10,000 Reasons

Wowzers, it has been a long time since I have posted.  Maybe it was because I have been vacationing on a Caribbean island where their was sun and sand and an endless stack of books but no internet access.

Or maybe it is because in the past few weeks I have packed up one apartment, moved to another, set up a classroom,  helped both of my sisters settle into their new homes (one a little more than the other...), and started my new career teaching a group of 5th graders.  Maybe that was it.

So, life has been a little crazy, but very blessed.  As I was hanging yet another poster in my classroom today, I was hit by an unexpected wave of joy.  And gratitude.  And peace.  Unfortunately, I haven't slowed down much lately to let it soak in.  So, I am staying up way too late considering my new wake-up-before-the-sun routine, and I am going to make a list about what I love about this new phase of my life.  Contrary to the song above though, I will not give you 10,000 reasons, just seven :)

1.  I love my new apartment.  It took me a while to get to say that, but now that everything has a place, I have figured out what to do with the miniscule kitchen, and I have had some time to hang out here, it feels like home.

2. I love getting to set up a classroom.  It is a lot of work, but I love rearranging, organizing, decorating...love it all.  Expect another post soon just about that- I promise.

3. I love being at a Catholic school.  Love, love, love.  I was just explaining to a friend that I am still working on switching my brain over to remember that I can bring faith into everything now- no censorship, no biting my tongue, no knowing that there is a better answer.  I so look forward to creating a Catholic community in my little nook of the world.

4.  I love that I can still work daily Mass into my day.  I thought that it was something that I was going to have to give up since I don't exactly make my own schedule anymore, but praise God, I still can hinge everything around it.


5. I love the staff I work with.  There is just something about gathering at the beginning of every work day and starting with prayer.  We are all there for the same reason, with the same focus, for our God.  It is so good.

6. I love Downton Abbey...wait!  Did that sneak its way into this list?  Sounds kind of superficial, and a little behind the trend, but I do.  I do love it.  I got to catch up on the first 13 or so episodes while packing up in O-Henry and settling in here.  And I grinned like an idiot as I watched the end of season two at 1 'o'clock in the morning while sitting on the floor in my new craft room.  I am not ashamed.

7.  I love my students.  I have only spent a short amount of time with them for the past two days, and I can already see their little personalities shining through.  It is going to be a great year!

Novenas Are Not Magic Spells

Novenas are not magic spells, but they work.

You may remember that back in this post I shared that I was going to be starting a novena.  A novena is just a fancy word meaning that you are going to purposefully pray for a specific intention for nine days.  Well, the nine days part is negotiable- sometimes it is fifty four days, sometimes it is until the prayer is answered…but the point is that you are focusing your prayer, dedicating time every day to a concern close to your heart, and often times including the intercession of a certain Saint.

I understand how some people might think that this sounds a bit superstitious or repetitious or artificial.  I imagine that there have been occasions when novenas have been abused as such.  However, if the petitioner’s intent is genuine, the results are amazing.  My experience with novenas (and the stories I hear from my friends) is that novenas work, usually quickly and with a strong and clear result.

Now I just said that they work- I did not say that you always get what you want.  If you are genuinely praying a novena, it should be that God’s will be done, period.  Novenas are not effective because pounding on the gates of heaven for nine continuous days makes God change His mind.  (Although there is that story of the persistent widow…) Novenas are effective because repeatedly seeking God’s will changes our hearts.

Ever present on my mind and in my prayers over the past year has been seeking God’s will for my future-specifically as I decide what my next job would be.  So many possibilities, so many choices, so many other people’s opinions.  I needed some clarity.  So, on May 1^st, which is the feast of St Joseph the Worker, I started praying this novena not only to help me find my next job, but to work with more dedication and care in my current jobs.  I also included several people who are also job seeking in my petitions.

I chose to start praying this novena because the prayer is not about finding a job.  It is about working like St. Joseph did, with patience and perseverance, with care and thanksgiving, with petition and sacrifice.  It is how I want to view my work, as an offering to God and a service to the people around me.  So every day since May 1^st, this prayer has been on my list.

It certainly got the ball rolling.  More people than ever asked me about my job search.  More suggestions/connections/networking flew my way.  I had five job interviews.  There also were three or four unsolicited job offers.  This novena helped me to know how to turn down jobs, when to stop the interview process with two potential employers…and when to finally accept a job offer (exactly a month after starting the novena, btw!).

