I PROMISED JAMMA A BLOG JUST TO TELL HER SOME OF THE TIMES IN MY OWN LIFE WHEN GOD'S PLANS DIDN'T JIVE WITH MY IDEAS AND HOW IT TURNED OUT!!

BACK 30 YEARS AGO AFTER MY DAUGHTER KATHLEEN WAS BORN....FOR 4 OR 5 YEARS I SUFFERED ONE MISCARRAIGE AND AFTER ANOTHER...VERY HEARTBREAKING AND NERVE-WRACKING!! I DECIDED I WASN'T GOING THRU THIS AGAIN SINCE THE DOCTORS HAD NO IDEA WHY I COULDN'T CARRY ANOTHER CHILD PAST THE FOURTH MONTH..... I SEARCHED HIGH & LOW FOR NEARLY 3 YEARS LOOKING FOR A DOCTOR WILLING TO TIE MY TUBES. I WAS TOO YOUNG THEY SAID....NOTHING DOING.
I CRIED, PRAYED, SAID ROSARIES, MADE NOVENAS TO ST JUDE AND EVERY OTHER SAINT I COULD THINK OF AND JUST GENERALLY MADE A PEST OF MYSELF BOTH IN HEAVEN AND DOWN HERE, I'M SUIRE!!! NOTHING DID ANY GOOD. I WAS CONVINCED GOD WASN'T PAYING ANY ATTENTION WHATSOEVER AND FELT ALONE, ABANDONED, NEGLECTED YOU NAME IT. 7 YEARS LATER I MET HUBBIE NUMBER 2, GOT MARRIED AND MOVED HERE TO CAROLINA WHERE I QUICKLY AND EASILY GOT PREGNANT AND GAVE BIRTH TO TWO BOYS IN 3 YEARS!!
AIN'T HINDSIGHT WONDERFUL??

SUDDENLY IT BECAME CLEAR WHY GOD HAD NOT ANSWERED MY PRAYERS BACK THEN.
I THOUGHT I WAS FINISHED HAVING BABIES ....GOD KNEW I WASN'T!! IF HE'D GRANTED MY REQUEST BACK THEN WHEN IT WAS WHAT I THOUGHT I WANTED, I WOULDN'T HAVE RYAN OR AJ AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY LIFE WOULD BE LIKE WITHOUT THEM!

EXAMPLE #2....JUST LAST YEAR IN APRIL OF 2006
ALL OF A SUDDEN I WAS LAID OFF FROM THE MODELING AGENCY WHERE I WORKED...NO WARNING...NADA. HUBBY'S RETIRED AND BETWEEN HIS PENSION, HIS SOCIAL SECURITY AND MY PAYCHECK WE MAKE ENDS MEET BUT MY
NOT WORKING IS NOT AN OPTION!!
I COULD NOT FATHOM WHY MY JOB HAD EVAPORATED LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!
I WAS OUT OF WORK MOST OF THE SUMMER. IN MAY, MY YOUNGEST SON AJ, NEEDED A PLACE TO STAY AND MOVED HERE TO CHARLOTTE FROM GREENSBORO. HE AND HIS FIANCE WERE EXPECTING A BABY IN THE FALL AND HE SPENT THE SUMMER HERE WHILE SHE STAYED IN G'BORO WITH HER FOLKS. I HELPED HIM PUT TOGETHER A RESUME, SEARCH THE INTERNET FOR JOB OPENINGS, GET FAMILIAR WITH CHARLOTTE, ETC. I GOT HIM UP EVERY MORNING AND PRAYED WITH HIM BEFORE HE TOOK OFF IN HIS SUIT ON HIS BICYCLE TO PEDAL AS FAR AS HE COULD IN EACH DIRECTION LOOKING FOR WORK. HE DID THIS EVERY DAY FOR WEEKS!!
GOT A JOB FINALLY AS A MANAGER-TRAINEE AT AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT. WORKED AND SAVED ALL SUMMER LONG AND FINALLY GOT ENOUGH SAVED UP TO RENT A SMALL CONDO HERE IN CANDLEWOOD WHERE WE STAY. HE WAS SO PROUD OF HIMSELF!!! GOT HIS UTILITIES TURNED ON, BOUGHT ALL THE FURNITURE, DECORATED IT HIMSELF AND THEN WENT TO G'BORO TO FETCH MARY. THEY GOT MARRIED AND THEIR DAUGHTER WAS BORN IN NOVEMBER.

MY HUSBAND WAS ON THE VERGE OF PANIC BY THEN, BECAUSE WE WERE ABOUT TO BE GET BEHIND ON OUR BILLS AND HE'S VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT!! I WENT TO INTERVIEW AFTER INTERVIEW WITH NO RESULTS....HE KEPT GETTING MORE AND MORE WORRIED AND I KEPT SAYING..."SWEETIE...LET GO AND LET GOD!!"

AJ MOVED MARY INTO HIS NEW LITTLE CONDO ON THE 15TH OF OCTOBER, 2006 AND 3 DAYS LATER I GOT THE JOB I HAVE NOW. MY PASTOR SAID...SEE? YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU LOST YOUR JOB....BUT GOD KNEW THAT AJ WOULD NEED YOU TO HELP HIM THIS SUMMER. WITHOUT YOU TO LEAN ON AND SUPPORT HIM LIKE YOU DID...HE MIGHT NOT HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ALL THAT HE DID AND IF YOU'D BEEN WORKING YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE THERE FOR HIM. BUT YOU WERE.
AND NOW THAT HE'S SETTLED AND ON AN EVEN KEEL, GOD FOUND YOU A BETTER JOB THAN YOU HAD BEFORE!

I COULD GO ON AND ON..BUT YOU GET THE IDEA...OVER THE YEARS I'VE LEARNED OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT SOMETIMES GOD'S GREATEST GIFTS ARE unANSWERED PRAYERS!!

KEEP YOUR CHIN UP JAMMA....THERE IS A REASON FOR WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH BELIEVE ME...JUST KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE LORD, YOUR NOSE IN THE BIBLE AND START EVERY PRAY WITH THESE FOUR WORDS..

"THY WILL BE DONE..."
WE LOVE YOU!!
D