2018 - Accepting Change in a New Year

In February 2015 I received a call from my former Sunday school teacher. He and his wife owned the tutoring center where my daughter worked as an English tutor. I'd known them for years, and even though neither of us was attending the church where we'd worshipped together (this is the church that split) we remained good friends. So, while it was out of the ordinary that he would want to see me at his office, I wasn't surprised or concerned.

What he wanted was simple: his wife needed someone to help her in the office, and the Lord had impressed upon her heart that I was the one they were to hire. She refused to even interview anyone else. The job they were offering was work I had done before - answering phones, billing, receiving payments, scheduling - but the best part was the convenience. The tutoring center was 3 minutes from my house - 5 minutes if the traffic light caught me ;-). The hours were 2:00 pm - 8:15 pm, Monday thru Thursday. I would still be able to homeschool my son in the mornings, take care of anything that had to be done around the house, and I'd have some extra money. I too felt strongly in my heart that this was God's provision for me and my family, so after praying that week I accepted the job.

Little did I know how much of a blessing that job would be. During the stressful year of 2016 my employers were my family. They were my support system, my constant in a time of tremendous transition and heartache. They loved me and took care of me, and in turn I worked for them like the company was my own. The tutors were like my kids (they were all college students or recent graduates), the clients were lovely people whom we enjoyed interacting with. And when my divorce was finalized and my alimony/child support was reduced from what I'd been receiving previously, I was still able to pay my bills and provide for my family. I thanked God everyday for leading me to this perfect job.

We would close the center four times a year: the week of Spring break, the week after school ended to transition to the summer session, the week before school started to set up for the new school year, and the two weeks schools were closed for Christmas. We worked during transitions; that was when we updated our files, set up the new session, contacted parents, etc. But for Spring break and Christmas we were off, and that time was sweet. I was able to be home and enjoy the Christmas holiday with my family. Of course my bosses were family to me, so it was nice when they called just a few days before coming back to work so we could meet for lunch. However, it was not what I expected.

My boss, who is not a man to mince words, got right to the point: they'd sold the tutoring center. I was rendered speechless. I had no inkling they were even considering selling. What they explained was that the center wasn't for sale. They'd had a realtor approach them with a client that was looking for a place to purchase. At first they'd said no, but after prayerfully seeking God's will, they decided to let the client look into purchasing. After negotiating, they accepted an offer believing that if God wanted them to sell He would bring the sale through, but if it wasn't His will it wouldn't happen. They never mentioned it because everything seemed to point to a sale not going through for multiple reasons, and so they put it behind them. But during the Christmas break everything lined up and the sale went through. Now they had the difficult task of telling all their employees.

Let me make this very clear. Everyone, and I mean everyone, loved JM and his wife MM. This couple loves the Lord, they love each other, they loved their employees, the children who came to tutor and the parents that brought them. They ran their business as the Lord led them, believing it was God who gave them success. And the business was definitely successful. People came from far away because they wanted their kids to come to this tutoring center. During the recession of 2008-2010, when other tutoring centers in the area closed down, this center continued strong because the Lord was glorified by its owners. So I don't have to explain the amount of tears that were shed when they told us they would be leaving by the end of January. Even with the assurance that we were not losing our jobs, that the new owners were keeping everyone on, we were all saddened at the thought of them leaving. It was especially heartbreaking because we knew the new owners were not Christians and would not do things the way they'd been done in the past.

The new owners assured us over and over that everything would remain as it had been, and no changes would be coming anytime soon. They told the employees this. They told the parents the same thing. But within a few weeks changes came. At first they were subtle, but soon they became more and more aggressive. By the time the summer session was to start, we went from 155 students to 65. Many hoped it was because people were going away on vacation, but I knew that wasn't the reason. I'd already heard from parents. They were not happy. Prices had gone up. Most of the tutors that had been with us for several years had left. For months I watched and listened and grieved. The new boss did not like me, of that I was certain. This place, that had been such a blessing to me before, now brought me sorrow. I no longer enjoyed going to work.

One thing I know about God, He has a purpose for everything He does. I knew I had to be salt and light in this place of darkness, and I did try to be that. Therefore, it was discouraging that my boss resented my honesty. I could see the business wasn't doing well, and I tried to point out what could be done differently, but he didn't want to hear it. His pride got in the way, and I was a reminder to him that the business had been successful in the past so he would be to blame if it was no longer successful. I admit I spoke harshly at times because he lied and that really upset and annoyed me. I began to pray for God to either move me from there or strengthen me, because it was becoming unbearable. God once again showed Himself faithful.

A dear sister in Christ who'd attended my new church and led a women's bible study there, contacted me. She'd heard that the tutoring center where I worked had been sold. She too owned a tutoring center, and she needed someone at the front desk to run the business, and the Lord put me on her heart as someone she could trust. My hours would be from 2:30 pm to 9:00 pm, but I was still only about 5-7 minutes from my home. I would be working with a woman who had been an encouragement to me in the past and would be an encouragement to me again. What's more, she runs a women's ministry from her tutoring center. I would be able to help and be an encouragement to other women. It was a win-win!

I'd worked for the new boss from January to September when I left. When I let him know I was leaving, he smiled from ear to ear. The woman he'd hired in January when the previous owners left was not as happy. She and I had worked well together. She's a hard working woman, but she also knew she had much to learn. I did all I could to teach her everything she needed to know, including typing up step-by-step instructions for all procedures. I also trained a new woman that would be there to help her out. The new owner had been unkind to me on several occasions, but I chose to treat others the way I wanted to be treated, as Jesus taught.

