Thelma was working with a woman named Shirley about a purpose and plan for her life using On-Purpose® tools and methods. In the course of the coaching, Thelma asked her client to write down her career aspirations. Shirley refused to allow herself that luxury because her dreams were gone based on some choices she had made in years passed. This inner city single mom of two children under ten years of age worked two jobs to just barely make ends meet. She worked a clerical job during the day, went home to fix dinner for her kids in the evening, and then went to work as an orderly at a mental hospital at night. This exhausting routine was her life. There was no emotional margin for dreaming.
Thelma is a strong woman who as a single mom herself raised a son and a daughter. She refused to take no for an answer from Shirley. Finally Shirley relented under Thelma’s unwavering insistence. Turns out that this woman was musically gifted. She could read music, play any instrument, and dreamed of creating an inner city symphony orchestra for at-risk kids. She would teach them to play instruments and what it meant to be a part of a musical ensemble. This would be a way to a better life for those kids.