I look around my house and see four very happy and content dogs. Molly is on the big chair cuddled up and snoring. Tank is on one end of the couch on his back with his tongue hanging out and the little girls are on the other end curled up together on the big pillow. Times like this make my heart happy.
In the last few years I have learned to enjoy and cherish the little things. I never thought of myself as a materialistic person but there is nothing like a financial blow to open your eyes wide open. It was not until Jess lost his job that I saw how caught up I was on things that did not really matter.
I am not the type of person that needs the latest designer this or that nor the kind that needs my hair and nails done all the time. I am very low maintenance. My problem was that I loved having what I had and loved the idea of being able to get whatever I wanted when I wanted. We had no problem taking off on the weekends to wherever we wanted and spent money as if there was a never ending supply. I took my pay check and his for granted…bottom line.
I lost my job in 2009 and struggled until 2012 to find another one. I collected unemployment so it was not that big of a blow financially. In October 2011 Jess lost his job of 14 years and man that rocked my world. I remember crying when he called to tell me he had collected his last check. I think I took it harder than he did.
Slowly but surly we had to start selling our things just to pay bills. We started with my car. I played it off as if it did not matter but God knows how many tears I shed in the shower over it. I stayed positive on the outside but was angry and scared on the inside. We went from having to not having in what seemed like overnight. Top Ramen Noodles were the staple food and I hated it!
One day I was sitting right here where I am sitting now and I looked over and saw Jess laying on the couch with Molly laying on his lap and Tank and Gidget laying next to him. I had all 7 of Molly’s puppies as well as Snooki sleeping next to me on this couch and as I looked at them I felt so much happiness it took my breath away. I got up and ran to the bathroom to cry. How could I possibly be so happy in the midst of all that had happened? I was sitting on old couches, walking on pee stained carpet and at that time had 20 bucks until pay day…really?
Somewhere along the road I learned to be content. I had been praying and praying for God to remove any pride and haughtiness from me. I prayed that He show me how to be content with the little things. Here I was living God’s answer to prayer. That moment will forever be etched in my mind.
So tonight I sit here and can not help but feel so thankful that God put us through that trying time…both Jess and I are different people because of it. Financially, we are no where near where we were before, but that is fine with us. We have enough to pay our bills, feed our dogs and enjoy date night once a week. The most important thing is that we have learned how to find joy in the small things…movie night cuddled on the couch together, having lunch in the cafeteria of my job, the half hour it takes us to move the dogs around on the bed just so we can have room to sleep on the very edge and, for me, the content look on my babies faces as they snooze on the couch while mom watches the novela. And doggie kisses. Yup, thank you God for doggie kisses.
