Have you faced difficult trials?

I sure have!

Just yesterday, I was cutting our grass and the lawnmower died. After unsuccessfully trying to repair it, I had to go all the way to Lowe’s (about three whole miles) and buy another one.

Earlier this week, at the end of the day, I’d gone all the way out to my truck before I realized I had left my keys in my office and had to begrudgingly go back and get them. It was really annoying!

Of course, I am being facetious. I have faced actual (and more serious) difficulties in life, but we often look at small inconveniences as real trials that require us to muster up the strength of William Wallace to endure another day. As leaders, we often believe we are due some type of special recognition or reward for still being able to lace up our shoes after someone hurt our feelings.

I’m not one for playing the trials comparison game, but at work, I have an everyday, real-life example of someone handling life’s challenges with strength, tenacity, love, and faith.

Paula Salter, or as we call her, “Ms. Paula,” is one of the strongest people I know. I’ve known and worked with Ms. Paula for nearly ten years.

The building we work in is commonly referred to as “one of the cleanest buildings on campus,” and Ms. Paula is one of the main reasons why. She and the rest of the Building Specialists are extremely diligent in their work and clearly take pride in providing our students with a beautiful, safe, and comfortable place to spend their time outside of class.

I consider myself very blessed to know and call Ms. Paula a friend and coworker. She is such an inspirational example of enduring trials with unmatched strength and perseverance.

When you see Ms. Paula at work, you can easily tell when her arthritis is acting up. You’ll recognize a noticeable limp, and when you ask her about it, she’ll laugh and jokingly say, “Arthur has come to see me.” I guess when you deal with arthritis as much as she does, you become acquainted on a first-name basis.

Other painful health issues that she routinely manages are neuropathy and fibromyalgia. I only know these things because she makes me aware of doctor’s visits because she doesn’t like missing work. Ms. Paula experiences and works through relentless physical pain on a regular basis.

On top of her physical pain, since I’ve known her, Ms. Paula has had to endure an unimaginable amount of emotional pain as well. Ms. Paula has multiple children who were born with sickle-cell anemia, one of whom, her youngest son, unexpectedly died this year from the terrible disease. She was just beginning to heal from the death of her daughter in 2019, and when he passed away, she began the painful grieving process all over again.

Ms. Paula has been a single parent for most of her adult life and is a caretaker for her grandchildren, one of whom is mentally disabled, and helps take care of her mother.

This is an obvious statement, but Ms. Paula has been through A LOT! Yet, she keeps showing up to work, thanking God for the strength He provides her, and continues to pour into the people around her on a daily basis.

I’m so grateful for our conversations when Ms. Paula shares, cries, laughs, and allows me to pray with her. She is such an incredible example and a great inspiration for me and all who know her.

I often see one of her sons, Jamal, on campus, and he always says, “Y’all take care of my momma!” Without fail, I always tell him, “She takes care of us!” And she really does.