Things have been both strenuous and… good… lately. But, I’ve been alternately too busy or too tired to post here. I have to think through what I want to write and I just haven’t had the energy.

Until now, I guess. =)

Here are the latest happenings:

1) Job Search

I lost my job – my company “dissolved” – so I’ve been applying for jobs.

This past week, I found out that the one I was mostly interested in changed enough that I didn’t mind being told they found someone to fill it. The other applications I have out are just for jobs I don’t really want, because I need to find something.

Sometimes this job search stuff gets me down – I’m having a hard time being interested in anything I’m qualified for, and I’m not going to get a job I’m not qualified for but interested in.

Other times, though, this period of my life provides amusement. For example, the mother of a one-time close friend of mine (and a second mother to me, in many ways) sent me an email saying maybe I should view this joblessness as time to start a family. =) Those of you who know me understand why I laughed at that…

Everyone has advice and encouragement to offer, and I appreciate every bit of it. Like you all say… this is just temporary, and later on, I’ll be able to praise God for how he got us through.

2) Unemployment

Because job searching takes a while, I’ve applied for unemployment. We can’t get by without me drawing an income.

This process is a long and frustrating one. Our boss didn’t report that she effectively laid us all off, so we have to prove we worked for her before we can start getting money. We have all made several trips to the offices with our W-2s, and now we’re all stuck waiting for the system to process our claims. In the meantime, we’re all of us without money.

3) Finding a place to live

While a lot of stress is relieved by the fact that we can stay here in our apartment if we choose, it’s not completely gone. We have to renew very soon if we don’t want to pay a significantly higher rent, and we still don’t know where we’re going to be. If I’m going to find a full-time job in Indy, it doesn’t make sense for us to live in Gas City anymore.

That’s what’s been keeping me occupied for the last couple of weeks… thinking about the future until I can’t think about it anymore, then starting all over again.

We appreciate the prayers you’re saying – there’s been an overarching sense of peace amidst all the stress over details. It’s only when I forget that God will not forget us, and when I try to be in control of everything, that I really get overwhelmed. Thanks for the reminders that God is the one who’s in control. =)