Boy has it been a year! I have been through the ringer and this ol’ single mom is T-I-R-E-D! But I’m also very grateful that I’m not alone. Here are just some of the things I can recall for 2014:
1) Started the New Year with frozen pipes/issues – meant lugging water in for a couple of weeks
2) Furnace stopped working – paid $$ I didn’t have for someone to come out and ‘fix it’ — only to find that they were full of you-know-what. Then had to pay more for someone else to come out and do it right
3) Numerous times I had car issues/repairs
4) I got laid-off unexpectedly in March – lost a really good paying job that also included health care benefits paid at 100% for my whole family
5) Received a letter from IRS that I didn’t pay in enough some 3 years prior (long story)
6) Finally landed a job – at $11,000/yr less than my prior job + I had to start paying $400+ for health insurance
7) Was pretty miserable at that job – we were not a good fit for each other – but made some really awesome new friends too
8) About the time I landed the new job – I also had to start paying $460/mo for childcare for the summer
9) Car kept breaking down….so I finally gave in and signed on the dotted line for another one
10) My daughter/best friend moved south out of town
11) Was able to go see my daughter and her hubby for a few days during the July 4th holiday!
12) Received a letter from Attorney General that they ‘over-paid’ me for child support 2+ years prior and started taking half of my current child support….which means I get a whopping $240/mo now
13) Started getting down in the dumps about everything hitting constantly with no break…..started whining to God
14) Got an unexpected call from my mentor and friend offering me a job (a little less money than my previous – for now, but promised more to come)
15) Bills have been backing up and stacking up with all that has gone on so far
16) Payroll company ‘forgets’ to enter my enrollment for health insurance…so they have to withdraw double payment out of my check = $500+
17) Had to request them to defer a car payment when starting new job – in order to get them to coordinate with paydays = they had to deduct a double-payment out of the SAME paycheck that #16 occurs!
18) Somewhere along the way – I reconnected with my first love, my high school sweetheart via FB
19) Turned the big 5-0
20) Thanksgiving — we were not able to work out schedules so that we could spend it with daughter and her hubby
21) Thanksgiving — my high school sweetheart accepted and invitation to stop by and see me – he will have dinner with me, my son and my dad
22) Christmas — we were unable to work out plans for spending this holiday with daughter/her hubby. He was promoted – and can’t take off now and we can’t go that way
23) Christmas — worked it out so we will go see daughter/hubby week after
There are many, many more ups and downs, but these are the things that come to mind right now. It’s a lot. Especially for a single-parent who is NOT getting any sort of assistance. But it also means that someone had to have my back. And He did! God has seen me through as promised! He never said it would be easy…but rather that He would be there.
However, I’ve also learned that He actually takes the burdens completely from me when I ask Him to – when I give it to Him. It has been a hard lesson for me to learn – but I believe I’ve got it now. I don’t even stress anymore about things….when something difficult comes my way – I say ‘here You go, God…it’s Yours’ — and He takes it!
May you all be blessed and enjoy your family and friends during the holidays. And here’s to a beautiful, bless-filled 2015 coming around the corner!
Call Me the Clay 
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