Dear ones,
It is early evening on the last Sunday of the month. Once again, I should have started on my Spiritual Sunday, 07.2018 earlier in the day (or week, maybe?) but here I am. But it still somehow seems insincere to me if I write a Sunday post on, say, Thursday. Ha! But if I don’t type fast this is going to be a Spiritual Sunday post on Monday! Which was the case May, here,and then again last month, too! Will I ever learn? Yeah, probably not!
Spiritual Sunday, 07.2018
A few months ago, I was struggling to find a daily devotion that spoke to me. Decided to pull out Jesus Calling for the time being because it always provides a good message to start my day. And along side it, I am working through another of my friend Mary Clewley’s workbooks, 101 Prayers and Affirmations for Spiritual Wellness. My quiet time is more satisfying again.
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Have also been listening to Melanie Shankle’s book Everyday Holy: Finding a Big God in Little Moments, usually in the morning on my walks or in the car. It is a compilation of 100 mini-devotions. About two weeks ago, one of her morning messages really hit home to me. Shankle shared that a few years ago in her own devotional time, she had begun coming across verses in Scripture that suggested that God wants us to trust Him enough to ask for specific things in our prayers.
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As I have shared here recently in my Wellness Wednesday series, I have been really struggling trying to find a purpose in my life. Missing work. Wishing my daughters and granddaughters were closer so I could have more time with them on a regular basis. Wanting a clear direction for this chapter in my life.
So I prayed for a part-time job that would give me a reason to get up in the morning, that would give me some extra money, allow me to use my brain. That was a Monday. On Tuesday, I received an email with a message from our neighborhood ‘bulletin board’ advertising a part-time job offered by a neighbor that sounded like a good fit for me. Wednesday I went for an interview. And Friday I was offered the job! Here I am right before my interview. NERVOUS! And looking blonde for some reason.
Prayers answered. Thank You, God!
My New Job
I am working for a small business that sells clothing on eBay. I work 8:00 am-12:00 pm, Monday through Friday. For now I am learning to input information about the clothing onto the eBay seller’s database. Things like the designer or brand, the style, fit, color, fabric content, embellishments, measurements of each piece. The photo below shows just some of what I am learning to input.
Blue jeans by Free People and Miss Me, tops by Michael Kors and Calvin Klein, dresses by INC International Concepts, shorts by Tommy Hilfiger…all new with tags.
Here’s my work space.
And each listing is accompanied by a number of photographs of the clothing. There is a small photography area and I am hopeful that maybe I can also learn to take some of the photographs for the clothing.
The sold clothing also has to be shipped. So that’s another aspect of the job I hope to learn. But for right now, entering the information about the clothing is the first step. And curiously, it is a lot like entering a book into a the library circulation database when I was a librarian. There’s just a lot to remember! But practice makes perfect. It will feel good to be able to help a little more with our household bills.
This Month’s Little Miracles and Gratefuls
- Floating on an air mattress in our pool
- Planting succulents and watching them grow
- Happy days with PC
- Our country, our soldiers, our freedoms
- Messages from Cady through FB Messenger and ‘hellos’ from Lucia on the phone
- Visits from family
- Discovering a stash of cash we had forgotten about and returning it to its hiding place
- Rain
- Sleeping with the window open
- My daughter needed me
- Listening to a book that makes me laugh
- Date night hop and feeling pretty
- Working
- Feeling stronger after good workouts this month
Your Turn
What little miracles blessed your life this month? Is there anything specific you should be praying for and trusting God to walk you through? Maybe this job will be the answer for filling the idle time in this chapter of my life. Or maybe it will help to show me that working is not the answer. But God has given me this opportunity to find out.
Have a blessed first week of August. Thank you for spending time with me!
Hugs and kisses,
Debs says
Well done on finding the job - you’ll soon get the hang of all the admin, plus you get first viewing of any great bargains going online! Just don’t spend all your new income on a new wardrobe 😉
Sounds like your list includes lots of things to be grateful about, sometimes we all get bogged down by a few negatives and forget all the positives we have going on so it’s good to list out the good things.
Oh, Debs, you should see the clothes I am working with at this job. So many pretty temptations. One top I just can’t stop thinking about. But I am not working in order to buy myself more clothes. I am working to pay off wedding and birthday expenses and to save up for Christmas. Need to keep telling myself that!
Joanne Long says
Congratulations on your new job! It sounds a lot like library work with its attention to detail. Learning more about clothing would be interesting. I will look for the Melanie Shankle book.
Right now, I’m feeling neglected by my husband who seems to be a bit hypomanic. Every minute of his time is consumed by music or Fantasy Football. He has been diagnosed with mood disorder so I know that this will pass. I need to pray for acceptance and meaningful activities to pass my days.
Just catching up on reading comments on my blog. Please forgive me for being so delinquent. I am so sorry you are struggling with feelings of neglect by your hubby. I sometimes feel that way, too. Actually started blogging partially for that reason. My PC is a computer gamer and he gets hooked on a game and plays for hours on end, and if it isn’t gaming, it’s baseball. I host a Fantasy Football team and we have fun doing that together, my husband and I. If you are interested in joining us, just for fun, holler. Then you could talk about football with your hubs. I really don’t know much about the game but still have fun.
May I suggest a new book I’ve discovered? It’s Never Too Late by Julia Cameron. If you would allow me, I would like to purchase it for you. Take a look at it on Amazon or Goodreads and if you are interested, let me know. I will send it to you. I am just beginning with the book and so enjoying it. We could both read and blog about it together.
Leslie, I continue to wonder about purpose. I’m really enjoying my life right now… I’m living the lifestyle I imagined when I retired. But part of me thinks there should be more. But, I’m not sure what more is! Or if that is just my negativity coming back - the cynical, never happy girl I used to be. I’m doing a 21-day meditation series (day 7) and that’s my focus … what is my purpose. I do know it is not a part-time job. While I’m thrilled you love it (and am glad you’ve got an open mind to see if it works for you long term… many retirees love their part time work!), when I read about it, I was “nope, not for me”! Isn’t it wonderful we can all be different. P.S. How many of those wonderful bargains will you end up buying and do you get a discount? LOL
Ha! Pat, you made me laugh asking how many bargains I have bought and what discount I get at my new job. I haven’t dared ask! Found one top that I have even dreamed about but haven’t approached the bosses about how much it would be if I wanted to buy it. Have a closet full of tops but this one is very different with beautiful bead work.
When I first retired, I tried volunteering. Started working in the Holocaust Museum library, cataloging their books. But it was a frustration because I could never use the computer to input the books into the database. Only so many employees could be online at once.
Then I volunteered at a place called Creative Kids where children of migrant workers in this area are given free painting lessons. I helped the children paint. But much of the time, the children painted only bits and pieces and the instructors painted the large part of the painting, then passed it off as something the children did. Felt very deceitful.
I am worried that I may not work fast enough at my new job for them to keep me. But I am enjoying it. And praying that I get some money ahead while I can.
Laura says
Congrats on your new part time job! That was quick! I’m doing Melanie’s devotional right now, too, and loving it!
I have enjoyed all of Melanie’s books that I have read. Didn’t realize she has 2 more that are along the lines of this devotional. Good for her!! Will be checking them out. Hope Wayne is feeling back to 100% despite the terrible heat.