Dear John, In 2016, I left “corporate America” because I was burned out. I’ve often said I didn’t really like who I was becoming in the highly competitive, results-above-everything environments in which I had been working. In my personal life, I was busy raising two young sons alongside my husband, but often found that my work commitments took priority over my family life. I can remember many times when our family’s participation in our church life and community had suffered. Hi, I am Keri Blackburn, the director of operations at Franciscan Media. I quickly found the atmosphere at Franciscan Media to be so loving and prayerful—just the kind of place I needed to be in order to soothe my tired spirit. And I now see the divine intervention of my placement because I am surrounded by coworkers who have walked with me on my faith journey. Instead of my work life distracting me from my faith, I found it to be a natural extension of it. In this new space, I could learn, grow, and even worship while I worked. My whole life has changed, not just my work life! In the spirit of loving my neighbors as myself, working at FM has given me the opportunity to be useful to others by offering my business talents for our mission. Although we work hard to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us, we start our day with prayer instead of a review of business numbers and accomplishments. Our greatest measure of success is the number of lives we can touch through sharing the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis! I see the Franciscan charism being shared so beautifully through the offerings of Franciscan Media, and I love that we are able to offer free blessings to people who need to hear the encouraging, loving messages we share. People often tell us the impact of our daily devotionals and prayer resources have had in their lives. Our talented team of writers, artists, and editors work together to create rich resources full of wisdom, guidance, reassurance, and love. The fact that such craftsmanship and care go into resources that are offered at no cost to those who need them is a true labor of love. This is why I have been a financial supporter of Franciscan Media since I began to work here in 2016 and why I continue to support our mission financially today. I am honored to give back to the organization so we can continue offering free and low-cost newsletters, books, and magazines to a world hungry for a message of peace, love, care for creation, and support for those who are marginalized and suffering. Please join me now by clicking donate. |
