Sunday Evening Reflections

Hi! I sit here tonight thinking I want to blog, but am not sure what it's going to look like. So, I'll just see where this takes me, and whether you read it or not, I will have it for me. *grin*

This past week I learned A LOT in my job. Some of the things I learned included:

1. People call the place where I work for support. Most of the time we figure out how we can connect people to the resources they need. I felt bad though when a gal called and just wanted money for a medical issue. I had to explain that we don't just give out money, we hook people up with the resources they need. It wasn't easy, but I learned I can let people down in a gentle way and life goes on.

2. I added two classes to my week, and honestly thinking every kid I am in contact with is beautiful in their own way. I'm with high schoolers, which is a different population for me to teach, but I love it. I'm hoping to add one more school, at least. Life is more fun in the field teaching than in the office. *grin*

3. I spent 2.5 hours one day with a person applying to become a US Citizen. Yes, he has a disability, so that's how he qualified for my assistance. Let me tell you, I have a whole new respect for people who are wanting to stay here. Not only did we fill out over 40 pages of an application, after that we did about a 15 page waiver because it costs over $1000 to just file that paperwork. Let me tell ya, by the end of the 2.5 hours, I now have a deep, deep respect for people wanting to stay. I pray for that person, and everyone else in his position. I take being an American for granted. I finally got that. Deeply.

4. I spent some time with a co-worker, and once again had confirmation that I'm where I'm supposed to be for now. God clearly put this gal in my life, and I didn't realize how much I had been longing for a gal like this to spend time with on a daily basis. I am blessed, and smiling. *grin*

5. We had a training for us to have the ability to help individuals register to vote, to vote, and understand the ballots. Let me tell ya, I know more about the ballot now than I ever have and feel ready for the next election. We are also a general polling place, so anyone in the metro can vote there. Yes, that day is nuts, but I love it.

6. Finally, I love where I work. Everyday is a new learning curve, but, it's fun and everyday I thank God for the job. Truly.

Okay, time to read & sleep. I'm ready for the work week to begin!

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME!

Divine Appointments

I haven't blogged lately, but let me tell you, my mind has been running nonstop. And ultimately I'm amazed at how God has been giving me divine appointments to make me smile and feel His love. I am blessed by everyone in my world. Truly.

For example, Monday I went to Bowling Blind. Long story short, the company I work for creates social events for people who are visually impaired or blind. Every second Monday they go bowling. I loved bowling as a kid, and figured it would be fun. I took someone I know with a vision impairment, and we both had a blast. My favorite quote at the end of the night was my friend saying similar to, "The unconditional acceptance there was amazing." Yep, that sums up the night. I plan to go again, even if my friend can't make it. *grin*

Thursday night we had The Gathering, a Women's Bible Study for the ladies of my church. I'm a Story Teller this year, so I get to lead the table discussion. I did that during the 2016-2017 School Year, but didn't attend last school year due to homework/work responsibilities. It was SO FREEING to be there and not worry about work the next day. *grin* I'm also on the prayer team and got to pray with a woman during ministry time. *grin* Love serving His kids. Totally. Perhaps my favorite part of the evening was when two of the women I haven't seen in a while came over to my table. I enjoyed ALL the ladies at my table. Totally. However, the picture we took is one I ADORE. Gosh, He certainly made me to be around people for sure! *grin*

Today at church....well, let's just say it was the biggest divine appointment I've had in probably a year. I was door greeting, and a gal that I usually sit by during second service came out. I attend third service on the third Sunday because I door greet. Well, so when the service began, my friend came by. Okay, well, we're more of acquaintances than friends. In the midst of our chat, she really ministered to me in a really cool way. God really blessed me during that chat. I walked away so very thankful for my church.

I'm excited for the upcoming week. I am believing for more divine appointments. Totally.

Time to crash. Another work week ahead, but you know what? I'm rested. I am REALLY enjoying the No Homework aspect of my job. Thank You God!

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME....I love my life! *grin*

I Love Meeting New People!!! *grin*

This has been a REALLY good week. I mean, weeks of training led up to today, AND I LOVED IT!

Okay, back up, I was scheduled to start in our Kansas office on Tuesday (Holiday was Monday!) and opted to wait because I had a new computer to have set up in my new office. I also still had to work in the Missouri office, so I was going to move into it on Wednesday. It rained Wednesday, so I waited until yesterday. I had various meetings on the days leading up to Thursday, so it worked out well.

On Thursday I arrived early, and no one was there. I was slightly bummed, as I worked REALLY hard to be on time. At the same time, I was thankful for current technology and was able to message my boss and wait for the person to arrive and let me in. He arrived shortly after that, and I moved stuff in and got situated. I must admit, I didn't want to move to the Kansas office, but once I got moved in I LOVED IT!

WHY?

At the Missouri building I have a cubicle. At the Kansas office, I have my own OFFICE. I can shut the door and everything! *grin* I don't shut my door because my co-workers are hysterical. However, it's nice to be able to shut a door if I want to do so. *grin* Okay, that's partly true, I will share the room with co-workers, but not everyday. *grin* So cool!

