God Comes Through Again!

Call unto me and I will answer thee, and show the great and mighty things which thou knowest not.--Jeremiah 33:3

Back at the beginning of March, I was reassigned at work to a different floor and went from the world of corporate law to litigation. I am a secretary at a law firm who has been very good to me over the 23 years I have been there.

Switching areas was challenging because there are some secretarial functions related to litigation that corporate secretaries never had to deal with. I was leery and a bit shaken up because being on one floor for so long, I had friends on that floor. The first three days were very rough. I went from working for one corporate attorney who was not very busy to three litigators, one of which was extremely busy and who had some strange quirks, was very picky, and basically hard to please. I came home all frazzled and thinking about work. I do not like to think about work when I am at home.

I prayed God would help me adjust and learn quickly. He did. I reminded myself that God is in control and I just need to trust Him. I chose to rejoice in the Lord each day and trust that God was directing my path according to Proverbs 3:5 & 6. After the first week, I felt better about my new assignment and by the end of the second week felt it would work out okay. I like being busier and am not afraid to learn new things. Just yesterday I learned another new thing about how to view pleadings on the court site that were filed electronically.

But God really came through for me. That attorney who I was basically on pins and needles with left the firm to work elsewhere and in his place I got a new guy that just joined our firm so isn't as busy. Things are no longer so crazy. When life throws us a curve, it's nice to know that God is watching over us and does not allow anything to come into our lives that he will not help us through if we put our faith in Him.

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13 Changes In Our Life Since Marriage (Writer's Workshop)

(Photo taken by Mike Solomon August 30, 1997 at the Brooklyn Christian & Missionary Alliance Church)
Lighting the unity candle at our wedding represented the blending of our lives into one. On the candle it says:

This day I will marry my friend, the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love.

As Gerard and I celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary today, I've reflected on our life together and realize how much each of us has changed from what we were before marriage. Our separate lives truly have become one!

LIFE BEFORE MARRIAGE:

Briefly, Gerard was the lone wolf except for his pet, Dickie Bird. He had a simple routine: Go to work, come home, do some yardwork, read on the porch, watch TV, go to bed. Each week day was the same. On the weekends, he would do his grocery shopping very early on Saturday morning, read, maybe write his pen pals, watch sports on TV, work in the yard, go to mass Saturday evenings. Sundays he would go to mass in the morning if he didn't go Saturday, watch sports on TV, read. He used credit cards all the time and only paid the minimum each month so accumulated sizeable debt, had lots of magazine subscriptions. He also bought a new car for himself but had car payments. Eating out was limited only to take out at Mr. Hero.

I was very involved worked full-time as well and rented from my parents so ate meals with them. I played softball on a team from work, bowled in two bowling leagues, I was the youth director at church which involved another night at church, taught Sunday School, was on the church board as secretary and was active in our AWANA club at church on Wednesday nights. During the evenings when I was home during the week, I'd watch TV with my mom. We both liked to watch Guiding Light so she would tape it for me and we'd watch it together. I watched movies or sports with my mom on Sunday afternoons. Sometimes we'd also play Canasta, Scrabble or some other game. I always paid all my bills off every month and never bought a new car--always paid cash in full for used ones.

OUR BLENDED LIVES AFTER MARRIAGE:

Here's how we both changed over the 11 years of marriage:

A New home that we both agreed on instead of living at his old house.

Gerard now goes to restaurants, before his eating out consisted of take-out from Mr. Hero.

Gerard learned how to bowl and became more sociable.

We are debt free because I take care of the finances.

Gerard started using the library instead of purchasing books.

We both changed churches and now attend Parma Heights Baptist Church where Gerard is more involved and I am less involved than before marriage.

We both joined Fitworks.

I read books now and plant flowers in the spring. Gerard still nurtures them along once they're planted though.

I am more informed about news and started reading the paper.

We got a shelter cat, Mr. Moe, after Gerard's bird died. Neither of us ever had a cat before.

We play tennis regularly.

We got a computer which neither of us had before marriage.

Marriage is seeking to make your partner happy. It is making compromises and sometimes giving in to your partner's wishes. It's helping each other become better and sharing yourself with your partner. It's trusting each other and loving each other every minute of every day. Who would have guessed we'd have cats?

I am cheating a bit and using this old post for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt this week: What did you compromise when you married? I thought it was close enough.