new beginnings

Well, guess who's got some exciting news? I do! Yesterday I was offered a social work position at St. Mary's!

And I'm super pumped. It's an on-call position within the hospital, so I'd be filling in for vacations and other absences. I applied and interviewed for the job back in January, and the process took a long time. I really didn't expect to get it, so I had almost written it off in my mind. But I got the phone call, and I was really surprised... and excited!

Since it's on-call, there's no guarantee for hours, but I figure that's a great way to get started. And it'll give me the chance to find out if medical social work is something that I really, truly want to do. Doing my internship with Spectrum got me really interested in medical work, and I've thought about it ever since finishing my placement last summer. So I'll still have my job at Access (3 days/wk), but while doing that, I can try something new. I'm just ready to get some client contact and interact with patients. I know it will at least be great experience for me to learn and grow professionally.

I'm hoping to start training on Monday, and Access is pretty supportive at this point. So we'll just have to wait and see how things go. For now I'd appreciate prayers for a smooth transition and quick learning.

At the same time, I'm anticipating going to work for Everett's a day or two a week this spring. Yup, starting two jobs at once, that's how I like to do things :)

God's timing is funny. I had totally planned out what I wanted to do, how I wanted it to happen, and when things were going to change. I felt like He was ignoring my prayers for direction, when I didn't get what I asked for, when in reality He was simply telling me, "Wait." I'm really thankful for these opportunities that He's giving me now, because I'm in a different place than I was a few months ago. Before I was anxious, frustrated, and angry, while lately I've been learning about contentment, gratitude, and faith. He's opening doors now whose existence I had never even considered.

I have a stone that sits on my desk, given to me by a coworker, that reads: "Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12" Just reminds me that I'm not the one in control, but thankfully He is.