Pay It Forward

Have you ever had days where you are just unsure of how things are going?  What is your boss really thinking?  What do they think of how you are doing?

Well, these last twenty-four hours my husband and I are counting our blessings and running out of fingers of how many blessings we have just from this wonderful family that I get to nanny for their two-year old here in Ames.

You see, I went 9 months, (did you hear that NINE months!) without a job while living here in Ames and Jon was doing twelve credits and working part-time.  The gift Jon gave me on Valentine's Day was mentioning his wife to his substitiute professor at ISU.  And that little conversation brings me to where we are today! :)

Since the end of March I have been blessed with a sweet little two-year old girl who teaches me more than I could ever thought possible.  She is a gift from God--her whole family is!  Her mom is about to have a baby in early September.  I get to nanny for her through at least the summer.  Her parents told me I get to take her swimming lessons, to the library, to Reiman Gardens, etc.  After the swimming lessons I can take her swimming, and her dad told Jon he could come with! 

Blessing One:  Jon is always invited to be a part of this nanny-job.  He is always welcome.
It's been a blessing to have Jon around from time to time.  He loves it too! :)  He mentions how much fun it is to work along side each other (note Blessing Five)! :)

Blessing Two: I was originally going to work through May 15th, with a possible later date.  The prayers have been answered.  I have it (for atleast) through the summer!

Yesterday her parents were delighted to see that I helped her make an umbrella during the rainy afternoon.  It was nice to hear how much they enjoy what I come up with to do with their daughter.

Blessing Three: They let me know what they appreciate.

Yesterday I needed to do a load of laundry and they had something in the dryer so I did those as well.  This morning her mom made it sound like I just did hours of work for them!  She was so thankful!

Blessing Four:  Even the small things they appreciate.  They notice the "cleaning" I do for them.  At the beginning of this job they made it clear it was expected, but I had no worries.  I like to organize and tidy up things! :)

Jon's part-time job seems to slow down in the summer.  He makes home theater screens and there's not as much as a need for them when the weather warms up!  The family has asked Jon to mow their lawn a couple times, do some yard work, clean their windows, and redo the finish on their windows.

Blessing Five: They have given Jon some hours to work which has really helped boost his esteem during the summer.

They gave me an entire week off when I said my friend was getting married and I was in the wedding.  They also didn't expect Jon to come and work on their house while we were out of town.  They figure we stay together. :)

Blessing Six:  They understand family and friend time.

Jon has accidently done a couple things at their house while cleaning/working.  When he brings it up they say no big deal and thank him for all he's been doing for them.

Blessing Seven:  They are open-minded and very understanding.  They have glass half-full responses.

They trust us in their house, eating their food, spending time with their daughter, and so on.

Blessing Eight: They are thankful for us and allow us to ask them for anything we need.

They lend me one of their cars to take their daughter places.

Blessing Nine: They trust me with their daughter while I'm driving. :)

They really make it clear when they are thankful for what I do something (or Jon) and how it was done.  I always try and make their house look better than the way it looked when I get there in the morning.  I'm also working on training their daughter life lessons.  They are Christians, which gives me a great opportunity to teach Truth to their child.  It also is encouraging because we have similar beliefs, and it opens the door for great communication.
Which brings me to blessing ten....

Blessing Ten:  They are Christians.  They also have great communication with me which allows me to do my job better and be more efficient.

I could go on and on and on about more specific blessings, but I will stop there.  I just wanted to update my blog today about the many blessings from this family that I get to nanny for.  They have encouraged me to also PAY IT FORWARD by letting people know when I appreciate them.  A few sentences can go a long way when it comes to blessing others.

Have a wonderful Memorial Weekend everyone!!

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