Meant to Be Here

I know it’s been awhile since we posted and everyone has been asking about my first couple of weeks at my new job.  Well, here I am reporting that it’s been … AMAZING!  I can’t think of another job where you’d receive so many hugs on a first day.  And each day since has been better than the one before it.  I get up excited for each day.  I usually arrive between 8:00 and 8:30 and the next thing I know, it’s time to go home.  It’s an incredibly positive work environment and I feel good about the work being done and go home with a smile.

The day starts much earlier than it used to for me.  But not as early as Laurina.  Now working full time, she’s long gone before Alex and I get up.  Alex and I spend a fun morning getting ready, eating cereal and watching cartoons together before I take him to playschool / daycare then board the train to the hospital.  I enjoy the 20 minutes on the LRT.

My days consist of meeting with many of the staff including Social workers, Unit Managers, Patient Care Managers, Physicians and families and supporting programs and practices which promote the values of Family Centered Care.  I’ve spent time on all of the units and participated in orientations for new nurses.  I already feel welcome and part of the family. 

I find it incredibly rewarding and enriching.  But not a day goes by where I’m not taken back to a moment when I was a dad in these hospitals with Alex and Andrew.  Some of the meetings we’ve had have only been within a few metres of where Andrew spent much of his time.  When I hear the stories of families and staff, I cannot help but feel many of the same emotions.  I’ve had to check myself a few times and privately wipe a tear away now and then.  Alex says “I want to work in a hospital too … with you!”.  And I know Andrew would be very proud of his dad too.  And it makes me feel great knowing that the meaning and purpose of Andrew’s short life grows each day and other families lives are made just a little bit brighter because of it.  I’m where I’m mean to be.  And I heard a rumour that I even get paid for this …