He will provide, keep trusting…

It is my belief that God provides, and He has done this for us as a family whilst I have been out of work, in a variety of different ways.

Many will also want to see you succeed in getting the work you too desire – hopefully the job of your dreams. (Unless of course you’re after theirs!) If you are fortunate to have a good network of supportive friends, and family members – Brilliant!

As a family, (so far) we’ve been blessed in a variety of different ways. There are those who have given advice, time, financially and in other practical ways. Here are some examples – help with shopping and petrol money, payment of our car annual service , treats such as the occasional take away meal with friends, donated items to sell at Boot Sales, free drinks, and even holiday accommodation. Essentially, assistance has come from a real mix of people, from those who know us well, and those who don’t. Some gifts (cash in envelopes dropped through our front door) have come anonymously –  amazing…

Obviously the above have served as real encouragements, however that’s not the whole story. Prayer and emotional support have been vitally important to us, and I have been able to contact those praying for us with updates and requests on an adhoc basis.

As Christians we don’t believe we face life alone. Instead, we are confident that God has a plan, and a future for us – Frustratingly (!) as it stands, these plans have yet to be revealed… We don’t know where , what or when, but we do know we are not forgotten, and trust He will bring us through.

Life is hard, and not all days are particularly good, some are downright difficult with stresses and tensions of their own,  but generally I keep my chin up, continue in my job hunt, and try to make the most of this rather unique time.

To all who continue to stand with us as a family, we are very grateful. In due course I look forward to sharing some good news with you…

D-Day – The news headlines

June 19 2007 was decision day, officially at least. In reality my decision had been made a few days earlier over the weekend… and as such my letter (if it’s right to call it a letter at less than twenty words!) was delivered to the HR department by 11am. Then I waited.

At 12:08 an email from my boss broke the news to the rest of my department. Some were shocked, but not all. The message said they were sad to see me go, that I had been a good employee and that I would be missed.

I would be off in three months time, I would no longer be on the payroll of this gargantuan publisher, no longer would I have to wait for the dodgy and unreliable lift to the tenth floor. No longer would I tread the same route to work, no longer would I have some long standing friends alongside me on a daily basis. Things were abut to change, and for the better. In the short term (at least) I would have no income, but the redundancy pay off would be a cushion, and because of this I would be in no rush to get straight back to work, but I would start looking anyway. One recruitment consultant recommended taking a break, a short holiday, before contemplating my next move.

He was right, we did, and very soon as a family, we were holidaying in North Wales. Job searching could wait until our return. I felt confident I was employable, the recruitment consultant was too. Let’s see how long it takes…