when life gives you lemons...make lemonade!!!

just when you think everything's ok...life gives you lemons.

we thought that the plans for paul's work transition to california has been finalized. we believed the promises made by the company that paul was to work from the santa clara office to be with his family in the bay area (handa na nga daw ang desk ni paul e!), but a week before he was to leave, they drop a bomb on us...an ultimatum. it's oregon or resign.

he chose to resign.

i admire my husband for having the guts to quit. i know how much he loves his work. he has spent long hours and sleepless nights working really hard for the company. as his wife, i would have supported his decision even if it meant we would only be together on weekends while he worked in oregon. but God's will is for our family to be together and that's the direction we should go.

this is a big bump in our young marriage. in moments like these, one has to be strong for the other. i praise God for the strength that He provides...if i were not a believer in the Lord, i would have crumbled into pieces right now because of the disappointment and anger. but the Lord said, 'sa Akin kayo magtiwala. sa Akin lang' and that's what we're going to do. i've always told paul that if it's not this job, there will be something bigger and better waiting here for him. all we have to do is really trust God...to rely on Him in every aspect of our lives and this is what we are going to do.

last nite, after my tears have subsided and after we prayed to the Lord, i found peace...and again i prayed and thanked Him for all that He has given us. when we are faced with troubles, let us not forget the number of times He scooped us out of our problems...the countless times He turned our sadness into joy. the Lord said in nehemiah 8:10, '...do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.' the Lord has given us the joy of knowing that starting next week, we will be together as a family...and this bump in the road cannot take away that joy.

we bear no grudges on the managers or whoever decided this is how it was going to be. while we are disappointed...more than anything, we are sad that this is how things must end. we are sad that while they knew for at least 8 months now that paul was moving to california, they gave us an ultimatum a week before his departure. maybe they thought we would fold. maybe they thought we were after money (what money?! they're not even going to pay him fair wage! hehe)... i guess they underestimated the strength we have...unbeknownst to them, we serve a true, living, and powerful God who is never weak and whose plans for His children are always perfect...

God will use this to prove His glory in our lives...in our life, we want Him to be glorified. this may be a test to see if we are really going to put Christ in the center of our lives...we do and we will.

we chose to make lemonade out of all these. it may be a little sour and tart right now...but God will add the sweetness shortly...we just have to sit back, relax, and enjoy the summer while taking a sip of our very own lemonade.