Well, maternity leave is officially over. I have pretty mixed feelings about this. Work is good. In our current sermon series, we have been reminded that work was given to man before the fall; it is not the result of the fall. We are created to work--at the office, in the home, wherever. Work is good.
That being said, it's hard to go back. I know a lot of women really struggle going back to work because they feel sad to leave their baby. The sadness I feel going back to work is more about the realization that twelve weeks have passed... that Sarah isn't a newborn any more... that I won't have a time so exclusively about being with my kids again until I retire, and then they probably won't want to be hanging out with Mom... It's more about the end of a stage of life (in mine and Sarah's) than it is about me feeling like I'm letting them down in some way by being gone from them.
So Wednesday morning I set the alarm for the first time since November 2. It's not like I've been sleeping in. I've just been using alarm clocks of the screaming type instead of beeping type. And here we are, me and my baby. I swear I didn't feel as tired as I look here.
Leaving the girls with a very brave and energetic Jess, I tucked James Brown under my arm and walked into my office to find these awesome tulips from my awesome friend Suzi. I should've taken a picture of the stack of mail that was also waiting for me.
As one of the nurses pointed out after spotting JB, "At least someone around here feels good."
I hit the ground running with a full schedule of patients who seemed genuinely happy to have me back. I waded through emails, voicemails, and forms. I tried to remember as many passwords as I could. And I felt thankful, thankful to have a calling that gives me satisfaction, colleagues I enjoy, patients that trust me, a renewed sense of energy for my job, and these girls that I get to go home to at the end of the day.
6 comments:
Sing we all to Thee.
LOVE that you have that as your mouse pad. I'm pretty sure you've had that since 1998...94?
Fun seeing shots of both you and your girls and you are your office. Your gifts are spread out and appreciated by so many!
Why is Callie responding to this at 3:19 am???
I did not ever feel guilty for going back to work either, but I agree that it's one of those "endings" in life and therefore cause for reflection.
Hope the transition goes smoothly for everyone. Your password comment cracked me up! So true.......and frustrating.
Naomi always has the most beautiful smiles, and Annika and Sarah have the best expressions ever!
i think it was closer to '94...it's disintegrating leaving little black crumbles all over, but i just brush them away. when it's nothing but the cloth top layer, i may have to get a new one, but not just yet. i might still have another decade's worth of use on this one.
do not try to understand callie or her schedule... i think it's good to have reasons to stop and reflect on the passage of time. if not, i'm afraid i'll blink and have three teenage girls criticizing my wardrobe...
Such a lovely, thoughtful post :) I've been thinking about you and am glad to hear how things went. Thank you for sharing! Great pics as always too!
thanks--hope the continued adjustment to work is going well for you too!
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