she works hard for the money

Why is it in life that some people spend every day of their life until they keel over working & doing things for everybody else while others breeze by, living off of those people's hard work? Today's society is in desperate need of work ethics, because at this point, there is a huge percentage with absolutely NONE!

We think if it's possible to get by on other people's deeds, then that is definitely what we should do. If someone else can provide everything until the day they die, why waste the time to do something for yourself? Why be held back by actually having to do something like work or by educating yourself when your parents, your spouse, or even your siblings can carry you on their back & keep your feet clean?

Before welfare & family members that made huge profits, people worked to see that there was food on the table, as well as a table to place food. Now, we see so many praying to God to put that food there. God, you know I believe in you so I know you'll give me everything I need. We leave out a very important part of that. God didn't make us all invalids. We have minds, we have hearts, we have ambition, we have intuition, & we KNOW that as Christians, it's wrong to go against God & then call on Him for our bail out. So why keep doing it? Why teach our children to do it? Why sugar coat it & lead people to believe that we aren't doing it?

I work hard because I want to appreciate & feel as though I've earned everything I've received. I work hard because my mother works hard, as does my sister. I work hard because I want to be a strong woman who lends a hand to her husband, not sits & waits for him to be the hand to continually pull ME up. I work hard because God put me on this earth to answer a calling & make a difference to people, not just to survive. I work hard because if I didn't, I think I'd drown in self-loathing.

my calling

A few days ago, I finally realized what I am called to do. An elderly woman walked into my work & asked where the tweezers were. Then she proceeded to "drag" me around the store as her personal shopper. She handed me her belongings & said "this will be all for me." I took all of her stuff up front & rang her up. As she left, a woman walked by & said "you were very patient with that woman. You were good with her."

Then, another elderly woman came to the register with a few 12 packs, big packs of toilet paper, & a ton of other items. I came to the other side of the register & helped her get everything in the buggy then took it to her car & loaded her belongings into her trunk. She told me how her husband had been sick for so long & she hadn't been able to leave the house for months & that I had been such a big help to her. She said she had to hug me to thank me & so she did.

Later, I went back to working in the pharmacy & had a woman with a very think accent (possibly European???) come up to get her prescriptions filled. I told her the prices & she began crying & saying she just didn't understand. I messed around with a few things and got her medicine to go through for 3 months at the same price it was for 2 weeks. Her tears became joyous tears & she thanked me.

Next day - I am working at another pharmacy & have another elderly woman come in to get some prescriptions. She only wanted to get half because she didn't have insurance & said she'd come back later for the rest. I checked on a few things & found that the cost of half was the same as the cost of the whole prescription & let her know. She went ahead & got it all at once so she wouldn't end up paying the same fee twice. The pharmacist turned to be & said "I like what you did. It shows that you don't mind taking the time to do nice things to help people. It shows your work ethic."

This was my final confirmation. I have never had clear direction on what career I was meant to hold. I have wanted to be a mother my entire life but I don't really see stay-at-home mom as a job. I wanted to be able to say I did more in life than raise children. I want to say I have a beautiful family but I do so much more than that. I want to make a difference, touch lives, & be a blessing - for I am beyond blessed.

No matter where we live or what is going on in my life, I want to help others every day, not for my own benefit, but as a way to show God's love to people who just need love in general. Whether it be an elderly person in need of someone to go with them to the grocery or a baby sitter to a not-so-well-off family, I want to do good. God has given me a heart that breaks for people in need & yearns to do something amazing. What more amazing thing is there to forget myself & devote my time to strangers?

I have a lot going on between school, work, staying in touch with my Nashville life, & being a newlywed, but I have a calling that I will answer. Thank you, Lord for giving me these confirmations & the desire to stop saying me & start saying they. I am very excited to see what the future holds & am praising God for it all. To God be the glory.

life as of april 2nd

First of all, let me praise God for what He did today. He let me have lunch with a beautiful little 2 year old girl who warmed my heart. Children are such a blessing, nothing more, nothing less.

Second, when I got to work I was asked if I'd like to have some additional hours working in the front store. Not just "some hours" like I'd been promised or kept getting which normally came in increments of 7 or 8, but I was offered as many as I wanted. A full 40 a week if I prefer at the CVS(which I love) where one of my best friends works. This was a huge blessing & stress reliever. When I came back from our honeymoon, they changed over my main store I worked at & left me with barely any hours. I lost our insurance the week we got back to Cleveland. This stinks (especially for newlyweds) because it leaves you thinking that any day now you're going to have an accident & be on your death bed, survive, & spend the rest of your life paying off medical bills.

Third, Joshua asked me if he could go to some ministry conference in NC in June. At first I was sad because we haven't been apart since we got married, but then Kristi said "why don't we just go on our own little trip?" This THRILLED me because this spring break I was married & all my friends were on trips with their girlfriends.Don't misunderstand, I Love being with Joshua more than anything, but all girls like to at least be invited to girl time. Being the only married one in my group of friends gets hard because most of the time, they just don't understand. So as of tonight, we have started planning our beach getaway.

On another note, a few weeks ago, Joshua asked "are we ever going to go on a vacation just the 2 of us again?" I said of course but then we started talking about children. Before any children make themselves known in this family, I will give my husband a vacation just the 2 of us. I hope to be able to plan one for us for by the end of this summer. My baby Loves & cares for me sooo much & I don't want to take that for granted.

We are both signing up for 6-9 hours of school this summer. Thankfully it is all online so we have more freedom to travel as long as our jobs permit. I am sooo excited to see his last year of school & my associate's degree drawing so near. I am praying for his job & it to be made known to us as soon as possible so we can begin to make other plans for our life. There's a lot to come over this next year but I am trying my best to take it all in & be glad, rather than stressed. College is ending. Career & family beginning. New friendships are flourishing. My family ties are strengthening. I am beyond blessed at the amazing people & opportunities my God has given me.