Midway through a second consecutive day of helping fill in for a sick aide, I was having supper with Sr. Elaine (while Sr. Rebecca took her turn at the reception desk).

As I’ve been thinking ahead to my upcoming trip to the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis next week, I mentioned that I’d been tempted to put a note at the employee time clock.

It would state something like: “Sr. Christina will be out of town for several days and will not be available November 15 through 19. Please plan your emergencies accordingly.”

We both kind of laughed at the turn of phrase. There’s a reason I don’t have a job title anymore on my name badge. Like so many others here, I end up filling up in multiple departments.

I am so grateful to those who pitched in to help with needed tasks, especially with laundry. (I don’t mind collecting, sorting colors, and running them through the machines, but reading name tags and sorting/delivering accordingly is challenging.)

As I look forward to my upcoming trip, I hope no other emergencies come up during that time. I’m not saying people couldn’t live without me, but I like to be able to help in such cases.

While other job responsibilities are all good, there is something I find especially rewarding about providing direct care for our residents.