Running on empty, then an unexpected refill

Thursdays are child protection days. Today it was 24 cases, 9:30 to 5:00 straight through, with 15 minutes for lunch.

The one glimmer of light: a woman got clean, got her kid back and got her case dismissed; the judge asked, "how does it feel?" and she said, "the sky's bluer and the grass is greener." I do the job for moments like that.