Recognizing our Blessings

Since Daniel lost his job in February of 2009, we have been blessed enormously. At first, we panicked and cried and felt so lost about our new situation. We were so worried about not having a pay check every week that would cover all the bills and satisfy our worldly needs. Plus the benefits that go along with having a job like health insurance, vacation, holiday pay, etc. We knew he could apply for unemployment and qualify for it for a while and I could still keep working as much as my job would allow me.

As the days went by, we started to get used to our new roles and our new budget (we had to reduce our weekly budget and give up certain things). Daniel started doing my stay-at-home job and taking care of the house and the boys while I focused on my job. He signed all the books he could in the unions that were close to where we live, and after five months, he got a temporary job in a union in Illinois. That job was a great blessing for us. He got that job right after he got back from our Colombian vacation. He didn't want to stay in Colombia six weeks with me and the boys because he knew a job might be available for him and he didn't want to loose that opportunity. That job was only supposed to be a two week job, but right before it was finished, he found another one in the same union that lasted three months. He worked a lot of overtime and we got to save some money for the rest of the months that he would be unemployed. Also our health insurance and unemployment got extended because of the work he did. We considered the option of Daniel getting a different job until the union had a job available for him, but with the unemployment benefits, union supplement, and the ability for him to watch the boys so I could work more, we decided that it was better financially for us if he stayed home.

We felt so blessed and the love of our Heavenly Father. Daniel told me that he had gone to the temple right after he got back from Colombia and asked the Lord for guidance, because he didn't know what to do. The next day, he got the Illinois job. We have been blessed in so many ways and we have learned to recognize every blessing as it comes, even if it seems really small. For instance, we haven't had any major problems with our cars or our house. We all have been so healthy and happy. We have had some much time together as a family and as a couple, just to enjoy each other and strengthen our relationships.

Daniel has been able to spend one on one time with each of the boys, especially with Lucas. He goes to preschool only four days a week for half a day. So when he gets home from school, he looks forward to showing Papa what he has in his backpack and telling him all that he did in school. Daniel has been more involved in Mateo and Anthony's school life and has taken care of things that before he had no clue about. I think the boys love having Papa around more and being involved in their lives. I have also learned to let Daniel do things for them that before I would have not let him do.

We know that Daniel's calling as a first counselor in the bishopric has been a great blessing for our family and for him during this time. He has been engaged in a great cause. He has dedicated so many hours of service that has strengthened him and made him feel useful and of worth. I have learned to appreciate what having a job means and what it brings to a family and what it does to the person who has it. Serving the Lord in that calling has filled the emptiness that the loss of his job created. I have also seen the change in him. He has grown so much spiritually from the time he got called to serve in this calling. He has magnified his priesthood more sacredly.

We are learning to live more by faith because we don't know if he will be able to get a job as an electrician and have a permanent job again. But we are certain that Heavenly Father will show us what we need to do to take care of our family. By that, I mean we have learned to trust more in His will and not our own desires. Heavenly Father is in control of our lives and He will always be. I am grateful for all the love and mercies He shows us every day. For our health, for our wonderful boys, for our home, for the gospel, for our families, for our lives together. Everyday, we learn to thank the Lord for what we have and trust in Him for what He will give us. I have to admit that some days I pray for Daniel to find a job again in the union, but I am also afraid to go back to that life and having Daniel apart and not with me, as he is right now. We have a different relationship now and I might just like it better this way. I just wanted to express that we are being led by the Lord and we trust Him and know that He will continue to guide us through this journey.