"Normal"

Psalms 62:8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

This past year has been something else to say the least. From October to October, okay not quite a year but WOWSER! Didn't see that freight train coming. I have to reflect. I have been reading my blog entries going back to October of last year. Part of me can believe it has been a year since all this started and part of me feel like it was forever ago. Daily I have to turn my cares over to the Lord, carry my cross and trust with a faith that can move mountains.

Recap~

October 2008 ~ The company Mark is contracting for is a pool company and is really feeling the effects of the economy and crisis and has to cut back. Mark was not the first to go but his time is up the first week of October.

November 2008 ~ hint of a job in Raleigh NC. The person hiring has to wait until January to see if they get a contract or not. Very surprised at the lack of jobs in the Tampa area.

December 2008 ~ still no job. We put the house on the market because regardless of job situation we dislike the new neighbors and it looks like an out of town job is inevitable. We had been looking at houses since before July 2008 but now it is just time to move. Where we move to is now the question.

January 2009~ still no job. Raleigh company can't hire. Very few companies are even calling. We couldn't even get job recruiters to work with us. Recession is on full force.

February 2009 ~ End of the month Mark gets a call late in the day. It is a company that there first question is " are you willing to move?" UM, YES! Mark flies to Huntsville the next week and is offered a job with moving expenses. After 5 months of no return calls or many interviews we are willing.

March 2009~ Mark leaves the last two weeks of March to work and I am left to pack the rest of the house to move to Alabama during spring break. We decided we had to stay together regardless of the house selling. Very thankful for all the friends that helped make this happen.

April 2009 ~ We move into a rental house in sweet home Alabama. Our house in Florida goes under contract after just four month in a down market.

June 2009 ~ We close on the Florida house.

July 2009 ~ We buy a house (of my dreams) and move AGAIN. We leave for Florida for a week vacation after four nights of living in the new house. While we are gone a bad wind storm comes through and snaps our two huge maple trees. The largest tree falls on the house doing about $7,000 dollars in damage. We had not even owned the house a month.

August 2009 ~ Madison starts the first grade at a new school. Hard on momma. Then the last week of August Mark starts to have some medical issues and there is talk of MS. Very emotional! He gets MRI's of the brain and spine and blood work. Needless to say I call in reenforcement for prayer and encouragement. Because I did have a hard time with this on so many levels. Even the possibility of such a degenerative disease is devastating.

September ~2009 All results are in and Mark is "NORMAL". Our big joke is the did a brain MRI and found ~ Nothing! Joking aside I am grateful that it is nothing and prayerfully it will stay nothing. BUT even if it was something ~ my God is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever! Can I get an AMEN?

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.