Hospital Property

I was folding laundry yesterday, and, since Aaron's back at work, I came across several pairs of scrubs. As I was folding them, I took a better look at the printed stamp on them and I read: "PROPERTY OF CHRISTUS SPOHN HEALTH SYSTEM UNLAWFUL REMOVAL OF THIS PROPERTY FROM SPOHN HOSPITALS IS AN ACT PUNISHABLE BY LAW." Wow, that pretty much summed up what I'd been feeling about Aaron's first week of residency. It seems as if the above statement applies more to the wearer of the garment, than to the item of clothing itself. As of Friday, Aaron had already put in 70 hours of work at the hospital...not including the work he has to do when he's at home. Plus, he has to work weekends too. Hospital property indeed! So, in just one week he'll put in an average of almost 100 hours of work! Crazy, crazy, CRAZY! Supposedly there is an 80 hour per week cap, but when I asked Aaron about it, he said that it's 80 hours per week averaged over a months time...a loophole to get around the system and work those poor residents nearly to death.

So, what's a wife to do when out of the 168 hours per week, her hubby works a whopping 100 of them, sleeps for a measly 42 of them, takes approx 10 of them to get ready and to commute back and forth, and uses at least 7 of them to work at home? What does that leave? 9 hours, that's what. 9 hours a week. 1.28 hours per day to find out how his day went, to let him know what happened here at home, to eat dinner and to get ready for bed. No one said that residency was easy, in fact quite the contrary, but I guess I never knew just how hard it was going to be until now. Granted, this is just his first week, and hopefully as time goes by things will improve as he gets more efficient. Still, it's looking like it's gonna be a long 3 years.

The hardest part of all of this is seeing how hard Aaron has to work, and how stressed out he is, and the fact that I can't really do anything to help him. I mean, I do what I can. I have a clean house for him to come home to, I have dinner ready (or almost ready) when he gets back, I pray for him throughout the day, I try to make sure that Johnathan is awake when he gets home so that he can play with him for a few minutes, I pray (PRAY, PRAY, PRAY) some more and so on. It doesn't seem like enough, but it's really all I can do.

So, although I don't feel like a "Resident's Widow" (yet) I am feeling the pain of separation. I knew it would be hard, but I didn't know just how hard until this past week. Somehow I know that these years to come are going to be some great growing years. Yet that word "growing" looms ominous above me. However, hopefully I will grow in greater dependence on the Lord, in patience and understanding, and in other ways that I can't foresee at the moment. Aaron hopefully will grow in knowledge and understanding of the Lord and of the medical profession. Johnathan, well, he'll just grow! He's already getting so big! (sniff, sniff)

To all who have read this, thanks. I guess this sort of turned into a vent of sorts. It feels good to get my thoughts out, and, as usual, I feel much better now. Well, I gotta get going to make things "homey" here at the house. I love you all!