Lost and Found

I am such a blogger wannabe. I look at others' sites with their links, dozens of followers, updated, nonblurry pictures with captions (even though a friend tried to help me out, I still can't get it - sorry Elisa) and my heart sinks a bit. And what is that orange strip of gobbledygook at the top of my page? I think I found a new sin: blogger envy. But I am committed to following through with this idea, so I will try to reform my ways and be content with my mediocre blog:)

First, some great news! About a month ago, John got a call from the director of Wellspring Counseling Center here in the St. Louis area. She was checking in to see how the job hunt was going (as you know, it wasn't) and to invite him to meet with the center's 18 counselors to see if he might want to become part of the team. John had actually met with Wellspring counselors last spring shortly after he lost his job at Twin Oaks, but felt he needed to search out a salaried position with benefits rather than join a center where income would be based solely on the clientele he would have to slowly build up. He's a good man and wanted to provide for his family.

Needless to say, eight months and no job later, the idea of a counseling center was a little more appealing! After meeting with the group a second time, John felt convinced that Wellspring was the place for him. He officially became a part of the staff a couple of weeks ago and has already been blessed with several clients. I think the best part has been seeing him get excited about his calling again. God used the temporary job at Costco to help provide for us, and we are thankful for it, but monitoring rotisserie chickens (necessary as it may be) can't really compare to helping hurting people find peace and healing in their lives. Tomorrow he meets with the principal of an inner-city Christian school to talk about contracting with them to provide counseling for their students one or two days a week. I'll update you next time as to how that worked out.

We are halfway into Noah's basketball season which is always fun. During his last game he made 10 points with the help of a little incentive. After the previous game, John had told him he could be scoring more if he were to use the backboard. Noah wasn't really convinced, so John offered to pay him 25 cents (I know, we're cheap) every time he used the backboard in the next game. To think that dad actually knew what he was talking about . . .

Anna's wrist is finally healed. She broke it the Friday before Thanksgiving and tomorrow will finally be able to leave the house without a brace. She's looking forward to being able to wear long sleeved shirts again after freezing all winter! I can't believe she's going to be 14 in less than a week. I wouldn't change a thing about her. We have plenty of teenage moments around here, but she is, at heart, a beautiful young woman and I know the growing pains are a necessary part of her becoming who she's meant to be. Feel free to remind me of this often.

A wise man once said, "All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on." I feel like we've received our fair share of instruction in this truth over the past few months. It hasn't been easy, but it has been rich with growth and redemption. And there's really nothing better than that.