Feeling blessed from life's lessons.

Life teaches the greatest lessons in life and we are all so lucky to be a part of that learning process. The moment you are not learning, then you are not truly paying attention to life. I've been pretty blessed in life to experience trials at a minimal roar, as compared to so many in the world. Yet, this does not diminish the value of the lessons I learn from the trials I'm asked to learn from. In the past few months, as the reality of the economy has been having it's play day in the lives of many, I've been crunching numbers and not seeing my income covering my living costs. Being the Christian that I am, I got on my knees and said a prayer, one for a new job that would better my future. I looked and looked for jobs, sent out my resume and even had a few jobs I felt I had a foot in the door, but when all was said and done, I had not even a phone call. My income had not changed, my future was looking dark. I realized that I perhaps needed to humble myself some and just ask for means to meet my bills. I prayed again. I job searched and came across a cleaning job off my church's website. The job seemed like a fit. The offices I would be assigned to clean were only a mile away from home and it would bring in 245 dollars a month. That would be enough to feel like I could pay my bills until I could come up with something different. I was teamed up with two other individuals and we set out to clean our four offices every night within 3 hours. It was harder work than I thought it would be. Unfortunately the way the company was set up, we were considered contract workers, so we got paid from the contract money, after the company took it's share, leaving us making around 2-3 dollars and hour, 6-9 dollars a night. I was sleeping odd hours to accommodate the cleaning schedule. My back was hurting enough that I was living off Advil and sleeping on a heating pad. I told myself to give it a month. I really liked my boss and wanted badly to help him out by being a stable staffer, but eventually I knew that I could not continue working at that pace. I had no other solution to my financial woes, but had to give him my notice anyway. I had changed my prayers to be very specific, "Please help me find a way to meet my needs in a way I can also handle physically." The very night that I gave my notice, my roommate, CJ came home to let me know that her dad's dental office was looking for someone to clean their brand new office. As it turns out, the money is double, the time is half, and the time frame in which I work is much better for me. I took it and have enjoyed it. Today as I sit here at my day job and am noticing how slow the work is, I get an email from a dear friend who also is a graphic designer. She let me know one of her contacts, a printer needs someone to do some freelance work for him and she didn't have enough time nor felt well enough as she's in the first stages of her pregnancy. She referred me to the gentleman and I have even more opportunity to work and make money to see to the commitments to get myself out of debts. I know my cup is overflown. I have an abundance in opportunity. The Lord may not always answer us in the way we think would be the best solution, but he does answer us once we place our trust in Him. The last month has been really hard, but I wouldn't have traded it now that it's all over.

Lessons learned from office cleaning:

There is always someone who has less - I took the second job feeling sorry for myself because my day job did not meet my financial needs. I'd gone years without a raise and I felt frustrated and cheated, even angry that I had to take on a second job at all. Economic times are tough and I just keep my mouth shut and realize that the blame is mostly on me and my financial planning, or lack of it. With this attitude and renew commitment to be out from the burden of debt, I checked into my evening job pushing a garbage can around collecting trash. I was quickly assigned to be the lead and trainer to the newbies. My boss trusted me right away and that alone was humbling to realize that I put off an air of trust and hard work, so I did my best to fulfill that reputation. I had the opportunity to meet several folks that made a huge impact in my life during this time. I was amid the few that had a day job. Others had nothing. This poor paying job was all they had to try to survive on. One couple had to ask for money from me to put gas in their truck, they'd spent the last of their gas to get to the job. They had been getting food from the welfare office and were trying to get day jobs. They would soon be declaring bankruptcy.

Then there was this other couple, David and Lynn. They have had a huge impact on me. Young couple, married. They are not anyone I would have normally approached on the street. Punk rock dress, tattoos, piercings and just looked scary to conservative old me! But as I had a chance to train them and work with them, they were very easy going, very nice. They were living with a brother at that time. Their old car was giving them trouble and was probably eating up any money they were making at any jobs they were getting. They were reassigned to their own buildings after being trained. My boss told me within days of them leaving that he found out that they got kicked out of their brother's home and were living in a motel and when they couldn't afford the motel, they planned on living out of their car. The couple was taking it in stride, they were not bitter, not angered, just matter of fact, not expecting anything other than honest work. My boss helped them find an apartment and gave them a second building to clean. One evening as they were coming out of the building after a shift, a woman was there asking for money. Joel, my boss, didn't have his wallet on him. David had no money, but his sweet wife reaches in her pockets and pulls out 3 dollars and gladly gives it to the woman. Lynn and David sleep in a cheap air mattress, it's all the furniture the have in their 400 dollar rent apartment, yet she found it in her heart to give the only 3 dollars they probably had. I am very careful about complaining now. This young tattoo riddled couple has taught me much.

Joel, my boss, has also seen better times. He once made good money in a booming building market, but after a tragic accident that left him with a broken back, he lost all. He just found out he's expecting his fourth child and this job is what he plans on supporting his family with. He's the most giving person and hard working. Tough times are upon he and his little family, yet his heart remains true and pure. He would give more if he could.

Maria was one of the individuals that was on my team. 24 year old undocumented immigrant from Mexico. She's married with two little boys. Her husband works construction during the day. I noticed the second day that he was bringing the children with him when he would come to pick her up at night. I asked her if she had family nearby. She said "no". I immediately told her I could take her home so that her husband could sleep and so her little ones didn't have get their sleep messed up either. She was so grateful and gave me 20 dollars even though I refused. They are struggling to make ends meet and since they are undocumented, they have limited options. She was just a really sweet gal who worked very hard and would smile in her cute shy way if she found something funny. In the end she trusted me enough that she would throw her head back and laugh with me over small little things I found funny. I wished there was a way that the system worked easier for immigrants that work hard and have such good hearts and need the opportunity. She gave me a hug on the last night that I dropped her off. We traded contact info, though we may not email or call one another, CJ and I plan on putting together Christmas for them and dropping it off. I may slip a Book of Mormon in it with my testimony as I feel this gal is so sweet, she crossed my path with a purpose.

My cup is beyond full. My trials are small, but the lessons have been priceless. I feel I would have never learned this humility any other way. This Saturday I will so the the temple with my mid-singles group to support a fellow brother going through for the first time soon. In support, we are going to take him to do baptisms for his first time. I look forward to moments in life where you know you have been served a rich blessing! Life is beautiful, always embrace it!