Sorry, it’s football season and the Leigh Anne Tuohy in me is running rampant. If you don’t know who she is, watch the movie The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock.  Matt swears I am very much like Leigh Anne, especially during football season. Mostly, I take that as a compliment as she is very passionate about her family, football and helping others. Another parallel is that her family adopted a homeless teen which was chronicled in the movie.

Anyway, I’ve been kind of radio-silent on our blog page and Facebook group, which has apparently not gone unnoticed.  Unfortunately, the answer until last week was that it was delayed due to circumstances beyond our control.

About the time we were finishing up the grueling pace of our classes in August, Matt learned that his group at AT&T was going to be surplused – and that he had 60 days to find a job within the company or he’d be unemployed.  It was not a reflection on his work or his accomplishments, just a management cost-saving decision that affected his team.  As a matter of fact, he learned rather quickly just how much his former manager and colleagues value him!  That was definitely a balm to the pain of being cut, but it still didn’t fix the problem of employment. And to adopt, you have to be gainfully employed. Or have at your disposal, verifiable reliable income able to support your current needs. In our case, that means we both need to be employed.

We understand the purpose of the requirement. The road that these children take to find their forever homes is not without abuse, fear, stress and insecurity.  Placing them in a home where there is uncertainty about finances is not in their best interest. This time we were forced to delay the game because you cannot complete your home study while unemployed. However, it can be a real disappointment to put your plans on hold.

With little choice, Matt began the frightening process of looking for a new job, something that he hadn’t done in 12 years.  Fortunately, so many people rallied around him at AT&T, and so many recruiters outside the company began calling him, that it didn’t seem as daunting a situation as it first did. There was just that play clock ticking down with alarming speed. Because I work in the recruiting industry, I was able to help him be more productive in his search and refine his resume a bit. But so much of it was up to him and I know he was feeling the pressure.  He had to find the job and earn it. It was heart-warming for me to learn how many of his colleagues really like and respect him.  I know he’s awesome, but it’s nice to learn that others see that awesomeness, too!

Once again, we were caught in limbo, with clear understanding of why it’s considered the outer circle of hell!  Matt and I have been through so much together, and I feel confident that our love for each other and our faith in God will see us through anything, just as it has before. We are very good at facing whatever challenge in life we come upon, but neither of us is really adept at dealing with the unknown. I had to keep reminding myself to let go and let God.  John 14:1 says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”  That’s really hard for this control freak to do that! However, we were doing all we could to find Matt a new job, the rest was up to Him. My mother taught me that ‘God helps those who help themselves,’ and I understand that to mean that I have to make some effort on my part and God will do the rest. My daily prayer was for God to guide us to the path He has in mind for us and for patience with me when I forget that I’m really not in charge.

Fortunately, last week Matt received the email from HR that he had landed a new position. He’s joined a team that works with cloud computing within AT&T, so hopefully this will have some longevity. And, not only was he selected for this role, in the process he received a promotion two levels above where he was. To say that I’m proud of him is a major understatement!

It also means that now we can move forward. Need to do a few more things to our application and tidy up a few more loose ends around the house.  Our old suburban was showing its age, and before the uncertainty of Matt’s job started, we had begun to look for newer used models.  Not really practical to try and cram 2 adults, 1 child and 3 dogs into a mini cooper! We traded in the old ’98 last week for a 2004 model.  We also need to purchase the regulation fire extinguishers needed, money we didn’t want to spend before the job situation was secured.

We’re at the end of the first quarter; the score is 14-0, in favor of the home team. We’ve completed our classes and Matt has remained gainfully employed, resulting in the lead in points. The second quarter will be completing first downs (fire and health inspections). If the ruling on the field is that we have a suitable home and are good parent material, then we move into the half-time show while we wait to be selected.  It’s been a long quarter with a lot of movement on the field in the opening minutes, then a lot of plays with very little yardage gained.  The team is ready for this next drive and is confident that the plays will result in moving the ball down the field towards the goal!

*disclaimer: the author does not view adoption as a game.  It’s a serious endeavor but without a little levity in life, it would be unbearable. Genesis 21:6 – And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” Considering that Sarah said this after she gave birth to Isaac, laughter seems exceedingly appropriate!