new – old toys…
What a day!
Today was one of those days that you just don’t know what’s is going on. First, when I was fixing my hair I found a white hair. Do you know what that does to a man’s self-esteem? I have one word to say… DAMAGE. I am not going to say that it takes me about 20 minutes to fix my hair, but I am not going to deny it either. Regardless of the time, I found that white little sneak chilling among the other hair. Traffic was insane this morning, even to the point that on my usual route… a train was stalled. Who decides to park trains at 8 a.m. when people are trying to get to work?
On a more serious note. I have so many cases and they are so unique, but how do I do something for everyone? I have a case where the mother has multiple sclerosis and her husband is only working 15 hours a week because construction work is so unpredictable. Her medical insurance was canceled this month and her children are very sick. She has to pay out of pocket to see the doctor and get the medicines on a single parent 15 hour a week salary. So… she ended up pawning her car in order to get some money to take care of her children’s health. We do not have the resources, and neither does she. What do we do in cases like these? I cannot do everything for them because that defeats the purpose of our mission, but where is the line drawn on the sand?
There are so many things I enjoy about this job as a Family Development Worker, but there are many more things that break my heart. Like the fact that some go through hunger, divorce, child custody battles, malnutrition, abuse, neglect, immigration issues, fear, and loneliness. This is why I believe God placed me in this position; God wants me to hurt for what these families are going through… and do something about it. One thing is to know what is going on and another to do something about it.
Each day is a new one, and I have to remember that I cannot worry for tomorrows problems when tomorrow will have problems of its own. I have to deal with each issue one at a time… in faith.
On a lighter note, I am getting to know my co-workers a lot better and they are great people. I have to admit that there are times that nerves flare, but they are great individuals. Each person is so unique, and most of them have families of their own. When they start talking about their children it is like if you are talking about their favorite dessert. Even their eyes get a certain glaze and a love for them forces their pupils to get bigger. These people are great and today, just like every day, I choose to see the best inside of them.
My co-workers are getting to know my so much that they know I LOVE photography, so one gave me 2 cameras she found. They are not digital of course, but they look great. Well, I traded the cameras for a photo-shoot for her and her family. This was I will feel less guilty than if I had only just taken them from her. I am excited to get away from the digital and go back to what made photography great… the film. 
There is no pre-view or post-view, photography is up to the photographer.
I just need to buy a manual to figure these Japanese cameras out, so far so good. I was able to figure out how to open the back and mess with the shutter, now if I could only figure out what the other buttons do (insert evil scientist laugh). 
Alex Castro
My Story - One Tale at a Time... 
I had an old minolta similar to those for my first back in college… great camera. Those will be nice to take camping or on a trip since you will not have to worry about them.
Good point.