Four Months...already...

Well, it's the second of the month and if you have been following along you know what the significance is. Another month has passed since the lay off and my husband is still unemployed. This past month was the best one yet.

It's very hard for me to give up control to anyone even when I know that it's the best for me. This was a month of wrestling with that and finally being able to surrender not just bits and pieces that I wanted to, but all to God and my husband...I guess that's why I feel so much peace about our situation now. I have been able to begin to view this time as a "vacation" of sorts. The kids and I are blessed to have Dan home everyday with us. I have finally realized that I need to be cherishing this time and it has been pretty fun. Don't get me wrong...I still have my days.

I have found myself in tears a few times this month. Not because of hopelessness but because my God has filled me with hope through the generosity of other people. Never in my life have I felt so loved on and so supported. Not only was our entire trip to Michigan paid for, but we were also given cash and several gift cards over the holidays. Our Heavenly Father is taking great care of us. We are trying to be ever so faithful with all He has blessed us with. Every now and then, thoughts of panic set in about what we will do if unemployment runs dry, but then I am reminded of this verse:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ~Matthew 6:26-27

So, please be in pray for this upcoming month for us. Some specifics:

• Dan is going in for further testing for a PD on the 7th @ 9AM. Pray that he is well rested, calm, and that the Dan that I am crazy about shines brighter than the other guys.
• I start working at the hospital on the 5th, my first day in the lab being Tuesday. I will be working both jobs and it will be very crazy. I am working fourteen days in a row with no days off. I am talking to my manager at work tonight to see if anything could be worked out for these two weeks. Because of past experiences, it doesn't seem promising.

Thank you, everyone! We are not only hanging in there, we are flourishing and it's only because of the Awesome God we serve.