Where Are You?
Hello readers! I realize it’s been almost 10 months since I updated you all on what has been happening. I think that is a testament to why I am just now posting something. As I mentioned in my previous post, I took a new contract to hire position that is 100% remote in Nov. 2020 to lead the IAM efforts for a well-known unified communications provider. As of May 2021, I officially became the IT Security Manager for IAM at Zoom Video Communications (the name synonymous of online meetings since COVID). I now lead a small but mighty team building the future of Identity and Access Management for this fast growing company as well as serving as the final technical resource for the myriad of tools we are intending to bring to the company.
Beyond that, the world is still grappling with the pandemic (though many have argued that it is nearing an end, I can’t say I feel confident about that) so I spend much of my time in a strange dichotomy of intense COVID restrictions in some parts of my life and virtually nonexistent restrictions in others. For the most part, my family has returned to whatever sense of normalcy one can achieve in the post-pandemic world; my children are all back to attending in-person school, attending various extracurricular activities such as sports, dance, and church activities. I blinked and am now the father of a sophomore daughter who is about to attend her first ever homecoming (or HoCo as the hip kids call it) with some gal pals, a 10 year old son who is hitting puberty and starting to question lots of things in this world, another 10 year old autistic son who dances between deep love and unexpected anger as the way takes him, and two 7 year olds to whom my relevance is slowing decreasing.
We did finally buy that house thanks to COVID level rates of financing and I have spent considerable time (and plenty of money) to make into a perfect place for our family. I am happy to say that our investment in an early 60’s property with very good bones has paid off with an almost 7% gain in value in less than a year. As money or time come available, my wife and I are making incremental upgrades including the installation of a 3-way mini-split HVAC system that provides hot and cold air directly to the top floor and sunroom of our house, installing of new, more secure door locks, cleaning up dead vegetation, and many other projects. The house may not look like the perfectly manicured lot with diagonally mowed grass and the perfect array of flowers and colors, but it is certainly a beautiful and stately house with many mature trees and a place where neighbors and friends gather often to share life together.
I would be gravely unprepared to tell anyone what will be happening next in my life as I try to approach each new day as an opportunity for God to use me in whatever way He sees fit. Sometimes I find that I am the calm and supportive voice in my children’s ears as life wails and roils around them. Sometimes I am the altruistic idealist who tries to find light in the darkest places and most hurt people and, if God wills it, help shine some light. But one thing that is absolutely certain, is that I continue to keep my heart open to the things this world needs and ask God to use me to be an agent of change. I wouldn’t have it any other way.