Job Interview

I am officially employed again!  Yes, I got a job.  Though I will be on a trial basis for a month, I hope to be able to actually be offered the position. 

I worked for a big bank for almost 28 years.  I have not had a job interview….a real job interview in that length of time.  So, when I called to request consideration for the job, I was already thinking about what I would say if actually granted an interview.

This was all in God’s plans and in His hands.  It is really a miracle for me.  When asked what I wanted to do with my time after I left the bank… I always said something to do with either children or animals.  The I would add that I was leaning towards animals because they usually did not complain as much as children.

Well, after several months of bliss.  That bliss being not having to answer to an alarm at 5:30 in the morning or leaving for work before day light and getting home at dark.  The bliss of being able to sit on the porch and enjoy the sound of the crickets, frog, and birds.  The bliss of walking in the woods with my trusty companion, Ranger Dog.  The bliss of reading, reading, reading…..  Well, after several months of that, Mr. Greenhouse announced that he needed for me to look for gainful employment.  So, I did.

I put out feelers to a lot of places.  I applied for lots and lots of jobs.  I did not want anything that would be too taxing or anything to do with banking.  I was ready to “take it easy” and work at the same time.  God knew I needed a job because I told Him that constantly.  However, nothing much came of all the applications I put out or the phone interviews I had.  I suspect that part of it was when someone actually saw my resume, they thought I was way over qualified for the job for which I was applying.  I never really actually got the chance to explain that I would not just “leave” if something else came along that fit my qualifications better.  Because if I had been given the chance, maybe I could have helped the potential employer that although I would be committed to the job offered, I was not looking for something that would be remotely like the position I left.

I am a people and animal person.  The job I finally left at the big bank had morphed into one of technical abilities.  I was good at what I did, working with people to help “find” their available funds from their deposits.  When given the task of entering data into a database, well I was good at that too.  But, I pined for the times of searching and helping those who were concerned about their funds.

So, when I went to get my hair cut…Yes, I get my hair cut, I don’t get it “done”….and the hairdresser said that she knew someone looking for someone to work in a Vet’s office….I almost fell out the chair.  God’s hand at work!  He had heard me all along…..

So, I came home, called the person and left my name and number and a little bit of information about me.  She called me on Friday and we chatted.  Then she asked me to come in on Monday afternoon for an interview.

I went Monday afternoon.  Dr. Karen G.  is a wonderful person.  She genuinely cares for animals and people.  Her “mission statement” as she calls it fits nicely with mine.  Meaning that we both respect people and animals and feel that animals are given to us to protect and nurture rather than just be things….God gave them to us for our care.

We talked for an hour.  I gave her a brief description of my childhood.  I told her about my grandmother and if the cow could had been in the house it would have been.  I told her about how animals just seem to like me.  She told me about the job.  The pay is not the best…but that really does not matter.  I am happy for the money but I am happier that the job involves the eventual working with animals.

At the end of the interview, she offered me the job on a one month trial basis.  I am to learn filing and phones first.  Then we will go from there.  I was ecstatic!  I thanked her for the opportunity.  And, I start on Feb. 4th. 

I immediately thanked God for His help and His hand in this.  Because He knows all things and they happen in His time.  We need to learn if we try to “force” things, they usually don’t work out how we would like.

I came home and emailed all my friends with the information that their prayers for me had been beneficial and I had indeed been offered a job.

The funny thing, I forgot my resume.  Now some may say that was just a coincidence.  I say it was providence.  I am somewhat sure if she had seen my resume, I may not have been offered the job.  Why, because she would think I am over qualified.  So often people do not see accomplishments in one one field as a measure of person’s ability to learn in another. 

She hired me solely on my chat with her.  This is a match made in heaven.  She stated she could not offer me the salary of a big bank…  That is fine.  I don’t want the headaches that salary can generate.  I have a learning curve in front of me.  I feel that I can do this.  I may even get to go out on calls with the vet….  YIPPEE

All along, I was anxious about getting a job.  I have one now on a trial basis.  Three 10 hour days a week.  But, it is a start.  Now, I am hopeful that I can “prove” myself and actually be offered the position on a permanent basis.  So, keep your fingers crossed. 

Of course this means there is another chapter to the Saga of Cindy.  That is the working title of my book…..

