One Sunday, a couple of weeks ago, I happened to channel-surf onto the romantic movie,  "Breakfast at Tiffany's," about a woman named Holly Golightly, who makes a holiday of life, but treads through it lightly. 

Graphic, courtesy of Arie's Tribute Site

Although it is quite the movie classic, I had never seen it before. I was captivated by Audrey Hepburn's ethereal, innocent, yet sophisticated beauty. 

Twenty years ago, I was similarly affected by a client named Willow.  With long, silky blonde hair and an angelic look, Willow was a sight for sore eyes, as they say. Back then, she was a single mother of a young son, Ric, who is stunningly good-looking and as sweet and unaffected as can be. 

Ever since our first meeting, I've seen Willow yearly, and her beauty has only deepened.  Hers became a ripening inner beauty. She never found Mr. Right, or vice versa, but that didn't stop her from fulfilling her dream of having a family.

In recent years, she's been working full-time while fostering three beautiful girls: Tawny, Treena and Lalique. Treena and Lalique are biological sisters of Afro-American descent; they were "crack-babies", i.e., their biological mother was hooked on crack cocaine at the time of their births. 

Willow fell in love with all three girls, and in time, not wanting to part from them, legally adopted them. She has provided them with a stable and loving home,  and I've witnessed the flourishing of these three beautiful girls. Willow is ever the responsible mother, making certain they are well-cared for in every way, including ice-skating lessons.

Last year, when Willow came in for her yearly visit, I was stunned.  It was as if the light was being snuffed out of her. She had hit a rough patch in life. She was feeling burnt out at work. Willow's son became a new father, necessitating his temporarily dropping out of college to support his young family.

Caring for her young daughters became a greater challenge for Willow with her ever-helpful son starting his own family, as well as her own mother's having to move out of the area when her landlord sold the rental she lived in.  Grandmother Ella -- who is another raving beauty, inside and out -- was Willow's indispensable helper with the girls.

I did what I could do to help Willow.  I jotted her name into my prayer book and consciously prayed for her all year.  

This year, just a week ago, Willow returned to our office even more beautiful than ever.  She was radiant once more.

"What happened?" I asked, surprised by the dramatic transformation.

"My office started something called  the "Fish! Philosophy," she said. "It has made all the difference in the world." 

The philosophy has something to do about having fun in the workplace. That certainly piqued my interest. These may be the last five years of my professional worklife; I want to go out at the top with a BANG!   Having fun with the best group of people I've ever had the privilege to work with holds great appeal.

I love having fun!  Like the Holly Golightly character in the movie, it would delight me to make every day a holiday and a celebration at work.

So stay tuned for more developments on the Fish! philosophy. I don't know what it is all about.  I picked up the book on Monday. Although it can be read in one sitting -- my friend, Sue, read it in an hour -- I've only read the first few pages of the book. 

Cia asked if she could read the book over the weekend, and knowing that this is one hectic weekend coming up for us, I was glad to have her read it first. 

Back to Willow, today she came in with her eldest daughter, Tawny, who is now 11.  It's hard to believe that they are not biologically related.  With the same blonde, tawny coloring with sparkling hazel-green eyes, they look so very much alike.  

Tawny is absolutely thriving, even winning an academic award in school.  She proudly showed me her newly trimmed hairdo.  She and Willow had their long locks shorn, and they donated them to "Locks of Love" in Florida to be made into hairpieces for those who have lost their hair to cancer.

It is a joy for me to care for three generations with remarkable inner and outer beauty:  Willow; Willow's mother, who has found a new love interest after many years of being single; and now Willow's daughters and son.  

They are gifts in my life.  Beautiful treasures with humanism wrapped so gorgeously.  It would seem that they have been following Ms. Hepburn's beauty tips: