Amen.

God is good.

For months I have been trying to think outside the box in terms of a job for the Fall. We have been so blessed to have me at home during this time since Sanne was born but in the back of my mind (and sometimes in the very front) I knew that I would need to go back to work in the Fall for financial reasons. As many of you know or have experienced, as a new parent there are huge transitions. I had absolutely no idea how hard it would be for me to think of Sanne in day care. This is not to imply that day care is bad but rather that my heart wants to be with her at home.

As I began the job search I looked for positions where Sanne could be with me . . . nannying at a discounted rate, childcare positions, etc. As someone who has done career counseling in the past, I am well aware that your job isn't just your work . . . it's a part of your identity. After a lot of consideration and wonderful conversations and prayer, I decided that Sanne and her childcare was my first concern and my job would come second to fit around that.

I remember sitting with my friend Sarah at Tre Kronor while I was pregnant and she told me that if you are going to leave your baby to go to work, you want to make sure that your job has meaning for you. I really struggled with this. I wanted to do whatever I could just to help pay our bills and then be with Sanne. But now I know that I want both.

I have spent way too many nights up late, looking on websites and job search engines, writing cover letters, imagining myself in each job. Crying while reading about day cares for Sanne, feeling like she would be so far away from me. I really have struggled with anxiety through this whole process. I really have felt like my faith has been so weak. It's such a fragile line we walk between our faith in God/finding peace in this and our own need to be assertive and claim our fate. My heart has been heavy.

Last Friday I decided to do some follow up calls to resumes I have sent out. Even though I have told clients time and time again that this is so necessary when applying for a job, I hate doing it myself. I had applied to Ravenswood Community Child Care Center for a Toddler Teacher position and loved the mission of the day care. http://www.rc4cares.com/ Half of the children who attend are from families in the community and the other of children of teen parents from two high schools in the area. These teen mothers are given government subsidies to have their children attend. This allows them to concentrate on high school graduation and looking for jobs. As a new mother, I know what an amazing gift that is. Day care costs for newborns in Chicago runs from 1200-1500 a month!

I did some more research and found that the job was located in Ravenswood Covenant Church and after a call to some friends I got the number to a woman on the board. I called her, hoping to convince her that I needed an interview but our conversation became so much more than that. After listening to my experience she thought I would be perfect for the director position of the Parenting Progress program working with teens to meet their goals. The other half of the position would be to be the administrative assistant at the church to make the job be full time. This job . . . is such such a result of the work I've done in the past . . . working with at-risk youth, career counseling, minor in bilbical and theological studies, master's in psychology.

The job was offered to me tonight. Sanne is enrolled for day care in the Fall just down the hall from me. We feel totally blessed. Our prayer has been answered. We feel God's work in my life so clearly right now.

I got off the phone with Audrey on Saturday night and had goosebumps all over my arms. To feel God's provision so strongly is beyond my comprehension.

We are thankful. We are blessed.