One of THOSE Weeks

Have you ever had a week that just seemed like it would never end and couldn’t possibly get any worse? I’m going to be real transparent with y’all, this seems to be one of those weeks for me. It has been a challenging week to say the least. I have dealt with awful things professionally in counseling, I took Zeke for his 5th covid test this year, I am facing custody modification on two fronts with my husband’s daughter this week, and upcoming with Zeke and his dad. On top of it all we had tons of “extra” things this week outside of our normal schedule, and I couldn’t be more ready for Thanksgiving break, time with family, and sleeping in just a little later.

This week professionally was such a challenge. I will say as a school counselor, that covid has brought out so much ugly in our society. Those precious babies who have had school as their “safe place” for so long, are now spending the majority of their time in what could be a scary, non-supportive, loveless home. Along with dealing with issues with my own students and families, I took some classes this week that gave me the staggering statistics of this covid pandemic. Divorces are up, child abuse is up, school attendance is down, cases of suicide is up, drug use in teens is up, and cases of anxiety and depression are up. We are living in such a dark time, and it’s moments like this that I know my job as a counselor is a calling. I’m called to help these kids and families, I’m called to help where I can, I’m called to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, and I’m called to educate, prepare, and help others through these tough situations.

Zeke has a plethora of upcoming appointments in the next month or so, which makes things a little crazy. As someone in education all of our family appointments tend to be scheduled on our school holidays, so we have Thanksgiving break filled with appointments, and Christmas break with a surgery for Zeke. What is beyond frustrating with this, is that Zeke has had to have covid tests before any appointments he has at a particular hospital in Austin. It absolutely broke my heart to have to hold his arms down, and head still, as the doctor did the 5th covid test on my poor sweet boy. The only positive to be seen in this is that Zeke is now taking these tests like a champ. He cries for about 30 seconds, gives the doctor a dirty look, and then goes on his way.

To add to all of that stress this week, tomorrow my husband and I are facing a temporary hearing for custody over our daughter, and tensions are SO high. I am off work and ready for the day, but on edge about what will happen. It has been a VERY rocky road since March when all of this started, but we know that we can provide her the stable home that she needs. To put another iron in the fire, I found out last week that Zeke’s dad is asking for some ludacris things in a custody modification suit, after I filed for him not paying his child support. This of course means I had to retain our lawyer for this case as well, and am now fighting custody battles on two fronts. Parenting is not for the weak, and as overwhelming as this situation is, I am ready to fight for all of my babies to make sure they are safe, loved, and have what is truly in their best interest.

Being the week before break, everything is crazy with school, kids activities, and nursing schedules for Zeke. We had so much extra this week with changes to schedule, changes to our norms, and just in general high emotional needs in all realms. The one thing that was stable and is keeping me sane through this all is the phrase I tell myself all the time. “God’s got this!” I don’t know many times this phrase has kept my head above water, when everything starts crashing down around me. I remind myself often of the story of Job. No matter how many times he was tested, NEVER did he forsake God. Weeks like this I have to remind myself to be like Job, and remember “God’s got this!”