The dawn of a new beginning, 3 {stories of old ... gateways to joy}
`What are you doing Lord?" I asked.
Times had gotten pretty bad for us financially, not to mention that I'd miscarried. Bills were piling, rent was due. The electricity had been cut on and off ... on and off. My parents came to visit and my mother gave us her credit card to buy groceries, the kids clothes and myself clothes so that I could go to work. For a while they even rented a vehcile for us too.
My husband who had been a drug and alcohol counselor, prior to his stint with becoming a carrier went back to looking for work in that field, which was scarce. He'd vowed before we moved to Houston not to do work that entailed his income depending on grant money as he saw that type of work as being unstable.
I went looking for work too and finally found work with a temporary accounting agency. Next we found a babysitter. Thus my days began to consist of getting up at 4:00 am rushing, getting myself and the children dressed and ready to be away from home for at least ten hours. My husband and I would take the children to the babysitters which by the way, I disdained because it was in a house—not to mention I was away from them. It also seemed as if they stayed sick and had terrible appetites. After we dropped the two little ones off, my husband would drop me off and go searching for work.
I got off work at 5:00 pm. I would take the bus to the babysitters, pick up the children, walk back to the bus stop. All three of us crying. I would carry one for a while, put the one I was carrying down to walk, and pick and carry the walker for a while. Once we got off the bus from the babysitters we would walk two blocks from the stop to the apartment. Again I would carry one and have the other walk until they got tired and switch. Tears still streaming. Remembering what I'd told Him. "Lord You can have my life to do with it as You see fit."
I was beginning to think, "You silly girl."
Once I got home, I would cook, feed the kids... fight to get them to eat, bathe them, let them play for an hour and put them to bed.
My husband and I would would then eat dinner, talk a bit and prepare for bed. I was always rushing, couldn't sit still. I didn't want to get behind on anything. Before getting in bed I would pray, read my Bible and my book that had finally come from Elisabeth Elliot, "The Savage My Kinsman." I was no longer able to hear the program since I'd started working. But I'd called and got some of her free tapes which I would listen to while cooking in the evenings, along with Great stories of Christians.
At this point, I felt cheated. But I was content. I wasn't joyful, but I had a peace.
I'd been on my job for five days. It was supposed to be a nine months job, but after only five days the company called my sister-in-law {we didn't have a phone} to tell her I was no longer needed. I had completed my duties. Needless to say, I was conflicted. Happy to not have to go through such a hectic routine, but sad because I knew how bad we needed the money. Since we were paid up for the month with the babysitter we decided to let the kids continue going for the month and I would go with my husband and look for work.
One morning while we were riding my husband said, "I saw an add in the paper for a sales job."
"Selling what?" I asked
"Meat. Selling meat door-to-door."
"Selling meat?! Who buys meat door-to-door? I've never heard of that! Sounds like a scam to me!"
"Well I'm going to. Will you check out the company for me?"
"Yes." I said.
The next day I decided not to go looking for work to stay home with my children who weren't feeling well.
That day came and almost went and my husband wasn't home. Finally at 11:30 pm, he walked through the door. Boy did I let him have it!
"Where have you be ...en?" I could barely get my sentence out before he grabbed me off the bed, swung me around and kissed me!
"What? What happened?" He threw cash and checks on the bed, totaling $1100.00
"WHAT DID YOU DO?! DID YOU DO SOMETHING ILLEGAL?! WHERE DID ALL OF THIS MONEY COME FROM?!" Then I began to sob in fear.
Laughing, he said, "No babe, come on now. I get it selling meat! We drove hours out to a country town where grocery stores are far and few in between. Droves of people came when they saw the truck pull up. Look ... some of the guys hunt and gave me some of there meat so that they would have room for the meat I was selling."
