Can life get any fuller?

Vacation Bible School started at our church yesterday. I'm leading the crafts. I have to say, after a long productive day at work, it is a real challenge getting to church by 6:45 and having the energy to keep going, serving about 50 children until 9:00. Needless to say, when I get home I am really tired and truly full filled. It feels good to give back to our community.

Before today, I thought that was hard but I must say, I change my mind. My job was easy, compared to my daughter's. She had 17, that's right 17, 3&4 year olds. That's a lot of toddlers to keep entertained for two hours, when you don't really know them. The room is a really nice size if you have 8-10 children in it. She has them climbing the walls, and that's with 3 other helpers.

Pray that the weather holds out the rest of the week. They are calling for a chance of rain tomorrow and an almost certainty of rain on Thursday and Friday. Talk about wild,if tthey can't go outside. They need that to get rid of some of that bottled up energy.

We have three more days, and counting.

Work is going well. I continue to go to a lot of trainings. Some of which I have had before but I say nothing and keep going for the good of the company. I go tomorrow and Friday for more training outside of our community. I can't wait to be able to stay in my own community and put some of this wonderful training to use. Besides, the more I am away, the more paper work is put on hold.

I am coming up on my 90 day eval.( It feels like I have been there for years. ) I can see small improvements and changes since I started. I look forward to continued improvements in the quality of care our neighborhood ( that's what the call the area I work in) provides for our residents. Do I regret changing jobs, no way! Even when I work a lot more hours. The quality and reason for service in in place. You can't ask for more than that. I enjoy doing my part.

Quote for the day: Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and descover they were the big things.

God Bless. Good Night. .

Food For Thought......

My work keeps me busy but it is a nice to have a job that gives me the opportunity to enhance the quality of individuals lives on a daily basis. I am blessed.

I came home tonight after a very long and productive day at work and found a most inspiring article in my mail box. I faintly remember receiving this a really long time ago. And even having received it before, I still found it very touching. I would like to share it with you as somewhat of a devotion. When reading it, keep in mind it only takes a small effort on our part to make a hugh difference in another life. Most people want to do well and don't want to have to ask for help. But stepping over your pride is often the hardest part, God will take care of the rest. Step up and do your part to help those in need.

Enjoy the article.

Food For Thought

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.

She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.

Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."

John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?"

Louise replied, "Yes sir."

"O.K" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."

Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down.

The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."

The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more..

The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:
"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands."

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence.

Louise thanked him and left the store.

The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said: "It was worth every penny of it ..

Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs."

So, trust God to heal the sick, provide food for the hungry, clothes and shelter for those that don't have as we do. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.

Quote for the day: The best things in life aren't things. unknown

God Bless You!

All in a day's work.....and then some

Life is so busy anymore, the longer I stay away from my blog, the easier is becomes. I think about it often and all the nice people and all the good stuff to read. Then I come to the blog and start reading and pretty soon several hours have gone and I haven't even shared what I came to share. Do I remember what it was I came to write about........no. I get so wrapped up in what everyone else is blogging about. The wedding , the end of the school year, the new business that is struggling, the little ones miss behaving, the little one going away for the summer, even the jobs that are a bore or just not measuring up.

After reading about all that for several nights in a row, do I really have anything interesting to write about? Perhaps not. So I put off blogging yet another night.

I went on a business trip, mentoring with someone who is doing the same job I have been doing for the past several months. The set up wasn't exactly like mine, nor was her situation, however, the experience was a good one.

The lady I mentored with(Amanda) was a young mother on three year old twins. How she managed all that she did, I'm sure I don't know. At her job she wear several hats as well as agreeing to mentor two us us at the same time. She seemed to have all her ducks in a row. Their program ran like clock work. Weather or not that was because they had visitors or just a regular day, no one will really ever know.

The purpose for the trip was to experience a program in place and to learn the ins and out of the massive paper work required on a daily basis. As well as managing the scheduling and scheduling of a staff of 15-20 doing 24 hour care for memory impaired seniors. Amanda was able to keep it real without any choosing of her own. She actually had to get to work sometimes two hours before we arrived at 9 am each morning in order to get her own work done, or at least the most pressing.

Did I come away with all that I needed, not exactly.

I learned that staffing will always be an issue for all the communities. Take it one day at a time, one schedule at a time. And that unexpected stuff will happen regardless of the planning (that part I already knew). I learned that her community didn't really model our program. They were much smaller, but the needs for memory impaired people were the same. A little assistance with ADL, a little food and a lot of TLC.

I learned that there are several new forms coming out and I have much more to do than I first thought. I learn to pace myself and take one day at a time. I learned that I knew a lot more than I thought I knew but that I still have an awful lot to learn.

I thought it would be a time that I could relax and enjoy Minnesota in the evenings but that didn't happen. Most evenings I was bored and lonely. I had a car and went exploring three out of five of the evenings but not knowing the town, and being by myself, after about an hour or two of that, it was back to the hotel and the cable TV. My computer would have been nice. (I need to get busy on looking for that upgrade, a lap top. I'm long over due.)

I felt bad, my cat "Charlie" wouldn't come out for my granddaughter or my daughter when they went to visit (he's a mama's boy) because he was mad I left him or didn't take him along. The first day I was back, he kept me in his view but kept his distance. He's back to his old self, laying up here on the desk beside me while I play in the computer.


The first day back at work was crazy, just as I had expected it would be, but it was all good. I am blessed to have a job.

Quote for the day: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!