I also like that the Kansas office is in a safer part of the metro than the Missouri one. Don't get me wrong, the Missouri office is okay, but I wouldn't hang out there alone at night or anything! (I don't, just saying...) As much as I dreaded the move, I like it a lot. *grin*

Today, wow, today was my favorite day so far in the new job. I went to the first high school in the metro where I'm teaching a transition class to students with disabilities. I was NERVOUS, and it was my first powerpoint presentation in this job, BUT, I loved it. Each of the students reminded me a little bit of my former students over the years. I had to smile, it was fun to be meeting new people and teaching again. Very cool! (I only teach one hour per class per week. Right now I only have one school, but I'm working to add more.)

I had three kids in the beginning of class that had heads down and just didn't want to be there or want me to be there. I took out my teacher tricks, and by the end of class they all had their heads up and were somewhat participating. They were at least kind, after I stopped one person from being vocal. *grin* It was clear that they didn't expect the teacher side of me to show up! I LOVED IT! *grin* They don't know what's in store for them. *giggle* I love building relationships with students, so this will be very cool!

This afternoon we had a social event with adults with disabilities. That fun part is that I know most of them now, so it was like a family reunion of sorts. I'd love to sit with each of them and hear their life stories, but, I'll take it one step at a time. I enjoyed pouring into a couple of them this afternoon, and there was a lot of laughter by everyone.

This job, isn't all what I expected...but now that the schedule picked up and I'm building relationships, this has been my favorite week so far. I love meeting people and pouring into them, so I feel like I'm home. *grin*

A new office.
Safe area of town.
I can park in the actual lot in Kansas.
Quiktrip down the street.
My own office.
New Kids.
A family reunion today at the social event.

NO HOMEWORK. EVER. *grin*

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME.

It's the Little Things in Life...Waze, Laughter, & Concrete

So this week was pretty cool. I will admit, I'm glad we're on a three-day weekend. I like the job, but love the idea of some time with loved ones and sleep. *giggle*

I will say it was a week where I was reminded that it's the little things in life that matter to me. Okay, well, people matter the most to me, but, I had a couple cool things happen that made me smile really big! *grin*

On Wednesday we had an ice cream social during our lunch time. I'll admit, I was going to skip. However, when they had a second announcement about it, I took that as a sign that they were going to have tons of left overs, so I went downstairs to join the fun. Turns out, that was a God thing. I entered and there was music playing and I got in line for the vanilla ice cream. Yes, that's all it takes to make me happy. *giggle* That's not the coolest part though.

I sat down at a table with one of the leaders of the company. We were making small chit chat and we started talking about commuting to work. When he said he and his family lived near me, I asked what route he takes because I'm STILL getting used to the commute. *grin* He mentioned an app that he uses each morning to decide which route to take. He asked me if I had heard of WAZE. I said no. *giggle* He mentioned that it's very helpful and tracks roads in real time. I thanked him for the suggestion. I downloaded it and used it to get home, and was blown away. It literally changes routes based on reported wrecks. I LOVED IT! I saw him the next morning after a delayed trip due to a storm, and said, "That's the coolest app ever!" He laughed. It is so refreshing to know that there are ways around traffic. Go ahead, download it. You're welcome! *giggle*

I also wanted to mention another cool moment at the ice cream social, and it still has me smiling. *grin* See I spend MOST of my time in a cubicle. God is teaching me TONS in that cubical, but that's a different post for a different day. Anyway, I was sitting in the ice cream social and there were people on my team nearby, along with one of the leaders. All of the sudden the music stopped and someone said, "Why did the music stop?" I looked at the clock and then said, "Maybe it's a sign, like 3 minutes to eat and back to work!" Every one laughed. I smiled. Gosh I miss making people laugh like that. I've thought tons about that moment. It was a true highlight of my week. *grin*

Finally, there was a last moment (pertaining to my work week) that is worth noting. So, we have to walk from an employee lot to the building I work in. There is a part of the sidewalk where concrete ended and there were rocks. It was the place where the street sidewalk and the employee lot at work meet. I tried the rocks a couple of times, but quit trying to cross it because it's kinda rough. Sure, it meant a few more steps around, but, I wanted to be safe over sorry. *grin* I didn't say a word to anyone but God. I figured it wasn't a big deal.

During the ice cream social, they came out and asked someone to move their van because they were pouring concrete. I didn't think much of it until I left. THEY PUT CONCRETE WHERE THE ROCKS WERE! Ahhhh! Sure, it meant I had to wait a day for it to dry, but words cannot describe how happy I was to walk on the concrete. I took a picture. Scroll down. I know, it looks like a square of concrete, but well, it meant more than that to me. *grin* I tell ya, it was like God was saying, "Stay the course, you're where I want you to be." I grinned. Big. Time.

So, that is a summary of the week. My favorite camper, Ronni, is here for the weekend so I need to go.

As always, thanks for reading the blog. It blesses me.

TONS.

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME!