Well folks I have been back to work for over a year now, it seems like so much more time has passed. We have gotten into the groove of managing a busy life filled with work, school, church and those moments where we can take a pause and enjoy our family time. SO much has happened in the last year. To start my amazing husband got a position in a job he loves. My daughter went into grade 4, and my son still keeps me hopping, even knowing he is at school in SK. In the time he has been going to school, he has managed to get a concussion, got into trouble for putting his own disco party on by playing with the lights, smashed urinal pucks all over the bathroom and got into fights with other kids. That’s my boy! Thankfully he has amazing teachers who are patient and understanding. This year there has been an improvement already in his behaviour which has been a breathe of fresh air.
We have also had some curveballs thrown into the busyness. Two trips to the hospital with my son, one of which resulted in me going to work on 1 hour of sleep. The flu went through our house, and I myself had two trips to urgent care, as well as a crazy virus.
Ontop of my family life, there is my job. We had a store renovation, change in management and a busy holiday season with Black Friday, Christmas, and Boxing Day. Work life is difficult, interesting and definitely challenging. While working in a retail job is not new to me, this is a whole different beast. The level of inventory, involvement and standards is like nothing I have seen before. Despite the challenges I have had with the job, (I shall not bore you with details) I learned something new about myself. I learned building character is not done when you live by your emotions.
This job has built a lot of character in me. Every day, I’m serious, EVERY day, I bawled my eyes out driving 45 minutes to work. Now this didn’t just go on for the first week I started, but went on for the first two and a half months!!! Why? Well many reasons, some days it was staffing challenges, some days I just missed being at home with my family, some days it was because I was not welcomed warmly by my new co workers, and some days it was mommy guilt. I began to feel isolated, and for me that was hard to feel. Lonely is not a fun emotion, but God reminded me that even though I may feel lonely, He is always with me.
So how did this all change? How did the tears stop flowing on my drive to work? Well, I resolved in my spirit that God placed me there for a reason. Despite all these new challenges and feelings, I realized it was God showing me how to trust Him, lean on Him and allow Him to work something new in me. I’m a fighter, I will not shrink back, but will stand strong with my head held high. When I would make a mistake God gave me grace, even when people didn’t. If I felt down on myself, I would remind myself who my heavenly Daddy is, and who He says I am. See, character building is NOT fun, but it brings you closer to God IF you allow it. I am SO thankful for my encouraging family and friends thru this major transition. I know the rest of 2016 is going to be AMAZING!More of God, less of me.
Here is an example of how I feel vs building character. Yep the one on the left is after I have cried all the way to work and the one on the right is me choosing character over emotions. Have an AMAZING week!
Jen
Exploring life 