Another Year?

Ok, so it's been another year since I added to this. Since May 2011, I've changed from doing in school/in court to Intensive In Home (IIH). This service takes me into the homes of kids having trouble-with behaviors, anxiety, focus problems, etc. Each session is 2 hours each, which seems like a long time, but it usually goes very fast. My team is supposed to have 3 people, including me, and have up to 8 kids on our caseload.

Unfortunately, there has only been 2 of us from December to the end of April, then one took two weeks for having his first child in May, then he turned in his resignation in mid-June as he found a better job. I can't blame him, but now it's down to two again. So, for 6.5 months out of the last 8 months, we had two people and mostly 7-8 kids all the time, which is about 20 to 25 visits each week for the two of us, plus travel (usually 2-3 hours per day) plus paperwork-about 2 hours a day or more for me as team lead. That doesn't include any training, emergencies, etc.

In ways I love it a lot-particularly when I see changes in the kids because they are learning ways to cope with whatever is going on. Other ways I hate the paperwork and the hours. At least the new member of the team is to start in a couple weeks. I hope and pray that I get a position in the office where I have steady hours and regular holidays, can be home at a decent time every night and have weekends off. I can dream can't I?

One thing that is always, constantly surrounding me-the love and protection of Jesus. It is only with his love and protection that I have made it though this far. I hate to say it, but there have been a few times on the road where I know I should have been hurt terribly or even killed. The Lord watched over and protected me. I even had an encounter of a spiritual nature and know that it was watched over by the Lord.

I was asked by the new pastor to fill out a ministry form to help him get to know the staff. How can I wrap up 36 years of hills and valleys in my walk with Christ in a few words? It's impossible. The strongest words from the Word in my life right now is that "everything works together for good to those who love Christ Jesus" Romans 8:28. I cling to these words-so many trials that go with the blessings-He always works things together for good and I do get to share this with parents that also share the love of Christ.

It is painful sometimes when parents have no clue who Jesus is or how much He loves them and I can't share anything with them. I can only pray for them. Oh, to be in a place where I can always share Him. That would be incredibly awesome....

July 2009 to nearly June 2011

Hard to believe I hadn’t posted since July 2009, but then again…

Did not get the job, funding cuts big time….so job hunting, packing, studying for the big test for the license rest of July, into August

Took the National Test for Counseling second week of August 2009 (passed! YES!)

Moved into the new house September 2009

Redid the carpet at the old house, getting ready to rent, continued the moving process in Sept.

My sweetie’s daughter & family moved into the old house—YES! Closer to us, but still no job, no rental income…October 2009

October 2009-Feb 2010 still no job, funds very close….

Part-time job in a group home—low pay, but making ends meet end of Feb 2010-August 2010

FINALLY! Full time working as Behavioral Therapist, part time in schools/office, part time with juvenile court & referrals from there Sept. 2010

Now, May 30, 2011…..

So strange it has been so long since I wrote on here….there have been many ups and downs, lots of fun with the grandbabies, loss of contact with the boy’s sister, just reconnected one time, haven’t heard from her since. Sad, I want to be there for her, but so much chaos around her…

I love my job. Most of the time. I had a fantastic supervisor until they switched things around, the one I have now…different story. Personality clash big time. I feel like I would be gossiping if I put in the reasons I thought why this was….Even though I love the job, I may look elsewhere for two reasons—the 75 minute drive to work every day and the supervisor. When there is ZERO positive feedback on anything you do, you tend not to like the person giving you the feedback…

On the positive side….we love the new house—hard to believe we have almost been here two years. Our neighbors are the greatest! In a windstorm a tree fell over the driveway and two of them got the tractors out and pulled it off the driveway! Didn’t have to do the things that were going through our head, like buy a chainsaw, take off work (sweetie, not me), etc….God is awesome putting us here. Another friend helped with the gutter that was hanging after a windstorm, saw a few shingles had come off. That friend had some at home, brought them back, put them up, wanting nothing in return!

Little things the Lord has provided, mainly at yard sales or good will stores—wooden highchair, rocker, toy box, pictures for the walls and all kinds of little things that are sometimes not even thought of before being seen! He is awesome!

Today I have to get the info ready for my license renewal…I just pray they get it done in time so I don’t miss any work because of it!!

 

Sweet times...

I was talking to my supervisor the other day and he asked what was going on with me. Hmmmm...Received my status as a Board Eligible (same as provisional) LPC, I'm supposed to start the new job Monday, we are supposed to move into our new home next month, we have a new grandbaby due in October. (He was originally diagnosed with the fatal Edward's Syndrome, and then they decided he didn't have it!) At the time I had a line on an agent that wanted to work on publishing a children's book.

