Click here for Part 1.
I’ve posted before about having a vision list and being very true to yourself when creating one and being very specific. Don’t ask God for a man but you don’t specify what kind of man. You’ll get a man alright but do you want him? Same with making your vision list. Writing a vision list is like writing a recipe or drawing up blueprints for a house, you must be specific.
I’ve posted before about having a vision list and being very true to yourself when creating one and being very specific. Don’t ask God for a man but you don’t specify what kind of man. You’ll get a man alright but do you want him? Same with making your vision list. Writing a vision list is like writing a recipe or drawing up blueprints for a house, you must be specific.
A few months back I wrote out a specific vision list. It wasn’t specifically in order but it started out in order. The first thing I wrote down was the main thing I wanted to change. It was the most important thing to me at the time of making the list. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that it all came to me.
My kids had been going to an in home daycare that my husband’s cousin had. It worked out because at the time my daughter’s school had very limited options for who provided after-school care and pickup since it’s pretty far out. So my daughter had been going to her since kindergarten. She is now in 3rd grade. My son has been going there for maybe a little over a year due to an issue with his previous daycare. I wasn’t happy about the setup from the beginning but at the time it solved the problem and we moved on from there. Over the years we had so many issues with this set up. I’m not even going to go into all of them but let’s just say my husband and I were beyond fed up with the antics of his cousin. They’re supposed to be family after all.
The final straw was the day after Labor Day. Down South our kids go to school in August. This year I think may have been the latest start date I’ve seen because it was the last week of August that my daughter started school. Sadly our state laws require the child to be age 5 by August. Jordan turns 5 in November. Great. A whole year of daycare that I really can’t afford to pay was my thought. On the bright side tho, it’s only a year left. So Labor Day weekend…three day weekend, I paid her on the Friday prior. This chick (for lack of a more appropriate word because you know what I want to call her) had the audacity to text me at 9pm on Tuesday September 3rd to say effective immediately she would no longer be able to watch the children. (our children weren’t the only ones she watched btw) And that she wanted to be paid up. It was all I had in me not to go ham on her. Situation after situation I have tried my hardest to keep it cool and not go off on her even when it was warranted. She was keeping my kids afterall. And although this was the perfect opportunity to go off, I chose to keep my head. So I did tell her that she knew good and well what she was doing was wrong and that I was sure that she knew the whole weekend and probably on Friday when I paid her that she was going to do this. People like that…I swear. Everybody was asking me what reason did she give me? I got no reason from her. I don’t even want to know what sad pathetic story she’s gonna make up now. I don’t care. That’s on her. I have no desire to take vengeance in my own hands. Nope. Let her hang her own noose. There’s no reason to allow her to steal my joy that I strive so hard to keep. No need for me to put forth all of that energy to have all that negativity for that chick. Nope not worth it at all.
Needless to say, a text at 9pm put me in a sincere bind. I had to call out of work Wednesday which also grinds my gears because that severely impacts the money I can make at work. But I had no choice. DH couldn’t take the time off so of course that means Mommy has to do it. I was so angry that night but I started praying. And my prayer was Lord please give me favor and open the right doors for me. Lead me in the right direction. The next morning, I woke up, my stomach in knots, but knowing that I would get it done. I never doubted that I wouldn’t have a solution by the end of the day. So the beginning of the day I told the kids they would no longer be going there. I had to send a letter to my daughter’s school so that she could be dropped off at home. Jordan and I headed off to the dreaded land of Social Services. Now can I just say that I absolutely abhor going to Social Services. It takes a lot for me to be willing to go in there. I know some people go and sit all day as if it’s their job. I’m not one of those people. So I was in there for several hours, thankfully Jordan was being a good boy and very patient, but in there only to find a couple of days later…I make too much money to get any kind of assistance. Funny how they think so. If I made so much I wouldn’t be here swallowing my pride to get help.
When I got home after paying my cell so that it didn’t get cut off, I started the process I dread: calling people. It’s a sincere issue, if you know me you can vouch for it. So I called the first place on my list…they were booked till October. Reasonable rate but was higher than I wanted. I called the second place on the list…and here’s where favor comes in. I’m talking to the lady and I find out that she has one opening left and that a lady had just called her so it would be first come first serve. I got all the info I needed, good rates, was an in-home preschool program, and I told her that as soon as I got my daughter off the bus I would come over. As we were closing the call, she asked my name and we exchanged names and that’s when it hit me…I knew her! I used to work with her at a previous job and she left that job to start her own daycare. At the time she offered a spot for Brianna but she was happy in her current daycare. I knew this was God working it out for me! I just wanted to get over to her as fast as I could so I could get his paperwork started.
In the meantime, I’m never home for the bus to know what time to expect it to arrive. So I decided to call the school to both check on her bus and to see if they could suggest an after-school solution. They told me that the Boys & Girls Club picks up for after-school. Music to my ears!! There is a newer club on my side of town. The main club in the city doesn’t come out as far so that’s why we were stuck with his cousin before. So I call them up and find out the rates which make me wanna jump for joy! It’s $40 from now to December and then $125 in January to cover the next year. They also cover early dismissals and teacher workdays! If we are in the same area next year and Jordan goes too it will only be $100 for him. The only downside was that we were lead around the bush a few times. First we were told you could fill out an application at any time, then I go up there before I leave for work that Thursday and they tell me come back at 2, then DH goes and they tell him he has to wait till Orientation. So for a week and a half I had to leave work in time to come across town to get Bri from the bus to drive her back to my job for DH to pick her up when he came to pick up Jordan from his preschool. It wasn’t fun but it was a small sacrifice to make and I did enjoy seeing my baby girl after she got off of the bus J
Now that it’s been a couple of weeks and Jordan is settled into his preschool routine and Brianna started going to the Boys and Girls club this past Monday here’s the true testimony. Jordan absolutely LOVES his preschool!!! He is so excited to tell me what he learned the day before. He’s making so much progress and it makes my heart smile so big!! Now he asks as soon as he gets up in the morning is it time to go to preschool? If we lived closer to it I would take him then but it’s by my job so it’s not really convenient in that way. He even asks on Saturday can he go?! This is a complete turnaround from before. Before he would cry sometimes about going to daycare. It was as if he worked like me and lived for the weekends and dreaded Mondays. That’s not the way it should be for a child. He is making so much progress!
When I came to work on that Thursday after the ordeal and I was telling my co-workers about why I had to call out. (they know it’s an emergency if I have to call out) It was then that I looked at my notebook and saw where I wrote my vision list. The very first thing on my list was: I AM SO HAPPY AND GRATEFUL NOW THAT JORDAN IS IN A GREAT PRESCHOOL PROGRAM THAT HE IS HAPPY IN AND WE CAN AFFORD. The preschool is a little more than I was paying before but it’s 150% worth it! And the money that we’re not paying every two weeks for after school makes us able to afford the preschool!!! God truly worked it all out for me!! I give him all the praise!!
Now tell me ain’t my God just AWESOME!!!!
Leave a Reply