If I did not believe, if I did not make what is called an act of faith (and each act of faith increases our faith, and our capacity for faith), if I did not have faith that the works of mercy do lighten the sum total of suffering in the world, so that those who are suffering on both sides of this ghastly struggle somehow mysteriously find their pain lifted and some balm of consolation poured on their wounds, if I did not believe these things, the problem of evil would indeed be overwhelming. dorothy day

"What we would like to do is change the world­ - to make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended for them to do. And we can change the world: we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world." (dorothy day) what a long, strange week it's been. my clients have been intense, and my supervisor (and friend) had a miscarriage. there has been little time to keep up with the paperwork requirements - instead, the focus has been on the actual social work, resulting in a weekend of catching up at the office. we did take a little break last night, though. it started with a happy hour to celebrate/mourn my coworker megan's leaving the agency, followed by a date with daniel to see "a lot like love" at easton, our local materialism mecca. i'm not a big ashton kutcher fan, but this film is really very sweet. the characters were funny and realistic, and amanda peet looks like my old roommate, amy mcdonald chapman. (where are you, amy?) today is all work, though, with a little blog break thrown into the mix. i've already done two home visits, and now i'm writing risk assessments. the day started in a lovely fashion, though, as my lovely husband made a crazy good omlette and his own spontaneous fry-bread. yum. the rest of the day will continue to be full, though - my goal is to get a ton done (and to make the house spotless) and then rest and play all day tomorrow, without a care in the world. back to assessing. in the meantime, though, read this book. you won't be sorry!

oh my. i walked into my biweekly supervision conference with tina (best supervisor in the world) this morning, and received three startling pieces of news: 1. today is suddenly another supervisor's last day. tina says i should apply for the position, even if i'm "only remotely interested in it at any time in the future." i don't think i would get it this time around, but tina thinks i should go through the experience to see what it's like. hm. 2. the franklin county children's services workers are going on strike next wednesday. this doesn't directly affect us in terms of caseloads, but it does mean that a lot less will be done on the front end of cases before they get transferred to us. 3. my supervisor is unexpectedly pregnant. so. not a lot of news that any of you really care about, but it's made my day more interesting! amy rose is graduating. who thinks she should move to columbus?

i've been tagged by nathalie, so now i have a task. i must choose five occupations from those listed below, and then explain to you what i would do if i were able to pursue that particular line of work. choices: scientist, farmer, musician, doctor, painter, gardener, missionary, chef, architect, linguist, psychologist, librarian, athlete, lawyer, inn-keeper, professor, writer, llama-rider, bonnie pirate, astronaut, world-famous blogger, justice in any one court of the world, married to any current famous political figure. lawyer: if i were a lawyer, i would work for the international justice mission or human rights watch or something similar having to do with international human rights, primarily focused on fighting and prosecuting sexual exploiters. this would all take place in south asia or south america, or maybe africa. while i'm out fighting injustice, my lovely husband would be raising our children and making beautiful music with his new banjo. if living on another continent was too draining for our family, we would move to d.c. or new york, and i could travel frequently to consult. alternatively, i could work for the aclu or be a prosecutor in new york city. writer: if i were a writer, i would write brilliant non-fiction essays that make my reader want to be my best friend, like anne lamott. but i would also do freelance journalism around the world, especially from countries affected by war. i would be a voice for the oppressed. yes, if i were a writer. inn-keeper: my inn would be an urban inn - somewhere like paris or prague or brussels. or mumbai (the largest city in the world!) i would offer fresh chai every morning and a tea time in the afternoon. every bed would have a down comforter. of course, if it were in mumbai, every bed would have a lovely lightweight cotton tapestry. linguist: if i were a linquist, like nathalie, i would be a translator for the UN, of course. just like nicole kidman in "the interpreter." except that i might work for the UN in geneva instead of new york. professor: i would teach social work, and i would challenge my students to get to know a world outside their own, like my professors did. i would teach at a private liberal arts school - one small enough to get to know my students and have them over for dinner. ok. now leigh and sharon are it!