Thanks in the New Year...

Thank you all for your kind words and your prayers as Norm & I face this new trial in our lives. You are all wonderful & faithful friends. Christmas went pretty well, as we did our best to set our situation to the side and just enjoy our time with family. I will be sure to keep you all posted on what happens next. Norm does have a second interview with that competitor & has other possibilities on the horizon. So please keep praying!!

I just wanted to take this time to wish you all a blessed New Year. Undoubtedly lots of changes ahead in all our lives this coming year....new jobs (prayerfully!), babies, moves and sending children to college. We need God in every bit of it! I pray His presence strong & real in each of your lives, no matter what you're facing this year. May you experience the love that comes from family and great friendships, the joy of knowing you are doing as He asks in your lives, and the peace that comes from knowing He is with you, a sweet peace that only He can provide.

2007 had its ups & its downs for us to be sure....but I KNOW I could not have gotten through ANY of it without all of you and the love & care of our heavenly Father. So, Happy New Year dear friends & family! I love you all very much...

Cheers!

Your Prayers Needed...

To anyone reading this, I am asking you for your prayers for my family. My husband found out a couple of days ago that as of January 1st, he will no longer have a job. Merry Christmas, huh?? While the timing really stinks, I can't say that we were completely taken by surprised. He was told a while ago that the company he works for was looking around the country to see which territories were small enough to merge with larger ones, thereby cutting their costs. It never happened back when we first got wind of it. But Buffalo is one of those smaller territories and therefore now is being eliminated, along with 3 other territories around the country. While I understand a company's need to save some money, I struggle with their dropping that little bomb during the holiday season. And don't you just hate it when really great people lose their jobs due to "financial constraints"? Seems disturbingly familiar somehow. Needless to say, we're being very careful in our spending, as we have no idea how long his unemployment may last. One good thing to mention is that he has a job interview tomorrow (Thursday) with a competitor of the company that just let him go. Hmmm....poetic justice?? Perhaps... Time will tell.

In the meantime, once again we find ourselves in a place of uncertainty. We are attempting with all we have to be optimistic and not let anxiety rule our every thought and conversation. As most of you know, we have been here before & not all that long ago. Norm explains that that's how it goes in sales jobs sometimes, good money can be made, but often job security is hard to come by. So to all my wonderful friends & family I ask for your prayers & to also keep him in mind if you know of any jobs out there. (Jobs that he might actually be interested in and qualified for please!)

We are blessed already in so many ways this Christmas, I know that God's hand is on us. This just hits hard at a very tough time. Please pray... Thank you... And as always....I'll keep you posted.

Love you all...

Safe & Sound & on the Ground....

Thanks to US Airways, a helpful airport clerk, a change in flight and a storm that won't come for another day, my son has made his way safely home to us. It was a great relief to see his face walking through the exit towards us, I can tell you that! We had been praying for him all day, knowing the crazy weather around the country & the great possibility of delays. Then there's this giant snow storm that allegedly is headed our way and knowing that any significant delays at that point could put him sleeping in some airport for a few days instead of in his own warm bed. So, my absolute heart-felt & humble thanks to my Lord for answering our prayers! His faithfulness to my ever needy family leaves me with a heart full of gratitude, awe & love. Thanks also to all of you who were praying yesterday! May your loved ones travel to you, or you to them, safely & soundly this Christmas. And if this storm is as bad as they are predicting & not just another weather man's over-excitability, then grab some blankets and movies, make a pot of soup and enjoy some down time with those you love. Now that my son is home....let it snow!!

He Hears our Cries....

One of the families that I clean for has a 6-month old baby boy, and he's adorable! Anyway, this morning while cleaning downstairs, I heard him begin to cry upstairs. He wanted his Mom. He was hungry. Or he needed his diaper changed. Maybe too hot, or too cold, or too tired, or too awake. Either way, he was not comfortable in his present condition, so he cried out. He instinctively knew that someone would come to him & care for him. Nobody had to teach him that, it is something God placed in him from the moment he drew his first breath. He knows that when he cries out, he will be comforted. He will be cared for. I got to thinking how remarkable that instinct is and how interesting it is that God put that inside each of us in order to take care of our basic human needs. He teaches us from the very moment we arrive on this earth to cry out in need. Initially to cry out for human touch, comfort & care. As we grow older & hopefully grow in our dependency on God, that instinct translates into our need to cry out to Him when we need to be cared for, comforted, encouraged, directed. Do we trust this instinct He has given us? His Word teaches us that, "In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears." 2 Samuel 22:7 Our Holy Lord gave us that in our basic human make up for a reason. And just like the loving arms of this baby's mother, God is there for us. He hears our cries. He wraps His arms around us...sometimes through others, and sometimes its just something you sense deep in your heart. He cares. He comforts. He loves us. And just like this comforted baby, we can then find rest.