Praying for Miracles

Two ladies I love dearly have advanced stages of cancer. After reading through a book about prayer together called "Draw the Circle" a group of us joined our friend Ashlea on a prayer walk to pray on behalf of her and an upcoming scan. I carry both of these women in my heart and prayers daily.

For the  prayer walk we walked a total of four miles, circling Ashlea’s oncology building seven times. We began and ended in prayer together. We wrote messages of encouragement for her along the path. We circled the building in a literal circle of chalk. I don’t even know how to describe the experience. I don’t know how God will work but I know he is in control and whatever happens, he will be glorified.

  

After our walk, we went for dessert, because even when showing up for the hard things, we can live and laugh and love each other and enjoy the pleasures of life together!

 

 

Two days after the prayer walk, a group of us decided to rise early at our individual homes across the Chattanooga area and pray on behalf of Ashlea and her oncologist visit that would happen that morning. We all texted her pictures of sunrises as we saw them across the valley. I am normally a late sleeper and only get up early for really important things, but this morning I rose with purpose to pray for my friend. I kind of think I should do this more often.

 

 

 

Update: Ashlea's brain scan came back showing her growths had shrunk and they felt like they could no longer call it brain cancer. Praise God.

Update 2: Brain cancer will always be a thing with Ashlea. Right before Christmas 2021, she learned she had some new growths. I continue to pray for her and love on her. None of us know how long we have on earth. God is still working in her life though. My other friend also continues to fight her cancer.

It's the Final Countdown

Three long years ago, we learned that Daniel was going to be relocated from working in Hollywood, Alabama to two hours north in Spring City, Tennessee. We knew it was coming, but it still turned our world upside down. We spent eight months living out of suitcases, in and out of hotels and vacation homes during the week, until finally settling into our current home on Signal Mountain.

We both felt strongly that we made the right choice in regard to the location of our new home, but we knew it would be a difficult journey – Daniel's new position promised long hours, with a 70-minute commute each way. We were told the job would last about a year, so we hoped and prayed for the best.

To say it's been a hard experience would be an understatement. Jack went through a phase where he didn't believe that Daniel lived at our house. Which was kind of true. For months on end, Daniel worked 6-7 days a week, and sometimes weeks at a time without a day off. The hours were long. The commute was long. I felt like a single mom. We experienced a miscarriage in the middle of this trying time, and did our best to hold it together. Thankfully Isaac was born into our family a year later, but Daniel continued to struggle with having to work so much. He loved what he was doing but the long hours definitely took a toll on all of us.

Every night we say bedtime prayers with Jack and we would all pray that Daniel would get a job closer to home. It was excruciating when Jack began to put a voice to the things we were all feeling... Why hasn't God answered our prayers? Why does daddy still work so far away? Why is daddy gone all the time? Why can't daddy be home with us more?

As adults, we have experience on our side. This isn't our first rodeo. We have prayed and waited through difficult things in the past. It's much harder to explain to a child that life is full of waiting.

Most people have heard our news by now, but we are still excited! Daniel FINALLY got a new job. I won't go into how many positions he applied for, it's too demoralizing. But our prayers have been answered.

Daniel is staying with his same company but moving to corporate headquarters to join the Dam Safety team. This will be a big change from Nuclear, but the benefits for our family are beyond what we had hoped for.

Daniel's company is notorious for being slow at hiring people (even internally), so we were shocked to learn less than two weeks after his interview that he had a job offer. The company was still slow in making the transition (he got the offer when we were on vacation last month), but Daniel is FINALLY finishing his last week of work at Watts Bar! 

I don't think we will know what to do with ourselves starting next week. A 40-ish hour work week, with a 20-minute commute? What does that even look like? How do people function with all of that extra time? We CANNOT wait to find out for ourselves!!!
 

Relief

After months of waiting, we finally have an offer. In the meantime, we have definitely learned a lot about patience and waiting for answered prayer.

Waiting doesn't come naturally. It is so much easier to have what we want right now. But waiting shapes us for what is to come... 

In April, we put our house on the market. We hoped we would sneak in before the First-Time Home Buyer's Credit expired. We welcomed the showings. We averaged five per week. It felt good.

And then April 30th passed. Our only offer, dead on arrival. So we waited. Days creeped by. No showings. It was awful. We had passed through a month of plenty and found ourselves in one month... two months... of nothingness. Not a single showing in almost two months! Desperation became a heavy burden. Separation became torture.

We began to hatch a plan. We would live in an RV. It was doable. Right? We could do it for an unknown amount of time. It would mean we would be together. We visited campgrounds. We learned that Daniel's aunt would be willing to rent her RV to us. We plotted and schemed. We looked into how living in an RV and owning a home would effect our Home Owner's insurance. We found a campground that had all the ammenities we would need (most notably internet). We discovered the earliest we could commit to full time life in an RV was July 30 and we booked our spot at Raccoon Mountain. We started making lists of things we would need to live full time in an RV. Our friends and family told us that if anyone could live in an RV, it was us. We grinned and kept making our lists.