Friends With Skin On

I went to a Bible study last year where the concept of friends with skin on was introduced.  The leader told a story about a little girl frightened by a thunder storm.  She called out to her parents in the night.  They came to her room to comfort her.  They also told her that she did not need to be afraid because God was always with her.

The little girl responded that it was all well and good to know that God was there but that some time she wanted and needed a friend with skin on.

After that story, I prayed that God would provide me with a friend with skin on.  And, since then he has blessed me with numerous friends with skin on.  I thank God for them everyday.

I thought that friends with skin on meant someone in human form.  That is not necessarily so.  Yesterday taught me that without a shadow of a doubt.

I was feeling down and sad because of life’s situations.  I had sat down in my rocking chair to rock myself.  Have you ever noticed how comforting it can be to rock yourself?  It was helping but I still needed that skin to skin contact.  I was wanting and needing a hug pretty badly.

Ranger Dog to the rescue.  He came up to me, climbed up in my lap and gave me the best hug a dog can.  We sat there for quite a while, the 70lb dog and me.  He leaned in to me and I got to bury my face in his fur and hug on him.  It was absolutely just what I wanted and needed.  He actually knows me and loves me like no one else.  In his short life here on earth, he has provided me with so much love and joy.

So, I once again than God for sending me another type of friend with skin on.  Ranger Dog knew what I needed and he provided it as well as he could.  He could not have done better if he had tried.  Not even if he could talk.  Because his actions were better than any words could have been.

It is wonderful to be loved by something, or should I say someone, unconditionally like that.  Because to me, Ranger is a someone.  He is my bestest friend.

Gloom, Despair and Agony On Me

Any of you who were around in the 70’s will recognize the above line fron Hee Haw.  As it turns out, I can sing that song too.  For the past month, we have been having “things” happen around the house.  And, the streak of bad luck has followed us in to the new year.

Right around Thanksgiving, we had the sewer line back up.  Seems one of the field tiles had shifted and caused the sewage to flow back in to the house rather than the proverbial “down hill”.  That cost us $250.00.

Then, about two weeks later, we had a brass coupling shear in the wall down stairs.  The ensuing floor spread out over the basement floor from the ceiling and the wall sockets.  It was a sight to see. 

The Plumber came and sawed three holes in the ceiling and wall to find the issue.  He said that he had not seen anything like it in his thrity odd years of plumbing.  The coupling was completely sheared like it had been expertly cut.

We have to file with our home owner’s insurance.  So, we don’t yet know how much it is going to cost.  But, probably at least one wall and part of the ceiling has to be replaced.

Then last Saturday, the heat went out upstairs.  They had to send two different repairmen out two different times.  There was some type of switch that flipped and may eventually need to be replaced.  There was another $144.00.

This morning, well, we had no water.  It was 12 degrees outside and we had no water.  So, Mr. Greenhouse called the plumber.  He showed up around eleven to confirm we had no water.  The pump registered 0 for pressure.  Again they found that a switch had not contacted.  So, we now have to get more insulation around the pump to keep it from happening againg.  Not sure of the charge on that one.

And, lest I forget, this all started in July when first the dishwasher and then the washing maching went out.  Both were able to be fixed.  The dishwasher needed a new pump.  The washer needed the “trap” cleaned out.

We have also had issues with the gas fire place.  The blower would not work at first.

I fear that the microwave will be next….I keep getting “sensor error”.  Then there is the vent over the stove.  One of the halogen lights went out and we cannot find a replacement.

We will see…..

Wealth

Today in church, our minister talked about wealth.  How to store wealth in heaven is one of the things we will discuss in his four week series.  Today, he talked about what people conceive as monetary wealth.  No one actually thinks they are wealthy…..they all say “If I had….I would be wealthy”

Well, I need to tell you that I am not one of those who measures wealth by how much money I have in the bank.  I am thankful for all I have.  But, I also know that true wealth is attained by sharing with others.  I thank having a grandmother and a grandfather (on opposite sides of the family) that brought that message home each and every day.

We were by no means what most would consider wealthy.  Our family came from farmers…and we also worked the land.  While my dad was alive, he brought home an actual paycheck from the Paper Mill.  But, that was added to by the garden and the farm animals that we had. 

My ancestors were taught to be frugal.  They leaned how to use things that most people would throw away.  I guess that came from the fact that most of them came through a lot of hardships and learned how to make do.  There were wars and other things that molded the lives of those that preceeded me in this life.

