It takes a lot to be an optimist living when your life is threatened by Kim Jung Eun regime in North Korea. It takes a lot to be a pessimist in the first world. If you must learn how to be a pessimist in the first world, I have someone who can help you along with that skill - my dear hubby JD. He is quite good at it.
To prove my point, here is the phone conversation between me and my Father in Law ( FIL)--
ME: I have a prayer request. We need a lot of prayers. (because JD got a new job and we need to negotiate the salary and we have a lot of (good) decisions to make).
FIL(father in law): I know. It's TOUGH to be where you are- JD is very exhausted. And, for you, it's not easy to watch your kids all the time at home.
ME: Excuse me? You know he got a new job offer and he just needs to negotiate his salary, right?
(Did I say he's about to be unemployed?, our house burn down last night?)
FIL: Yes, JD called last night and we prayed together. He sounded very tired... It's very tough to be where he is.
ME: Well, but did you know that he got a raise from E***? Did he tell you that He'll be getting $150 more per game than before?
FIL: Umm... No...?
Me: Did you know that he's going to start doing the baseball and soccer games over the summer ( as opposed to NO GAMES a.k.a. no income during the summer last year).
FIL: No...?
ME: Did he tell you that he started getting more games from that ( glorious) N** and E*** comparing to he never did and how he wish he would have during the previous years?
FIL: No..?
ME: Did you know that JD was invited to some kind of dinner for the crews and the recruiter ( or somebody there) REALLY wants JD to show up at that dinner?
FIL: NO...?
ME: Well, He was, and JD really doesn't care for it.
FIL: Well, if the recruiter really wanted JD to be at the dinner, that's an HONORABLE thing. That's great!
So, yes. needless to say, God's been very good to us. Though Obummer and this economy supposedly should make it much more difficult for every single American dad to bring home the bacon, our financial blessings have been much more abundant than ever under George Bush. And we all know JD is that "middle class, white, and male," who's clearly disqualified for minority benefits from the gov't.
I hear all kinds of horror stories from my friends, loss of job, the house, the debt, death of child, etc. I can say that JD is awesome and I am awesome. Hence, we are doing beyond awesome. But, I know for fact that would be a straight up lie from the devil. For one, it's God who opens and closes the doors. God's given JD favors among the freelancer recruiters ( though JD doesn't know how to be everybody's BFF and hang tight with them at a bar ( like all the other freelancers do)).
For two, God has protected me from getting a lot of driving tickets ( like I used to). Yes, I used to get a lot of tickets for a different reasons. I can tell you that I am not the world's best driver in the world. And, my driving skill hasn't really improved all that much for the past year. It's still very much horrible. One of my girls from church told me that she can't explain why I haven't got into an accident or got a ticket this year after witnessing my awful driving skill a few weeks ago. She said, it must be the grace of God keeping me and my kids safe. I don't try to break the law or anything. Neither do I try to be absent minded. But, I just AM absent minded and forgetful ( more so than other people, I guess). No accidents, no cars hitting me or JD's truck, which would have costed us $500 upfront ( that is-even if it wasn't my fault). We would not have had the savings or the surpluses we have in our bank account for the past year, had we had to spend all that $$$ paying for my tickets ( those are very expensive in VA), insurance deductibles in case of the accidents, no major hospital bills, house repairs, nothing.
We have been able to ( well, I have been able to) eat out wherever and whenever I want; cook whatever I want and buy clothes we need. We can afford to eat grapes, yes, GRAPES, during this off season. We can afford to buy double chocolate fudge creamers and heath bar creamers whenever we want for our morning coffee. We started eating salmon and other fish often because....we can and they are healthy. I also have been able to buy any books I want without feeling major budget constrains ( PRAISE GOD!).
I remember when we lived in the Great Bridge Apartment. One day, JD was frightened because we spent 5 dollars at Dunkin Donuts and it somehow off-balanced our budget. Yes, $5, not $5000, $500, nor $50, not even $15.
I used to think that everybody grows up, get married, and have kids and owns a house, like they all have ( well most of them) ears, a mouth, eyes, a nose, and organs.
Currently, the lesson that God's been teaching me is that we are not entitled to anything. By anything, I mean, NOTHING, not-a-thing - Neither, growing up( the sound mind/maturity), a good marriage, kids nor the house is an entitlement. All of them are blessings. I am surrounded by friends who are grieving. One girl lost her 9 day old infant, another one is getting divorced because her forever unfaithful husband decided to take off after having three kids together. One girl at our church cannot seem to conceive a child for 10 years of her marriage while all she's ever wanted in her life has always been becoming a stay at home mom.
JD and I've never struggled to get pregnant. We have a roof over our head. Our marriage isn't a fairy tale, but we have a fairly good marriage. JD hasn't lost his job. His career is somewhat thriving.
If I really want to complain about my life, I can say that I never get to sit around and watch TV eating Bon Bon all day. Supposedly, staying at home moms get to do that all day (according to what my BFF in D.C. heard). I haven't yet to find the time to do that since JD is working 7 days a week and I am left with two kids in the diapers with no help.
PS: I don't mean to embarrass my dear hubby. I just thought it was VERY ironic that his parents know about everything that could possibly go wrong with our lives at this point but nothing about how God's been blessing us. :)
