Careful What You Ask For...

The Boy has been moaning for months about the fact that he doesn't have a job.  He has put in applications at all the retail and grocery stores in the area and a few business owners my husband has done work for have promised to call if anything comes up.

The other day, we were bellowed at for not doing enough to help him find work, and I explained to our only son that with the economy so bad, adults are taking jobs that at one time only teens were interested in doing. I told him he should be grateful that he's still in school and doesn't really need a job right now since he lives with us and we supply him with everything.  My husband and I were just brainstorming this morning about whether or not we should just have him volunteer someplace and pay him a stipend ourselves.  I expressed some concern that Matt might have problems with the demands of not being able to sit down whenever he feels like it and his father quickly jumped to his defense, pointing out that he is always very responsible, never late for anything, and physically he is very well-organized (unlike his mother, whose mind is usually impeccably neat but whose desk looks like a cyclone hit it).

As I was enjoying a piece of fresh-out-of-the-oven crusty Italian bread, the phone rang and one of the business owners my husband talked to said he had work, if Matt was interested, and that he should come by the establishment as soon as he was up and ready.

Well, the bellowing has now given way to the reality that comes with responsibility.  What do you mean I have to get out of bed now?  What do you mean I have to go to work, I made plans?  How much am I going to get paid?  How long do I have to stay there?  I ordered him to the shower without further ado and instructed him on his wardrobe for the day.

When I think back to the time this photo was taken, I had no idea of the challenges that would await this child because no one had any clue what was locked inside his head or how very differently he viewed the world from the rest of us.  I thought I had a sweet and affectionate little boy who adored trains and would grow up like his big sister to be extremely bright and well-liked and accepted by everyone.  He is all of those things, in his own way, which is not the world's way but is the way God apparently intended.


Of course, I'm overjoyed for him this morning, despite some of my reservations.  Funny how much opportunity is like death, in that you never know when it's going to come knocking and is why you should always be open and ready.

Trust in the Lord is the best way to accept both.

Say an extra prayer for me today.  At 11am we go to pick up the critters.  Rebecca is worried that it will be necessary for me, as the adult, to demonstrate a comfort with rodents, in case I have to care for them in her absence.  I suggested she take her dad with her instead.