I don’t think I am the only who looks back on the past year on New Year’s Eve and think about the ups and downs.
With the end of 2020 we were all looking forward to the end of the pandemic. We were relying on the Lord in so many ways with Bill needing to retire early, my working three jobs (including through the summer, which I was hoping to take off this year) to make the mortgage payment, selling both cars and receiving a car from one of our son’s. Then with the breaking of my ankle that took me away from my higher paying job for a month and a half (they frowned on my open toed boot) so now I was down to two jobs for that time. and to top it all off we came to the decision that I was the one that needed to find a full time job with benefits to support our family. I had no schooling other than high school and what education I got online and working on our computer (I had wanted to retire from the lunch room after our daughter graduated to focus more on our home, garden the chickens and finally to the point of getting goats-but that hope went out the door).
With 2021 I celebrated a full year at my new fulltime job and the DSSI my husband finally qualified for that added to the income I brought in making it possible to stand on our and rely less on the welfare program, of which we have been so grateful for.
2022, I was really picking up on things with my job; we got a car for Bill so he could get out and not rely on our only vehicle, which I was required to have for my job. We also put up a fence between our yard and the neighbors with Schnauzers that barked non-stop, and we were fed up. We also redid the side yard into a garden to house the beehive and many edible plants and flowers. We added an additional grow box in the garden. Bill also redid the front garden to accommodate his taste and desire.
2023 brought on a lot of stress with my work. First, Bill and I both got Covid, having avoided it for three years. Then, in April, we were informed that Stor’em and Parma Management were closing their doors and would be taken over by Prime Storage by the end of the month. My first thoughts were, do I still have a job? Even after the interview I had, which I felt went well, my anxiety was high until the phone call came offering me a position. That was nothing compared to what lay ahead. The training for one week was intense. While there were areas that were the same, there were some that were not. The next couple of months were brutal. Between helping the customers with the changes while still learning, some of the abilities that we had previously were now taken away, making the necessity to get ahold of our DM a constant problem. Then, they started to remodel the office, so getting things done was a bit more complicated. We had a folding table as a desk with the computer towers and wires at our feet. Most of the office furniture was stuffed in the golf cart shed and shop, along with the stuff from the supply cupboard. The blinds were removed, and EVERYTHING was off the walls with new paint, wires being rerun in the walls requiring drywall patching, and lots of dust. We were continuously dealing with upset customers and the inability to get issues resolved. There was a time that I was seriously contemplating walking away from this job when suddenly things changed, making our workloads easier. They want to remove our golf carts (hopefully only for the smaller facilities). Our office is finished (after going through three contract companies), complete with new blinds (I’m sure new doors will come next year along with asphalt in the parking area in the back. With all this stress, I couldn’t even fathom doing anything with the garden.
Just after Halloween, I fell in the driveway, scuffing up the left lens of my glasses, got a giant goose egg, and was quite hurt. I called Bill several times and was about to phone him when I thought I would get up and go into the house. It turned out he wasn’t home, but thankfully, Bear was, and she helped clean me up and bandage my wounds. A couple of days later, I looked like Fester’s (The Addams Family) bride. I missed church and had K and E warn our grandson about Nana’s Ouchy before we went to their house. I asked for Monday off, so C had to cover his day off. I missed voice lessons and tried to get my shift at Hale covered on Tuesday, but thankfully, due to my daughter’s knowledge of makeup, I learned how to cover it up for work at both jobs on Tuesday. As we were going to get the makeup from the store, my DIL encouraged me to go to the hospital and get checked out. I got the CAT scan and was cleared. C was so sweet and concerned when I showed up Tuesday morning. No one could cover my shift at Hale, so I courageously walked in and did my job. All of my coworkers were so caring, kind, and concerned. I finally got in to see an eye doctor and ordered new glasses last night. I’ve been using my reading glasses primarily, and it’s been a pain.
I will not offend God by saying everything was terrible this year. I am grateful for Him helping me through it all. I know these things are to help me grow. One way that I grew so much was when I was accepted into someone’s voice lesson program in my Stake, and I was able to do a solo for the Stake Christmas Devotional. Anxiety kicked my butt, but I made it through, as last year, I was barely able to sing at all. I look forward to singing more, including going out for shows at the Empress and Hale (since 2017).
I am grateful for new friends, my family, my jobs, and the growth my husband and I have had this year. I look forward to getting my garden and bees back and to getting chickens and quail. I want to do better with my main job and hope to get at least one show this year.
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