In Preparation for Isaac ....

I am still enjoying my new job, it contines to have some very rewarding moments and I have met some really nice people. We are going into hurricane preparation and if a storm enters the Gulf I will be required to stay onsite until the storm passes. In 28 years of marriage me and Joyce have always been together for storms. I guess there is a first time for everything. and as long as I am there I am on the clock even if I am not working .  She could go with me and they will provide shelter for her as well , I don't think she really wants to do that though.  I knew this going into the job and I am fine with it , I know God will protect my wife and family. I pray that the storm doesn't cause any major damage  to our area or any other as far as that goes. 

In God's Time

                          On April 7th 2011  after eight years being employed at my previous employer I  was laid off,  I thought that job would take me to my retirement .I had a good job, made Great  money,  a company vehicle to drive to and from work. For someone who  only had a high school education  it was   pretty darn good .I never thought I would have a job like that but once I was there I thought I would be there for a long time..... but that door was closed , I seen it coming  though for several months . At 52 years old I was unemployed , up until that time   it had been 25 years plus since I was unemployed.     I took some time off ,I was tired, stressed, and confused about my career,I needed a break. After several weeks  I started applying for jobs  but no calls ,no responses .I was applying for all these jobs and knew I was qualified Why couldn't I  at least get  a call? along the way I got a few email responses  thanking me for my response to ads, but no interviews .  I went through a lot of different emotions , I prayed about it , we prayed about it, my friends prayed about it but nothing.  I was at a close friends house for a cookout one time and we were discussing it and he said "Robert its not in your time it's in God's time" I knew this but it was the first time someone else had put it to me like he had . After 8 or 9 months I started to doubt myself and question God's plan for me but that kept coming back to me again and again  "In His time Robert , In His time" Back  in March I did get a job that I worked  briefly at "but it just didn't seem right, not a good fit"  As I look back  it's all clear to me now, God was testing me, humbling me, preparing me .  When I interviewed for my current job   I had interviewed for the sametype of  position  a week prior at another healthcare facility. Two jobs within two weeks  for the same position .God was executing His plan in His time. I am really enjoying this job, each day there is usually something that  touches me and I smile a lot .  I am so thankful for where  He has put me .

Mr,B continued..

                                   So I finally got around to  blogging again. The day after I gave Mr. B.  his cane  he seen me in the courtyard  and  told me he had something to show me , he reached in his pocket and pulled out a coin about the size  of a half dollar. He told me it was his  "Guardian Angel coin"  ,he handed it to me and  It had an angel on one side and  a  a short verse on the other about a guardian angel.I asked him if he had read it and he told me he couldn't, so I asked him if he wanted me to read it and he smiled and said  "Please"   I can't recollect what it said but it made me smile as  I read it to him and other residents that were in the area. I looked at him and he looked as if he wanted to cry and my eyes started to water as well , there is no doubt in my mind that God was right there with us , I felt His presence. Mr. B thanked me and As I walked away I know I was grinning from ear to ear this made my day. 
                            I  see Mr. B almost everyday and at least 2-3 times a week he has some little something he wants me to do, today I adjusted his wheelchair and progammed a new remote for his TV and guess what I learned  he is an Alabama fan , he said "he can wait till football season starts ". He also told me he needed an Alabama  ball cap and a shirt and he gave me his size.  I guess I'll have to find him one.   These are the things that really make my day, as hectic as it can be.    Mr.Bleaves soon for a visit to see  relatives in North Carolina,  he will be gone for a week , I will miss his routine requests for me to fix something for him.    

Mr. B and his cane

I am going to go back a few weeks ago when I first started my new job at the Convalescent home. I had been there only a few days and was meeting a lot of new people staff and some of the residents ,this was a totally new experience for me in regards to the work enviroment.. I was walking down the hallway one day  and this elderly gentlemen in a wheel chair called out to me" Hey Maintenance man"  I quickly responded "yes sir how can I help you?" He told me he had a project for me if I would follow him to his room , he would show me so I actually pushed him back to his room in his wheel chair and I read the nameplate  beside the door and  learned his name, we 'll just call him Mr.B.  .He opened a drawer he had clothes and other stuff in and pulled out a small curved deer antler, being a hunter I immediately  knew what it was, he then reached over in the corner and got a walking cane,  this deer antler had been previously been fitted to the cane for a handle and it had broke off  and he wanted me to see if I could fix it  , I asked  him to give me a few days  and I would see if I could figure out a way to fix it.  So I took it back to the shop and leaned it up next to my desk and the wheels started to turn  When one of the other maintenance workers went out for supplies the next day  I asked him to pick me up a small wooden dowel for me  , I was able to drill out both pieces and insert the wooden dowel into it with some wood glue and it went back together perfect .  I put it back in the shop to dry and stopped by Mr. B's room to let him know the status and he was gone ,I found him  waiting near the nurse stations to be transported to his doctor, I didn't ask what for . Well I went home at the end of my shift that day and returned the next day  As I was doing some routine maintenance i made my way by  Mr. B's room   No Mr. B, I looked for him throughout the building and outside in the courtyard, (he likes to sit out there in the morning)   but couldn't find him .We were really busy and I went back to doing my job. that  day still no  Mr.B. ,It was Friday and  although I was getting very concerned about him I didn't want to  ask anyone being my first week and a new employee, I  had told  my wife about Mr.B earlier in the week and expressed my concern   for him , was he ok ? what if something has happend him ? what do I do with cane? does he have family?   Monday came after i clocked I   made my way toMr B's room,  no Mr.B.,  I found him in the courtyard  he had been hospitalized due to infection around his pacemaker  and they hasd to put another one in  he was doing better . Relief!  I told him I had his cane ready and would bring it by his room shortly.A little while later when I got a chance I took  the cane by and gave it  to im he was  so thankful and told me  "Thank you my friend from the bottom of my heart "  as he stuck out his hand to shake mine and I  shook his hand and he held on and patted my hand with his other hand  and continued to thank me  over and over  I told him no problem I was glad to help him and if he needed anything to let me know .  I left his room that day knowing that  as small of a deal as that was to fix and may seem, it was important to him  and my kindness  made an impression upon him . God puts us in certain place and brings certain people into our life , Was I put  there for Mr.B or was he put there  for me ?    There is more about Mr.B. to come ........          

About Me

I am a 53 yr old man married to a wonderful woman for 28 years.I  love to fish and hunt ,pretty much anything outdoors. I also  enjoy watching Alabama's Crimson Tide play football RTR!!!.  In 2005 I dedicated my life to Christ and have been attending Pace Community Church ever since ,My life changed tremendously ,I have always been a believer but wasn't a follower of Christ. I can't say enough about have a personal relationship with God and how  it has affected my life. I have made some awesome friends that I worship with and we enjoy each others company so much , they are like family to me and my wife. I decided to start this blog due to  my new job  that  I started on July 9th, 2012 and  some very moving and heart felt experiences  I have had  since..  I think God has me right where he wants me ....for now . In 36 years of employmentI have never had a job that was more rewarding  than this job ,while it does have its drawbacks ,the good far outweighs the negatives. More to come......