You know how a big storm has to start somewhere, either the breeze picks up or a few rain drops fall? It's not instant but gradual, slowly gaining momentum until it is big, powerful and can change things. Thats how our story started; just a little breeze, a few rain drops, but I could feel the force behind it from the very start.
Earlier this year I was contacted by my high school art teacher to say she was going to retire. When I received her email I actually read it and dismissed it. I had a sense of guilt, thinking my job and life in Goshen was so good; who was I to want more? However, I felt my heart stings pull a few times and by the time she emailed back to say the middle school teacher would be taking her job opening up the middle school art position I knew I needed to discuss things with Trev. We did the "what if" conversation but it seemed so hard to stomach. There was so much to love about our life in Goshen: our church, friends, jobs, routine and our dream house. It seemed the conversation stopped for a while and I was ready to let the idea of a new job go, but then I had one of those days. The one where everything piles up so fast you can't fight it off. The thought that I would have a day or a month like this for the rest of my teaching career was too much. I get that we all have bad days but it came down to this:
My job had become about so many things other than what I loved.
So with that push over the edge I called my older brother who had left an exciting life and job in Idaho to move back to our hometown. He told me to try it and through the process I would know. This made sense since I hadn't stepped foot in that school since I graduated in 8th grade. I went home and told Trevor the news, I was going for it. My ever encouraging, sensible husband respond with the line "Ok, but if we are doing this, we are doing it right. You are going to get this job." With that it was resumes, cover letters, and two interviews later I was offered the job.
In the mist of this storm of change brewing, I felt a constant sense of peace throughout this process. Not that I would call my faith lacking before this but there was a lack of resistance of anything to really make me question, wonder and look. This was a push off a cliff in my walk of faith. This doesn't mean the last few months have been easy, or truly rewarding, or even brag worthy for that matter. These last few months have just been needed by my soul for a long time and I am thankful for the hurt, for the emotions and the movement to get me to this new place in my faith journey.
The day I moved into my new classroom with my sweet support system.
