The Sun is Shining- and it is going to be a beautiful day!

So, I have been thinking the last couple days about my life here in Olympia. I was taking a walk yesterday around the lake, and I started listing in my mind how I have grown and what I have learned. I know more than anything that the choice to leave school and come work here before my mission was one of the most difficult choices, but I know I made the right one. I guess I've had tender mercies every single day that have helped me realize I am "exactly where [I] am supposed to be" as my recent fortune says. I have met so many people and have been able to converse with a variety of individuals, mostly all not LDS. I feel more confident in who I am, I feel more comfortable talking to strangers, and I feel a love for people in general. I love that all people are so unique and individual. I love Democrats, Republicans, Non-Partisan, etc, etc. I know the Lord meant for me to live in Olympia these last four months, and I think it has probably been a more important experience to me than I even realize. I know that as an individual I have changed, maybe grown up just a little more, and I have come to know myself better than I think I ever have. The Lord truly knows the right path for us, even if it seems difficult for us to get on that path, it all works out in the end, and sometimes the beginning and the middle too!

The Lord's Law of Finance

This year has been an unusually good year for subbing. Some years I've hardly had any work, but not this year. I was grateful to work as a substitute para-educator for a new position at Grant School until the position was filled, which was over a month. Even though I didn't get that job, I've still worked a lot for other people since it was filled. We could always use the money, but I didn't know the Lord had a specific reason for giving me all that work. And He kept blessing me, even when I forgot to pay tithing and had to empty savings to do it once I discovered it.

As the holidays approached, I became filled with a desire to have all my girls home for Christmas, which hadn't happened for three years. Each of them was struggling with troubles and trials, and I knew I needed to get them home for a recharge. None of them had the funds to get themselves home, so it was up to me to find a way. But I knew that this would be the last time they could all be together here at Christmas for a couple of years, and maybe for a very long time, since Rachel would be leaving on a mission this summer and Sara and Joseph would probably be starting their own family before too long. When I figured out how much it might cost to bring them all home, it was very close to my paycheck at the end of November, which was for the month of October (when I was subbing for the new position). Thad had the insight to tell Emily that the Lord knew how much it would cost to bring her sisters home, and that's why He gave Mommy the extra work to pay for it.

Well, we got them all home--Sara and Joseph actually moved in with us--and we had a very wonderful Christmas together. Now Annie's doing better as she explores options for her future; Sara has found a good job, and Rachel is loving her job. And I've still been working a lot since the start of the new year. I've been subbing for a lady who is very ill and has been out for months. I've got steady work until at least March 18th. So, I'm wondering what expenses this is going to be for. Maybe it's just the help that Sara and Joseph need to get on their feet. Maybe there's something else ahead of us. And as much as I love being home, I am grateful for the blessing of work.

Mom