the end of a rough week.

You know, I probably say this all the time, but this week was one hell of a week. And by that, I mean this week sucked. It was full of "ouchies" and it took way too long to go by. I was in Port Huron on Monday; yet that breakfast feels like weeks ago.

Does anyone else just adore Fridays? I sure do. I always have at least a couple volunteers in the office on Friday. I can catch up with them and they help me with different projects. They put me in a good mood and they remind me why I like this job. Even though they aren't dealing directly with our patients, it is so refreshing to see people who are willing to help out and spend a few hours hanging out with me.

I usually spend my Friday afternoons preparing for the next week. Today that meant a major meeting in Jackson on Monday; a tea party on Tuesday; and a training on Wednesday.

Field staff often come in on Friday's to drop off paperwork or finish their charting, so I get to see some of my friends and hear their stories from the week. what I learn from my interactions with them is this: we've all had a rough week. We're all emotionally drained. And we are all more than ready for the weekend.

I suppose that is what I love the most about my job. That even though each member of the team serves a different function, we're in it together. We put our own unique perspective on each case to deliver the best patient care we can. For the most part, we care about each other, as more than just co workers but as friends, sometimes as family. I try to wish everyone a happy birthday, try to ask how their day is going and try to tell them thank you. Because yes, this is our job, and we have to be here, but we also need to spread some cheer amongst one another.

I hope everyone has a really lovely weekend. I have offered to dog and house sit for one of my fellow Mercy associates. The dog is young and can't stay at home for too long by itself, so I really plan on sitting on her beautiful back porch and writing all weekend. I want to get some work done on my book for Laurence and work on some materials for the associate process.

So yeah, a tough week. But I made it. We all did. And for that, we should be grateful.