While we were focused on our RV plans, a funny thing happened. We had a showing. And then another. And then one this past Saturday. Then a follow-up on Sunday. And then an offer Sunday afternoon {with a request to make a decision by 9PM}. We counter-offered and our counter was ACCEPTED! We had ANOTHER showing today {our realtor told us to go ahead, just to be safe}. We signed papers today and a check is in escrow. They want to close July 26... just in time for us to move into our RV!!!

God really surprised us with this one. A tremendous weight has been lifted. Relief. There are no words. Now there are new lists to be made. Things to be done. But we will really be together at the end of the month and no house payment to tie us down. It is an amazing feeling.

When it rains it pours.

Several weeks ago I had begun to pray for rain for this region of the country and also that God would rain down his blessings on me in regards to finding a job.

Yesterday I was speaking with different people about all the things that have happened to me this week regarding jobs and potential offers and several people made the comment when it rains, it pours. Normally this statement would have a negative connotation, but in this instance it was truly a blessing.

After much prayer and waiting, God has rained on me in the form of a job with Enventys. I received the call at 5:00 tonight and I will be starting on Monday.

As you may remember, everything was put on hold while Enventys tried to figure out if they could negotiate with me directly and circumvent a contract I had with a creative staffing firm. After much waiting, everything has worked out and I am so very blessed.

This past Wednesday I actually received an offer for a company in Lake Norman. They needed someone immediately and out of fear of not receiving any other offers I said yes. So yesterday I commuted one hour each way and came home with a serious headache and desire for something better.

I had told them that I could not work today or Monday since my sister is visiting for the weekend. So once I let them know that I will not be returning, I am clear to start the job that I truly desired.

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement during the last five weeks while I waited.

I.D. Magazine, Everyday Edisons & Answered Prayer

I am a passionate person. In the past five years, I have not had a job that I was even remotely passionate about and a part of me never dreamed that it was even possible for me to find that kind of job. Yesterday, a series of events, that I am still reeling over, led me to a job I can be passionate about.

Now for a little background: Several years ago I started reading the magazine I.D. (International Design). It is a product design magazine that showcases new products from all over the globe. For me it was exciting to read about all of the innovations going on in the world. It also brought together engineering of products with aesthetic design which was exciting for me to share with Daniel.

Sometime last year I was flipping channels on a Sunday afternoon and I came across the show, Everyday Edisons on PBS. It was a reality TV show of sorts. It brought everyday people together to pitch their inventions - the inventions were then taken through a production phase and then branded. It was very inspiring to me to see these everyday people sharing their ideas and then seeing them become reality.

Ok, fast forward to yesterday... around 10:30 a.m. I received a call from Aquent (a creative staffing agency). They had an immediate opening with a company that was looking for a temp-to-hire person. Immediate being I would start Monday. They gave me more information and I said sure. I received a second call wanting to know if I could make an interview that afternoon. Again I said yes.

At 4:00 p.m. yesterday, I headed downtown to Enventys for my life to be changed...

Enventys is in a very unassuming building next to the Charlotte Rescue Mission. A brick building at the end of a dead-end street. I knew this must be a good place when I saw the parking spaces were so packed that I had to park illegally at the end of the street.

A bright orange door greeted me. When I walked in it was like walking into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory - except instead of chocolate, they invented things. As I waited for my interview, I could see down a long corridor... there were all sorts of strollers in the hallway. Everyone that walked by was in blue jeans and had a smile.

Ashley came downstairs to give me the grand tour. We walked through the old building with different colored walls, exposed beam ceilings, wood floors and brick walls. I was in love with the architecture. She took me through the engineering spaces where I saw more product innovations and drawings on the walls for new inventions. Then she took me back to the filming room. I was blown away. I had no idea that the show, Everyday Edisons, that I had stumbled upon, was filmed right here in Charlotte - in this location no less. All of the products from last season were displayed on a shelf. I could barely contain myself.

We walked upstairs through creative. The work areas were open and the computers were big and fast. Everyone was laid back and very friendly. I sat down with the creative director and I felt at home. We discussed the usual and then he told me that he didn't have a decision to make and could I start on Monday!!!

I will be working on producing the magazine, Inventors Digest as well as design projects that encompass naming and branding newly invented products - it really runs the gamut for anything newly innovated. This is definitely something to be excited about. While Inventors Digest is not I.D., it is pretty exciting for me to be working on something that I am truly interested in.

As for answered prayer - I have to tell you that God works in ways that I cannot fathom. Since August I have been praying that God would lead me to a job that I could not turn down. I prayed that he would give me a job that would inspire me, something I would be passionate about. I prayed that he would shut doors (he did that with Texas). I prayed that he would give me wisdom and guide my steps. I know without a doubt that this is an answer to prayer and it all happened in less than a business day!