Being: Unemployed, Pt. Ducks (deux)

Well, it seems I’ve come full-circle. I started this blog the day I had been let go from my job in Georgia, and here I am three days into unemployment again. Ha!

While it wasn’t unexpected, or unwelcome, it was still a bit of a shock at first. I called my bestie and boo-hoo’d for a few minutes on the way home, but, since then, I’ve been just fine. I know this is a total blessing. I can now have the much-needed, relatively stress-free break I’ve needed for months now. I can go and do things if/when I need to, because I will still have the wonderful care givers from First Light coming in on a daily basis. Primarily because I just can’t take care of my sweet Daddy on my own, 24/7. It’s too much for me to handle.

I will miss some of the people I worked with, and I’ll miss the work I was able to do. I learned so much during the four years I was there. Skills that will help me in my next employment adventure. I was told that there just wasn’t enough work to keep me, as a designer, busy. But, then again, when your boss has a check in the box by your name that says, ‘Don’t give any jobs’, then, that tends to be the case. Because jobs were being withheld from me, the work I have been able to do in the last few months was handed directly to me either by a person who really likes my work, or by my supervisor, (because she was getting all the job bags). It wasn’t being doled out through the system like for everyone else. So, no, me losing my job wasn’t unexpected.

It seems that a situation was being created to fit the narrative that the work just wasn’t there… Many people make the mistake of thinking I’m not as sharp or as intuitive as I am, and, that gives me a bit of an advantage sometimes. They think that if they tell me how things are, I’ll just believe them and go on about my business. I’m really not as stupid as people tend to think I am. (I can be a ditz at times, though! ha!) Here’s a tip for you to remember: just because someone doesn’t SAY something, doesn’t mean they don’t KNOW what’s going on. Many times, I have the advantage, because my Lord takes care of me, and lets me know things I need to know. When it comes time to react, I’ve already processed the information and situation, and can take the news without becoming overly emotional, like most people expect me to. It’s actually pretty fun to throw them for a loop… LOL

My view because yesterday was such a beautiful, relaxing day!

So, I am now on an extended ‘vacation’! Because of my situation at home with my Dad, I’m not going to be in a hurry to find a new job. I need a break in the worst way. I would love to go somewhere for a week or more, but, that’s not possible right now. So, I’ll be happy to take each day as it comes, doing things at a slower, more relaxed pace than I have in the last few years.

I know that the coming months will probably be difficult. My Dad isn’t going to get any better, and I can already see a steady decline in his health. But, other than that situation, I am truly excited to see what the future brings. I never know, of course, what the Lord has planned for me, but what I do know, is that it will be better than anything I could even dream about. And, I’ll try to keep you all updated.

As always, thanks for listening!

He Continues to Amaze

The fact that God cares about me and the every day minutia of my life isn’t anything new to me. I’ve known this for a while now. As I stated in a previous blog post, I can look back and see where He has guided me one way or another. But what continues to amaze me – BIG time – is just HOW He brings things together. Things that some will say is coincidence, but for those of us who Believe, it’s just another one of His ways of saying, “I’ve got this.”

Today, I had to go to the Unemployment Office. I needed to update some information I had originally put in a form. When my name was called, I went to talk to the young woman at the desk who would answer my questions. After finding out what I needed, she lead me to a computer, logged me in and showed me where I needed to update the information. Before she left, I asked her a few questions that I had wondered about, but hadn’t planned on asking, like what I should do about the fact that I am having to scrounge for places to apply to for a job. I told her there were only so many places needing a graphic artist/designer at the moment. After she gave me her best answer, she turned to leave and I went back to updating my information. But then I heard a man ask her a question…about me. She, as an employee of the Department of Labor, couldn’t legally answer any of his questions about me directly, but by this time, I had turned around and was answering anyway. When she saw that she was no longer needed, she smiled and left. The man rolled his chair over to sit beside me.

Now, get this… This is just how awesome God is.

This man didn’t work at the office, he is, himself, unemployed. And yet, he came over and offered to try and help ME find a job. He told me he has contacts in the printing industry, IN NASHVILLE – where I will be moving in a few days – and would probably be able to get my resume in the hands of several different companies that need graphic artists. When I told him what I used to do, and the magazines I used to help produce, he knew exactly where I had worked, and even called the name of someone we both knew. So, this guy is legit.

When I finished my update a minute or two later, he was gone. I didn’t see him anywhere. I walked outside to my car and said a prayer of thanks to the One who loves me enough to care about the small things in my life and put someone in my path who may be able to get me a job. At the very least this man gave me a bit of encouragement.

Our God is an AWESOME God, isn’t He?! If you’ve been reading my posts, you’ve had a few weeks now to look back and figure out where you can see His fingerprints on your life. I hope you can find them in your life. He’s there, in the every day details of your life. You just have to look.