No matter what happens, stay the course!

On June 17, 2010, I was told that my position was being eliminated and I was laid-off from my job of 10 years. While a thousand things were flying through my mind and after a couple of hours (yes, hours!) of riding my stationary bike, I made a decision to be positive. My faith in God told me that there was a reason for this seemingly bad situation and God would provide for me and my family. I wasn't sure.... didn't even have a clue as to how we were going to survive financially until I was able to find another job, but I trusted that it would all work out for the best. As it turns out, being laid-off was a HUGE blessing! I was able to spend the summer and fall with Drew. We had a blast! My parents had given us a year long pass to Zoo Atlanta the previous Christmas and we used it. Drew and I also frequented our neighborhood swimming pool. And we had some very good quality time with Richard. (If you aren't familiar with our schedules, he and I work almost opposite schedules and rarely get to see each other in the light of day during the week.) At that point, the Georgia heat was setting in and it was getting too hot to walk outside. Luckily, about 5 years ago, a friend offered to let me borrow her recumbent stationary bike, that was just sitting in storage, to rehab my knee. I never really used it and it was just sitting in our office taking up space. Once it became evident that I couldn't breathe to walk in 90+ degree temperatures, I discovered my LOVE for the bike. I hauled it out of the office and into the living room, where I could watch tv and ride, while keeping an eye on Drew. It has been the best thing to have! I could ride anytime... in the middle of the night, early morning, during Drew's naps... anytime! As soon as the temperature started being less than 80 degrees in the mornings, I started getting up and going for a walk by myself before the heat of the day set in. I loved walking early in the morning! It allowed me to see nature and listen to the birds. I used my walks to talk to God and sort out where my life was headed. Since I had been working from the time I was a senior in high school, I was always on the go and never really stopped to smell the flowers or appreciate the dew on the grass or the beautiful sounds of nature. My walks brought me so much closer to God and allowed me to appreciate all of the splender of His creations. I decided that, no matter what happened job wise, I would try to instill a need and obligation in my son to always be thankful for what you have and "give back" as much as possible.