Exhausted

...what happens when you arrive at work at 7:50, the phone rings twice in quick succession, the on-call nurse texts to call her ASAP because she wants to talk about two of the aides, two other texts tell you two aides are sick, you find out actually three have called in sick (and you only have seven to start with so now the remaining four have to cover eighteen extra patients), at 8:15 a patient calls to chew you out because her aide is sick, and you break down into tears.

Yep...that about covers my Monday.

Things Learned this Week

They say one should never stop learning, so even though I feel like I have finally reached adulthood (32 hit hard), I certainly didn't' stop learning this week.

First, I learned about spending birthdays alone. This was my first one, which may be why 32 hit so hard. I mean, I did go to work. And a friend took me out for ice cream that evening. I did get some calls and texts. But I had to open the couple of gifts that arrived by myself. Last night I went and got my birthday meal (I longed all day for broccoli soup which Mom always made me so I hit Paneras) and ate it while I watched a movie all by myself. And you know something? It's not much fun, even when you're more-or-less a loner like I tend to be. On the other hand, I got a very nice rotating display for my dollhouse and Allyson and kids called and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Even though I cried at hearing their little voices, I was so happy to hear them!

On Wednesday as the kids were working on their craft project and chatting with me, I learned why hobos sing in deep, muffled voices. Frankie's 10th birthday is in a couple of weeks and he's having a hobo party. To prepare himself, I guess he thought craft time a good time to practice his hobo singing. I asked him if he knew why hobos sing like that, thinking a brief lesson on the consequences of excess alcohol might be a way to steer the conversation. "Of course I do," Frankie shrugged. "It's because they never brush their teeth. If they open their mouths too far, their teeth will fall out."

Last night it came to me that the battles and trials in our lives are specially designed for us by our loving God. That sounds like a weird thing to contemplate, but it was comforting. My trials are not the trials of another. I don't live in a country where I am persecuted for my faith (yet). I haven't lost any loved ones to death recently. I have a place to live, a good job and friends and family who love me. On any scale, my trials are tiny - but, yes, they are difficult. And they are designed only for me. God sends them, and God sees me through them. I am never out of His protective hand. And for that, I am very grateful.

This is what little 1-year old Melissa looked like when someone told her she would one day be 32…

(But they were right - today she is...)

Kids...got to LOVE them!

There is nothing better than having kids in one’s life. Sadly, I personally interact with them for no more than 2 hours a week, but those two hours are the highlight of my week. Because no matter how bad my adult-world can get, I always laugh when I’m with them. Who can help it with anecdotes like these:

• Who knows how some topics of conversation come up before class when the kids are just telling me about their lives. This one had to do with Michael Jackson dying from an overdose of “good” drugs. “Elvis did, too,” Kate pipes up. “He didn’t take very good care of himself at all. Except he did shower.” I know Kate didn’t understand why, but I hadn’t laughed so hard in days!
• We made Valentine cookies at church last night to share with others (part of our lesson on sharing God’s love). As I was getting the things out, I asked the kids what the day before had been. Matt’s hand shot up. “Thanksgiving,” he answered. I kept from laughing as I responded, “Aw, and I missed the turkey!” “I mean Valentine’s,” Matt corrected himself hastily, but he’s a good kid. He laughed with us.
• After church, I was talking to our assistant pastor and his wife. She works in the office of a school and had been required to do 4^th grade lunch duty in the cafeteria that day. A little boy there raised his hand during lunch and she went over to see what he needed. “Are you married?” he asked. “Why?” Pastor Baker jumped in now. “Did he want to marry you? Did he tell you just to hang on a few years and he’d be 16? Am I going to have to go down there and beat up a 9-year-old for messing with my wife?” “I don’t know,” Mrs. Baker laughed, “but he didn’t believe me until I showed him my ring. Then he asked if I had only been married once. I said yes – that’s enough.” “Oh,” the kid replied, “my grandmother has been married four times.”
• I was supposed to go to San Antonio this weekend with friends, but something came up to throw a wrench in that. As Haley left today to visit her best friend for 10 days, that left her cats unfed for the weekend. So, she hired a 5-year-old to come feed them. This was to be the little girl’s very first job, and we agreed this morning I’d just put out the food in the garage as planned and let them believe I’m gone, too. For, according to the little girl’s mom, she is VERY excited about her first job and earning real money. And we wouldn’t want to ruin that, would we?
• The best news of all, though, I received this afternoon. My dearest friend Allyson is pregnant with number 6!!!!!! The little one is due in August/September and Miss Melissa is looking at flights to New Hampshire for the fall… :)

Today is...

• Officially: St. Valentine’s Day. Supposedly the celebration of love, but somehow it ends up being that only if you have someone special who loves you. Which just about defines the world’s view of love. Although I won’t go into the world’s definition of “someone”. I’ll leave that to the politicians.

• “That Catholic/Hallmark Holiday”. So a friend described it to me this week. Catholic is a given. Tag “saint” to something and it’s got to be Catholic, right? But if you know any Catholic history, you know that Catholics actually have a saint for every day of the year (and then some). In fact, if you lived during the dark ages you celebrated the day of the saint you were named after and not your own birthday. (That could be good for some of us – I’d never get a year older that way.) Mr. Valentine just got lucky (along with Mr. Patrick) and gets his name tagged to a day by non-Catholics, too. I wonder, does that make him more saintly than the other saints?

• Hallmark, of course, is defined as “cards”. And while greeting card sells sky rocket for this holiday, the Hallmark corporation must share it’s loot with candy makers, stuffed bear producers and florists. I’m not against cute cards, but there are some things out there one just has to wonder who got paid to create the thing. Like yesterday at the gas station when I saw rose buds three feet long. Not real rose buds, mind you. Stuffed ones. Like a teddy bear only in the shape of a rose. Really…who has the patent on that ugly thing?

• “Singleness Awareness Day”. This is the politically correct version of today’s holiday. Because in today’s world we have to be aware of everything. And then once we’re aware of it, we must celebrate it. Which means every day I celebrate “Brush-Your-Hair-Yet-Again Awareness Day” and “You-Need-To-Be-At-Work-By-Eight Awareness Day”. Some days I celebrate “The-Fog-Light-On-My-Car-Needs-To-Be-Fixed Awareness Day”, but some days I forget and so can’t celebrate it. On the other hand, I’ve been celebrating “Singleness Awareness Day” every day of my life for nearly 32 years. Who knew I was so politically correct!

• “Black Tuesday”. When I was about 19, I had a single woman who was probably in her late 20s tell me this is how she referred to Valentine’s Day. (For those of you who don’t know history, that’s the day the stock market crashed in 1929 and started the Great Depression.) She despised it. And yet by the next Valentine’s Day she was happily married and doubtlessly celebrating. However, I have tried this and I’m still single into my early 30s. Maybe if I got a bit more brutal and called the day “9-11” or the “Hiroshima” I’d have better luck.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

- Frederick Lehman/Rabbi Mayer -

Happy 24^th Birthday, Sally!

Laugh lots and enjoy it!