I am off Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. When I walk through the door at the shelter Wednesday mornings I have countless people needing my attention and talking over top of one another getting me up-to-speed, sharing what I have missed, telling on others, and praising me for being me and being there.
All this to say, it is a very warm welcome. Nothing gets put on my schedule before my team in the mornings.
Coincidentally, we have meals being provided from outside groups this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday which frees up nothing but days to get projects done that there is never time for.
My team.
I walk in the door to have two of my shelter guys say, "We want to show you something!" I go into the basement to our lower-level pantry to see that they have completely stocked and organized the shelves by product AND have the labels facing the correct direction (Ginormous in my book!).
I was generous and not rushed with my words of praise and two shelter guys felt like a million dollars.
My kitchen team lead couldn't wait to show me he had already cleared out, separated products by meat, and organized two gigantic coolers. It was a big and very chilly project.
I lavishly praised his hard work and initiative.
I couldn't believe what they accomplished to impress me.
The turkeys were cooked down and the meet taken off for upcoming meals and the kitchen was alive in hustle-n-bustle.
Do you know what I hear basically the first 1/2 hour of every day? How amazing I am and how beyond grateful they are that I am there. That they are there now, because I am there.
Letting them know I was going to the store, I simply said I needed to run to Sam's Club to get more groceries for the meal ministry, that I needed to go around and check our food closets and freezers. Two jumped in and said, "Miss Dawn, we will take inventory for you." The truth is, they do it better than me, because they've done it longer. I told them to have lunch first, then we could do it together. Both wanted to accomplish the task before they ate ... for me.
They have accomplished projects way ahead of schedule to show me. They want to help and go the extra mile without my even needing to ask.
I come back from the store to three of my shelter guys with a chocolate candy bar, an Easter Reeses Cup, and a the new Dum-Dum's with the jelly beans inside to share with me and I graciously accept their gifts letting them know they are the perfect treat to complement my cup of coffee.
I am good to my team. I work right beside them and jump in doing whatever task is needed. I intervene and run to the battle line without hesitation when conflict breaks out. I appreciate them, praise them, joke with them, and genuinely like them.
They like me, too.
