Sometimes...

On my job, sometimes I make people cry.

Sometimes they are happy tears.

Sometimes they are tears of heartbreak and fear.

I had both today. By the end I was quite ready to cry with them. But I can't.

It tears me up inside when I see the sad tears, but often there is nothing I can do other than attempt some compassion. And when I do, they don't recognize the compassion or the message. They just feel the pain, and there is little I can do to alleviate it. They just think I'm unfair.

It's hard to be the tough one sometimes, even when it is the right way to be. It's hard to stick with the rules and statutes and what is required when you just want to give them a hug. I've had to be tough on people who thought they were doing the right thing, or trusted someone else to do it, and it's all gone wrong. I do the best I can and hope that it will turn out right in the end, no matter how bumpy the current situation seems to be.

I think people look at the work we do, and think how easy it is. It isn't. People think that anyone could do it. Maybe, but most people don't want to. It's draining. It can be rewarding but it is very difficult work to deal with fragmented lives and try to make the best of it. I love my job. Maybe I just sometimes wish there weren't so much of it.