Today marks the end of a significant chapter in my world.  Today was my last day of employment at Pick N’ Save.  Big deal, right?  Well, actually… yes.  It is a very big deal.    After being a stay at home mom for about a decade, I had made the decision to get a part time job.  Very quickly that part time job turned to full time.  As my hours changed, so the responsibilities changed just as fast.

For the past four years I have enjoyed becoming part of the grown up, working world.  What was meant to be a little part time cashiering job just to get me out of the house and make a little money had morphed into something much bigger.  I went from part time cashier to full time management in a fairly short time.  I was in a new place, making new friends and learning new skills.  I remember the night before I started this new job.  I was so nervous!  Can you imagine that?!?  I’m a grown woman who worked many years for other companies, owned my own successful business for a time and ran a pretty smooth household with three kids born in four years…  And I was nervous about being a part time cashier at the local grocery store?!  But I was.  It had been a long time since I had to answer to anyone outside of my husband and Jesus.  In recent months though, it became more apparent that I had climbed as high as my education and position would allow.  So the search for something new began.

I’m a firm believer in the old saying, “it’s not what you know… it’s who you know”.  Well that certainly proved true for me.  On a whim, I put a post on Facebook that I  was in the market for a new job.  That post led to an interview… which turned into my new job.  I am incredibly excited to announce that I will be starting my new job on Monday as the new Executive/Administrative Assistant to the C.E.O. of UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Madison.

I have the honor of singing on the worship team at church every now and then.  The CEO of UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital happens to be married to a guy who plays bass guitar on the worship team along with coordinating other worship events.  I had the privilege of meeting my new boss at a couple different church related events.  Had we not met through church, she and I wouldn’t have become Facebook friends.  I’d have never known about this job opportunity.  I certainly would have never landed the interview!

As my new boss, MK and I were chatting, she told me that she rarely gets on Facebook.  But that evening, she logged on and there was my post about looking for a job!  I thought about that for a bit and came to a pretty cool conclusion…  It’s true that it’s not what you know… it’s who you know… And I know Jesus.  Not only am I blessed with a new, better, higher paying, more vacation time given, use my brain more, use my talents more kind of job…  But I have the blessing of a commute to and from work.  Don’t shake your head here.  Let me explain.  I get to have almost two hours every day of uninterrupted time to pray, listen to the Word, hear a good teaching, etc…  I haven’t had that kind of “God time” in a long time.

I find myself in a familiar place of nervousness as I gear up to start this new job.  As I left the old behind today, there were lots of tears, hugs and well wishes.  I’m nervous to leave the familiar and embark on a new adventure.  But believing… knowing that Jesus has His hand in all of this turns that nervousness into anticipation and excitement.  I’m excited to see how this job will be a blessing to me and my family.  I’m excited to see how I will be a blessing to MK and all those at the rehabilitation hospital. But mostly, I’m excited to spend time with the one who holds it all together… the one who cares about every detail of my life…  the one who orchestrated this amazing new job just so we could spend more time together… That’s my Jesus.