I Promised A Story!

Here goes!!

For the past two years my husband has worked for a company called Catholic Home Loan which is owned by a man from our parish. They hire mostly young people coming straight out of college from University of Dallas - a Catholic university. This job was a total answer to prayer. I was pregnant. Doug was working as a home inspector and hardly making any money at all. We had private health insurance which doesn't cover maternity and we were looking at about $20,000 for a c-section that I would have to have due to the fact that I am apparently not built correctly for having babies! I can make em' just fine - just can't get them out. Another story for another time! Anyway, we were freaking out to say the least. Doug got an interview with this company and despite the fact that none of us (except his mom) could see Doug doing this type of work, and despite the fact that he had interviewed with this same company, same owner, two years prior, he got the job! The benefits would cover the pregnancy and actually, it was the cheapest one yet! The people that he worked for and with were amazing. A bunch of really nice, Catholic and striving to be holy people. We've made some amazing friends and relationships through his job there.

Needless to say, the past several months have been a little stressful as Doug has seen his amount of loans dwindle. Loan programs have changed or canceled. His paycheck got smaller and smaller (he worked on part commission). We knew something was going to have to change - somehow. So, one night about 3 weeks ago as I lay in bed feeling very stressed about finances, I went straight to Mary and St. Joseph. I told them that the way I had always heard the story, they weren't exactly rolling in the dough themselves. Surely they could relate somewhat to how we were feeling. At least they could empathize with not knowing what the future held...like when they were fleeing to Egypt because an angel told them to? Stress? Just a little bit? I asked them to go to their son and plead our case. Then I went to sleep.

A day or two later, Doug comes home and tells me that he got an interesting email from his cousin who recently bought a Re-Bath franchise - they install custom tub liners. We already knew that this was a possibility. As soon as we had heard that his cousin, Ken, was buying this company I felt sure that Doug should look into working there. For some reason it felt right. Anyway, Ken was wondering about how much Doug was making and if there was a possibility he was looking to make a change - YES! I immediately knew that this was a direct answer to my prayer.

Fast forward to last Tuesday when I called Doug to tell him that I was taking Me Too home from school early because she was sick. He told me that he was going to meet with Ken that afternoon. This was after they had already spoken for about an hour on the phone. He was already feeling good about the opportunity. One big downfall was the fact that there would be no benefits. Another was that Doug and I both felt so loyal to his current company who had been so incredibly good to us. They gave us so much support when babies were born. One of the owners helped Doug buy a car at an auction for way less than he would have paid anywhere else. Heck, his coworkers came and babysit all 3 of our kids a few weekends ago so that we could have a getaway! It was going to be hard for Doug to leave, especially with things not going so great already. So, I got on the phone to ask everyone to pray. I had just finished asking my dad to pray that we would have a clear path and know just which way to go in our decision. I hung up the phone and it rung...IMMEDIATELY. You know how sometimes the phone doesn't disconnect all the way and it rings right back? That's what I thought had happened...that is how fast it was. I answered and it was Doug. He said, "Well, you'd better call around and get prayers about this afternoon...I just got laid off".

Presto! Prayer answered! Decision made!

He met with his cousin that afternoon as planned - just with a little less leverage now that he wasn't being hired away from another job! The details took a few days to work out but it is all finalized now and he is the new installation manager for Re-Bath of DFW! His job will be to go out to the job sites and make sure that everything is being done properly and that the customers are happy. He is being paid a good salary - more than his other job - and with the promise of bonuses! Furthermore, it is a flexible job and he is working with family!

There is still the issue of benefits. We can get a policy but the possibility of becoming pregnant without maternity coverage still looms large. But you know what? I'm not worried about it. I've had lots of prayers answered in my life...but never like this. Never so immediately, so clearly and so directly. I always heard people with stories like this but had never had it happen to me and didn't think it ever would. So, how can I doubt that God will have us covered if we were to become pregnant. Especially when we are doing His will by following the church's teaching and practicing NFP.

So...there it is. Doug is taking off the rest of the month. His cousin is in no hurry for him to start and it is a great opportunity to have some really good family time, get stuff done and just relax and goof off. It is exciting, it is scary and it is fun to have a change! God is so GOOD!!

Help!! Identify This For Me!!

Does anyone know the name of this piece or the artist or any identifying information about it? There is a big one that used to hang in one of the meeting rooms at church. I had seen it a million times but the first time I went into that room after having my first child I looked at it and immediately burst into tears. It just really spoke to me on a whole new level as a mother - I'm sure those post pregnancy hormones didn't help anything! The tender way Jesus is touching Mary's chin and the way her hands are cradling him...it still makes me tear up when I see it. Later, when I was working up at the church, Fr. J had it moved to right outside my office. I got so excited and told him how special it is to me and went on and on about it. A few days later, he gave me a little one - about 6x4 or so. It's very precious to me because he bought it in Italy for his mother who passed away a few years ago but he wanted me to have it when he saw how much I love the painting.

Now I'd really like to find a bigger version for my home. I have scoured the internet and found a lot that are really close but I want this one in particular. Fr. J had told me the name and artist but now I can't remember and I'm embarrassed to ask again! I'm hoping someone can help!!