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Best Wishes in your retirement, Carlos!

The Taunton Team held a retirement party at the office on Wednesday, April 23, for Carlos Costa, who has worked at Spectrum since September 1999.  Carlos is recognized by most people at Spectrum as the music man. He enjoys pulling together musicians to entertain at Spectrum events, including our picnics, New Years’ Teas, and book launches.

Carlos Retirement Party
Carlos and Susan talk about the length of time he has worked at Spectrum 🙂

Carlos is also passionate about his direct support to the people served by Spectrum.  He understands the intimate nature of the work and he reminisced about the good times and the sad times he experienced while working with Jack, Virginia, George, Jenny, Tom and Adam.

Carlos is a song-writer and poet and wrote poem to share with us at the retirement party:

THREE QUESTIONS

WHO AM I?

I am a gardener
Cultivating soil for the flowers that BE
And my God Given Gifts will help guide the Rand and Sunshine THE

WHAT HAVE I DONE?

I have partnered with companion Gardeners
To support…To advocate
For the Flowers that BE
And if a stem from a flower is slightly bent
I will stand by as a buttress to erect THE

WHERE WILL I GO?

I will follow a PATH immersed in Artistry.
I will climb to Earth’s highest peak
To witness the SPECTRUM that BE
And words of farewell will not enter my vocabulary
As my heart is a SPECTRUM of TWO
Just YOU
Just ME

== == == == == == ==

Another of Carlos’ memorable poems was the one he wrote for Jack’s memorial service in 2006:

Great Day 

“It’s a great day, eh” 
Jack Gregory would say
As we walked and talked along the way
Even when the clouds covered the sky
Or if the rains soaked our feet
And if the snow chilled our faces

“It’s a great day, eh”
Jack Gregory would say

“Hey that’s new, buddy”
Jack Gregory would shout
A new car or a car that was muddy
A house old or new and he took his time to study…

“Hey that’s new, buddy”
Jack Gregory would shout
Through his eyes he saw brightness
Through his heart he felt laughter
And in his words…

“Hey go to work,”
“Tomorrow buddy, you just wait,”
“No no no,” and he meant no!
“Coffee, coffee,” “I not eat,” “I not mad,”
“Cowboy,” “Not me! You boo boo, you” 
“I not tired,” “Virgie, my girl.” 

And my heart will be the clay tablet that will etch the words,
“It’s a great day, eh” 

…by Carlos Costa,
Jack’s key worker
=== === === === === ===

Thank You Carlos for all your contributions to Spectrum and the people we support.  You brought music, passion, poetry and so many great belly laughs to your team at Taunton and to Spectrum as a whole. We look forward to keeping in touch with you as you move on to new opportunities.