Fall Corral 2021

Loving your job

As we head into our busiest season, I often find myself in a position of happiness and gratitude. Despite the tough decisions and the hurt that goes along with the kids we serve; I love my job. To be completely honest, I don’t know what I would be doing if I wasn’t doing this. It makes sense to me and also seems to slide all of the pieces of my childhood and younger days into proper alignment to form a reasonably beautiful picture. I never dreamed that I’d be in this position and previously found comfort in standing just outside the fire and either judging or approving of the fundraising and program competency of those that used to be in charge.

Being in this position leaves me with far fewer folks to judge and a new crop of young and talented people who are eager to cast their judgements in my general directions. I get it because I have been there and responded in the same way.

The best job imaginable

But the beauty in my career lies not in the stress, but in the opportunity to mentor guide and shape the next generation of courageous and competent childcare workers and work to ensure that the kids in our program don’t have kids in our program later in their lives. Unfortunately, that isn’t really a 9-5 job, and it doesn’t lend well to self-care or slowing down. And that is precisely what I love about it. And I genuinely appreciate that there are people that support us so that I continue to get to have the best job that I can imagine. The thing is, the kids have no idea how much they will appreciate all that you have done for them. They may never know your name or have the pleasure of interacting with you, but they have felt your presence and your generosity. For many of the kids, their general prayer is that someone will care about them and I get the honor of explaining to them how much and how generously you care about them and their future.