On Sunday our church bulletin asked for volunteers to fill in when our office ladies go on vacation or are out sick. I volunteered myself, saying that I was contemplating going back to work sometime soon, but if they needed me before then I would be available. I was told I would be put on 'the list' w/others.

My thinking on this is two-fold:

1)I need to practice my office skills once again, as I've been out of the workplace for 20 years, give or take. And it will help fill in some of the gaps between other volunteer things I've done and now.

2)The financial secretary at the church is close to retirement and w/my accounting background I am qualified to do her job, and already know how to use the accounting software they are currently using. So, I'm thinking it won't hurt to have my foot already in the door, yes??

Bad part, my filling in is unpaid volunteer work. Our church had a recent crisis and financial times there are hard at the moment, so they can't really afford to pay anyone else plus pay the ladies their vacation or sick pay. We are between pastors and have an interim (fill-in) pastor for now.

However, supposedly filling in is only going to be here and there. I guess either no one else was on the list or I was the first pick, or they called everyone else on the list and I was the only one available????

Today I am going in because our head deacon's father passed away and the entire office staff is going to ride the church bus and go to the funeral in a town about an hour away. So, I'll be there till about 2 this afternoon.

I already sent a sympathy card to the family and wasn't planning on attending the funeral.

Today, supposedly all I'll be doing is answering the phones. So, after checking with the office manager - I'm taking some financial books I checked out of the library earlier this week and our checking account statements and plan on reading and/or balancing accounts if the phones are quiet.

For recent newbies - this is the same church that my FrugalSon used to work at in the mornings and he got laid off at the time of the crisis because of financial constraints.

Gotta go pack my lunch!