Life is good--yet too often I feel like I don't deserve any of this. I don't. I do know I am very grateful for all the things the Lord is providing for me. Like the home we plan on retiring in that the grandkids will feel love and peace. A place where we don't have to worry about them playing in the yard, where we will have great times in the playroom, where we can make Christmas cookies and not worry about the mess we will make, and where we are already looking forward to the first Christmas there with six grandkids--five of them under five years old! (Ages 11, 4, 2, 2, 8 months and 2 months in December).

There is also a lot He has in store for me...much more learning about my job doing intensive in home therapy and actually finishing my books--He has given me great prompting to do that. Right now this week has me packing up many things in this old home that has had many good and bad memories. If I can just keep working and not stop to reminice on the things I'm packing, I'd get a lot more done!

More Little Kisses From God

Yesterday I was stopped at a light and saw a van load of mentally challenged guys, more than likely from a group home, piling out and going to Chilli's. I smiled, as I know this had to be a treat for them. Right after they were under the awning going in, the rain started to pour down.

To me, this is one of those little kisses from the Lord. After working with people like this, I know it could be distressing for some of them. They probably didn't even know about the rain. This reminds me that there are so many things that the Lord does for each one of us that we don't ever know about, others that we may learn about much later.

God is good--All the time!

We have an Angel in our midst

When I think that one of my friends just lost her mother this week, this is even more precious…it’s from my sis talking about my own mom.

 

 

Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2009 8:59 AM
Subject: We have an Angel in our midst

 

Yesterday I took Mom to get her drivers license renewed. I was a little early picking her up she got a little fussy about that. LOL She looked of course really beautiful wearing blue, with her silver hair. We hopped into her car, she drove, this made me a little nervous but it was like riding in the car with mom 20 yrs ago, somewhat we did arrive safely.  There was a front row parking spot right next to the door for handicapped. We walked in and as we started heading towards the back of the line a nice lady came up and told mom she didn't have to walk clear around and opened a section for her to cross. We didn't wait long and it was her turn to sign in and get her number. There was a young lady with her little girl waiting for something in front of us.  The little girl couldn't have been more than two.  Very tiny still wearing a diaper. She was memorized by mom and keep staring at her, she started whispering in her mothers ear.  Her mother couldn't understand her and asked her to repeat it again.  I thought she was going to say she is a grandma.  Her mother looked at me very strangely as if she was going to cry and said "she says she's an Angel".  I told the mother that she truly is, she use to be an OB nurse and she saved a lot of babies lives.  Tears welled up in her eyes and she just shook her head looking at her little girl.  We then went and sat down, I was told I couldn't go up to the counter with her, I am not sure what she told the ladies there but I watched as she would walk towards both counters and the look on peoples faces as she would come towards them.  All smiling.  She was standing up straight with her head held high proud to have driven there. Thinking about bringing her own mother to the drivers licensed place for the last time. The more I told the story to some of my friends the more I thought about how much she has been an Angel in our lives. We have been blessed with her.  Even though she scared the he#@ out of me yesterday when she drove to the station, it wasn't so bad coming back.  She did say that she should pay attention to the signs.  LOL

 

(If you know my mom, I wouldn’t tell her she scared the he#@ out of my sis driving to get her license renewed. Mom turned 75 in May…She is an amazing woman! I also consider her an angel.)

Just in case you wondered if I made a right choice...

I was going through some old emails—about time I cleaned some out—and found this note I had sent to some of my friends & family from 11/30/2007…

Just in case you wondered if I made a right choice...

My sweetheart, who had just made dinner for me & made me a cup of hot chocolate while I sat down to study, just whispered in my ear, “on the inside of your wedding ring, in invisible ink, it says ‘you are the light of my life’” and kissed me on the forehead. I am still so much in love with that man.

Hmmm...I wonder...

Ever notice anything you haven't thought about before when reading
the Bible? Take these short verses we've all heard a million times...

Genesis 2:19-20

"Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts
of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man
to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called
each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to
all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field."

Now consider this.....

Do you realize how many species of "birds of the air" there are?
How many beasts of the field?
Livestock may not be so bad, yet does that include chickens?
(You know they don't fly-not a bird of the air...neither are ostriches
or roadrunners...did God name these?)
Does this mean God named all the bugs, lizards, fish, and so on?
Or did that come later?

AND....how long did it take for Adam to name all these?

Was it days, months or years??

I don't know about you, but I think this makes my head hurt!

(You can stop thinking about it now.)

Angel in Your Pocket

Cleaning off the dresser this afternoon, my sweetie found a coin-like piece of metal that has an angel on it. This is one of those things that people do sometimes-carry an "Angel in Your Pocket" coin just as a reminder that someone is watching out for them.

He brought it into me while I was studying. The conversation went something like this:

"Here you go"

"An angel in your pocket?"

"Yep. I don't need it anymore. I married one."

This is where there were deep mutual smiles. I know he didn't marry one-I am no angel, but it is so sweet for him to call me one.

Another reason I love this man so much!