More gateways to joy stories next week. To get caught up on the stories go here:
The dawn of a new beginning, 1
The dawn of a new beginning, 2
____________________________
This post is also linked up at:
____________________________
Times had gotten pretty bad for us financially, not to mention that I'd miscarried. Bills were piling, rent was due. The electricity had been cut on and off ... on and off. My parents came to visit and my mother gave us her credit card to buy groceries, the kids clothes and myself clothes so that I could go to work. For a while they even rented a vehcile for us too.
My husband who had been a drug and alcohol counselor, prior to his stint with becoming a carrier went back to looking for work in that field, which was scarce. He'd vowed before we moved to Houston not to do work that entailed his income depending on grant money as he saw that type of work as being unstable.
I went looking for work too and finally found work with a temporary accounting agency. Next we found a babysitter. Thus my days began to consist of getting up at 4:00 am rushing, getting myself and the children dressed and ready to be away from home for at least ten hours. My husband and I would take the children to the babysitters which by the way, I disdained because it was in a house—not to mention I was away from them. It also seemed as if they stayed sick and had terrible appetites. After we dropped the two little ones off, my husband would drop me off and go searching for work.
I got off work at 5:00 pm. I would take the bus to the babysitters, pick up the children, walk back to the bus stop. All three of us crying. I would carry one for a while, put the one I was carrying down to walk, and pick and carry the walker for a while. Once we got off the bus from the babysitters we would walk two blocks from the stop to the apartment. Again I would carry one and have the other walk until they got tired and switch. Tears still streaming. Remembering what I'd told Him. "Lord You can have my life to do with it as You see fit."
I was beginning to think, "You silly girl."
Once I got home, I would cook, feed the kids... fight to get them to eat, bathe them, let them play for an hour and put them to bed.
My husband and I would would then eat dinner, talk a bit and prepare for bed. I was always rushing, couldn't sit still. I didn't want to get behind on anything. Before getting in bed I would pray, read my Bible and my book that had finally come from Elisabeth Elliot, "The Savage My Kinsman." I was no longer able to hear the program since I'd started working. But I'd called and got some of her free tapes which I would listen to while cooking in the evenings, along with Great stories of Christians.
At this point, I felt cheated. But I was content. I wasn't joyful, but I had a peace.
I'd been on my job for five days. It was supposed to be a nine months job, but after only five days the company called my sister-in-law {we didn't have a phone} to tell her I was no longer needed. I had completed my duties. Needless to say, I was conflicted. Happy to not have to go through such a hectic routine, but sad because I knew how bad we needed the money. Since we were paid up for the month with the babysitter we decided to let the kids continue going for the month and I would go with my husband and look for work.
One morning while we were riding my husband said, "I saw an add in the paper for a sales job."
"Selling what?" I asked
"Meat. Selling meat door-to-door."
"Selling meat?! Who buys meat door-to-door? I've never heard of that! Sounds like a scam to me!"
"Well I'm going to. Will you check out the company for me?"
"Yes." I said.
The next day I decided not to go looking for work to stay home with my children who weren't feeling well.
That day came and almost went and my husband wasn't home. Finally at 11:30 pm, he walked through the door. Boy did I let him have it!
"Where have you be ...en?" I could barely get my sentence out before he grabbed me off the bed, swung me around and kissed me!
"What? What happened?" He threw cash and checks on the bed, totaling $1100.00
"WHAT DID YOU DO?! DID YOU DO SOMETHING ILLEGAL?! WHERE DID ALL OF THIS MONEY COME FROM?!" Then I began to sob in fear.
Laughing, he said, "No babe, come on now. I get it selling meat! We drove hours out to a country town where grocery stores are far and few in between. Droves of people came when they saw the truck pull up. Look ... some of the guys hunt and gave me some of there meat so that they would have room for the meat I was selling."
More gateways to joy stories next week. To get caught up on the stories go here:
The dawn of a new beginning, 1
The dawn of a new beginning, 2
____________________________
This post is also linked up at:
____________________________
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