Work.

It's been a long week, and I am exhausted.

But I wanted to say a few words about how blessed I feel to have my job. We had a graduation party last night, and everyone there testified to how much her life had been changed as she went through our program. It made me so incredibly proud to be a part of the process, and so thankful to serve an amazing, gracious God. Though my job is incredibly hard a lot of the time, it's worth it. I'm thankful to spend time with graduates and residents who realize that the staff is there for them - that we're not working against them. We want to celebrate with them, and we try so hard to do so. It's hard not to get caught up in the petty arguments and silly ranting sessions, it's hard not to get weighed down by the lack of thanks or recognition. It's hard to be available every second of my work day, and to deal with tantrums and runners and poop along with disrespect and anger and exhaustion. But it's worth it. It makes it all worth it. I, also, often struggle to love the women for exactly who they are and where they're at. They're hard to love sometimes - but then, so am I. But they're working so hard and it's really admirable. Plus, their kids are super cute and wonderful and most of the time, they just need some cuddles. I've found that's often all they need... An encouraging word and warm, safe arms. I'm happy to provide that, any day!

I'm thankful for my husband who attends these graduations even though he is so busy and not invested in the process like I am. I couldn't do it without his support, and I'm so thankful to have an amazing man by my side (especially when all I hear about all day are the bad ones).