When I called G-Ma, she was watching the nightly network news, delighted that Obama was ahead again in the polls.

“God bless him,” she said.

“G-Ma, did you ever imagine this day would come?”

“You know what I always say, all things are possible for who?”

“For those who love the Lord,” I completed her sentence. “I bet Shirley Chisholm loved the Lord, and the good Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, loved Him, too, G-Ma.”

“Everybody’s got a part to play,” she said.  “God’s done put you in a place where you can help move it along, too,” she said in her soothing, cheerful manner that has grounded and comforted me since I was a little girl.

“G-Ma, keep me in your prayers. I hear it’s pretty rough and tumble up here.”

“Ruqiyah-Qi-Qi-R.C. Paige, you are always in my prayers. You already know what to do if things get rough. If the Lord bought you to it, He will what?”

“Bring me through it.”

“God’s got you there for a reason, to do your part. You just do your part and don’t worry about what all else is going on around you. You just as good as your boss, the president, anybody up there. You just do your part and don’t get caught up in the rest.”

• What are the reasons you do what you do eight or more hours a day on your job?
• Beyond the financial rewards and professional growth, what are some other reasons you do what you do?
• Would you work improve if your reasons for working were improved? (Ex. If you were a cook eight hours a day for the reason of making money, would the quality of your meals improve and your satisfaction with your job improve if you operated from the reason of serving food for others’ wellbeing? Would you feel better knowing you fed somebody a meal that made them feel better?) Examine your reasons?