Those new to MaryAnn In Progress (MIP) may be wondering why I decided to leave my volunteer position at Compassion. Go here to learn more about Compassion.

Since Compassion’s opening almost a year ago, we have completed 800 hours + of counseling. The average fee is a little over $ 7 per session. Our cost for providing counseling is currently over $ 15 per session. We rely on donations to make up the difference.

I began as Compassion’s Board secretary and then as a daily volunteer who scheduled appointments, arranged rooms for counseling and church purposes, created new client files, drafted grant proposals, promoted Compassion, and did any other tasks that needed an extra set of hands and/or feet. It became so time-consuming that I finally had to give up posting here 3 times per week. While I thoroughly enjoyed working with the other volunteer staff members, something else was going on internally.

Howdy, MIP readers! Did you miss me? I missed you! I’m revving up the blog again and plan to get back to my 3 weekly blog posts. On Wednesday I will explain why I’ve been gone from MIP and why I’m now back on it!

Those of you who have read MIP from its inception will know that Monday posts are all about a word I don’t know from the Merriam-Webster online site. I first tell all of you the REAL definition of the previous week’s word and then take 3 stabs at trying to define the present week’s word.

You can “play along” yourself by commenting below the post. Many of you already know the word, so don’t lose your opportunity to show me up! But, even if you don’t know, just have some fun with it and see if you can make me laugh out loud (Yes, LOL) at this end. Bonus points for making me ROFL (roll on the floor laughing).

Don’t want anyone to know who you are on here? Just give yourself a nickname. But, send me an email explaining who you are (in case I don’t figure it out myself) because I reserve the right to delete comments from an internet undesirable type (a hacker, spammer, the IRS or other governmental agency that annoys the tar out of me) first.

The last time there was a WOW was way back in April of 2015, so here’s the definition of panjandrum from that post: a powerful personage or pretentious official. I swear on a stack of Bibles that I didn’t look up the definition before my little jab at the government. But, can we safely agree that government officials are most likely panjandrums??? (Did I hear you say, “Amen. Preach it, sista,”???? I thought so.)

This week’s WOW is mythomania. Here are my guesses (and no fair looking up the word in any version of a search engine or dictionary!):

mythomania (mi-thə-ˈmā-nē-ə, -nyə) 1. the insanity from being fixated on Greek mythology 2. the 2016 Presidential election (I’m fixated on the government today, hunh?) 3. the enthusiasm resulting from loving doric, ionic and corinthian columns a bit too much

What’s your guess or guesses? Submit them below!

Wednesday’s Post: Where Have You Been, Miss MaryAnn?

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