More prayer please - we've not reached the end of God's testing...

At the moment, I can't give details as we are researching the legal recourse options that we can take...


...but Mr. Squirrel brutally lost his job this morning.

We don't understand why we are having to go through so much trouble... and no clue how far this parade of trouble will go.

Our faith is strong and we know that God is in control. We know that He has something planned for us, but I confess my weaknesses - I am afraid, and I know that I shouldn't be as it shows that my belief is weak. I have to keep reminding myself that God has never forsaken us and He has always provided for our needs... in His timing... not ours. I know that we are not to worry over what we shall wear, or eat, or anything like that. God has made His promises to us in His Word and that trumps everything else.

I would ask for payer that God would shore-up my faith to withstand these new storms and to calm my fears. And above all, may His will be done in this suffocatingly murky situation.

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God Bless and Godspeed

Praise... and yet another prayer request...

Yesterday was quite a day.

Praise: Mr. Squirrel had an excellent first day back at work yesterday. Very little coughing and no mishaps!

Prayer: Without any warning, after nearly 14 years of service, I was called into a meeting and have been officially laid-off of my job. It is involuntary and I can apply for unemployment, but my whole world is reeling... [literally and figuratively.]

UPDATE 2/18 (11am):

Things are scrambling, but I need to touch base with my prayer warriors (for whom I am VERY grateful).

As much as I wanted to hide in a hole and not come out, I've been rather busy. Tuesday I got the unemployment applications completed. Interestingly enough, part of the forms required me to contact the Personnel Officer to get data on the WorkComp stuff. When we talked (which was very pleasant and helpful), I broached the subject of the fragrance testing results - SHE DIDN'T GET ANYTHING EITHER. Go figure.

Our conversation was quite amusing after that, and she decided that she would follow up by finding out where those reports were sent. Later in the afternoon, she called me to let me know that ClaimGirl had apparently sent it to my doctor - twice. Hmmmm. So I suggested we get the name of the doctor and the address to see which doctor got the data. [Such a run-around!] Anyway, during our conversation, I made arrangements to get a copy of my resume out of my file. [The last time I updated it was 14 years ago... and it was hand typed! I guess that is a good indicator that I needed to update it anyway!]

Oddly enough, late Tuesday afternoon, I found out from a friend that there was a job opening in the 'sister-company' that exists in the same building - and my job skills would be well suited for it. I was suddenly thrilled and then suddenly had very mixed feelings about aiming for a job in the same building... owned by the same people... where I'd just been axed. Would I be jumping from one fry-pan into another fry-pan... over the same fire? I spent a lot of time in thought and prayer, and I talked to my friends and family for their thoughts. We all came up to the same point: IT'S A JOB. [And in this economy... that is the bottom line. I have to try.]

So, Wednesday, I dug into the Job Service registration and returned to the office to get that copy of my resume (needed it for the Job Service stuff anyway). At that same visit, the Personnel Officer also gave me the information and application forms for the job opening.

Since then, I've been updating my resume and making a cover letter. Those are completed. Now I'll be digging into the application. Later this afternoon/evening, I'll be meeting with a friend who works in that department who offered to go over my application before submitting it. [She also invited Hubby and me to dinner in her home to take the rush off the evening. She's so nice!] So, after that, with refinements to forms and making copies...

I'll submit the application tomorrow. Whew...
I'll let you know what happens!

UPDATE 2/19 (4pm):

OK... Application packet has been turned in. We'll see what happens... (and I'll start a new post).

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God Bless & Godspeed

Prayer request... and praises!

Things are going pretty well overall - my thanks for the prayers you have lifted up for us!

This kind of a side-ways prayer request - for the ability to ride the wave of 'answered prayers' and not get swamped by them. God is so good, and His timing is perfect... but my brain is made of fallen stuff, and I need encouragement.

The bundle of prayer answers that seem to be coming in at the same time: 1.) Mr. Squirrel is feeling MUCH better and he's absolutely antsy to get back to work. 2.) Yesterday, Mr. Squirrel's boss called him to alert him to changes in the existing shifts that would give Mr. Squirrel a day-shift between Monday and Friday. [A huge answer to prayer that would allow us to have weekends together!] The shifts would also be 8-hour and not the 10-12 it was before. [Also an answer in the sense that his days would not be so long and draining on his energies.]

