As
the holiday’s approach I find myself
reflecting on the last year.
Over the
last year my life has changed in so many ways.
It started when I found out the job I was at would not be renewing my
position. Although it was not a surprise,
it came with mixed emotions and was bittersweet in many ways. I loved the students I worked with, not to mention I met some absolutely amazing teachers while I was at West Elementary. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity and I learned while I worked there. With that also came the moving on from this job into a terrible job market for teaching, especially as a new teacher. I never for one minute doubted that God knew exactly where he was taking me on this journey and my job at West was but a bridge I needed to cross in order to get me where He planned for me to land next. So, I started the crazy process of updating the resume, filling out job applications, going to interviews, and hearing that infamous "you were a great candidate and couldn't have said anything different but ultimately we went with someone with more experience". Coming to the end of the summer I had been on 8 interviews (actually amazing in this job market, I know many friends who had never even been on an interview), and found myself looking beyond the classroom, praying and trusting that God would open the right door. The middle of July I was offered a job at Ft. Carson doing basically what I was doing before I went back to get my teaching license. Although I was happy to have a job, I never once felt it was what God had for me. I accepted the job, drug my feet through the hiring process and prayed,
I had two interviews the week after being offered the Ft. Carson job. The first one did not work out and honestly I never got a good feeling from the principal and I am not sure I would have been happy there anyway. The second interview I felt very comfortable with and had interviewed earlier in the summer for a different position, I loved the school and after leaving the interview I felt like "I could work there". After what seemed like forever (a little over a week) I had not heard anything and needed to make a decision about what to do. I told Shawn that afternoon that if I didn't hear something by the end of the day I would need to send off my security clearance packet and move forward with the other job. That afternoon after a good cry (me pouting about not getting what I wanted) and a prayer (giving my life and my career back to the one who had my best interest at heart) I got a call and was offered a job teaching Kindergarten.
In August I signed a contract and am now teaching half day kindergarten at Douglas Valley Elementary on the United States Air Force Academy. I love my job! I love the kids and families I get to work with. I would be lying if I said half day kindergarten was not exhausting, and a bit like running a marathon at a sprinters pace, BUT I cannot imagine doing anything different.
This year also brings into our lives another big transition...moving here we knew that by taking these orders Shawn would be wrapping up his Naval career. When we prayed for God to open the door for us to move here we did so with very specific prayers...That God would only open the door if it was the right time for him to retire and move on, knowing that God had a new plan and direction for Shawn's life. As we settled in to our fourth year back in Colorado, we had to make it official. In October Shawn put in his paperwork to retire after 21 and 1/2 years in the Navy. As much as I am done moving, uprooting out family, living far away from family and saying goodbye to people, I would be lying if I said the reality of moving from and active duty family to a retiree family didn't hit me with a strange sadness. The entire 20 years Shawn and I have been married I have been a "Navy Wife". I would have never had met my BFF had it not been for the Navy moving us to Meridian MS. I met some the best people I know and went some places I probably never would have all because of the US Navy!
Shawn has been in school and will have his degree in Fire Science this December. I am EXTREMELY proud of him and what he accomplished. I know as he applies to get on with the Fire Department God has his hand up on Shawn.
I know that wherever we land it will be right where God wants us. If I have learned one thing over the years it is that......
God always knows better than me.....
God loves us more than I can even fathom....
God has always taken care of us.....and that
no matter what goes on around me, God is still in control and I can count and trust that He has a plan, he will work out the details and all I have to do is trust in him and have faith!
I look forward to this time next year to see where God has taken us, trusting it will be perfect!
__________________________________________________________________
"In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps."
~ Proverbs 16:9
"For I know the plans I have for you" declare the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, pans to give you hope and a future."
~ Jeremiah 29:11
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