I NEED HIM...A LOT!!!

Some days I think I need Him more than He will ever know. Today happened to be one of those days. I am in North Dakota - job hunting. I desperately want to reunite our family! I have missed our family dinners, our giggle sessions, our family time. It's horrible to think how much I took that for granted! So, here I am applying for everything I can find - and it seems if you talk to enough people you find plenty. That is good!

But this morning had nothing really to do with job hunting and everything to do with physical pain. My body just does this sometimes. It can be very irritating. I might be sleeping peacefully one moment and awake and dealing with screaming pain in muscles nobody realizes they have. That's when I have to pull myself out of bed and walk around for a bit then sit in the recliner or on the couch. Going back to bed really isn't an option, just magnifies the pain. Fortunately, it didn't hit until 5:30 this morning so I had 6 hours of sleep! A praise to be sure!

As the morning progressed and I pulled myself out of my slump, I changed my focus to Grandma as I watched her shuffle herself from the kitchen to her recliner. You can hear her heavy sighs as her earthly body groans with each passing day. Yet you never hear a word from her regarding her physical health. I offer to drive her to her eye appointment. She says I don't need to go with her but I assure her I want to. As we walk out the door she hands me the keys. It's as I crawl into her luxury vehicle that I realize my feet don't reach the pedals. SERIOUSLY!! She is sitting next to me asking if I want to sit on her cushion and I laugh and tell her I need to put it behind me so I can reach the pedals! She chuckles too. At her appointment they take her right back and I'm sitting in the waiting room. An older gentleman comes and sits there. His name...Daryl...yep! We talk about Stanley and farming for a bit then I feel compelled to ask him if he knows of any houses available in town that we might rent for a time while we get our land in order and our house built. He shares that his mother has just moved to an apartment because her home was too much for her 93 year-old body to manage. Stella, his mom, doesn't know if she wants to rent or sell, so I suggest rent to us and give her time to get used to the idea of selling. Daryl thinks it's a great idea and takes my phone number then gives me the address and his phone. It's a small house but, it has three bedrooms a living room, family room, kitchen and one bath. That's all we need to get by for now! Then we talk more about my desire to find a job and he tells me to go to the Farmers Union. They need lots of people. He gives me the name of the general manager and says to go over right away today because the GM is leaving on vacation for 10 days starting tomorrow and then has knee surgery. So I call the GM, he's booked solid. He tells me to meet the Controller, gives me her name and asks me to stop by. SMALL TOWNS! I love this place! After I meet with the controller and drop off my resume, I walk over to the new credit union in town to get information for setting up an account. I am greeted by a diamond in the rough - a young woman who has relocated to the area and never had a bank job (the difference in her attire from the other two women in the bank makes it very apparent.) As we talk I ask if they're hiring. The girl shares that they are needing people and gives me the email address for the hiring manager. So I get home and email him my information. Cool thing is he's willing to train anyone willing to work for them. They're just desperate for quality employees around here! The girls will do well once they get here!

In a bit I'm back at the house and the pain becomes consuming again. Then I'm sitting and wondering why I didn't seem to notice it while I was visiting with people. Then I realize that I was fellowshipping. There are many forms but this particular form of getting to know others is so good for helping me shift my focus. I've decided to test out my fellowship theory during those dark early morning hours when I can't even sit because of the pain. I have been downloading some music that speaks to me and I will fellowship with the Lord and turn the darkness into light.

I am so thankful for the new adventure we're on. I'm thankful for the unidentified chronic illnesses I'm dealing with. But more than that I'm thankful for family and friends who provide so much encouragement and prayer support as I walk this path! OH...and I'm thankful for Stanley, North Dakota friendliness!!!