Craftiness

In the meantime, I am making these paper globe tree ornaments. The photo does not quite capture the beauty and brilliance of the paper I used; it's very colorful and has some spots of gold foil, felt and glitter. They are a very nice addition to my Christmas tree which has not been updated in about a hundred years.

Waiting ... Advent

My first full week of unemployment ... or is it retirement? I hope not. I really hope to find a nice part-time job again that fits well. I remain optimistic.

This is not easy for me. I have worked outside the home for many years, albeit, part-time. I've been a church secretary, non-profit office manager, and a director of a crisis pregnancy center. I've temped as a receptionist and secretary in manufacturing, law, insurance, sales, and trucking. A long work history filled with lots of good experience. I've lived in several cities, moves necessitated by hubby's job choices, which is why I haven't been at anything for very long periods of time.

I have been known to take a job quickly, without really considering too much whether it's a good fit, just to end the feeling of uselessness and the "OMG, I MUST WORK!!!" thinking that comes from some deep-rooted place within me. My daughter wisely counsels me that I must just be content to "be", something that is difficult. God may have a purpose, here. So maybe it is fitting, that at this time of Advent - waiting - I learn to wait patiently for the next step in my life ... even if it is forced waiting and somewhat riddled with anxiety ... like the Advent of long ago.

Employment/Unemployment Insanity

I've neglected this blog badly. Not that I have nothing to say, just nothing good.

I had posted a while back about looking for a job ... most of the summer and fall, actually. The non-profit I worked for had a new board come on in June and I knew changes were in the wind, but I didn't know how many. Membership had dropped to less than half of what it was when I started with them three years ago. They decided to purchase a database service that members can access and do their own updates. The service also handles the website. To pay for this, my hours were cut, but since this service now does some of what I did, it made sense to the board. Then, the board decided to move the office further away into a makeshift office in the back of the family business of one of the board members. Conflict of interest, here??? So, I opted out. I did find another job, but after one week, I realized it was a really poor fit. My stress level was through the roof, causing some very uncomfortable health problems. Hubby kindly suggested I get out quickly, so I did.

Here I sit, unemployed. I haven't been in this situation for many a year, and it's scary! I have to restructure my life in a town where I still really don't know many people. I took my first step today and volunteered to bake cookies at the Ronald McDonald house on Thursday. That should be fun and rewarding. Maybe I'll get back to Vespers more often now, too. I hadn't been because the drive was just too much with all that was going on in my life.

I'm not doing any heavy reading right now; need something light, fun and fictional to occupy my worried mind.

I leave you with the words of Julian of Norwich, 15th century Catholic mystic, which have been running through my head for days now. Thank you, Lord!

"all will be well, and all will be well, and every kind of thing will be well"