"I'll Say a Little Prayer for You!"

Good Morning out there! I have so much to say..............Where do I begin? I'll start off
with what an absolutely beautiful morning it is. I walked my husband out to his truck
as he was heading off  to work. I smiled at him as he rolled down his window, and I
sang, "I'll say a little prayer for you!" I watched him back out of the driveway and I blew
him a kiss good bye.
I wish I could say that I do that every  morning, I should do that every morning, but I
don't. This morning was different. Where do I begin?
As I've told you in my previous posts, we are self-employed. My husband is a contract
welder and I keep the books. We've been married for almost 32 years now, and we've
been self-employed for the last 25 years. Needless to say, we've seen many ups and
downs in our business, but by the Grace of God, we are still in business. Feast or
famine, boom or bust, yep that is the oilfield. Now that we are older, and our children
are grown, we can handle the ups and downs a lot easier. Thanks be to God, our home
is paid off. Jim worries about the other guys and their families. He feels bad for those
whose homes are not paid off, for those who have babies on the way. I feel his pain too.
We have been there, we know what they are going through.
I made the coffee last night and set the automatic timer so that it would be ready when
we woke up. I got up when Jim did, and I went to the kitchen and started cooking
bacon. I saw the box of Graham Crackers on the counter top and smiled. Jim has a
sweet tooth, and the chocolate chip cookies I made earlier in the week are all gone!
I sat down at the kitchen counter and started filling out invoices for the work that Jim
has done the last couple of weeks. He came in the kitchen and we checked everything
over. Today might be the last day he contracts for this company. Hours have been cut,
and there is not much to do. We know the drill, contractors are the first to go.
We reminisced about a similar Friday many years ago. On that Friday, Jim was not
self-employed, he was an employee and had been for about 8  years. I was 8 and
1/2 months pregnant with our son when Jim came home early that day. I was busy
putting away baby things that I had received at my Baby Shower just the night before.
I was surprised when I heard Jim come through the door, I'll never forget the look
on his face, the disbelief, the hurt. He explained that he had been let go, and so had many
others. It was hard, and we struggled, but we made it through. We learned to really
depend on God, and we clung together as husband and wife, and our relationship has
only grown stronger through the ups and downs.
Today is a new day, I don't know what is in store for today. I don't know if Jim will
walk through the door early, or if he will come home at the regular time. What I do
know is we will be ok. God will see us through, we will lean on Him, we have learned
that through the years, and we are stronger because of that, our faith has made us
stronger. I pray for those who have not yet learned to lean on God, I pray that their
struggles will strengthen their relationships with each other and with God.
I'm going to make some brownies for Jim today, I'll make sure they have pecans in
them because those are his favorite. The brownies will be waiting on the counter for
him whether he comes home early or at the regular time, and I'll be here waiting for
him, just like I always have.
I hope your day is full of blessings, please pray for people everywhere. Our prayers
do so much good, God is always listening. Pray for young couples, pray for all couples,
and families to learn to cling to each other and to God.
I'm going to close with this scripture:
            May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.
                                      Romans 15:13
                                                                                    Bye for now, Sharla