unexpected blessings

Night staffers have a propensity for developing an inferiority complex at my workplace, primarily because our work goes unnoticed until it is done wrong. Adding to our irritability are the number of required meetings and trainings that are scheduled around the salaried staff. Obviously, the agency is not going to schedule a meeting for 2am, but a little more consideration for our sleep cycle would be appreciated.

This morning, our unit scheduled an off-campus retreat, and every staff was required to attend. Our coordinator was kind enough to give us last night off, but trying to readjust a consistent sleep pattern in one evening is difficult. So I ventured to work this morning on four hours of sleep, knowing that I have to be back at ten this evening.

It was by supernatural intervention that I showed up in a good mood. Local weather was calling for the possibility of thunderstorms, and I wouldn't know until I arrived if we were going to the beach or finding an indoor alternative. In blind faith, I left my house with my bathing suit and flip-flops on, even while a steady drizzle pelted my car.

We took a vote when we arrived, and the residents unanimously decided to go anyway. When we arrived, the rain ceased and the air had cooled to a comfort I hadn't felt all week. The lake breeze was just what the doctor ordered. We ate our sack lunches and headed into the sand.

I'm exhausted now, and in need of a couple more hours of sleep, but I'm thankful for the time spent with the girls: building sand castles, looking for seashells...being the butt of their jokes. It's not often enough that they get to feel like real kids having real fun. Having our entire team there made it feel more like a family and less like a job (of course having a 13:7 staff to resident ratio certainly contributed to the lack of stress :)

After we returned, I unlocked the door as one of our residents was waiting to hold it open. Already ten steps past the door, she spoke loudly enough for three others to hear: "Ladies first!" My tired mind was short on wit, so I turned around, smiled, and said, "I've got nothing." She smiled back in victory.

As I approached the staff desk to grab my things, I realized how good of a time I had with the girls, and how blessed we were to see a side of one another that isn't noticed in the daily routine or a crisis intervention. Thankfully, God knew exactly what my heart needed, even when my physical fatigue was stating otherwise.