Patience

Over the past 4 months I know God couldn't be clearer in teaching me the attribute of patience.  It has been a VERY hard several months, and my stress levels have been so high I've been sick. 

First, our house was originally supposed to close December 20th, so we moved the weekend before.  That got bumped back to December 27, and then the day of, we got a phone call saying the house wasn't going to close and it got bumped back an additional 3 WEEKS!  SEVEN addendums and another mortgage payment later, we FINALLY closed on the house.  We were so surprised that the house did go through because everything that could go wrong with buyers loan did go wrong, and our 7th addendum was actually signed IN THE CAR on our way to go sign the closing docs.  I hope no one ever has to go through that when selling a home.

Secondly, we have known for over a year that another management opportunity was going to be coming up at my husband's place of employment.  The interview process is intense, and started in November. We were told we'd have an answer the week of Christmas, and when we heard news it was that they didn't have an answer and were waiting for funding for the position.  Between the house and not knowing about a promotion (which is a life changer for us on many levels) our lives were completely in limbo, and that's more than tough.

Thirdly, I received a call that my Grandfather whom I'm EXTREMELY close with and have a very special relationship with, fell and fractured his hip.  A week later, I received another phone call that he was bleeding out because his blood had gotten too thin, and we weren't sure if he was going to make it.  I was a wreck, and it was just too much to bear..or so I thought.  (He's actually doing okay now).

What I learned from all this:

First, there was an article I stumbled upon on Facebook that said that God DOES give us more than we can bear, because in our times of trial and despair we are to turn to Him so He can remove those burdens. 

Secondly, I learned to trust in Heavenly Father's plan for me, and I learned that my timing is not His timing.

Thirdly, when things get so bad, it's okay to turn to the places we need to to get help.  Whether that's medication, exercise, a listening ear, sunshine, etc. DO something.  God helps those who help themselves. 

And then lastly, even if the house hadn't gone through, and Kevin didn't get this promotion, I know we are being watched over, and that things would've gotten better.  I'm feeling very grateful and relieved that things worked out the way they did, but I know ultimately there's a bigger plan.  Patience is clearly a lesson I needed to learn, and I won't ever claim to have perfected the art of patience, but the last few months have taught me a lot about it.