That was passed down to us kids.  At least, it took hold with me.  And, I would hazard to guess that my siblings also have in some way adapted the “make do” in to their lives also.

When we were kids, we all had clothes that were home made.  My mother would take the laying mash feed sacks that were acutally made out of patterned material and make outfits for us kids.  I wore many dresses that came from feed sacks.  Later the cloth came from the store but my mom still made most of the clothes for my sister and me.

When daddy died, the Masons brought out more than one set of outfits for us kids.  And, then there were hand me downs from others. 

All of this was added to by my grandparents.  They showed us that there are always those out there who are even less fortunate than you think you are.  We were considered wealthy because we had food on the table and a warm place to sleep at night.  We had enough that we were not out on the street even though our house was not the grandest of the most magnificent.  We were taught to thank God for what we had and to make smart use of what was given to us.

I still feel that way today.  I remember when all we had were two pairs of shoes apiece and we had to make them last until the next school year.  We had a pair of school/church shoes and a pair of tennis shoes.  And, we were thankful because there were people who did not even have one pair of shoes.

It is true that charity begins at home.  I saw this with my grandmother when she sent a not to school asking the teacher to pick out a needy child to receive a warm sweater or coat or other things throughout the year that they might need.  I am sure that my teacher looked at me and the note and wondered if she could find a kid less fortunate.  She did by the way. 

And, my grandfather had a black man that worked with him in the fields.  This man was very good and did good work.  He also had a lot of children to feed.  On occasion, he would go into the smoke house and take some meat off of a ham to take home to his wife and children.  My grandmother, his wife, did not like that the man took the meat without my grandfather’s permission.  My grandfather explained to my grandmother that the man would not take it unless he felt that he needed it to feed his family.  So by not saying anything, my grandfather had given this man permission to get the meat.  Both knew what the other was doing even though nothing was said.

The minister said that the good news and the bad news was that we were wealthy.  What we do with what we have will determine if our wealth is here on earth or in heaven.  Where is yours?

Christmas Past

In my family, it was tradition to get the tree up and down as soon as possible.  The day after Christmas, I took all of the ornaments off of the tree.  Until yesterday, the poor naked tree, except for the lights and the star, stood in the corner of the dining area.  I asked my husband when he was going to remove the tree.  He made a comment that the lights and star were still on the tree.  I added that I required his assistance to remove those since he had tied the tree to a stake. 

He proceeded to pull the lights off the tree.  I packed up the star and stored the lights.  The tree lay like a dead body at our feet.  It was uncerimoniously (huge word) drug out the house and deposited in the yard.  We swept up the fallen needles and I put the table back where it belonged. 

We looked out the back door just in time to see the tree have it’s final dignity taken from it.   Ranger Dog must have said to it that it was now in his jurisdiction and promptly lifted his leg to identify it as such.  Then he drug the tree around for a while until he tired of the exercise.

Another tradition in our family is to name the 12 days after the new year the 12 months of the coming year.  It has been said that the weather on that day will be indicative of the weather during that month.  I have to admit I often mean to note this information on my calendar to see if it in any way compares to the weather when the actual month arrives.  Sadly, I have never gotten past April or May. 

If the theory is true, then this day would be the month of July.  It was sunny and beautiful all day long.  The weather, though it started out cold has turned temperate.

Another tradition in our family is that “whatever you do on New Year’s day, you will do for the rest of the year.  Well, today, Mr. Greenhouse continued playing with his tractor moving around fallen trees and stumps where he has been making a burn pile.  He has thoroughly enjoyed himself.

What did I do?  Well, I read, a new author.  I watched some football.  I unpacked a box left over from moving that had a lot of my favorite things in it.  (That was a lot like Christmas all over again.)  I played with Ranger Dog, loving up on him.  I found places to put my “favorite things”.  It has been an enjoyable day.

Also, there is a tradition that if a man comes to visit you first on New Year’s then you will have good luck.  If a woman comes first, well luck is not so good.  We haven’t had a visitor yet.  Our son is to come on Saturday.  I think he fits the description of male.

We are now going to watch the Rose Bowl and cook a pork roast for dinner.  I did not get any black eyed peas.  You are suppose to have Hop-In-John on New Years too.