Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philipians 4:4-7
Where has the time gone??? It has been over three months since I packed my bags and moved back home to East Texas. I have proven the saying, "time flies when you are having fun", to be true! Once I was finally HOME, I had the blessing of being able to take three months off from working and just relax, which is something I hadn't done in about twenty years. You see, I've always been very focused and I've for sure always had a plan (which has lead me down some wrong paths in life by my own design...but if you've read this blog before, you know all about that!). I went straight from high school into college year round (no summers off for me!), and then followed that by entering directly into veterinary school for an additional four years, where of course I had no life and very little sleep for years! After that, I did the dumbest thing ever...I graduated from vet scool on a Friday and started my first job on Monday. Yes, you read that right...72 hours later. Who does that? This insanely, driven person does...that's who. And in the last ten years of employment, I have never, ever, not in a million years, thought I would get a three month break. So, when I say it was a blessing, I really mean it!
The last few months have definitely been a whirlwind and they have meant some adjustments for me. First off, for the first six weeks or so, I had no internet and very little phone service, so I got disconnected from life in the technological sense. I won't lie and say I didn't complain a few (hundred) times, but in many ways, the break was nice. I needed to unplug and do what I hadn't gotten to do for a very long time and that's enjoy lifewithout a set plan each day. I got to enjoy being a wife and actually being home when my husband came home from work, which is a real blessing when you have lived most of your marriage two hours apart. I got to plan meals, cook dinner and, GASP, actually enjoy it...thank you to the Pioneer Woman for many sources of inspiration! People asked me, "what do you do all day?" and to that I would say, "Whatever I want!". I would wake up and see what the day had in store and for once, I could just be flexible. No stress! I kept busy every day and just began to recharge my batteries as well as reconnect with folks I haven't seen in ages. It sure is nice to just call up your mom or your dad or your husband and go to lunch with them on the same day. It truly is the little things in life that makes me happy!
Then, I began to decide it was time to put my toe in the water and circulate my name out to the local vets in the area for relief veterinary work. I thought I might gradually ease back into work. You know...a little here, a little there, just so I didn't get rusty in my profession. As only God can do...that didn't quite work out! (What was that stuff I said about planning? Hey...I'm a work in progress forevermore!) I was bombarded with calls for work almost immediately. Within a two week period, I booked all my days for the summer to the point I'm constantly turning work down. What a blessing in this economy to have multiple job offers! I shouldn't be shocked because God has continued to open the right doors at the right time, which makes me smile. The other very cool thing is EVERY vet I have the privilege to work with are all Christians. Every time we go to lunch, each one of them prays for us and over our food (and none of these clinics or vets are related). How wonderful is that? It just reaffirms over and over that God has me right where He wants me. So, I'm back in the "employed" column once again and I'm truly enjoying being "just a vet" and not a practice owner and that's mostly due to the fact that I get to work with awesome people every day AND I get to reconnect with old friends almost daily so it's a mini reunion each day!
The last few months have also brought challenges and sadness at times as well...the death of my grandfather, Rex having bilateral knee surgeries, and my most prized horse getting severely injured to name the biggies. And although these times have not been fun, they have brought Rex and I even closer together and I continually am reminded what a blessing it is to have a husband who not just loves and provides for me, but who can speak Biblical truths to me and to encourage me spiritually. Every marriage is going to have its ups and downs but those that can weather the storms of life together, hand-in-hand with their eyes on the Lord and continue to lift one another up...well that's just how God intended it all along! What a difference it makes!
We've also had some very exciting things occur...April 19th brought us the birth of a little palomino filly nicknamed "Roxie" who is a hoot to watch and who makes us laugh with her charming personality; the purchase of 50 acres in Lindale and the process of improving pastures, working the land, and dreaming together of the place we will build in the near future; new four-legged equine additions "Woodrow" and "Bugsy" to our herd for each of us to use for pleasure and competition...and that's just to name a few of our exciting news bits!
To wrap it up, it has just been a blessing to be home where everything "fits" and I feel right in the center of God's will. There's a peace about that feeling that just can't be described adequately by words. By far, life is not perfect, and it never will be, but I feel I'm on the right path that God chose for me long ago. Although there have been some tough, life-altering changes to get to this point...I now can say it was worth every agonizing decision. God's way and timing is always right and leads to rejoicing in the end!
Now...just where will God take us next?!
Rejoicing!
JOY
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