I have to begin this post by saying I am SO PROUD of my husband! I've always been proud of him for a million reasons but I want to post this one particular reason because it is life changing. As long as I've known Chad, he has told me if he could do it all over again, he would have a different career. Particularly, he would have a career in nursing. Over the last few years, it has been evident that the desire was growing more intense in his heart. Finally, after lots of consideration, Chad started back to school at night in January, 2012. The number of people we told was few and far between. We just weren't sure where God would lead this endeavor and at that time, he continued to work full time in his job of 15+ years.
We returned home from our New Years, 2012 Disney trip and hit the ground running. The kids and I went back to school, Chad went back to work, and he hit Anatomy and Physiology head on at night. We got used to a new normal, which included lots of studying on Chad's part. It is not easy to get used to being a student again after all those years and especially not when you work full time, take care of a sick father, and pull an equal share at home with your wife and kids. Just as I expected, he pulled it off with grace and patience and he did GREAT. He went to school at night the entire year of 2012. The hardest time for me and the kids was the summer because we have always been used to having daddy with us on summer nights but it was a worthy sacrifice to help our main squeeze.
After a lot of prayer and consideration, we made the decision to apply to nursing school. Chad has the heart of a nurse and he is truly called to be a helper of people. I know it will be his ministry. He will be Jesus to all he helps, of this I am certain. We had one big disappointment when he was not accepted for the Fall semester but we did not lose faith that God was working this out in His time. Chad just kept plugging away at his basic courses and we worked on an even better application for Spring, 2013. We prayed and trusted and when the worry set in, we just amped up our faith and trusted some more.
Finally, on a cool October day, we knew others had received their letters. We checked the mail MANY times that day waiting for that envelope. We had an inkling as to the answer based on the weight of the envelope. The previous time, we knew those declined got one letter and those accepted got a very heavy envelope for directions on how to proceed. I raced home from school and NO mail. I was so upset because our mail runs between lunch and 2PM. WHAT in the world was going on? I was so sad for Chad because he really needed to know. Right before 5PM, I went out to walk Spencer and noticed our mailman pulling out of our neighbor's driveway. I thought "surely not" but surely so, our mail had just arrived. There it was, the envelope we had been waiting for and it felt much thicker than last time! Chad came directly home and we stood in our kitchen and opened it together. All it took was one word to bring me to tears, Congratulations! And right then and there, our lives changed forever. We knew the steps we would take and while it was scary, we had been ready for a very long time. We had just been waiting for the Lord to say, "it is time" and we were ready to go. The moment he read the letter, Chad changed. It was such a blessing to see his hard work pay off and to see him have something he had wanted so badly. We got the letter on a Thursday. That weekend, Chad worked in his office catching up on paperwork and other things to get ready for Monday. Monday morning, he drove to his home office and turned in a letter of resignation. We had been blessed for many years by this career and Chad and I both have life long friends made through his work but it was time to move in a different direction. He worked two more weeks and then took the majority of November and December to prepare for January. We loved having him home so much those two months, especially during our Christmas break. We spent lots of time together and that time at home was a great blessing for our family. As previously posted, we kicked off 2013 with a Disney trip and we came home ready to set out on our new beginning. Chad began the RN program full time on January 7th and it has been full speed ahead ever since. He is a studying maniac most of the time. We are so proud of him. He LOVES it, as I knew he would. It can be scary, as it is a commitment for all four of us, but there is no doubt about it, Chad is worth it to me and to the kids. I took this picture on the first day he had to dress in his scrubs for lab. In a couple of weeks, he will begin clinical rotations and he will begin to see where God has planted his passion.
We are so thankful for God's guidance and provision in this matter. He alone has led us here and He alone will see us through to completion. Chad, in case you have any doubt, I want to remind you that I support you and I am always on your team! I am your biggest fan and I am so very proud of you! No one will ever make a better nurse than you will be. I also know that no one will have a better looking nurse than you. :-) I have total confidence in you and the ONE who is IN you to handle your patients with a love that is greater than yourself. Keep on keeping on and the one who has begun a good work in you will not cease until it is completed! God will finish what He has started!
Our chalkboard now reads RN love because we want our daddy to know he is loved greater than he could ever imagine! I'm so proud he chose me!
No comments:
Post a Comment