With all this spare time on my hands, I tend to be playing around on the computer a lot, which is something I rarely ever have time to do. Anyway, last night I ran across this quote:
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we took so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened up for us”
- Helen Keller
Currently, I am dealing with a job crisis in our Hearing Impaired Program, of which I am the supervising teacher. Just like most of the public school systems across America, funding has become a major issue. St. Mary Parish School Board has dodge the bullet for many years...not because we have not had the same budget cuts as everyone else (we have), but because our Cheif Financial Officers have been very frugal over the years and saved plenty money. However, our "rainy day fund" is all but depleted, and the state continues to hand over more expenses to the parish with no increase in our Minimum Foundation dollars. Needless to say, our parish has had to eliminate 29 teaching positions and 18 para positions. One of those 18 para positions was actually one of my transliterators. Bless her heart, she called me Thursday crying about her "pink slip." I almost died. She reminds me so much of my youngest daughter, and she is a young married mother of a sweet baby girl, and she desperately needs this job, like most young families do. I immediately called both my supervisor and principal to plead my case. There is no way our program can funtion with 12 students and only 6 transliterators....not gonna happen. I need 2 full time at BJHS. That leaves 4 at BES with 7 students! No way. Anyway, last night when I read that quote, I thought about several people in my life that needs to here that quote, but I wrote it down to help me remember the power of those words from a woman who found happiness in spite of multiple disabilites. First thing this morning, my transliterator called. She had called my supervisor to plead her case. I was at a loss for words, when I looked down and saw the quote. I told her not to look at this negatively. Look at it as a "blessing in disguise." If she doesn't get hired back on, maybe there is something else she is meant to do....like go back and get her teaching degree, which she has wanted to do, but the lack of time and money has stopped her. She could pick up a couple of house cleaning jobs, collect unemployment, and go back to school all the while she could stay at home with her precious little girl. I told her not to stand there looking at the closed door, look for the door that is open and go through it to see what blessing God has waiting for you. By the end of the conversation, she seemed much more optimisti,c and was fixing to feed the baby, and then head on over to the unemployment office.
I learned the power of those words many years ago; however, I did not know the author. Knowing the author makes them even more powerful. I learned that when one door closes, no matter how painful it may be, don't sit there hoping it will reopen. God closed it for a reason. Start looking for the door he has opened. I've learned not to try to force open a closed door too....leave it closed. It is so much easier to look for that open door. Everyone knows I have been wanting to move back to Thibodaux for some time to be near my aging Aunt and my buddy. After my youngest daughter graduated from high school 6 years ago, I've been searching for that open door. I've yet to find that open door. Everytime I look into moving, the door is closed firmly in my face. I have painfully had to accept that is not where God wants me for some reason. Now I'm looking at a career change. I should know whether or not I got the job by next week. Will that door open, or will something else open up on the teachlouisiana.net site? I do not know at this point, but I'm looking for that open door. I know if it is God's plan, it will open up, and I will gladly walk through it. That is the joy of having a personal relationship with God......no worries. You know that God has your best interest at heart, and he has all crisis under control. He will take care of you, and if a crisis occurs, there is a reason. You may not know what that reason is at the time, and you may never know until you get to heaven, but believing that God is in control can take all the fears away, even in the worst of times. Wow....what powerful words from God, through Helen Keller!
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