I always feel most loved when I'm shown in unexpected ways or by ones that pay attention to details. A note from a friend that says she's praying about the things she knows are on my heart. Or my mom telling me I'm a beautiful woman first thing in the morning. Or the time I was surprised to find a whole batch of artfully decorated cupcakes in my room on my birthday. Or a gift from my sister that she bought because she thought of a joke we have together when she saw it. These things remind me that I'm loved as is and that people know me and know what I need to feel loved.
Today, I had one of those days where I just felt loved by God in this way. I did not have the best start to the day. My work day yesterday was exhausting and I was not looking forward to returning there this morning. I did not know how I was going to make it through the day. I prayed for God to help me through it, for peace in my heart, wisdom in how I interacted with others, to remain calm in a crisis, and that I would be able to follow through with everything. When I arrived at work, I heard that yet another one of my clients had been in crisis the previous evening that took over two hours. Great. More paperwork. More follow up meetings. Just awesome.
But, I plugged through. I was able to remain calm and I did not get anxious over all the extra work I needed to do as a result. Instead, I just did it and I was able to be finished with all the follow up by 2:30, which is when I need to start seeing clients and I no longer have time to do paperwork. However, at this time, the weather began to kick in. I could hear the thunder rolling in for about an hour and it was coming quickly! Just as I was finishing my last debriefing, the rain started to pour, the wind became ferocious, and the thunder was relentless. My co-worker and I were astounded at the force of the storm. The power went out for a minute, and then came back on. We thought we were in the clear.
I saw the lightening strike and heard the crack at about the same time. The power went off again as did the fire alarm. My co-worker and I continue talking (clearly, we work in a facility where crises are no big deal) until there is a knock at my door and someone is saying that it's not a drill, the alarm is real, and we need to get everyone to the school...which means we have to walk outside in the pouring rain and raging storm.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love a good storm. It is so exciting to watch the clouds roll in, hear the thunder, and then watch the rain pour down. And I was excited. I grabbed my non-verbal client by the arm and said, "Let's go!" and we headed out in the rain together. We walked all the kids to the school and were able to corral them in the library. For a group of autistic kids, they did great! After about half an hour, we were able to walk them back to the residential facility.
At this point, I still had on my schedule three individual therapy sessions and one family session. One of my sessions was with one of my girls who has struggled to connect with me therapeutically. I was able to have a great and productive session with her today and build a stronger therapeutic relationship. In the middle of my conversation with her, my supervisor knocks on my door and says that the CEO is sending all non-essential employees home as power and trees are down in many places and that more storms were supposed to roll in. I finished up my session and made sure it was ok with my last session that I meet with her in the morning instead. My co-worker canceled our family session and I was out. It was only 4pm.
So today, I was able to remain calm during the crisis of paperwork and follow up and while walking the kids to the school. I got to play in the rain a little bit. I was able to establish a more positive relationship with one of my kids. AND I got to leave early with permission. God blessed my day with a change of pace and I was able to spend more time relaxing at home this evening. Usually, I don't get home until at least 7pm on Wednesdays. Tonight, I was in jeans and a t-shirt by 4:45.
All in all, it was kind of a crazy day. But God answered my prayers and allowed me the space to recover that I needed. The extra few hours off are a blessing to help me gear up to go to work tomorrow. God knew the exact details I needed to feel loved and cared for by Him.
I believe that God knows right when we need to be loved. And He knows which details count to remind us that He still loves us and cares for us. Today, I felt loved in the details.
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