When I look back at three days ago when I was worrying myself sick about this new job I can't believe it.
I love it.
Everyone kept telling me that it takes a special person to do this job. I started feeling less and less up to it. I'm not an uberly patient, super-human with a greater than average mental ability or twice the normal size heart.
But you don't have to be super-human. The first day was a little overwhelming. I don't have a ton of experience with lower functioning and disabled adults. I didn't know what to expect from each of them, didn't know how to interact with each of them because they seemed so different from each other.
I also didn't expect the love. The first couple days I was focused on learning, on just trying to not do anything wrong, and observing and absorbing everything I could. But over the third and fourth day the love I felt for them took me by surprise.
I've felt the instant love for my nieces and nephews. I fell in love with Skagway. But this is different. I've always heard missionaries talk about falling in love with the people of their mission and now I'm pretty sure I know how they feel. It's not just compassion, not just natural feelings of affection. I wasn't prepared for how fast and completely I would come to love each of the clients. Hearing them laugh, seeing their smiles, helping to make them happy, is probably the best feeling in the world. Hearing about some of their less-than-ideal circumstances, sorrows, seizures and other difficulties breaks my heart.
I have known some of them less than two days, others four, and I love them like I've never loved anybody else. The only thing I can think is that God is sharing some of his love for them with me. It's amazing.
It doesn't take a 'special kind of person', all you need is love.
