Crazy Day

Do you ever have one of those days when you wish you could just start over? Today was one of those days for me.
I was out of the office this morning for a family/volunteer recruitment event at a local college. It was a good experience and I feel like I was able to make a lot of good contacts. I had a few folks who provided their contact information and requested applications be mailed to them. I was grateful to be able to share with others the details of Habitat for Humanity's home ownership program and encourage them to apply. This was the good part of my day.
It was when I came back to the office that everything seemed to unravel. One challenge was that our receptionist was out sick and our office manger was out of the office for the day. So, when the volunteer coordinator and I were out of the office this meant that staff members who usually don't answer the phones and field phone calls were left to fend for themselves. This is never a good thing. I figured that I would come back to some rather confusing phone messages as has occurred on other days when we have been short staffed in the office, but I was unprepared for the confusion and chaos that seemed to consume the rest of my day.
I had several emails to respond to and then began to try to decipher the phone messages. I had to work at putting out some minor forest fires and try to respond to questions from families and volunteers. I was called into three separate meetings responding to mini-crises that had arisen during the morning while I was out of the office. Then I had to try to do some of the work that I had planned to do in this afternoon. Needless to say, much of this work will be waiting for me when I return in to the office in the morning.
By the end of the day my brain was fried and felt as if I had not really accomplished anything. Instead, I felt as if some of what I had done only made some situations more confusing. I found myself getting really grouchy and not wanting to be in the office. While I really love my job, sometimes the drama of dealing with all of the various constituencies can be a bit overwhelming for me.
I have good intentions and I try to be a good listener but I often fail so miserably. It's in times like this that I recognize how frail and weak and sinful I really am. I do wonder how God puts up with me in the midst of all of this. I can only say that it is a sign of God's amazing grace that I continue to be allowed to do this ministry.
So, tonight I'm tired and feeling somewhat grumpy and I think I'm headed to bed early. Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is another chance to serve the God that I love and to do my best to help those in poverty. I'm grateful for the promise and the hope that tomorrow brings.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!