Thankful

So, I've been a bit lax about updating over here.  The week leading up to break was crazy, but I did get to spend a lovely 24 hours in the city with Stacey, including introducing her to Magnolia.  Once Thanksgiving break hit and I was back in Connecticut, I was in full veg-mode.  It was one of the best Thanksgivings I've had in a long time, even though I never quite achieved my goal of "Get a lot of schoolwork done", but I think that's OK.  I am happy to back in the city, but getting to see the Natchaug crew, as well as my ladies from Wilson's was awesome.

Making one of my annual contributions to Thanksgiving.

The "Secret Ingredient" to my cranberry sauce.

Our Thanksgiving spread, minus my Caesar Salad and the multitude of desserts.

I came back to New York last night and was back at my field placement first thing this morning.  I wasn't expecting an especially easy day, since the holidays (and the immediate aftermath) can be hard for the kind of kids I work with.  I wasn't expecting anything like today turned out to be.  It started out with little things like my coffee pot freaking out, mopping up a miniature lake of coffee off my white tile floor and then waiting 15 minutes for the stupid 2 train (which also decided to stop running this afternoon).  This all paled in comparison to the session with one of my favorite students that ended with my first call to ACS, among other things.  It was one of those days that simultaneously makes me wonder why I want to do this kind of work and reminds me why I need to.  Sometimes watching what these kids have to live through on a daily basis and how little is being done to support them is worse than heartbreaking.  And often there is little or nothing I can do to "fix" it.  Though, sometimes, like today, just being able to listen and help them get what they need has to be enough.