Employed!

Back in November, I turned down a job that was close to perfect as far as hours, location & mission go...but it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do. Today, I officially said YES to another job, and I'm very pleased and excited - and eager to see where this journey takes me.

This is part of the mission statement of my new employer: We are the place for families and professionals to go to “ASK” questions about children with special needs and to access information and resources about a variety of topics such as health insurance, special education, community resources and medical homes.

I think the thing that is most amazing to me about this new job is how it came to be. I hatched this idea a few months ago, talked to some people, they referred me to others, and here I am: tomorrow I start three days of training and I am part of the work force again!

I prayed and prayed about this. Once I had my first interview and things went really well, I did my life long practice of thinking "Oh geez, life is pretty nice right now...do I really want this change?" All my free time while T is in school will be gone, no more leisurely morning & afternoon hours to charge myself up for the busy after school & evenings. But I really had an intense prayer time a few days ago (rare for me), saying to God that whatever is in store with this job, I'm in. If I got the job, then I'm along for the ride - helping families get the help they need, helping our family in turn by learning all that I will in training and on the job, and starting a new journey and possibly a new career path. But if I didn't get the job, then it wasn't meant to be and something else was out there. And for once, I truly released this situation to God and felt comfortable and at peace with whatever happened. So when the phone call came, I was excited, took the job, and said "Okay, God, here we go."

Adding to the employment news, I've gotten two singing gigs here locally! Wow! It feels so damn good to sing again. I really have had to put most of my work & career life completely aside these past years, especially since T's diagnosis. I didn't even have the slightest desire to sing. It's not like I made a conscious decision not to sing - I just didn't. But since we've moved here, things are happening for me. I sang at a church back in November, and I loved it. It's looking like I can take this job and also be doing some singing around town too. How great would that be? This feels so exciting and promising, and a little scary, too.

I've enjoyed this time I've had since he has been in school all day, but have also felt an urge to start earning some money again, and more importantly, do something important & useful with my time. I have a lot of knowledge now, and I'm a good communicator, and I also seem to have "Tell me" written all over my face because people talk to me. And its not like I'm working full time - this is the beautiful thing - I'll be working only while Thomas is in school! And the office is less than a 10 minute drive door to door. I could even drive home for lunch, put some laundry in, or stop at the grocery, for crying out loud. AND...I'm helping families of special needs children get the help they need.

And when I get nervous about this new adventure, I remind myself that I do this every time I'm facing a change. I used to be sad before my birthdays as a child because I'd never be 10 again. Do you think I fear change?