Where to even begin? When we closed our store in January, we were very disappointed, but also knew that it wasn't a failure. It was just time to move on. And thus we found miracle #1. The economy in Arizona has been among the hardest hit in the country because our main industry here is construction. When the housing market was booming, the economy here was booming. But since, we are among the highest in job layoffs, foreclosures, businesses folding, and families losing everything. When we opened our store, the economy we teetering at the top of the mountain. About 4 months later, it started the decent and continued slowly, but surely until we closed the following January. After that, the pace quickened so much and it has only raced on. Had we stayed open, we would have lost a LOT more. We are SO grateful we closed when we did.
I guess we had another miracle before that. Last December, we were made a beautiful promise by our then-bishop. It was tender and sweet and really has sustained us this year. Shortly following that, we received the greatest blessing from an anonymous giver. Someone decided to do the 12 days of Christmas for our family. We have NEVER known anyone to be so generous in doing that. Taryn was born a few days into it and on the first day, we were given a diaper tree: 3 boxes of diapers, and a complete box of wipes from Costco. We didn't buy diapers for either of our girls for a few months.
Then another friend handed us a check, a very generous check, and begged we receive it. There have been more than a couple occasions where we would have dipped beyond the barrel if it weren't for that gift.
We've looked at our finances this year and with the little amount of hours and pay Braden is getting from the post office, there should be no way we could make all our payments each month. We should be very, very negative. Yet we aren't. We have not missed our bills and we are actually building our savings each month. How? Each time we are at the end of the rope, something has come to us that has pulled us up and out. Many miracles.
We had so many friends offer either employment or referrals for work, even people we hardly knew. They have been so kind and supportive. We are so grateful.
After Braden didn't get the job with U o P the first time, I went Visiting Teaching that night. I was so discouraged that night and it all came flooding out. The gal we were visiting offered her and her husband's expertise to help Braden improve his resume and interviewing skills. For the next month, they took his now-seemingly-pathetic resume and turned it into something he is truly proud of. And he should be. It is what gave him incredible confidence going into this last interview. They also lent him a book about interviewing which helped tremendously. Such a blessing.
Conversations have come up and connections have been made that have led us to this point, and we are so grateful. As we have talked on many many many occasions this year, we have tried to maintain faith that the Lord is guiding us and we are being compelled to be humble. After the trials come the blessings. We have been tried, and we know we have been incredibly blessed.
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