A tough end of the school break

This has been a tough, tough end of the school break.  Part of it is simply how the dates fall.  January 3 is the earliest we ever go back, and since it falls on a Monday it's a full week.  We've had so much family drama this weekend, and it's been draining.  It absolutely detracted from any joy of celebrating the new year, and in fact, we almost didn't get to celebrate with our friends Friday evening.  It's been so tough that our friends even came over yesterday to be supportive.  Today is so much better, and for that I am grateful.

The hardest part is going back to my job tomorrow.  I don't dislike the job itself, but some things have occurred that make it tough to be excited about going back.  One was that I didn't receive the staff gift that was given to everyone.  I know they were purchased because I pay the bills.  I didn't order them so I didn't know the specifics of how many, but I was a little surprised that there wasn't one for me.  Secondly, I didn't receive the gift card that was sent electronically to staff AND contractors.  And all of this is on the heels of being the ONLY employee who didn't receive a raise this school year.  At the time, I chalked it up to the fact that I hadn't been there a year, and I accepted that.  The tough part though, was that I knew the original budget for the school year had a 5% increase for me.  Receiving absolutely nothing felt like a bit of slap, but again, I hadn't been there a year (nine months, but not a full year).  I feel like the message is loud and clear, yet they keep telling me how grateful they are that I am there and how much I bring to the table.  I've always been a huge proponent however, that actions speak louder than words, and the actions tell me otherwise.  It makes it very tough to feel excited about getting back into the swing of things!