It Has Been A While

What is Jenny up to?

It has been a long time since my last post.  But, I am grateful for a little bit of time this morning.

In 2011, I started this blog, not having the slightest inclination of what was about to come.  We had our little miracle baby and went on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.  For a while there, we didn't know if he would survive, much less how he would grow up.  Just as we were feeling comfortable with the fact that we actually would get to keep our son with us, he got sick and we almost lost him again.  I thank God every day he is still here, truly the biggest joy anybody could have the privilege to mother.

As you know, I was laid off from my job at Creative Memories one year ago today, and I have been grieving the loss of our second son, Isaac, on December 30th. This has been a very tough year for us, emotionally and financially.  Hell, it has been a tough 3.5 years.

Throughout this process, I have been pondering on my faith and trying to reflect on what God is trying to reveal to me.  What lessons am I to learn from all this?  I learned that, in tough times, God and family is really all we have.  At any moment, I can be thrust out of my comfort zone and be forced to adapt.  I learned about needs versus wants.  I certainly learned about priorities.

In the words of Gary Allen, Every Storm Runs Out of Rain.  I am still struggling on a daily basis, but it seems like the thunder and lightening are subsiding a bit.  There is no rainbow in sight, but at least the rain seems to be letting up a bit.  If you have not heard this song, please listen and this paragraph will make a lot more sense.

http://youtu.be/1q3LEadIk3w?list=RD1q3LEadIk3w

During this past year, I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do next for a career.  I attended a week long Career Path workshop at the Workforce Center and explored some different ideas based on my strengths and interests.

I volunteered at the St. Cloud Hospital NICU in the March of Dimes Parent To Parent Support Program.  I volunteered at my church on an initiative to create a Youth Ministry Leadership Team.

I am currently working a temporary job, full time, at Bluestem Brands as a Supervisor in the Packing Department.  This assignment will go until the end of December.  There is a lot of stress right now, dealing with the uncertainty of what I will be doing to bring in income and sustain our family in 2015.  Please pray for me because I need help discerning the right path.

Wow, I feel like I just wrote one of those holiday newsletters (a pretty sad one!).  I've been asked in job interviews what I have been doing during my "lay off".  Ha! I'd like to give them a copy of this post. :)