It's the reason I do my job

It's been a very long week at work. I am trying to get caught up from being out an entire month (working in different counties around the state). Voicemails were sky high, paperwork is even worse. On top of that other "fires" have cropped up over the week. Clients are calling, upset that this or that isn't working. Bosses are calling demanding information yesterday. Staff are calling needing items. It's just been crazy. And as some of my colleagues and I have been saying all week, "It STILL isn't Friday at 5:00" (although I am a short 14 minutes away from it BEING Friday at 5:00). It's so easy to get burned out doing social service work. So many problems that need fixed and can't be fixed by one person.

HOWEVER...every once in a while God places a person on my path (or on the phone in this instance) that makes doing what I do worth all the hassles.

One of my jobs here is to help folks who receive Social Security disability benefits understand how earnings from a job will impact their health and monetary benefits. With the current state of the country's recession and the fact that many of my individuals are trying to support families on $674 a MONTH, a lot of the folks I talk to are desperate.

Most days I let my voicemail screen my calls at work. Sometimes because I really need to get something else done, but most times because I get so many "not my area" calls transferred to me that I just don't have time to deal with them.

Today has been the craziest day. I cannot see the top of my desk for mountains of papers. I started 5 projects and honestly can't say if one actually got completed. But sometimes, when my phone rings, I just get the feeling that maybe I should answer it. A lot of those times it is my supervisor calling, so I am glad that I picked up the phone.

Today I was too. I spoke with a woman with multiple disabilities. She is raising two small children, and the three of them are attempting to live on $674 a month. I went through my spiel about how work will affect her benefits yada, yada, yada. For a moment she was silent. Then she said to me "You mean I can work?" I said yes. She said to me "You have just saved my life. Financially you just saved my life. Thank you."

In that moment I was reminded that what I do IS important, to folks who really do need to hear that there is help out there, even if it is just the opportunity to look for a job. Thank you Lord for sending that woman to me. It sure makes it all worth it.