New Beginnings

With every new year comes new beginnings. But the beginning of this year felt a little shaky when I realized I had no job because I had resigned from my former chaplain position at the end of December. Over the years I have come to know that I am the type of person who does not always handle change with ease. I am a worrier, and I stress when I can't see what the change brings. I often tell myself that I need to let my worrying go because there is no need to stress over things I can't control. I'm slowly learning. 

So I began January jobless, except for being full time mom to Malia, which is a joy and I love being mom. But I also know that I love my ministry, and I love working as a chaplain and having time out of the home to talk with other adults and thrive in an environment that I feel God has equipped me for. It was about mid January that I interviewed at Memorial Hospital, although I did have two pre-interviews before this formal one. I left the interview excited about the new possibilites and the idea of starting in a fresh work environment. Shortly after the interview I was offered a chaplain position at the hosptial and I was thrilled to accept it. I'm working part time (really per diem with two regular scheduled days) which has been a perfect fit. 

In Feburary when I began work, Malia also started pre-school at a new school that is affiliated with the hospital. So while I go to work, she goes to school. The picture below is Malia and I in her classroom her first day at the new school. 

Malia and I at her new school

She has adjusted really well in the new environment. One very exciting thing is that she has said "good-bye" to the pull ups and is 99% toilet trained! Of course there are the occasional accidents. She has made a lot of new friends in her class, loves creating when given an art project, and really enjoys playing in the music and movement room. She feels right at home in her new school, and each day that we drive up to it she says, "my school house." Seeing her adjust to the new changes has definitely helped me to adjust as well. 

One of the big adjustments for me at the new hospital, is that this is the hospital where Chris and I were taken to after our car accident in 2009. I even work with one of the chaplains who came to visit us in our hospital room. I wasn't sure how I would handle going back to this hospital, since I haven't really been there since our accident or in the neighborhood of the hospital (which was close to the sight of our accident), but I feel at home there. The first time I walked through the Emergency Department, I realized that the only thing I recognized was the ceiling of the ambulance bay entry. Fortunately I don't recognize the rooms, even though the memories of the accident and that day are still fresh in my mind. The one place in the hospital that I did get chocked up walking by was our hospital room on the sixth floor of the orthopedic unit. Seeing the room brought back so many memoires of the accident and how it changed our lives. It was an emotional walk by when I saw our room, but it was also good to be seeing it from a new perspective. Seeing it from the other side, knowing that my family survived the accident and we are once again living our lives. 

So this year has brought surprising new beginnings. After our car accident in 2009, I didn't know if I could do hospital chaplaincy, but I continued down that path of ministry and now just a few years later I'm working in that very hospital. I love my new job, and I love that as a family we have adjusted to the new changes. This year has been off to a good start. I'm grateful for the new beginning, and I'm excited to see what more God will do in our lives in this year to come.