The 'hitch' in the works: 1.) Mr. Squirrel's cough, though better, is not gone and he is still "not quite there" in his health or stamina. His voice is also not much more than a whisper which may not be good enough for using radio communication. 2.) The boss wants to know TOMORROW if Mr. Squirrel is going to be able to come back to work. [And last week, the boss wanted that cough "completely gone" before he would let him come back. ...and I don't know if this is a deal-breaker for his continued employment or not.]

This opportunity could be such a good thing for us, especially with some newly discovered financial "black clouds" that are looming on our horizon. We need to be a 2-income family again. I'm concerned about... frankly, the unknowns and what-ifs. Moreover, I'm having trouble "giving it to God".

As a weak child, I don't want us in a position of needing to choose between sacrificing the health to keep the job, or sacrificing the job for the sake of the health. As a selfish child, I want the good parts of both - good health & the job.

However, when I pull back... and look up... above all, it is my prayer that God's will be done in our lives...

2/10 (11:30AM) - PLEASE SEE COMMENTS FOR UPDATES

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God bless & Godspeed

It's been a roller coaster...

Wednesday was really loaded with ups and downs. Those associated with Mr. Squirrel can be reviewed in the last post. But I thought I'd start a new post to deal with my own twists and turns.

In spite of the intense stress of the day, my neurologist appointment went really well. [And my blood pressure was much lower than I expected after such a stressful day! I guess chatting with the young family in the waiting room for almost 30 minutes did more good than I thought. I guess we both needed the distraction!]

The last time I saw my doctor was October, but I wrote a letter to her in December to alert her to yet another forced office move (#3). The move made me very apprehensive at the time, but over the last two months, 3 of the 6 people who were hired have left, and the area sharing my wall is currently vacant. [There were also two other strongly perfumed sources (from other departments) who decided to quit the company as well.] Truth be told, the move has ended up being a very good thing - that blessing in disguise. The better wall configuration and general positioning have done a lot to restrict air-flow and my fans keep the air in my "cave" circulating. I still keep my mask handy for 'wafts' and visitors (and any time I have to leave my shelter), but the duration of wearing it at my desk has been much less. [In the last area, I could wear the thing 4-8+ hours - every day. This new area has seen no more than 3 hours at a stretch, and I've even had a few days where it was not necessary to use at all. Hallelujah!]

One of the things I discussed with my doctor was the STILL absent reports from WorkComp about the fragrance-level testing done 7-months ago. She checked through her notes and there was documentation that her office had called the claim-girl and requested the report and test results. However, the claim-girl indicated at that time (12/15) that the reports and test results had been sent. Hmmmmm. Okaaaaaaaaay.

SENT TO WHOM? Certainly not to my doctor... as claim-girl insisted had to happen because only my doctor could interpret the results for me. My doctor suggested that they may have sent it back to my employer, and I might check with them.

I must confess that I told her that I consider the whole WorkComp thing to be a "leprous foot that simply needs to be chopped off". It is a constant source of distress that keeps erupting suddenly after months of complete silence. I am so tired of it and I want it to stop. I'm now torn about making any further inquiry at this point. I want it to end (if there is such a thing), but I still want to know the results.

Good or bad, I do have a "backdoor" pending, that might make it easier. My doctor gave me that prescription for an air purifier. When I get it ordered and it arrives, I can submit the serial numbers (medical equipment deserves some protection) and tell them why I have it... I can then mention that neither my doctor nor I have ever seen the test results... "Did you ever get them?"

But we'll have to see.

Now to share something FUN. Yes, FUN.

I also talked to my doctor about an idea I've been pondering to help me strengthen my balance. The Wii-Fit Plus system (according to what research I could muster) has an entire sub-routine that deals specifically with improving balance. If I can strengthen my sense of balance, it will be more able to 'catch me' when I experience dizziness. My doctor loved the idea! I also told her that it might be a way to get some FUN into my life. I hear the games are great exercise and are fun to play and I really need both of those things in my life... and it's even better if hubby can play, too! [We've saved up some gift cards and cash so I think we can afford it, now.]

So, that brings me up to date. I'll let you know what ultimately happens with the WorkComp thing if I actually choose to pursue it... and once we invest in the Wii-system, having something FUN to share could be a great outlet, too!

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God Bless & Godspeed