The Other Side of Christmas

I don’t usually write about work. You know that. But tonight feels different.

The Other Side of Christmas

I picked up extra shifts this week because holiday pay helps with Christmas gifts, and because honestly, I love what I do. But walking into the pediatric ward tonight and seeing kids who should be home hanging stockings or sneaking peeks at presents under the tree… it hits differently during the holidays. There’s a seven-year-old girl in room 314 who asked me if Santa knows where the hospital is. I told her absolutely, and that he has special arrangements with all the nurses to make sure Christmas still happens.

Home after a long shift

I came home and Marcus had saved me dinner (leftover pizza, but still). Sophie was already asleep but I couldn’t help myself – I went in and just watched her breathe for a few minutes.

These moments matter most

Sometimes this job reminds me how fragile everything is, how lucky we are for ordinary Tuesday nights and teething complaints and the beautiful chaos of a healthy baby who keeps us up because she’s excited about life, not because she’s fighting for it.

The little things

Tomorrow I’ll go back and those kids will still be there, but tonight I’m holding my own baby a little tighter and feeling grateful for problems like ‘the dishes aren’t done’ and ‘we need groceries.’ These are good problems to have.

Grateful for this chaos