Monday night as I was fixing supper I started thinking about how different our life now is compared to One Year Ago! It is amazing that 365 days can bring about SOOOO much change....and that our lives could be so much better! I am having an emotional day, so you will all have to bear with me as I poor out my heart and soul in this post. (Don't feel obligated to read on!)
So how is life different, well let me take you back in time! It was about this time last year (might have been April, don't remember for sure) but the kids and I took a little trip to the Barlow's. Life was good when we left Coldwater and we had a great time with Richard, Melissa and Harper! Returning home proved to be quite dramatic and our world was turned upside down in a matter of days. The evening that I got home Jeremy said he had some news for me and that I should probably sit down....that's never a good start to a conversation! He went on to tell me that while we were gone his boss had decided that he was going to sell all the cattle and essentially Jeremy was going to be unemployed and we were going to lose our house. The even worse part was that we had no idea how long this process would take, so we had to start taking action immediately!
We started combing the papers and internet sites looking for jobs...both of us! For the first time since I had Preston I was faced with the possibility of having to work and put the kids in daycare! This was terrifying to me, because all I have ever wanted to do is be a "Mom" and raise my kids myself. The other scary thing was that we might have to move away from our families in order to find jobs and a place to live. While seeing what else the world might have to offer seemed intriguing, raising our kids without the help of their grandparents was something we knew we Definitely didn't want to do. What on earth are we going to do? I was awake at night worrying about packing up our entire house and having to temporarily live with one of our parents.
Thankfully, Jeremy was able to strike a deal with his boss that allowed us to remain in the house until at least November. This took the pressure off the housing situation, but we still didn't have plans for future employment. To make a long story short, Jeremy got a job at the bank and was able to start in June. Then in early fall I was able to get a job working as our church secretary. During the summer we found a house that we fell in love with (okay, I did and I had to convince Jeremy to see it the way I did!). After it looked like we weren't going to get the house, things took a turn for our benefit and the first weekend in October we moved into our "home." It feels so good to have something that is in our names and that we know no one can take from us!
I think back a year and how many times I know that I griped about things at the old house and today as I work around the house and play with the kids, I can truly say that I LOVE THIS HOUSE! Sure, there are some things that eventually will change, but overall the house is perfect for our family...even though we didn't plan on being a family of 5 when we purchased it! Which brings me to another change in the last 365 days. I thought our family unit was good, we were settling into our new life...jobs, home, routines...I had finally decided that maybe Jeremy was right and that we were just right as a family. (Previous to all of this I had still been convinced that we should have another baby...then I decided we probably shouldn't, so I got rid of all the baby "stuff" before we moved, so we wouldn't have to find a place to store it all!) But I guess all of that "gut" feeling I had about our family not being finished yet was correct, God knew there would be another Stapleton to welcome into this world. And despite our efforts to maintain our current family structure, we found ourselves with an unexpected suprise!
Looking back now I can see how all of that heartache and trial prepared us for where we are now! And we have grown...I have grown personally & our family has grown together. We are able to spend more time together, we are less stressed and we are able to look forward to a new sibling joining our family! All things work for the glory of God, sometimes we have to just step back and let them! Big lesson learned for me this past year.
It is Lent right now and we are supposed to be looking inward and asking God to help us overcome our trouble areas...well I know that this year has taught me that I don't have to be in control of every situation for it to "work out." That I need to put more faith in the Lord and let Him work His plan for my life, because it is WAAAAY better than anything I could have planned for myself! So this year, I need to work on releasing the fears that keep me from trusting Him and start believing that things will work out on His terms and in His time and that they will be FABULOUS!
Okay, I really rambled here today, but it feels so good to look back and have so much to be grateful for now and to realize that those heartaches were not in vain! We overcame and we came out even better than we expected! Praise God for all the things He has planned for us this 365!
1 comment:
God does EVERYTHING for a reason. I just sometimes get upset because it isn't in my plan. But his plan is so much better than any one I could ever think of. Glory to Him!
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