The Struggle. The Book. The Job.

This post is a little winded, but hang with me, okay?

A few months ago, our family made a major change we believed was the best thing for our family. Few things about this transition have been smooth, mostly because I didn’t have a job. We thought it would happen quickly; after all, I have a good work history and very marketable skills. I have good references. Plenty of social service experience. Every interview I went on, I left feeling thrilled, like it was going to be a sure thing. But I never got a call.

My van broke. The strut to be exact. Those dirt roads aren’t easy on my old van. We couldn’t afford to fix it and had to borrow the money. My cousin did the work for us. But even once the van was running, I couldn’t afford to put gas in it.

With Christmas approaching, I decided to return to Illinois, but one obstacle after another stood in the way of going back.

Then I got a call right before thanksgiving from a woman I had interviewed with saying she would like to hire me pending my background checks cleared. She couldn’t officially offer me the position at that point, but she wanted me to know. I was thrilled. Finally! The days turned into weeks. I knew after my background check cleared, I would have to go for a drug test. After that I would be officially offered the job, but would still have to wait for the start of a pay period, and the next one would start on December 7. If I started that day, I would get my first check on December 24 and I would be able to put gifts under the tree for the kids!

I didn’t get a call in time to start December 7. Yesterday, December 7, I decided to go apply for jobs at grocery stores and restaurants. Anything to bring in a little money.

Last week I decided to take the leap and self-publish my books in hopes to bring in money for Christmas. I moved forward quickly and the process was easy. I announced it on Facebook, and got overwhelming support! I am beyond thankful for all the shares and for all the people who have bought and read my book! I had joked that I would be happy if I sold 10 copies, and, well, let’s just say I have sold a good amount more than 10! But when I read the fine print, I realized I wouldn’t see my profits until after Christmas.

That’s why I decided I needed any job I could get.

As I was driving to town I got a call offering me another position I had interviewed for. One with a higher salary, lower caseloads, less time on-call, and no evening hours. I was so excited I got chills! I will start this position on December 21, and will be doing Adult Protective Services, something I have several years’ experience in. However, with a start date of December 21, I won’t see a paycheck until January.

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see it. I can feel the warmth on my face.

My decision to sell my books came after days of hard prayer. I’ll be honest: God hasn’t been my favorite person over the last few years. Something horrible happened to my family a few years back, and I pulled away slowly. I was pissed at him. Life had gotten to a point that I knew I needed to reach out to Him. Once I did, I knew I needed to focus on the original reason I ever started writing. Sadie. It was her story I needed to tell. It’s dark and scary and heartbreaking, but life is like that. There’s a light at the end of her tunnel too.

Once I decided to share Sadie with the whole world, I got a job. I do not think this was a coincidence. It’s exactly what I was supposed to do. None of it happened in time to save Christmas, but the gifts under the tree aren’t the reason for the holiday anyway.

After I got that call yesterday, I received a response from a Facebook page that I’ve followed for years saying they would do a post regarding me and my recent book release. The page has nearly 40,000 followers! After that, I got a call from the woman who called be before thanksgiving offering me a job as well. I turned it down for the higher paying, less stressful position I was offered earlier in the day.

Yesterday was a good day.

We still have about a month of wondering if we’ll have enough gas and food each week, especially when I start working and will need gas in the van too, but we will get through it. Please continue to support my writing by sharing the link to Amazon to purchase my book, and if you haven't already, please get yourself a copy. It's only $2.99!