Thursday, October 7, 2010

Working Mama!

I have found myself an amazingly perfect job. I found a place where I feel passionate about how I will spend my hours there every day. I can only describe it as having found my niche. (spellcheck?) I feel fully present here in my office, and when I'm venturing out on home visits. I am feeling so blessed lately to have a job AT ALL and even more so one that I absolutely adore.

I must admit that my first week, when I was feeling so lost and confused by all of the paperwork thrown at me, not to mention the 2 case loads, I was wondering why I had ever wanted to work again in the first place. I contemplated my decision up until the night before I started working. I was fearful of leaving my daughter in daycare, I was feeling guilty of not being able to spend that time I had felt Leila needed one-on-one with me now that Christian had started school. So I prayed. I prayed that if it wasn't meant to be then God please intervene and make it impossible for me to do so..

Instead I found affordable day care where I know Leila feels at home within just 24 hours of actually looking at sites, and my friends and family have come together to make the responsibility of picking up Christian from school a smoothly orchestrated transition . All of the worries, and doubts I had were quickly swept away.

I have always worked in child care and it's nice to be on the other side of the services provided and dealing with the grown ups this time around. Although, I admit going into the preschool classrooms and getting to see the children for whom we invest so much time and effort for is one of the better perks of the job. I am amazed at how well suited I feel for this position as a Family Advocate. I am not however amazed at how great God is. I know this job is a blessing.
The moment I stepped foot inside stay-at-home-mom's home and recognized in her eyes the elation to simply have another adult in close proximity to talk with, sit with and entertain --I knew for sure my time at home, my experiences and frustrations at feeling as though when I not working or going to school that my potential was if not being wasted then at the very least dwindling away into a far corner of my mind where I stuff "some day" plans were all used in his plan to show how marvelous and complete, and sovereign God is.

My new, incredibly witty, sassy, supervisor told me the other day that one of the reasons I was hired was because in my interview I told her I felt God had lead me to this opportunity.

In the world we live in, where the mere mention of any sort of religious, faith affirming or even just too damn optimistic outlook can get you slapped with a law suit of some kind and barked at as being politically incorrect, I realized I was taking a risk even mentioning being a person of faith. Instead, it landed me a job. A really good one that I am proud to do.I do not endorse using those words in all work places but it was just something that to me felt like the right thing to say, especially when this line of work calls for you to have a little faith if not in God then at the very least in people.

I feel that intense energy, that pure drive when I know I'm making a difference in someone's tomorrow. I sleep so soundly at night that not even my active dream world can keep up.I am altogether happy, and it is altogether in thanks to the many people in my life who have supported, encouraged and recommended me for the very job I have today. And so in conclusion, God is good. And more than that, God has been good to me. I hope I can continue to lean on my faith and my friends as I make my way into the tangled web of human services and social work. Thanks for stopping by!