all it takes

spring has finally found its way to me.  in fact, we practically jumped from winter straight to summer with 88 degrees and humidity and tornado warnings last night.  and suddenly {as shari wrote so eloquently} i found myself thinking that i could barely remember being freezing just a few short months {weeks} ago.  i can only imagine that this change in seasons must be something akin to childbirth {not that i would know}...forgetting all the discomfort and pain in the face of the joy of your child.  i wonder if there are actually hormones that biologically incline us to forget the misery of slogging through feet of snow as soon as the warm sun arrives and the flowers are blooming {likewise that we forget the misery of 100+ degrees and humidity as soon as the air is crisp and the leaves are falling}?

i've found myself with a changed outlook recently and have begun to realize that, in the face of difficulties, the only thing i can change is myself.  and once that happens, i can only hope that my changed self will positively affect others around me.  

recently, there was a horrible incident with a client at my work.  alone with her four children, she was forced to leave the homeless shelter where they were staying for no apparent reason.  we were able to find her another place to stay temporarily, but there was a day or two when it was all up in the air and we offered to store her belongings for her until they were settled.  there were continued discussions of "how much stuff" they had.  with a small busload full, i was faced with the belongings of an entire family.  clothes, toys, books, food.  and i was struck by how little it truly was.  i don't work directly with the clients, but at times when i feel bored with my job, i need only to remember these days, when my boredom or other personal worries seem so minuscule in the face of such struggles.  and i remember that i truly am blessed.  

remember that, today. 
xo