Thankful Thursday - The Bigger Picture

I have two things to share with my readers today.  They happened within the last week.  They are little glimpses of the bigger picture.  I'll tell you about them, and you'll see.

When things slowed down on the oilfield this spring we talked about applying to our government employment insurance program (something we pay into every pay cheque and after a specific number of working hours, we can apply to get some of that money back).  I didn't have a really good feeling about doing so this time; we've done it many times in the past.  However, I left that decision up to my husband.  If he asked me to do the work to get us into the program, I would do so.  I guess I didn't really realize how against this I was until relief flooded over me when J said that he'd decided that we shouldn't.  The peace that has covered us has been very very nice.

One night this week, a friend stopped by with the news of about 4 months of work.  This is only a possibility.  He's put in a bid on some kitchens and bathrooms in a nearby city.  With the oilfield work being so slow (only about a day of work a week right now), we could use the income.  J has been far from bored as there has been a lot of local fire fighting to attend to, but that local position only pays once a year.  Anyway, this opportunity is still in the "pray about it" and "the offer is there" stages, but it's a confirmation (to me at least) that we made the right choice about the employment insurance.


 

 The second situation follows:

My husband hurt himself this week; he crushed his hand and arm.  Nothing serious, but enough that his hand is swollen and very tender to the touch.  He can still move his fingers and wrist, but he hurts.  He took a day off (that he could have worked and brought in some money) to recuperate and run some money errands, so that I didn't have to do them with all the kids in tow.  I was getting a little frustrated that the errands were taking so long.  He'd only gone to pay a couple of bills and get some money from the bank to pay another.

While he was at the one shop he had the opportunity to be a friend and a help to two men.  F1 owns the shop and F2 works for him.  Today while J was down there he learned that there was some anger and tension due to the fact that F1 had let F2 go.  F2 was MAD!  J stayed around to help settle things down and to speak with both men.

Knowing both men myself, I know that this wasn't just hard on the man being fired.  The boss has a big heart and would give the shirt off his back and his shoes too, if needed.  He has helped us out more times than I can count.

It's tough to see my  man in pain, with this sore hand and arm, but when I got a little glimpse as to WHY, I understand a little better.


Striving to learn and live God's purposes,