A good reminder

I love my job. It can be stressful at times. I hear some pretty bad stuff being a social worker. I see families struggle to hold it together as they see their elderly mother or father deteriorate, I see people living in horrible conditions and there's nothing you can do about it. I see people in serious pain, financial turmoil, and just plain lonely.
But then there are good days. I hear about wonderful family and friends who will go to the ends of the Earth to take care of their loved ones...but do not think they're doing anything extra special. I see neighbors, at once strangers but now friends, family, and doctors really care about their elderly friend and know that they deserve to be taken care of.
And then there are days like these, where I get mail from one of my seniors that moved away. She calls me every day. Despite the things she goes through in her life (it's been a lot) she still is always laughing, smiling, and wears her beads and red hair with pride. When she lived in Spokane, she came to our senior center and just wanted friends. She drew me pictures, always of my house and today I got a new picture.
It wasn't a house and today it was colored better because she's recently had eye surgery.

It says "Happy Easter to Allison and Brand". She calls me her angel. She tells her friends in Texas that I'm her angel because I took her to the doctor when I decided the sore she's had on her lip for over 3 years needed to be looked at. It turned out to be skin cancer. I'm not her angel, she's mine. She reminds me every morning why I do my job. I do my job to touch lives, to make a difference in the lives of those that have worked hard for our country, raised children, fought for our freedom, and lived through some difficult times. All I did was walk with her to the doctor's office. All she did was walk through those doors.
Sometimes it only takes a little bit to touch someone's life..for the good and the bad. I hope I can do more good than bad in my lifetime.