Mother's Day

This hospice job of mine has a few perks, the biggest of which is that I rarely work holidays anymore, and I have every single weekend off. These benefits help balance the fact that I no longer have 4 days off a week. In the past, I worked every other weekend and holiday, and for several years in a row, I worked Mother's Day.


To take the edge off working these special days, the staff always had a potluck in the ICU. The food was always great and the camaraderie even better. There are a few hellish memories of these days in the unit, when ancillary staff was limited, and we were overwhelmed with sick patients. Really sick patients. Still, we muddled through somehow. Medical residents would always find their way to the food, too, and the overall atmosphere would be pleasant.

These days, I don't have to worry about who will cook for my kids while I'm working. Last year, to celebrate the fact I wasn't working for once, I didn't cook, and my kids and I went out to eat for dinner. A mistake. Everyone else had the same idea, food service was rushed, and the quality was not as good as what I could whip up myself.

In preparation for tonight's dinner, Leo and I made the sauce for lasagna last night. More accurately, I made the sauce and Leo supervised with his nose. He was waiting patiently at my feet for something, anything, to drop out of the pan like a gift from above. Today, I only have to assemble the dish, pop it in the oven and make a salad. Sounds easy enough.

In the meantime, I'm spending my special day knitting away on the Fiesta Shawl. I started the decrease rows last night, and only have 256 rows left. With the chilly Detroit weather (the high is only 57 degrees today), it would be nice to have it done, but with nearly 500 stitches still on the needles, I think you can see how daunting 256 rows really looks to me.

Here's hoping that however you celebrate this day, you'll find a little special time for yourself.

Happy Mother's Day!