Miracles

There have been some things on my mind recently.

I turned 25 last Sunday. I am a quarter of a century old. I don't know what to think about that.  If you had asked me when I was in high school where I would be when I was 25, my answer would have been completely different than where I am. I would have said I was married and maybe had a kid. I would not have said I was living at home with no romantic prospects. I would not have said I'd only had one real boyfriend since high school.

But I'm happy where I am. I am glad I've had the experience's I have. I have grown up and learned a lot. I have changed, grown and become a grown up. Sometimes I wonder how that happened. But I am. I have a grown up job (although it doesn't feel like it most days as we have water fights and races down the hall). I have a car payment. I have my own health insurance. I am officially a grown up. But I will never fully grow up. I celebrated 25 years with a Scooby Doo party thrown by my best friend. It's just what I do:)

Another thing that has been on my mind is an experience I had at work this last week. We were asked a question, and I never had a chance to answer it so I'm answering it now. They asked us to finish the sentence: A miracle is....

A miracle is something I get the chance to see every day. I get to participate in them. I get to witness them, and I get to learn from them. The kids I work with are amazing. They see and recognize miracles in their lives and they are not afraid to tell anyone about them. I see kids who were not expected to survive, let alone walk and talk, walking down the hall with their family, talking up a storm. I get to see a kid wash their face. Or slide themselves into a wheelchair. Or sit themselves up. These are things that I take for granted every day. But to them, these are miracles. These took hard work, and immeasurable support from family, therapists, nurses, techs and so many other people. These are the miracles I get to see every day. Every Single Day. That's why I love my job.

After thinking about this, I was asked by a parent how in the world I do my job. I get that question all the time. "How do you do this? I couldn't do it. It would be too depressing." This is my answer: I do it for the miracles. There is a miracle every day. Some days you have to really search for it. It may be that the miracle is surviving a thirteen hour shift with no break or food. It may be that the miracle is having a few days off to recover from difficult shifts. But there is something happy and good in every single shift. There is a coworker or a patient that make every single moment worth it.

Yes, some days are hard.  some days you want to go home and cry from the things you have seen. But the good outweighs the bad in so many ways. A thank you from a hurting child. A smile from a parent that is running on no sleep. A hug from a coworker just because you look stressed. Water fights with empty syringes, wheelchair races down the hallway. Easter Egg hunts. Easter baskets brought by the staff for every child in the hospital. The excitement that a child gets to go home. The support and love of the family and friends that surround these kids. That is why and how I do my job. Because it's worth it. Because I love being able to witness such amazing events. Because I learn so much from the patients and families I get the opportunity to serve.