Sunday Grains of Gratitude

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http://bradysbunch02.blogspot.com
This week, as always, I am very blessed and have much to be grateful for and to give thanks!

This morning about 4:00 am, my daughter, Elizabeth, woke up screaming in pain. I immediately heard her and went to her and knew that she needed to be taken to the hospital. I woke my son-in-law, Michael, and while they left to go to the ER, I called her doctor's answering service and instead of waiting for a call-back, they immediately put me through to the doctor on call. He assured me that she did the right thing in going to the ER.

Michael called from the hospital to keep me updated on everything going on - I stayed with Addy and Cherry - and then when they got home just after 7:00, Elizabeth was able to talk (having been given some pretty significant pain medication) and was able to tell me about her experience. I'm so thankful that she is okay, will stay on the pain meds as long as necessary and will just need to be monitored.

My "unemployment" status. I have been without a job since the middle of July and since that time have sent out many, many resumes with only two interviews. On Wednesday, I talked with an employment recruiter who told me that the problem might be with my employment experience - which, of course I detailed on my resume.

I worked for state government for nine years with the Dept of Labor. Two of those years were spent as a Labor Compliance Officer (LCO), which entailed enforcement of Labor laws within the state. I investigated employers to ensure that they were operating their business in accordance with state law. I also investigated businesses in response to claims filed by employees against their employer for unfair work practices, nonpayment of wages, etc. In this job, I was an agent of the state and able to issue subpoenas for any/all documentation, held by the employer, for review during my investigations.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the recruiter said that many employers are "put off" by the thought of hiring someone who can come into their business and find practices which might not be "up to snuff" by law. She thought that was most likely the reason I was not getting a good response from my resumes.

Needless to say, I immediately revised my resume - still including all the time spent with the Dept of Labor (9 years), but did not include specifics about my experience as an LCO. I changed my resume on Wednesday, sent out five resumes that same day - had two interviews on Friday and another scheduled for next week! I'm so thankful that I was led to this woman who has so willingly helped me in my job search. The changes to my resume were something I never imagined, but already have made such a big difference. God is awesome and works in wonderful ways!

I'm thankful for friends. Last Sunday one of the daycare moms had her second child and Elizabeth, Addy, Cherry and I were able to go to the hospital that same evening. We were able to visit with mom, hold baby and spend some quality time! Once we left there, we went to see a friend of Elizabeth's from high school who had given birth five weeks before (she also lived in the same city where we visited the hospital). We were able to visit with her and spend time holding the baby and "catching up"! It was a great evening.

Last night, we had a small "block" party - set the big screen outside on the driveway, set up the grill for burgers and dogs and invited many in the neighborhood to come join us to watch the OU game. It was fun! Others in the neighborhood honked at us as they drove by and it was fun to visit with those who came over.

I'm thankful for health and weight loss! I have lost some weight since March this year and gone down three sizes! It feels great! Elizabeth, Cherry and I - with Addy riding along on her bike - started walking a couple of weeks ago and that is definitely helping, as well.

Wednesday evening we walked to a nursing home about a mile from the house and visited with the residents for about an hour before walking back home. Elizabeth takes her daycare kids to this particular home about once a month and the residents - and staff - know them by name and enjoy their company. That's always a blessing to be able to share some time with them.

That's my week! I'm looking forward to next week - anticipating good results from my job interviews and more walking!

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In His Love and Blessings
annb