Christmas Countdown 2023…Day 19

Right before we even knew we were going to be adding John to the family, Russ got transferred to Galesburg for what we thought would be a future of moves to various locations in the company. He was learning a new side of the business and as we prepared to move, we also discovered that we were with child. 

This may have been our biggest surprise, but not the only one. After six weeks of Russ commuting and a few months of us living together in our new home, the powers that be in the corporate world shifted as they are prone to do. Russ’s boss in his new department was transferred to the Transportation area that Russ had just left and, voila! We were given the opportunity for Russ to work in the position of his major in college, and a return to the town and people we had grown to love. 

So within six months, we moved to Galesburg, then to an apartment and finally into another new home. Oh, also we moved in to our house the day before John was born. With all of that going on, I managed to take a sabbatical from the working world for the next six years. The emotional recuperation from all the moves and surprises, plus managing a house with three active kids and a husband who often traveled was enough excitement for this fragile soul. 

And then we decided to move across town. We found the house we wanted, decided to sell ours on our own and packed up to move yet again. Small glitch. Our old house wasn’t selling. After a while we turned it over to a realtor or three , but they couldn’t sell it either. We were close to a year into this new kind of trial when someone suggested we could rent it. 

The Lord blessed us the next two years with great renters that helped cover the house payments, but there were added expenses that go with owning two homes. So Russ did something he had never asked me to do before. He asked me if I would consider working somewhere. He suggested I could get my sub certificate and work in the school where Sarah and John were attending. 

It seemed like a perfect solution to help add to our income without having to figure out childcare and so I filled out the paperwork, took the required tests, got the shots and entered the world of academia. I have so many stories to share but time is short for today.

Teaching was one of the careers I thought I might have when I grew up. As a little girl I played three things: house, school and being stranded in a deserted place and surviving like my hero in The Island of the Blue Dolphins.

As an adult, I have been blessed to take care of a real family, run a real kitchen, and do real laundry. (yes, I actually like to do laundry) I am also thankful for the opportunity subbing provided to fulfill that childhood desire to teach and once I realized that I could never exist without electricity to fuel my curling iron, the island life lost its appeal. I feel blessed that an unwanted circumstance provided the opportunity to add the role of teacher to my resume.

So let’s close out today with simply asking ..What did you want to be when you grew up? Did it pan out? Is there a way to still somehow make that dream a reality? Is there a time you can look back on that seemed so difficult and yet brought about some wonderful things that would not have occurred without the trial?

I hope so.

Blessings friend! We are winding down the week of the Countdown. I don’t know about you, but I have a pile of bags filled with items that need to be sorted into stockings.

Godspeed and I will see you back here tomorrow <3