Still Packing

In April, I found myself worrying about my son stepping out into the world when he started his first job at Chick-fil-A. Now, three months later, I feel relieved and somewhat proud that he is doing great and enjoying his job. He even got a raise! He gave his notice to the owner of the store that we are moving. He assured Gabe that he would give him a good recommendation and then we found out that the owner here in Alabama is good friends with the owner of the Chick-fil-A near us in Virginia! Moving is hard enough on kids and especially teens so I am thankful for this opportunity for him.

I am also excited about getting involved in a homeschool support group. Of course I have to find one first. There is a homeschool conference towards the end of July that I would like to go to. I haven’t had the opportunity to attend one since 1995. Of course that will all depend on our financial situation. Moving is not cheap and a trans-Atlantic move costs several thousand dollars.

John was able to get the moving van a day early at no extra cost. So we will start loading some things tomorrow. I am hoping to go through some of the boxes and leave things in storage that we won’t need in an apartment. I don’t like to wish time away but I just can’t wait until Wednesday. We will probably still be swimming in a sea of boxes but at least we will be moved in and on our way to getting settled.

Virginia - The Search

We arrived here in Virginia Saturday evening and had a great time visiting with a sweet friend. Her husband died of cancer last year, her children are grown and she is excited to have some company and someone to cook for. We went to church with her yesterday morning and then after lunch we drove around different areas of the city. I lived in this area for about 8 1/2 years but we left 14 years ago and so much has changed.

Today we are job searching and apartment hunting. John has an interview tomorrow but we are knocking on as many doors as we can. We only have a few days here so our hope is that our searches will be successful in a short amount of time. Please pray that God will bless our endeavor and open doors for us.

Gabriel, Hannah and Holly seem to be doing fine in our absence. We left them in good hands of course, but have hardly ever left them. I am not sure if leaving them more often would be easier or not. Last year, Gabe and Hannah went to camp with John in the mountains of Romania. I was glad that they were with their dad, but being a mother, I still worried. The comforting verse from Psalm 23:1 came to my mind The Lord is my Shepherd . . . and the Lord spoke to my heart in that still, small, inaudible voice, "I am their Shepherd too, Karen, and I love them even more than you do."

I will keep you updated as our journey continues. Stay tuned!

Finding Your Path - Book Review

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. Proverbs 16:9

I am continually amazed to see how many ways the Lord leads us, guides us and provides for our needs. When we left Romania last month, we had no idea of where the Lord would lead us next. We still don’t but we can certainly see His direction in many areas. One seemingly small yet vital guide was a package that arrived here in Alabama even before we did. Waiting for me in a stack of mail was a book written by Mitch Raymer entitled Finding Your Path.

The title was immensely appropriate for our lives at this time and I knew it would be on the top of my reading list. We were not even settled when it was time to take a trip to South Carolina. Reading in the car is my favorite way to pass time and I made sure that Mitch’s book was near my seat.

Finding Your Path is a short and concise “how to” book on choosing and pursuing your career. The author begins with what most career guides leave out- making sure that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He clearly spells out the Gospel message and encourages Christians not to walk their path alone. He reminds us that “There is no better way to go out into the world and look for that job than with Jesus Christ by your side. You are not alone; you have the most powerful force in the universe working through you!”

Chapter 2 is all about examining your personal traits, skills and interests. Many examples are listed and there is plenty of room for making your own lists. The rest of the book is filled with tools, techniques and examples that are necessary for a successful job search. My husband found Chapter 3 tremendously helpful as he fine tuned his resume and worked on cover letters. He now has several resumes ready to mail and we are excited to see the path that the Lord takes us on next.

This is an awesome book for those who are searching for a job – high school graduates, college students, people seeking a career change or as Mitch says, anyone who needs a paycheck. Graduation time is just around the corner. Finding Your Path would make an excellent gift. Not only has my husband found this book incredibly helpful, we also have two teenagers that will soon be seeking their path and I am certain that the book will be on the top of their reading lists too.

Growing Up

The years when my children were babies were tiring and demanding. Babies did not always sleep when I wanted them to and they depended on me for their every need. The preschool years were frustrating with potty training and picky eating. During the school years I discovered the dyslexia dilemma. All of these times have memories of blessings and adversity. There are stories to tell but I will save them for another time. Now I find myself raising teenagers. Yes, I still have a 9 year old but I am exploring new territory with my oldest two. To be honest, I dreaded the teen years more than any other age. Surprisingly, however, I love these years and wish I could stretch them out somehow. Not that our days are trouble free. And the questions and perplexities are exponentially larger than worrying, “Will they ever get potty trained?” or “What if they never like meat?” Now, do not get me wrong. For those of you who are still in that stage of life, I know those mountains. They are huge and it is not my intention to belittle them. I am not facing another mountain here. I am watching my child get into a spaceship and wondering if they will make it on another planet. My son just got his first job yesterday. A real live job with a uniform, a paycheck and a boss. I am thrilled for him but at the same time I have all kinds of new worries. Is he ready? Have we trained him to function in the real world? Can he handle the responsibility? Can I handle the fact that this is one more step in preparing him to become a man and leave home? Moms who have traveled this road, I could really use your encouragement!

Thanks for stopping by! While you are here, I'd like to humbly ask for your vote - I have been nominated for the Homeschool Blog Awards in the "Live What You Believe" category. Today is the last day!!! Vote Here!