Because You Gotta Have Friends

I have been lamenting on my blog about how my summer got off to a rocky start due to the inconvenience of a busted water heater. What I haven't mentioned is that it came at a time when Steven and I have been faced with the reality that he could be laid off at the end of the year. We have known this since February and have been bracing ourselves ever since. The company Steven works for is outsourcing to the Philippines & once the transition has been completed there will be a dramatic reduction in staff. Unfortunately I am not alone in this; it is a reality that many people are facing right now due to the bad economy.

I wish I could say that I have handled the news with dignity and have put all of my faith in God. However, I have spent far too much time being angry at the company Steven works for for this injustice & worrying about the future and how we will make ends meet if and when he loses his job. In the process I have withdrawn from the very people I should be surrounding myself with. The following is an excerpt from one of my daily devotions:

After a crisis, or the beginning of recovery or a major transition, it is especially vital to begin creating a network of mutually supportive sojourners. Even Jesus, in his darkest moments in Gethsemane's garden, confessed the need to have his friends nearby. If God's Son needed friends during his hour of crisis, we would be silly to say that we don't. -Sandi Patty

With that being said this post goes out to my friends & my family; my fellow sojourners. I had a wonderful afternoon with my friends and their kids today. It was such breath of fresh air to watch the kids splash around in the pool & talk to my friends rather than thinking about the things of this world.

I will leave you with some pictures of the day. Have a wonderful weekend!

Of course they are not looking at the camera. The sun must have been in their eyes.
Audrey & Anara
My Little Mermaids
Madeleine is rescuing Audrey in the game they are playing.