For myself to read when I have a bad day at work.

I go back and forth between not being so sure about my job and just loving it. Today is a day that I love it. I'm not particularly sure why, but today I just feel good about what I do. Mostly because today I've felt confident and that I really am making a difference in the kids' lives. That's not always the case. I work at a school with a primary population of very low socioeconomic status. We have some families that are homeless, some that can't afford to feed their kids unless they are in school, where they get a free or reduced lunch, and some kids who move back and forth from the reservation or from family to family two or three (sometimes more) times in a year. It's such a culture shock that sometimes it's hard to even get past all the baggage these kids carry around to actually teach them things. When I think about how blessed I have been in my life, it makes me hurt to see these little helpless kids stuck in a situation that they neither caused nor can help. But today I feel good. I've helped a kid. They learn things in my room. They make progress. And even on the days that I am feeling sorry for myself because I've got so much to learn or do or get....even on those days I have to stop and remember and be thankful. He has trained me and enabled me to be personally involved in children's lives and given me the opportunities to make their lives better. Even if it's just a little bit, it's something. And those somethings are often big things for these kids. And that's a good feeling.