Why?

12/11/07
There have been many days and nights that remind me of why I am here, why I do what I do, and why I chose this job/career/path in life. Nights like last night and days like today are no exception. Although I have worked way past midnight many times and have had several 24+ hr. days, I did not think I'd have to sleep in my office on a hard table hoping and praying a secure and safe placement would be found for the child sleeping on the floor next to me in my office, but I did. I did not think that 30 hrs later, I'd be telling him he has to go to a new place, meet new people and sleep some where new and strange again, but I did. Tell any child w/a normal childhood to sleep on the floor on an air mattress in their own room and house and see what they do. Tell these children to sleep on the floor on an air mattress of an office they have never seen before with 2 total strangers and they gladly jump in to their "bed" with a huge smile on their face and ask, "will you be here when I wake up tomorrow?" That question nearly broke my heart. So here I was, sleeping on a hard table w/ crickets roaring in the background in an office and 30+hrs with out sleep or real food. There he was, this innocent little boy laughing at Madea's Family Reunion that was playing on my 17" screen laptop and did not complain one bit. Children now a days want cel phones at 9 years old, have 42" flat panels in their room at 5...yes 5, are tanning at 3-5 yrs. old, and have acrylic nails at 5-10 years old...what? Are you serious? So when my dad tells me, as he always does, "you can get a better job that that and make more money, you just graduated from a great university...why do you do that? (in spanish)" I tell him "yes, of course I can Dad, but will I be happy? No. I won't." Why?...B/c they are what makes me happy and I'm here to attempt to make even the slightest positive change in their life or put a smile on their face for even just one second, b/c that one second is what carries me through my 30 hr non stop work day/night full of court reports, placement disruptions, judges yelling, and psychiatric hospitals, and will carry me through any other unfortunate circumstance that will arise.

Here we are sleeping in an office...