Getting Through Unemployment

Hei! Mita Kuuluu! (Hi! How are you!-in Finnish)

Lenny has been unemployed from his auto design job for almost 3 months now. With 8 children and a mortgage we were a little nervous at first. The company he worked for has unemployment benefits and that is a tremendous help. It also helps that we have no other debt besides our mortgage. We have followed Dave Ramsey's advice. He is our personal finance advisor. (He could be yours,too. See http://www.daveramsey.com/)

I thought I would share with you a few things I have learned from this whole experience of unemployment.

1. God provides!

2. It's a good excuse to say "no" to running the kids all over creation! (gas is money)

3. I didn't buy annual flowers for my windowboxes and borders and it's OK!

4. I can live without buying new clothes. I have plenty in my own closet!

5. It's nice having the hubby home throughout the day. Honestly, Lenny wonders how he had time to work before!

6. I am more appreciative of what we already have!

7. I have learned to look for the window God is opening for us!

8. I have realized how loving and generous people are.

10. I have learned that children are very accepting to changes when explained to them.

11. That opportunity abounds everywhere if we look for it!

Now here is a list of what I WANT to do when Lenny gets a job:

1. Get a pedicure. I've only had 2 pedicures in my whole life, the last one being in the spring and I have to tell you that I LOVED my toes! I know it's silly, but it was so much fun to have pretty toes. I have homely feet so I felt quite fancy with my pretty toes. I also teach yoga classes and I felt pretty professional with sharp looking feet! Lenny says that this gives him a whole new motivation to get a job!

2. Buy the part to our oven that's broke so I can make homemade bread! Nothing has compared to whole-grain, homemade bread with simple ingredients! I have made a whole-grain english muffin recipe that you make on a griddle, though.

3. Get all of our small kitchen appliances fixed: k-tec blender, Kitchenaid mixer, etc that I was procrastinating about even before the layoff.

4. I would still love to get to Manistee to finally do some yoga on the beach!

5. Visit L'Anse on the bay of Lake Superior one more time when my Mom and Dad are there! They make it so much fun for us and the kids! Honestly, I think they bring life to that little town!


I definitely do not want to take having a steady paycheck for granted when we finally get one. I have learned that yes, God provides and yes, a paycheck is nice and yes, we can get by on less but I have also learned that it is a gift and a privilege to live in the Land of Plenty and all the THINGS of this world are not a REQUIREMENT! We only need a childlike faith in our Heavenly Father and to keep our eyes open to what He is trying to give us and He wants to give us EVERYTHING!