So, I am excited to announce to my blog readers…

(this is an appropriate place for a drum roll)

…that in the fall, a classroom of 5^th graders will be greeting me as their new teacher!

And the name of the school that I will be working at?

St. Joseph, of course.

:)

Patience is a Virtue

Ah, patience, how you sometimes elude me.
My mother would say that is my father coming out in me.
I don't know who to blame, but I wanted to share a brief story on a recent trial of patience.

I have been trying to clear up an issue at work.  It has to do with access in a computer system that would allow me to see all of my pay stubs, hours, personal info, etc.  I have been trying to get into the system for over two months.

That two months has been filled with lots of phone calls and lots of emails.  All of those inquiries was answered with something like, "Well that's an interesting problem."

I thought so, too.

And then they would say, "I'm not quite sure who can help you with that."

Me neither.

"But let me transfer you to _____"

And then the cycle would start over again.

And sometimes it would end in an email like this:

  

I know you can't read this, but suffice it to say that in their directions for helping solve the problem, they recommended using two different online systems, three different login/usernames, five emails to contact, and five phone numbers.

I took a little break from my quest after that.

After a few more tries, and about six phone calls today (not counting transfers) I finally talked to the most helpful person so far.  He was very pleasant, seemed to understand my problem, and wanted to help.  Unfortunately, he had no idea what to do.

So I tried another number, and after only one transfer, talked to someone who knew what to do.  

Her solution?  I needed to come in to her office in person to fill out a form.  Her office is three hours away.

I asked for a fax instead.

It took two phone calls to get the fax.

Do you know what the fax needed from me?

Name. Date. Signature.

That's it.

I don't want to know how much time was wasted on this simple answer.

I filled it out, and sent it back.

Now the real trick will be if the changes are made and if I can achieve the original goal.

I guess is will have to work on my patience and wait and see. :)

T-R-U-S-T

Trust is not spelled M-Y---W-A-Y.

It is not spelled N-O-W.

Neither is it spelled P-L-A-N---E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

Upon embarking on a year without a "plan," many people have asked me how I was going to manage financially.  I told them that I had saved, that I am working, and that I will be trusting.  Now this was not a blind-leap-of-faith trusting, (which God asks of us sometimes) but a prudent, follow-God's-lead-and-be-a-good-steward kind of trust.

I crunched numbers and looked at possibilities and prayed and decided to go for it.

But as a worrier, I also played the worst case scenario game.

• What if expenses that I had planned on go up?
• What if adding independent insurance coverage will cost more than I think?
• What if something I "need," like my trusty laptop, dies?
• And heaven forbid, what if something catastrophic happens, like my car breaks down beyond repair? (please hear some sarcasm in this statement...)

Surely all of those things wouldn't happen, right?
But, my laptop breathed its last.
And then my landlords raised my rent.
Independent insurance sucks.
And last week, I blew the transmission in my car.

As I sat stranded at a busy intersection in a car that would do nothing but roll, I rested my head on my steering wheel and decided that I had a few options.
1. Cry. I decided against this in case the tow truck driver ended up being cute and single.
2. Get out of my car and kick the piece of junk really hard. I decided against this because I might break my toe or scuff my cowboy boots, both of which would cost me money.
3. Hang out my window and curse and scream at all of the too-fast-drivers who were honking at my precarious location on the side of the road.  I decided against this because it wouldn't be very lady-like.

So, I left my head on my steering wheel and prayed.  The expense of a new car was not in my plan, but doubting God's providence at this point was not going to do me any good.  So I prayed, and calmed down, and while I waited for the tow truck, I picked up the baby blanket that I am crocheting which was sitting in a bag in the passenger seat.  For me, crocheting is very relaxing, and a great chance to focus and pray, stitch by stitch.  Usually I pray for the recipient of the crocheted item, but this time that was mixed in with some pleas for trust and forgiveness for my anger and doubt. (BTW, I wish I had pictures of some of the looks that I got from passersby--- car, parked on side of road, busy intersection, flashers on, girl...crocheting.  I just wanted to yell after them- "Haven't you ever just needed a little craft break?" But I didn't)

So I am trusting.  Because if I know anything, I know that God is faithful, and He will provide.  (Can I hear that again?  God is faithful and He will provide!) I need to stop playing the what-if game, and really truly count and be thankful for my blessings.  I need to completely and utterly throw myself into trusting God and His merciful plan.


Trust is spelled L-I-S-T-E-N.

Trust is spelled H-I-S---T-I-M-E.

Trust is spelled T-H-Y---W-I-L-L.