Looking Back

This is my obligatory “year in review” post… if you’re tired of reading these things, then I suggest you skip this 🙂

January: 2016 started off with me getting pretty despondent over not finding a job.  Having had my RN license for 6 months already, I was eager to get going before I forgot stuff, and plus the sound of a steady paycheck was pretty attractive!  In January I started getting interviews, but nothing ever came of them – they seemed to like me, but that was about it.

March: I applied and got an interview for my dream NICU job.  I had applied for this residency position in the fall of the previous year, and they didn’t look twice at my application.  But just for the heck of it I applied again. They said that they wanted me to come in for an interview.  At that interview, instead of being nervous, I felt a strange sense of calm; I just knew deep down that God was going to take care of everything.  And He did. A few days later they called back and said that I was hired!

May: I started my residency for my dream job.  It was far from easy, especially with an hour drive one way to get to work, but I was willing to do whatever was needed.  God blessed and protected me in so many ways during my residency, and every time I look back on that time I smile and say, “Thank you, God!”

September: I moved out of my family home to be closer to work.  I was scared spitless, being by myself, but I always knew that God was running the show, and since He’s taken care of me in the past, I know I can trust Him in my future.

November: First Thanksgiving on my own.  I worked the holiday, which was great, because the NICU staff like to throw big potlucks, and a holiday featuring a feast is a fantastic excuse!  I did miss my family, though, but we got together the next week.  Not being with my family at Thanksgiving definitely made the get-together all the more special.

December: First Christmas on my own.  This one was definitely harder than missing Thanksgiving.  I longed for our family movie nights, the decorating, hanging out with my family, and most of all I missed Advent, which has been such an important part of our Christmases in years past.  I had to work on Christmas Eve, which was actually pretty amazing!  At exactly midnight Christmas Eve/morning I was holding one of my 4lb little friends and we sang Christmas carols… okay, I sang the carols while she just waited patiently for me to finish and get on with her feeding!

This year has been one giant trust exercise for me.  I am a control freak by nature, and it seems like God is constantly reminding me that He’s got things under His control.  And you know what?  God has never let me down.  Things may not always turn out like I planned, but the great part about that is that He knows the end game, and therefore makes plans far better than I could have imagined.

2017 is going to be quite the adventure!