money miracles

we have had a lot of them...

most recently devan decided to make a major change at work and work less. to put this into perspective i'll just say that last year he only had one week in the entire year when he didn't have any overtime at all and that was in the summer during our family vacation. otherwise, he averaged about sixty hours a week. he traveled to hawaii a lot and worked many, many late nights on both the project in hawaii and the project for apple co. here in cupertino.

here's another way to put it into perspective...

one night in december chas was brushing his teeth in the bathroom while i was in the kitchen. he asked me IF dad was coming home before bedtime that day. i hesitated because it's a question that really only came to have one answer last year and i knew it would be a disappointing one to him. so after a pregnant pause (no pun intended!) on my part he just blurts out, "Dad works too much!" i could only agree. so could devan.

and he was feeling it. the lack of sleep, the lack of home time, the lack of being with his wife and children.

so he came to me around xmas time and told me that he felt that he had been truly impressed by the Spirit in regards to work that he needed to make serious changes this next year.

and he has. cause your dad is obedient to the revelations he receives from God. this is one of the reasons i love him so much. he's reliable that way. it's created an incredible feeling of safety in our marriage, our family, our home.

but i digress. cause along with that change come much less money. if devan isn't working overtime we are making just enough to pay our bills MINUS gas and food and any other thing we might need...ie, shoes for kids who go through them in a month's time, clothes for the pregnant momma that just keeps eating, oil changes, broken car door handles, etc. the list goes on in a large family. it's seriously scary sometimes.

at any rate, all of last year i was feeling strongly regarding our debt. we've been working on and off over the last few years to rid ourselves of our outstanding debt -- some credit card debt as well as school loans. we've made great headway in the last year, but we aren't done and need more time to get done. so the idea of devan working less and therefore earning less made my heart nervous. i was glad for having him home. i need him home. and the kids need him home more. and his health needs him home more. but how were we going to meet both of these goals -- paying down debt and working less -- at the same time?

on paper it was impossible. good thing God doesn't work everything out on paper.

so with faith we began this year. devan has been home nearly everyday at 6:30. the kids and i and devan have absolutely LOVED it! we play more, we relax more, we are all more happy. whoever thinks dad aren't important is completely kidding themselves. they are essential. even devan's presence brings a certain amount of peace to our home.

actually, as i just re-read that first line in the above paragraph i realized that it isn't completely true. i should say that devan started this year with faith. i started it feeling overwhelmed and defeated. (and apparently anemic, but i didn't know that at the time.) how could we make it all work? and was now -- when i'm so pregnant and feeling on the brink as it is -- the best time to have to muster up even more faith than already necessary to just be pregnant?!

but God has never let us down. ever. ever. ever. and so i just started from there. and i said to God in my prayers, "We both feel strongly about these two goals that seem to compete. Let's see what you can help us do, okay?" and help us He has.

this week alone...at the beginning of the week we were to have a negative amount in our bank account by the time all bills had been paid. at present, due to a number of things, we have $170 left over. plus, we had church callings and other plans that have made it so we didn't have to spend any money on dinners for the last three nights, including tonight.

the number of things? were you wondering what they were? well, devan ending up getting paid more than we were anticipating due to the fact that when he works through lunch he ends up with a few overtime hours. plus, we missed signing up for our Flexible Spending Account this year -- who knew that was going to turn out to be a blessing? -- and so we are having much less taken out of each paycheck than last year. additionally, rent was $20 less due to a shower head that Frank had to reimburse us for and our mortgage was nearly $60 less due to lower property taxes.

no major money surprises. not more than we needed to make it by. and no money falling from the sky... but slowly and on purpose it all added up to be just what we needed...it was beautiful to watch.

and so now we have money for gas and food for the next few weeks. it will still require sacrifice and good planning on my part, but it will be enough. and all bills have been paid. and it is so clearly the Lord's hand in our lives...how could it be otherwise? He's simply amazing.

we've definitely sacrificed...devan's birthday was thursday. he didn't get the shoes he needs and i wanted to surprise him with. he didn't get a gift at all really. but i did have enough to buy him some IBC Black Cherry and some candies that he loves (Reese's pieces) and drop it off at his work for a mid-day surprise. (cause everyone should have at least some small surprise on their birthday!)

but we've also been blessed for our sacrifices...

we had originally planned to go to the temple and out to dinner together. instead, he found out he had a meeting he had to go to for his calling on the high council. he and i were both bummed at first, but in true devan form, he magnified his calling. the meeting was a relief society training meeting and when our stake rs pres found out it was his birthday she invited me to come along. so we still got to go out on date (thanks to Julie Loper!). then when we were there we were treated to a great dinner of Chicken Parmesan. when they brought it out i nearly laughed out loud knowing that it was one of dev's favorites that he hardly ever gets. what a treat for him!

and it just goes on and on...the stake rs pres bought him cookies, the samoan ward sisters gave him a love lay, and then to top it off they served coconut ice cream for dessert! devan was talking when they served it so i took a quick bite to see what kind it was. as soon as i realized it was coconut -- a flavor i hate and devan loves so of course we never buy it :) -- i knew God lived yet again.

now, i know you're probably laughing at me thinking that these were all coincidences. but i tell you no! this is how God works. this is how He taps on our shoulders and gives us a wink and says, "see, i know you. and i love you."

"Who Honors God, God Honors"....true statement.

devan put God first that night -- those sisters needed his presence as a representative of the Stake, the Priesthood, and ultimately Jesus Christ. and he went not expecting anything in return and he went with a happy attitude, willing to serve and put himself second.

and what did God do? he still provided dev time with his wife, a favorite dinner, and a yummy dessert. did God have to do any of that? certainly not. we have both covenanted to give everything and anything God asks of us without expecting anything in return. but God is merciful, wonderful, kind, and just plain cool. so He's able to meet people needs and grant so many of our desires all at the same time...especially when we are willing to put Him first.

"I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say..." D&C 82:10.

and did you notice that the entire night was free? thus, meeting both our goals? no accidents or coincidences there...

and so I have seen God this week. and man, is He beautiful.