The Day I Became a Single Mom

Two nights ago I was getting ready for bed, when the phone rang. The name was one I have no hope of pronouncing, so when my mom told me the phone was for me, I had no idea who could it could be. When I took the phone, a woman with a really thick middle-eastern accent offered me a job as a babysitter, three times a week. I know what you're thinking.. it's a 12 year old girls job. But the truth is, I was working as a babysitter at a gym part time while I was looking for a full time job, and it was the most fun I've ever had at work. I wanted to keep the job when I started working at the salon, but the hours conflicted too much. I was heart broken to let it go and I wrestled with the decision for a while. I've always felt it ludicrous to work solely for money, hating what you do, so to let a job I loved go for a job I really don't like, only because one could offer me more money was really hard for me. Eventually I came to the conclusion that I needed a full time job in order to pursue my calling to follow God to Africa in September.

So about a week after turning down my old job at the gym, this woman calls out of the blue, telling me that my mom's friend (who I had casually told that I love working with kids) recommended me so highly that she didn't even want to interview me. She offered me a job starting the next day, and (the coolest part) for the exact same days that I had been working at the gym, with more workable hours. I knew that I still had to keep my other job as a top priority, since I need the money I am making at the salon if I want to make it to Kenya, so I said I would come the next night after work and babysit for her for the evening and we could figure things out from there. I told my boss first thing in the morning and assured her that I was committed to her first but really wanted to take this opportunity and she said we could rework my hours so that I could do both jobs.

This is a blessing in so many ways. First, my boss said that she could see how badly I wanted the babysitting job and she didn't want to stand in the way of that and offered to help me rework my schedule to make it happen. God gave me so much favour with her that I still can't believe how smoothly that conversation went. Secondly, it's a much nicer environment to be in then the gym was and there are always kids for me to hang out with. There would be times at the gym where I would be sitting around waiting for hours with nothing to do, unable to leave. Third, I make more working with Melody and her kids then I was making at the gym. Fourth, and most important, I get paid to do something that I would do for free, which just happens to be the thing that makes me come alive the most.

God has been dropping revelations more generously these past few months then ever before in my conversations with Him. There was a huge period in my life where I had no idea what direction my life would take. I had nothing to say when people asked me what I wanted to do or even what I was doing the next year. About a month ago, when I was hanging out with the kids at the gym, and I came home and could not shut up about how amazing the kids were and how much fun I had. After letting me ramble on for a while, my mom said something along the lines of "it's not normal for you to enjoy spending time with other people's kids this much. Most people would be grumpy and exhausted, but you're wired". God began to show me that I am called to pursue working with children.

Yesterday I worked 9 hours at the salon and immediately went to the kids house. I stayed until 10:30pm and then after working over 12 hours in one day, I came home to crash on my bed. My boss at the salon asked me to come in early this morning, so at 6:30am my alarm started singing. I went straight to work until noon and then spent the rest of the day with the three most beautiful and adorable kids in the world. (Which is about when I realized that I'm living the life of a sinlge mom). And I'm exhausted. But when I'm coming home at the end of the day feeling so tired I can barely lift my arms, my heart feels full.

This blog is to say a whole bunch of things. It's to encourage those who are waiting on a dream, who may have had to turn down something that seemed perfect. God has the perfect timing and He knows your hearts desires. He will bring the right things at the right time and he will astound you, in ways that only He can. This blog is also meant as a praise report that He has blessed me beyond what I could have expected. And lastly, this blog is a calling to find what your spirit is thirsty for, to find what makes your heart feel full at the end of the day and ask God to bring the pieces of the puzzle together.

There is a reason that you are here. I pray that you find it and that you learn how to walk in it. I'm lucky enough to know that my life is going to be full of loving on children. And I can't wait to hear about all of the amazing plans God reveals to the rest of you about your lives.