Labor Day

I have a special appreciation for Labor Day this year. I guess I am management of sorts, but only because of this weird fiction imposed upon me by the State. I am now running a shell business so that the nurses who care for Maggie can still work here. I am “vendored” by the state to provide the service, but I am not a nurse. Hence I have to find, hire, fire the nurses to care for Maggie and then pay them. At the end of each month, The State of California pays me back (theoretically) for the outrageous funds I have “fronted”. It’s a whole crapload of work for me and a huge economic strain, but it’s the only way we can get Maggie what she needs.

We have nurses here 16 hours a day – including overnight so I can snore my head off and bug my husband. Maggie’s nurses are amazing and wonderful people – mostly women - who work all hours to care for Mag. And she’s not an easy patient. Maggie needs all sorts of skilled care all the time – and I mean every minute or so - and she thinks it’s HILARIOUS to interfere, kick, pull and do anything possible to make the nurse job more difficult. None of these procedures hurt her and I suppose this is her way of exercising control. She laughs her head off the entire time she is acting out, and it’s hard not to crack up. Even the nurses have to laugh. Usually. Sometimes they get very frustrated with her – but that just makes her laugh harder. As her mom, I have to admit I’m a little proud of her defiance and ability to exercise what little control she has over her environment. As the mom who will have to do every bit of this work myself without these nurses, I cringe and try to get her to stop.

I need these nurses. They care for Maggie and they care for me. They redefine Labor and commitment. Happy Labor Day to all who labor and a very happy Labor Day to Maggie’s nurses. Now get back to work.