A couple of weeks ago, while shopping I saw a adorable leather cuff with a quote engraved in metal. The quote said, '' She took a leap of faith and grew wings on the way down.'' That has become my mantra during this past month. We've taken a leap of faith and we've grown wings on the way down.
This move was bold and courageous, one we knew had to be made but weren't sure it would work out? People have been angry, mad, disappointed and upset that we would make such a bold move. Suddenly there are many people not speaking to me. We moved and left them behind for seemingly no good reason to them.
Three years ago, Marty was sick, I was putting fluid into his stomach every four hours. He was having horribly low blood sugars which would result in me fighting him to sit still and eat glucose until it came back up. I once stood in the middle of our living room, holding him up until the paramedics got there. We didn't know if he would live or die? We faced many tough realities that so many of you will never understand. We planned for two futures, the better of the two was moving across country and starting anew.
We dreamed until his transplant came, then we started researching our option, traveling to see if we really liked it and then planning our move. During the planning, we never realized that God had another plan for us that wasn't our own!
Last summer, when Marty suddenly changed moving locales, I was upset and fought him tooth and nail. Then we got the call that changed everything. Suddenly our plans went out the window and God's plan came into place. This plan has provided for our every need out of seemingly thin air.
Money to move, just appeared. Housing, just came about. Job for me, in one phone call. The actual move date, missed all of the major winter storms and tornado season! The list goes on and on.
We know now why we've ended up here. The last key was a job for Marty, we knew with his line of work it would take time for him to find a job. Funny enough, when Marty was sick we had several conversations about the future. One of them was about potentially adopting in the future, we have great kids and in Marty's words ''We have a lot to offer a child'' and another was maybe him working with Special Olympics or children.
For those who've never witnessed it, Marty is a wonderful dad. My friend Jen commented on that when camping with us a couple of months ago. She loved the interaction between Conner, Elizabeth and Marty, it is truly great to watch. They have fun together, yet they know Dad means business and you better toe the line.
So when the call came for Marty to work in our local school district as a resource officer. We knew this is why we came. This is a far cry from the area he was working in before, polar opposite in fact. Before his job was a very dark job with ugly realities, he worked with the worst of the worst. Now he gets to work with kids and make a difference. We are thrilled, truly something he has been dreaming about and I dare to say, called for.
We knew coming, we would be taking pay cuts but the cost of living is less. I actually gained pay but true to our knowledge, Marty will lose pay. We were happy with the benefits, our cost of living is less, thanks to being debt free, we have no worries.
But guess what? We found out the first day of his new job, he will make more than we thought. He may be called for a promotion right away, there is overtime available, he gets a uniform allowance etc. Over all, we will be making what we made in California with a lower cost of living. Can you believe it?
We took a leap of faith and our wings grew on the way down.
The best part of this move has been the reaction of others. We've had so many people come to us and say they've been inspired to make a bold move. Our kids have seen true faith in action and answered prayers. We've all grown together and individually from this move.
We are thankful for the continued support. Especially grateful to our friend Anita who told me about the job opening for Marty, one day over lunch. Blessings have been poured out, God has faithfully shown us his love and mercy. It has been amazing, I cannot wait to update you more as things move along. We are hoping to buy a house before the end of the year. Next year, we are looking for me to carry out the next part of the plans for this journey.
Hoping you will continue to follow along on our adventures!
A/N: We've decided since our kids are nearly grown, we will happily wait until we are grandparents someday. There won't be anymore little T kids. So don't get all excited!
Conner has made so many new friends. Used to be he only had a few friends and E had a bunch. The shoe is on the other foot now. E is longing for her friends at home and a new friend here. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
