Meeting today...

Just afer I arrived at work today my boss came into my office and told me we had a 1pm meeting with the GM and the Fixed Operations Director concerning change form I had made quite some time ago. (Change forms are documents I fill out to tell accounting what accounts to charge off differences between what we claim and what we are paid by warranty). I was quite nervous leading up to this but in reality I was mostly just a bystander in the meeting. The issues were discussed with some input by me and then the GM signed off on them. We were warned though that if our CSI (customer service index, an industry rating on how well you treat your customers, a holy grail) didn't come up soon, we all would be looking for new jobs, including the FOD and the GM. So we are brainstorming on how to accomlish this and to keep the warranty situation in check. We instituded some checks and balances and so far I feel they are working. No chargebacks for this past month and the change forms needing to be made are way down. Jess and I are getting along better than ever right now. Of course she struggles with her education, that is a given and will forever be a struggle. I was accused once of "trying out things on ___ so I will know how to do handle Jess" or something to that effect. I responded that yes, because I was doing it as a father or father figure, doing what I thought best. And that is true. I also said that as that was my first time with a child that age I was learning as I went. And I now use that experience with Jess, just as I will use experiences with Jess with Ryan (my son that I have not seen in six years but am attempting to re-enter his life) or with another persons child should I ever have another relationship. I did what I thought best at that time and attempted to learn from it, just as we all do. I think the oldest child in a family is the hardest because usually you have no idea what you are doing and have to learn as you go. I am grateful for the experience as it is helping me with my child. I truly wish I could have had more experience then as I could have done a better job at that time. I certainly know I would have handled alot of things differently. But that is why we stumble and fall when learning to walk and yet make the transition to running much easier. "We do what we know, and when we know better, we do better"--Maya Angelou. I learned alot this in 2004 and I am so ready for the rest of my life no matter what comes or how long it is.