo Kramer

On May 24, during the Board of Education meeting, my daughter, Nadine Kramer, was awarded the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools 2016 Character Education Service Award.  As proud parents we brought our tribe and celebrated the momentous event with our daughter. I saw my husband beaming with pride as the presenter called Nadine’s name and began narrating how she got the award.

Nominated by three teachers, she was chosen by the judges for being the one who most impacted her community through her service. She volunteered 120 hours at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, helped Dayspring Soup Kitchen, was in charge of selling popcorn at Atkins to purchase picnic tables, donated her time to be a part of STEAM Night answering questions from parents and students, tutored chemistry to struggling students, was an active Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and a member of Student Body Council.

You may wonder, with her busy schedule, how she still manages to make A’s on all her subjects and make us even prouder.

That is why I forgive her for not washing the dishes sometimes!

It takes effort and dedication to accomplish something worthwhile.   Wisdom, courage and love are essentials.

Life in the kitchen is a great adventure!  I want to write my own odyssey as a manager and wonder if I could have an Oz experience and  find myself at home to the very end of it all. Then maybe I could find the strength, wisdom and love to start all over again. (Thinking of school year 2016-2017).

Wisdom – I seriously counted all the forms, reports, inventories, evaluations, orders, invoices, receipts, reprimands, audits, notes, memos, inspections, work orders, and all the dealing I made to my staff, principal, school staff, parents and students. Hold your breath and maybe this is the time you might want to say a little prayer for cafeteria managers. 

That is why the Book of Proverbs tells us, wisdom is far better than silver or gold. The scarecrow asked for it. The wizard at the end told him he already had the brains and was considered the wisest in all of Oz!

Not playing as the wizard here but cafeteria managers have the brains!!!

Some might consider us uneducated lunch ladies – behind-the-scenes school employees – with the spotlight not shining on us. Some even think we do not exist! But, hey, in our little Child Nutrition Oz Land, operations will come to a screeching halt if some  of us get sick or give up.

Courage – In the wee hours of the day, we start our routines, regimen without complaints, same old procedures, a drill you will not miss. It can take you to the Land of Boredom if you don’t mix passion with it. Courage to lift heavy boxes , courage to deal with staff, parents and students , courage to meet deadlines, courage to be positive, courage to smile courage to stand strong and strength to make it to the end. The lion in you sometimes roars for a break but just like the life in the jungle, you have to run, run fast for the victor’s catch: a hyena for lunch! For managers, a trip to the bathroom sometimes!

Love – The attribute I most lean on…my courage, my strength! I find my joy, my peace, my kindness, my forbearance, my goodness, my faithfulness, my gentleness, my self-control!

The absence of love will be my end, doing work just for money or even for the sake of service or making someone else happy would bring me to a tiresome state. Love for what I do, love for God, love for my  family , love for humanity, love for my country drive me to work and accomplish what I envisioned to do. 

Some of us might be perceived as heartless as the Tin Man but I believe that most of us have hearts of gold, trying to make a difference, trying to be responsible, trying to carry the heavy loads because we want to love. Walking an extra mile for someone, trying to understand someone’s weakness, being gracious when someone mistreat us.

All things become beautiful when we start to love. We include people, we tolerate their ugly ways, and we accept their failures. We extend our hands, we help to educate. Yes, we love even to our own hurts.

School Year 2015-2016 is rounding up! In our small kitchen in Cash, our operation was not smooth all the time. We had some rough rides but I am confident that we have done the service we were meant to do for our local community. I pray that our efforts will have the ripple effects to make a difference even in the years to come.

I strongly recommend for my co-Lions, co-Scarecrow and co-Tin Men in Child Nutrition Oz Land- take courage, be strong and love some more!! 20016-20017 is already beaming with great promises! We all did a tremendous job!! Tap and do a little dance today!! Someone is seeing you!

Sweet days are coming! Rest for the body, rest for the soul!  No matter how hard the race can be, the finish line is always the goal. Some say it doesn’t matter how you hurdle along the way,  as long as you end well, that’s how it counts. It’s not all about winning but accomplishing your aim, fulfilling your goals, shooting your target, resting in your destination.  Like Dorothy, after ALL of THESE…don’t we all just want to be HOME?

To our wizards Lauren Richards and Amanda Mendenhall, to the ever- hardworking crew at the Child Nutrition Office and to our very supportive supervisors, thank you for travelling with us this year!