A new chapter, and new blessings from above. The Holy Spirit had warned me it would be a rocky year, and He wasn't kidding! Yet once again I saw God's hand working, and my faith was strengthened. That's how God works. I am convinced that nothing escapes His notice, and as Romans 8:28 tells us, He works all things together for good for those who love Him.

My Week In Review

It was my intention to post more frequently this week, since it was spring break for my son.  So much for good intentions...

For some reason (that no one seems to understand), schools in South Florida all have different weeks for their Spring Break.  Homeschool students were off this past week, while public school students are off next week.  Since many students have dual enrollment, taking certain honors classes online while still attending traditional school, I have to wonder why they couldn't come together and agree on having Spring Break at the same time?  While it's true that homeschooling is flexible, Florida Virtual School has changes to the curriculum that often don't happen till the day before an assignment is due, or at the beginning of the school week.  Trying to get ahead can be tricky; an assignment might be cancelled or an alternate given, in which case the student would have worked for nothing.  I just think it would have made more sense to have both take their breaks at the same time.

Now add to that the fact that private schools don't have the same Spring Break as public schools.  Some private schools will be closed next week, same as public schools, but Catholic schools are off the week after Holy Week.  That's another change I don't understand; traditionally, Catholic schools were closed during Holy Week.  Anyway, our tutoring center decided to close during the time the Catholic schools close since we have so many students from Catholic schools, and because some of the Protestant private schools will be open but the kids will be taking their SAT's so they won't be coming to tutoring.  That would have meant way too many absences, so it's better to close.

This week I spent a good amount of time adjusting next week's schedule.  With public schools being closed next week, we've had dozens of parents calling in to let us know their kids won't be coming to tutoring because they're going out of town for Spring Break.  Unfortunately it's not possible for the center to be closed for two separate weeks, so we'll be open next week even though it might resemble a bit of a ghost town.

I've also been doing a lot of work on my own.  Tuesday marked my one month anniversary working at the center, but I've already been left to take care of the front desk by myself twice.  I've come to the realization that my boss, MM, is burned out.  She and her husband have owned the tutoring center for over 11 years, and in that time she's take one break.  She's run the front desk on her own for a long time; she's had people working there with her, but they've been tutors, who have to leave as soon as their students arrive.  I think she wants to be able to take some time off once in awhile, without worrying about whether everything is being taken care of.  She wants to walk away and spend time with her kids, with her mom who is getting up in years, with friends she doesn't see too often.  I totally get it, and I'm honored that she trusts me enough to leave me in charge, though I know she's a bit of a control freak and won't let go completely.  She still looks over my shoulders a lot, which I have to get used to.

One thing that unnerved me this week, though, was having to tutor a couple of kids.  There's a stomach flu going around, and one of our teachers had to go to the hospital because she became so sick.  She had some students that needed homework help, and there was no one else available to tutor them.  I was "volunteered", which I didn't mind since they were both elementary school students.  What upset me was that I was pretty much thrown to the lions, so to speak: I received no training on any of the programs, no instruction on what to do, and I had no clue what I was supposed to be doing.  Thankfully the first student was eager to explain everything his teacher does with him, and another teacher (who is an absolute doll) showed me where the material was, and I was able to work with the two boys.  They assigned another teacher (she's a wonderful young lady as well) to train me, but that wasn't until the next day.  I think in their minds tutoring would be a no-brainer for a homeschooling mom.  I had to explain what the big difference is: when I homeschool, it's my kid.  If I mess up I don't have to answer to anyone, I just have to fix it.  The kids that come to the tutoring center are paying customers.  Their parents expect a certain level of instruction that I am not qualified to give.  I'm all about being a team player and helping out whenever I'm needed, so long as I'm properly prepared to do the task.  I didn't feel that I was at that time, and it made me feel uncomfortable, which I let them know.

The rest of the week went smoother.  Since I didn't have to homeschool, I polished some of the floors that had gotten dulled from moving furniture boxes around.  Thursday I got a haircut - I went back to the short bob I'd gotten back in October.  My hair had been chin length at that time, and it had grown past my shoulders.  I debated whether to cut it short or not, but since my hair grows so much as so quickly, I decided to go for it and had it cut chin length again.  This way all the dull and damaged ends are gone, and I'm left with healthier hair to grow out.        

I've been having some breakouts this week.  I hadn't had pimples like this in ages, but Wednesday I had three - THREE! - on my face, two of them plainly on my chin.  I scrubbed them good, and two of them actually popped.  Then yesterday after lunch I started noticing a different kind of breakout.  I have several spots on my face that are not zits.  These look like hives, like when I have allergies.  My allergies have been running rampant lately thanks to the warmer weather, but I suspect this may have been from the fish I had for lunch yesterday.  I made it myself, and I've had tilapia before, but reactions can happen at any time.  I took a Benadryl last night but this morning they're still there.  At least there aren't more, nor has it spread to any other part of my body.  Not that I like having them on my face :P.  Yesterday they were a bit itchy; that isn't the case today.

That was my week, in a nutshell.  I'm off to clean bathrooms now - thrilling, huh?  Have a blessed weekend everyone!