When my husband told me that our manager wanted to have an unplanned meeting with us (after which we could leave work early), I knew something was wrong. Unplanned meetings are rarely a positive sign, right? So it came as no surprise that she had bad news for us. That news? Our contract was ending early, and we would have a month left at our current positions.

That conversation happened at the end of July, and as of August 30, I have been effectively unemployed. Attending my 10 year high school reunion last weekend helped soften the blow–once I got over the embarrassment of feeling like I had nothing to show for my life–and the last week since I’ve been home has been a quiet one involving lots of Netflix, mac and cheese, and recovering from a head cold. I think I could easily go through and list off all of the things that are going wrong for me (and my husband) right now, but I am trying to think positively. So without further ado, below follows a list of all of my blessings instead:

• I am in good health. My cold is nearly gone, and other than knocking an antler onto my bare foot last week, I am otherwise well. (There is a small lump on the top of my foot where the antler point hit it last Sunday, but I don’t think anything is broken.)
• We have housing that, God willing, isn’t going anywhere. Part of our stipend for working at the church includes a small, free apartment that includes utilities and internet. If we didn’t have this, I honestly don’t know what we would do. Beg family members to take us in, I suppose?
• We only have one vehicle to worry about now as we signed off my Honda to someone else who needed a second car more than we did. So we don’t have to pay for insurance/maintenance/gas anymore.
• I have a 4.0 in grad school! I’m not going to lie, I am pretty stinking proud of that. So what if I’ve only had three classes thus far–I am counting this a blessing.
• Our cats are in good health! *knocks on wood* I love our kitties, and I would hate for them to get sick or injured in any circumstance, but it’s a special kind of relief to know that we don’t have to make any hard decisions in regards to their wellbeing.
• There is still some food in our pantry and cheap grocery options nearby. If worse comes to worse, there are also several food banks in the area that we could go to if we needed extra help. (And yes, our church family and blood-related family would probably help too. 🙂 )
• I had a great time in Chicago during the reunion. (There will be at least one post about Chicago. Tons of photos I want to share!) It was a lot of fun to reconnect with classmates–at least half of whom I had not seen since graduation. It was fun to share stories and find out where everyone is these days.
• Related: I did not catch lice or get attacked by bed bugs when I stayed in my first hostel in Chicago. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was very pleased with my experience. Everything was clean, everyone was polite and friendly. I would definitely use a hostel again.
• My husband is wonderful. 🙂
• Someone gave me a ziploc full of dried mangoes. They are delicious.
• Unlike Chicago, Seattle does not have 95% humidity. 😉
• I was able to chat with my mom in the DRC via Facebook the other day. Technology, man. It’s pretty cool to still be that much in touch with my folks when they are halfway around the world.
• The dress I ordered from Old Navy mid-August finally came, AND it fits. Yay for tall sizes!

I’m sure there is more, but that is what came quickly to mind. I may be unemployed, but I do have a lot to be grateful for in spite of that situation. I’m not even worried about it, at least not yet. I know that something will work out eventually, and in the meantime, I get to see how God will provide for us. All in all, things are looking up.